Broken Roads: A Tale of Survival in a Powerless World (Broken Lines Book 2) by James Hunt Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: James Hunt
angle, Ulysses climbed up on the roof and crept around the area where the rest of the tree still remained. His knees cracked as he bent low trying to put his body behind the lift. He strained, pushing the log from the roof to the ground.
Just like the tree, Ulysses collapsed after the encounter. He lay on his back, sucking in air. His chest heaved up and down, the heat from the sun barreling down on him. He focused on slowing his breath to a steady rhythm and letting his heart rate come down.
Once Ulysses’ felt he had controlled his breathing, he pushed himself up and took a look where the tree had crashed into the roof.
It wasn’t as bad as he thought. Only one of the logs on the roof had been cracked from the weight of the pine and the only hole it created didn’t penetrate all the way through the roof.
Ulysses climbed down the ladder and headed to the front of the cabin to grab some water. When he entered Anne was coming up from the basement, her bloody hands holding dirty gauze.
“How’s he doing?” Ulysses asked.
Anne tossed the old bandages into the waste bucket. The dark bags under her eyes dragged her face down.
“He’s getting a little warm. I’ve been giving him Ibuprofen to help with the fever and I’ve been redoing the dressings on his wound, but it’s still too soon to tell. How’s the roof?”
“Not as bad as I thought.”
Ulysses walked into the kitchen with a slight limp. He tried to play it off, but Anne noticed.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Anne asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, here, sit down,” she said pulling a chair out for him.
Anne helped him into the chair and grabbed a bottle of water out of the cabinet. Ulysses gulped it down. She disappeared into the basement and came back holding two pills and extended her hand to him.
Ulysses popped the pills into his mouth and leaned back in the chair gingerly.
“Your back?” Anne asked.
“Just tired,” Ulysses said.
“Ulysses, now’s not the time to be a hero. I can’t have two seriously injured men to take care of. I need you to be careful.”
Ulysses’ twirled the gold band around his finger. He smiled to himself.
“You’re just like her you know.”
“Like who?”
“My late wife Margaret.”
The chair creaked as Ulysses leaned forward. He rubbed his fingers along the callouses covering his palms, the flesh still pink from the friction of the wooden handle on the axe.
“She was the strongest woman I ever met. I remember the first time I saw her. I had just started engineering school. The farm next to her family’s needed a new barn and called the construction company I worked for. We went on our first date that night. Sandwiches by the river.”
Ulysses could still smell the mud on the riverbank. He could feel his bare feet, squishing into the mud. His hand finding hers for the first time and remembering how warm her skin was. The moonlight danced off her hair and her green eyes glowed in darkness.
“I wish I could have met her,” Anne said.
“She would have liked you,” Ulysses answered.
Freddy came into the kitchen, yawning.
“Who would have liked you, Mom?” Freddy asked.
“Grandma,” Anne said lifting Freddy into her arms and kissing his temple.
“Do you think she would have liked me?” Freddy asked.
“She would have loved you,” Ulysses replied.
“Well, I would love some breakfast,” Freddy said.
Anne set him down and he rushed over to the table behind Ulysses.
“I think we all would. Ulysses?” Anne asked.
“I’d love some,” Ulysses replied.
Day 6 (Biker Gang)
The motorcycles flew down the highway, scattered randomly along the road. Jake road in front, leading his men to whatever town came next. They’d left Cleveland behind to rot. They’d been riding for forty miles before they came across Carrollton, a
Just like the tree, Ulysses collapsed after the encounter. He lay on his back, sucking in air. His chest heaved up and down, the heat from the sun barreling down on him. He focused on slowing his breath to a steady rhythm and letting his heart rate come down.
Once Ulysses’ felt he had controlled his breathing, he pushed himself up and took a look where the tree had crashed into the roof.
It wasn’t as bad as he thought. Only one of the logs on the roof had been cracked from the weight of the pine and the only hole it created didn’t penetrate all the way through the roof.
Ulysses climbed down the ladder and headed to the front of the cabin to grab some water. When he entered Anne was coming up from the basement, her bloody hands holding dirty gauze.
“How’s he doing?” Ulysses asked.
Anne tossed the old bandages into the waste bucket. The dark bags under her eyes dragged her face down.
“He’s getting a little warm. I’ve been giving him Ibuprofen to help with the fever and I’ve been redoing the dressings on his wound, but it’s still too soon to tell. How’s the roof?”
“Not as bad as I thought.”
Ulysses walked into the kitchen with a slight limp. He tried to play it off, but Anne noticed.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Anne asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, here, sit down,” she said pulling a chair out for him.
Anne helped him into the chair and grabbed a bottle of water out of the cabinet. Ulysses gulped it down. She disappeared into the basement and came back holding two pills and extended her hand to him.
Ulysses popped the pills into his mouth and leaned back in the chair gingerly.
“Your back?” Anne asked.
“Just tired,” Ulysses said.
“Ulysses, now’s not the time to be a hero. I can’t have two seriously injured men to take care of. I need you to be careful.”
Ulysses’ twirled the gold band around his finger. He smiled to himself.
“You’re just like her you know.”
“Like who?”
“My late wife Margaret.”
The chair creaked as Ulysses leaned forward. He rubbed his fingers along the callouses covering his palms, the flesh still pink from the friction of the wooden handle on the axe.
“She was the strongest woman I ever met. I remember the first time I saw her. I had just started engineering school. The farm next to her family’s needed a new barn and called the construction company I worked for. We went on our first date that night. Sandwiches by the river.”
Ulysses could still smell the mud on the riverbank. He could feel his bare feet, squishing into the mud. His hand finding hers for the first time and remembering how warm her skin was. The moonlight danced off her hair and her green eyes glowed in darkness.
“I wish I could have met her,” Anne said.
“She would have liked you,” Ulysses answered.
Freddy came into the kitchen, yawning.
“Who would have liked you, Mom?” Freddy asked.
“Grandma,” Anne said lifting Freddy into her arms and kissing his temple.
“Do you think she would have liked me?” Freddy asked.
“She would have loved you,” Ulysses replied.
“Well, I would love some breakfast,” Freddy said.
Anne set him down and he rushed over to the table behind Ulysses.
“I think we all would. Ulysses?” Anne asked.
“I’d love some,” Ulysses replied.
Day 6 (Biker Gang)
The motorcycles flew down the highway, scattered randomly along the road. Jake road in front, leading his men to whatever town came next. They’d left Cleveland behind to rot. They’d been riding for forty miles before they came across Carrollton, a
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