Burning Eden by Kelly Fisher Read Free Book Online

mother asked innocently.
                  “I mean I shot them Aunt Lucy, on my watch, and then daddy burned the bodies in the fire pit out by the barn. Some of them were our neighbors some of them were people I had never seen before,” Hannah said rather matter-of-factly which disturbed me a bit.
    Hannah had just recently graduated from high school, she had her whole life full of possibilities ahead of her, and instead of being sullen and wondering why all this had happened she seemed to have embraced killing the raging diseased people and then watching her daddy burn the bodies. I supposed I should take on a similar attitude if I was going to survive this strange new world. I needed to shake off the shock and realize no matter how much I wanted this to be a bad dream, it wasn’t. This was how things were going to be and it was time for me to wake up and get with the program. I had let my fighting motherly instincts kick in at the gas station bathroom and perhaps like Hannah it was time for me to embrace that. We were on our own. No help would be showing up, it had really become an “every man for himself” type of world and Hannah had already bravely accepted it. Well good for her, I smiled over at her and she returned the smile brightly.
                  “Wait, you said you shot them on your watch? What do you mean watch?” I asked curiously.
                  “Oh, daddy and I take turns sitting on the porch and walking around the grounds, you know to be on the look-out, make sure everything is safe…you get it…watch,” she said still smiling.
                  “Right…watch. Good idea, Uncle Dave,” I said softly.
                  “Can’t nothing sneak up on ya if you’re watching out for it,” he boomed making us all laugh.
                  “I like watch so I do it most of the time while daddy takes care of the farm and momma takes care of the house,” Hannah said proudly.
                  “I’ll help with watch,” Kairo busted out.
                  “Me too!” exclaimed Maddie.
                  “I don’t know about that, Maddie,” I said.
                  “Why mom?” she whined.
                  “Watch sounds a bit dangerous and you don’t even know how to shoot a gun,” I answered sternly.
                  “But mom, Hannah said she would teach me,” she continued whining.
                  “And I won’t let her go on watch alone. I’ll be with her the whole time,” Hannah spoke up for her offering me a wink.
                  “All right Maddie but you stay with Hannah at all times, you hear me?”
                  “Yes, mom,” she beamed. I couldn’t believe she was happy about learning to shoot a gun and possibly killing those things that used to be people but again this was a different world now I guess she should learn how to protect herself.
                  “And I’ll help out with the farm, Dave. If you don’t mind,” Cain spoke up.
                  “Hell son of course I don’t mind. I’ll be thankful for the extra help. All the farm hands started showing up less and less after all this started and then they didn’t show up at all. Be mighty happy to have some help, Cain,” Uncle Dave said happily. Cain simply nodded his head and went back to nursing his drink.
                  “I’ll help here at the house,” my mom spoke up.
                  “Me too,” I added. “Anything you need Aunt Peggy, just ask.”
                  “Well ok then, now that that’s settled, let’s eat,” Uncle Dave said excitedly which made us all smile. Uncle Dave was always happy when it came to food.

Chapter 15
     
                  A few days later everyone had already settled in to their everyday routines. Cain and Uncle Dave got up