One Second After by William R. Forstchen Read Free Book Online Page B

the skyline of Asheville. There was a dull red glow, what looked to be the fire up on the side of the mountain towards Craggy Dome.
    The stars arced the heavens with a magnificent splendor. He hadn’t seen stars like this since being out in the desert in Saudi Arabia . . . before the oil wells started to burn. There was absolutely no ambient light to drown the stars out. It was magnificent and, he found, calming as well.
    â€œHead on in, Jen. I’ll be along in a minute.”
    She left his side, moving slowly. From inside the house he could now see the glare of the Coleman and, a moment later, heard laughter, which was reassuring.
    He finished the second cigarette and let it drop, watching as it glowed on the concrete pavement of the driveway. It slowly winked out.
    Opening the door of his Talon, he slipped in and turned the switch. Nothing, not even a stutter from the starter motor, no dashboard lights . . . nothing.
    He reached under the seat, pulled out a heavy six D-cell flashlight, and flicked the switch. It came on.
    When he went into the house the girls were already making a game out of camping out.
    â€œDad, Jennifer’s new tester doesn’t work,” Elizabeth said.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThe new blood tester. I found the old one, though, and we used that. She’s OK.”
    â€œFine, honey.”
    Somehow, that little fact now did set off more alarm bells within. The new testing kit was a high-tech marvel with a built-in computer that kept a downloadable record of her blood levels. In another week she was supposed to be fitted out with one of the new implanted insulin pumps . . . and something told him he should be glad they had not yet done so.
    â€œOK.”
    Elizabeth started to turn away. He took a deep breath.
    â€œElizabeth?”
    â€œYeah, Dad?”
    â€œAh, you and Ben,” he felt embarrassed suddenly, “you know, is there anything we should talk about?”
    â€œCome on, Dad. Now?”
    â€œYeah, you’re right. Get your sister settled in and let’s call it a night.”
    â€œDad, it’s not even eight yet.”
    â€œLike the hurricane, kid. We went four days then and by the end of it we were asleep when it got dark and up at dawn.”
    â€œOK.”
    He looked into his bedroom and Jennifer was, to his delight, lining up her new Beanies along what she had already claimed was her side of the king-size water bed. Clutched under her arm was her beloved Rabs, the stuffed rabbit that Bob and Barbara gave to her the day she was born and which had been Jennifer’s steadfast companion for twelve years.
    Once a fuzzy white, old Rabs was now a sort of permanent dingy gray.Rabs had survived much, upset stomachs, once being left behind at a restaurant and the family drove nearly a hundred miles back to retrieve him while Jennifer cried every mile of the way, a kidnapping by a neighbor’s dog, with Dad then spending two days prowling the woods looking for him. He was patched, worn smooth in places, and though she was twelve today, Rabs was still her buddy and John suspected always would be . . . until finally there might be a day when, left behind as a young lady went off to college, Rabs would then rest on her father’s desk to remind him of the precious times before.
    The dogs had finished up chomping down their dinner and he let them out for their evening run. Ginger was a bit nervous going out, since usually he’d throw on the spotlights for them. At this time of year bears with their newborn cubs were wandering about, raccoons were out, and the sight of either would nearly trigger a heart attack. She did her business quickly and darted back in, settling down at Jennifer’s feet.
    â€œNo school tomorrow?” Jennifer asked hopefully.
    â€œWell, if the lights come on during the night, you’ll know there’s school. If not, no school.”
    â€œHope it stays pitch-black all