Man's Ruin, page 9
part #1 of The Seventh Seal Series
Matthew nodded. He wanted to keep moving, but his aching muscles sided with Leena, even though his head told him otherwise. He sat beneath a massive oak, brushing snow from the base of the trunk and clearing a place to sit. The flakes lessened as the sun rose, as if in some type of cosmic alliance. Leena sat next to Matthew and put her head on his chest. He raised an arm and drew her closer, closing his eyes and relishing the silence.
***
Six weeks passed before the vernal equinox broke winter’s back, the sunlight melting what remained of the snow. The migratory birds had returned to fight the seagulls for the scant food available on the beaches, and the morning sun broke over the trees and turned the surface of Lake Erie into a calm field of sparkling gems.
Leena pulled a tarnished pot off the stove and tilted it toward Matthew’s cup. He held up a hand when the brown liquid reached the halfway point, and she smiled and tucked a strand of dark hair behind one ear. Leena placed three more logs into the stove and felt the heat emanating from it.
“We have to leave,” he said.
Leena nodded, hearing the statement but not wanting to believe it. The cottage perched above the lake gave them a respite from the harsh reality of their plight. The old coffee was dry, tasteless, and the canned food they found in the cellar was almost inedible. Almost. The decision to ride out the death throes of winter had allowed them both to recuperate from the march and the skirmish with the Republic that had all but eliminated the chapter.
“One more week?”
Matthew nodded. He had the itch to move on but did not see the harm in a few more days on the lake. “Yes, but then we have to leave.”
“Which direction?” Leena asked.
“I don’t know. I feel an obligation to the patch, but we have no way of knowing how the rest of the chapter fared.”
“I don’t sense them.”
“I thought that,” Matthew said. He acknowledged her gift while not entirely believing in it. “You haven’t mentioned going back to Pennsylvania since we found this place.”
“I don’t think the Republic cares about us, either. Not like we pose much of a threat anymore.”
Matthew smiled at her and tilted his cup. “Coax another half-cup out of the kettle?” he asked.
Leena stood and grabbed the pot from the top of the woodburning stove now roaring with fire. She poured the rest of the coffee into his cup.
“Let’s pack up the essentials and leave the rest. Staying light is our best chance of not getting caught,” Matthew said as he raised the steaming cup to his lips.
Leena placed her hand over his before scanning the kitchen for the essentials they would need to pack.
***
They stood on the shore of Lake Erie, both of them knowing it would most likely be for the final time. A thin line of smoke slithered from an industrial smokestack, more likely the result of a simple fire than activity within the old factory. Most of the buildings of Cleveland stood and, from the distance, appeared unaffected by the events of the past. The sun glinted off the steel facades that had witnessed the First Cleansing, the coming of the Republic, and whatever might come next.
“I wonder how this must have looked in the old times.”
Matthew raised his eyebrows and squinted. He saw birds floating by the tops of the buildings like pesky gnats above a campfire. “They won’t last. The wind, snow, and ice will eventually creep through the broken windows and bring the structures down from the inside out.”
Leena stood next to Matthew, savoring the view as he was for one final time. He placed his right hand on her abdomen, where the slightest bulge had begun to appear beneath her ragged shirt.
###
Acknowledgements
Thank you, dear reader, for taking this journey with me. If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment to revisit the Amazon.com product page and leave a review for Man's Ruin - A Dark Fantasy Novella (The Seventh Seal Sequel #1). As a token of my appreciation, visit http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/JThorn_ where I will personalize and autograph your digital book for free.
Find out how it all began, in The Seventh Seal...
Other works from J. Thorn
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If you enjoyed this book, you'll love J. Thorn's new twist on a classic theme. Find out why readers that enjoy the edgy horror of Stephen King are entering Preta's Realm.
Preta's Realm
Drew works hard, pays his taxes, and loves his family. But when a visit from the spirit of his deceased grandfather coincides with the violent murder of two co-workers, Drew falls into a desperate spiral of delusion and betrayal as the demons of the past drag him into Preta's Realm.
In the words of reviewer, kmlewis, on Amazon.com...
"If you ever read John Saul, Stephen King or VC Andrews and you liked them, then buy this and every book this author writes. This particular book is grossly engrossing. Had to say that because that's what it is. I can't put it down. The story grabs you. It is haunting and plays with your mind. There is always that wonder about who the true evil is. Just a very good thriller!"
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If you enjoyed this book, you'll love Reversion: The Inevitable Horror. Find out why readers that enjoy the creeping doom of Stephen King's Langoliers are diving into the engaging world of The Portal Arcane series.
Reversion: The Inevitable Horror (The Portal Arcane Series - Book I)
With a noose around his neck, Samuel arrives in a forest littered with caution tape and artifacts of the deceased. He struggles to regain his memory while fending off a pack of wolves and the mysterious visitors who seem to know more about this dying world than he does. Major, Kole, and Mara, his new companions also trapped in the strange locality, accompany Samuel and attempt to outrace its destruction, to outrun the Reversion.
In the words of New York Times and Amazon best-selling author, Scott Nicholson...
"This is a great start for what promises to be an engaging, intense series."
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After reading Reversion: The Inevitable Horror, you'll need to discover what happens after the thrilling cliffhanger. Find out why readers are irresistibly drawn to The Law of Three: A New Wasteland, book two of The Portal Arcane series.
The Law of Three: A New Wasteland (The Portal Arcane Series - Book II)
The Reversion plucks Samuel from a dying world and drops him into another, a decaying desert wasteland of darkness and peril. With newcomers Jack and Lindsay, Samuel, begins his quest for redemption and a final confrontation with the forces behind the Reversion, trusting his fate to the Law of Three.
In the words of reviewer, Robert, on Amazon.com...
"...J. Thorns Portal Arcane II is just as good or not better than the first book. The book starts off with the reader wondering how the characters got where they are. Many questions are answered, many go unanswered and leave the reader at the end ready for the third installment. For any reader who may be a fan of the Twilight Zone, or fans of King's work such as the Langoliers or The Stand, I would highly recommend this series of books."
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If you enjoyed this book, you'll love The Seventh Seal. Find out why The Seventh Seal, is a best-selling, post-apocalyptic, dark fantasy thriller that has placed in the Amazon Kindle Top 100 Paid Best Seller lists in four different genre categories!
The Seventh Seal
John awakens from a Halloween party, with a hangover and a dead cell phone, on the first day of the End of Days. He's desperate, on the run, and fighting for his life. The Father, the figurehead of the Holy Covenant and the commander of a new military order, pursues John through the post-apocalyptic wreckage of Cleveland, Ohio, in search of the hidden knowledge he believes John holds.
In the words of author Vicki Keire, author of Worlds Burn Through...
"...an edge-of-your seat apocalyptic adventure full of twists and turns. I couldn't put it down!"
About the Author
J. Thorn believes in the imaginative power of the horror novel and the escape from reality it provides. He knows that embracing the entire spectrum of human emotion, even its dark realms, makes for a more meaningful and authentic life.
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Official Website
J. Thorn, Man's Ruin
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