Free Shelf Life by S.L. Dearing Page B

In the moment, she was comforted and she felt her lips turn upward as she stepped forward. She had known in her gut that something was wrong, but she hadn’t dreamed that it had come to this. She began walking slowly down the neighborhood road, Max at her side. In every direction she looked, she saw ruin. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t contain her sadness. Tears flowed silently down her face as she took in all the destruction, hoping to see someone...anyone.
    After having walked for several hours, Shannon began to notice that the evening sun was hanging low in the sky. She didn’t even know where she was anymore. The destroyed suburban homes had given way to the remnants of businesses and skyscrapers and still not one person. She began to quicken her pace as she moved down the rubble-strewn street. In the distance, there was a building still intact, a restaurant. As she walked closer she noticed a sign, The Blue Turtle.
    “Stupid name,” she said. “C’mon, Max. Maybe there’s some food left inside that’s not spoiled.”
    She pulled the door and it opened easily. Max scampered inside as she slipped into the dimness. The heavy wooden door closed behind her as she took several steps into the darkness. Suddenly she felt she wasn’t alone.
    “Max!”
    She put out her hand and felt the dog’s cold nose and muzzle against her skin. She grabbed his collar and tried to take a step back, but stopped. She felt the hard circular object against her side as a hand grabbed her upper arm.
    “Stand right there, sweetheart, and keep quiet.” the deep voice quietly commanded. Max began to growl.
    “Shut him up, now!!”
    “Quiet, Max!”
    The dog quieted, but Shannon could feel his muscles still tense under her fingers.
    “What do you want?” She asked.
    “I want you to be quiet. Don’t move and don’t make a sound. I’ll explain after.”
    “After what?!?!”
    “Seriously, shut the fuck up.”
    Shannon was about to speak again when she heard the motors. A low rumble moving closer, then snapping and crushing sounds that got louder and louder. She felt the rumble start in Max, but sensing the need for silence she wrapped her hands around his muzzle, his muscles going lax under her physical command. The man behind her let loose of her arm and glanced through a mostly covered window. She looked over at him, a shadow mostly, but she could see he was tall and muscular with long, shoulder-length hair. He lightly put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her down in a crouching position, placing his finger against his lips. She glanced down at Max, his brown eyes afraid of the noise, but still staying silent in his mistress’ hands.
    The grinding of the motors and crunching of stone and steel became deafening, but they remained silent, waiting for the barrage to pass. Just when she thought she could take no more, the last of the vehicles passed and the motors faded into the night. Silence once again filled the night and Shannon felt the stranger’s hand lift from her shoulder.
    “Sorry about that. I can’t believe you were running around at dusk. They always come at dusk. Where have you been...in a hole or something?”
    “Yeah, something like that,” she replied.
    She took her hands from Max’s nose and rubbed him behind his ears, praising him for being such a good boy. She turned when she saw a dim light appear from behind her. There was the stranger.
    He was a man in his late twenties with long brown hair and a stubble-strewn face, full lips and a strong nose that framed sad brown eyes. He looked at her and then looked away.
    “Where have you been?” he asked.
    “An earthquake shelter under my house...under what was left of my house. What the hell happened? Three weeks ago I’m deciding what to wear to work the next day, eating a bowl of pasta, and then an EBS warning lights up the TV telling us all to find secure shelter so I go to my hole in the ground. Then nothing! No power, no water, no radio, nothing.