(Book 2)What Remains by Nathan Barnes Read Free Book Online Page B

became one of legend for the
little man. To him it was a place where monsters played and demons
lurked. He continuously tempted the boundaries to see how far we
would let him wander. Sarah hated when I’d go back there with our
curious ball of energy; random vines of thorns and a host of biting
insects made the area one where children didn’t belong.
    As the years passed I cleared out portions of
the jungle in order to make additional usable areas. There was an
area dubbed ‘Mommy Cove’ which sported a hammock, bench, and a
drink stand. Jutting out of the back of Mommy Cove was a play area
complete with a clubhouse, rope swing, and a re-purposed slide.
There were two small gaps in the fencing: one caused by a hurricane
a few years ago and another in the corner of the yard where a
transformer box was installed by the power company. These spots
were small enough that I doubted even half of a man could have
squeezed through them. A less scrutinizing patrol was possible in
the jungle thanks to its isolation.
    The tension broke when Sarah flashed a smile
back at Maddox. She sheathed her sword and followed a worn path
back to the grass. With the morning patrol completed, Maddox
gleefully ran back to the stepladder lowered down on the opposite
side of a railing that had supported my weight during the grueling
fifteen-minute check of the yard. He easily climbed atop the deck
and set the machete on a folding table so cautiously you would
think it was a Fabergé egg. Then he startled me by speaking
aloud.
    “It’s alright, Daddy. The fence is good and so
are we.” His volume wasn’t quite at a normal level but it was still
above a whisper.
    His confidence did nothing to ease my worry.
“Should we be talking out here, buddy?”
    A smirk developed on Maddox’s face before I even
finished the question. “Relax, Daddy. I swear it’s all right.
Calise has even played out here before. As long as we keep our
voices really quiet and don’t talk near the edge of the fence then
the zombies won’t hear us.” My scowl at the Z-word stopped his
smirking. “What else should we call them?” He pointed at the
boarded bay window where Calise was inside bouncing up and down at
the sudden inclusion. “Calise can’t hear us so I should be able to
tell the truth. I know what they are, Daddy. I’ve watched your
scary movies before while you were napping so I know all about
them. I’m eight years old and I can handle this!”
    “Monkey, I’m thirty and I can hardly handle it.
You have no idea the things I had to see and do just to be having
this conversation with you.” Not long before this I wouldn’t have
had the strength to argue. It was a good sign that recovery was
upon me. Sarah approached the deck so I decided to cut this off.
“We’ll talk about this later. For now you are not to use
that word… got it?”
    He nodded acceptance through a quelled tantrum.
Sarah made it up the ladder and gave me a kiss. “Everything looks
good.” Her low voice had the soothing undertones of a jazz singer.
Utilizing her supernatural wife/mother powers, she automatically
sensed the fresh tension between her two boys. “Are things okay up
here?” Under these circumstances she’s had to trust Maddox with so
much responsibility. He has every right to see himself as being
older than his limited years; having the world end without your
father immediately present would age anyone by a decade.
    “We’re good, babe. Maddox was just filling me in
on the rules for being out of the house.” His postured relaxed
slightly upon hearing my response. I pointed at the machete.
“Should he have that?”
    Before Sarah could respond Maddox replied, “No
guns inside the fence. We save those for emergencies only.”
    Perhaps I underestimated how adult my son sees
himself to be if the possession of a machete is so normal that he
thought I was referring to him being under-armed. Fortunately,
Sarah knew what I meant. “You heard the rule, Daddy - we stay