Final Dawn: Season 1 (The Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Series) by Mike Kraus Page B

cloud was made of. He felt it envelop him, squeezing and suffocating him, filling his mouth, nose and lungs. He tried to breathe but couldn’t. Marcus struggled but found himself paralyzed, unable to move anything save for his eyes. As his vision tunneled, he let out one last gasp, trying to scream.
     
    Marcus awoke with a bloodcurdling screech, grabbing his machete as he jumped up from his bedroll. He twirled around in the dark, holding the machete high, coughing to clear his lungs from the imaginary cloud that had enveloped him in his dream. Marcus’s head began to clear from the fog of sleep and he dropped the machete and put his hands on his knees, bending over and breathing deeply.
     
    “What… the hell… just happened?” he gasped. He now realized that it had all been a dream, but it was so visceral and lifelike that his heart was still racing and he could swear that the face of the creature was still in front of him with its mouth wide open. After a few moments of heavy breathing, his heart began to slow and he sat on the ground, feeling around for his machete and his bedroll. Finding both, he sat on the bedroll, motionless, machete perched on his folded legs as he stared into the darkness, on edge for any sound or movement in the night.
     
    “So much for sleep tonight.”

11:47 AM, March 30, 2038
    Rachel Walsh
     
    The rest of the day and night passed uneventfully as Rachel and Sam wound their way north. Occasionally Rachel thought she saw a silver shimmer in the distance, but nothing came of the sightings, so she continued walking with Sam glued to her leg, his ears constantly perked, keeping his eyes open for any dangers as well. They made camp in the back of an 18-wheeler that was pulled over in a rest area, Rachel making good use of the sleeper bed while Sam dozed in the front passenger seat.
     
    The next morning, they got up and continued on their way, when Sam began to whine, looking ahead of them to a small town where their highway and another major highway crossed paths. Rachel didn’t see anything so she kept walking, but she unslung her rifle, keeping it ready in case there was something ahead. As they drew closer to the town, Sam continued to whine until Rachel whispered harshly at him.
     
    “Sam, hush!” She had heard it too. The unmistakable deep rumble of an idling diesel engine came from ahead in the town, no more than a quarter mile away.  Rachel and Sam moved off of the highway and lower into the center median, keeping out of sight as much as possible. Rachel crouched as much as she could, given the load she was carrying, and jogged forward with Sam right on her heels. Ever since she had fussed at him, he hadn’t let out a single whine. Jeremy’s training was well worth it, Rachel thought, remembering back to the long nights of carrying Sam to a local dog trainer. It had cost them close to a thousand dollars in lessons and countless afternoons of practice sessions, but Sam had learned how to respond to voice commands from her and Jeremy. The thought of her late husband threatened to bring tears, but Rachel clamped down on the emotions, focusing on the task at hand.
     
    Rachel and Sam made it into town and climbed up the embankment, lying in the grass at the top, searching for the source of the noise. The sound of the engine was much louder, now. It can’t be more than a hundred feet away… but where? As she surveyed the buildings, trying to get a sense of where the sound came from, she heard someone whistle, followed by some garbled words. People?! Rachel couldn’t believe her ears. Not only was there a working vehicle, but there was the unmistakable sound of people talking, too. It must be people, unless those bastards taught themselves to speak . The thought brought a grim smirk to her face. Only one way to find out.
     
    Rachel climbed out of the median, signaling Sam to stay still. She crept forward, rifle raised, and thumbed the safety off. She followed a side street to the