Free The Remnants of Yesterday by Anthony M. Strong Page A

mind began to turn. Standing outside, alone, with the barn door pulled almost closed until there was nothing but a crack between the door and the frame, I could almost believe that none of the events of the past few days was real. Everything seemed so serene, so…
    Normal.
    Granted, there was a house not one hundred yards away that was now nothing more than a crispy shell, and if you believed Cole, and somehow I did, there were a couple of bodies laying out in the darkness somewhere, two Crazies with dime sized holes in their heads. But if you looked past that, just glanced in any other direction, then the world was just as it always had been.
    “Penny for your thoughts?”
    I turned to find Clara leaning against the doorframe.
    “Couldn’t sleep,” I said.
    “Yeah. The end of the world will do that for you.” She slipped outside and guided the door closed, careful not to let it bang.
    “End of the world might be a bit harsh.” I offered her some of my water. “Okay, nothing’s working, no phones, no power, not even cars, and the highway looks like a wrecker’s yard…”
    “Don’t forget the zombies.” She took the water and gulped a mouthful down.
    “Don’t call them that.”
    “Why? Seems to fit.”
    “Zombies aren’t real,” I said. “I don’t know what has happened to people, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t turn into zombies.”
    “Whatever.” She shrugged and handed the water back. “I’ve been thinking.”
    “Me too.”
    “We need a plan. Something to work toward, otherwise we’ll just end up roaming around out here until the zombies…” She paused and corrected herself. “Sorry, the Crazies, get us.”
    “I know what my plan is.”
    “Really?”
    “I need to find Jeff.”
    “Isn’t your brother in New York?” Clara asked. “That’s a long way without any means of transportation.”
    “I was thinking the same thing, but I have to try. He’s all I have.”
    “He’s probably dead already.”
    “Don’t say that.” I felt a prickle of anger.
    “Look, I’m not being mean, but you have to realize that there’s a good chance he didn’t make it. New York is a prime target. I don’t know what this thing is, but it seems like the city would be the first place hit. There are just so many people there.”
    “You might be right, but what do I have to lose? There’s nothing else left.”
    “That’s not true, there’s me.” She reached out and touched my arm. “I need you.”
    I looked at her, momentarily dumbfounded. “What about your family?”
    “I’m a realist. My parents live in Florida, and I have a brother out west. Unless some miracle happens, I can’t reach any of them.” She looked up at the sky, admiring the Milky Way. “You know, it’s amazing to think how small we are, how tiny our planet is, and yet even on such a small speck of rock we can be so far away from our loved ones.”
    “You will see them again,” I said.
    “Maybe.” She fixed her attention back on me. “In the meantime though, I guess you’re stuck with me.”
    “Well, there are worse people to be stuck with,” I replied. “Clay for a start. He’d probably have shot me by now.”
    Clara laughed, her eyes lighting up for a moment, before a shadow fell over her face. “Why don’t we go back inside? It’s probably not safe out here.”
    “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking coming out here on my own.” I reached out and gripped the barn door, holding it open for Clara to enter first.
    It was at that moment, as I was about to step back inside, that the phone in my pocket vibrated.
    I looked at Clara, startled. “I think I just got a text.”
    “What?” She swiveled around, her eyes wide. “I thought the phones weren’t working.”
    “Me too.” I pulled the device from my pocket and turned the screen on, typing in the password. The text message icon now had a bold number next to it. “I do have a new text.”
    “Well?”
    “Hang on.” I opened it,