The Survivor Chronicles: Book 1, The Upheaval by Erica Stevens Read Free Book Online Page A

of the fact that his neighbors had not shared the same kind of relationship he’d had with his Nellie.
     
    In fact, he’d begun to suspect that the relationship was abusive. He wasn’t sure if it was physical or not, but he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Larry hit her. He also wasn’t surprised that Mary Ellen wasn’t showing much grief right now. No, her only concern was trying to find out what had happened, what areas had been affected, and how to find her daughter.
     
    “If you have band aids I can butterfly it; that should hold it over for a little while, at least,” she told him.
     
    “I have a first-aid kit.”
     
    They left their neighbor standing by the picture window, staring out at the street with a gaping mouth. Mary Ellen followed him into the bathroom where he pulled the kit out from under the sink. She opened it with deft hands and began to pull out the contents. She set aside the butterfly bandages and antiseptic cream before pulling out the hydrogen bottle.
     
    “I’m sorry about your husband,” he told her as she bandaged and cleaned the deep gash in her hand before turning her attention to his wound. He thought he should be a little warier about the fact that she was also wounded and recently bleeding, but truth be told, he simply didn’t think it mattered right then.
     
    “It’s okay,” she muttered.
     
    He looked at her as she gently pressed cotton balls of peroxide to his forehead. It stung slightly as the medicine fizzed but he kept his face impassive. “How long were you together?”
     
    “Too long,” she murmured.
     
    It saddened him to think of how unhappy she’d been. He had come to like Mary Ellen over the years. They’d grown closer since he’d retired, and though they had never really gotten personal before, he had a feeling all of that was about to change. “Do you know the woman out there?”
     
    Mary Ellen frowned as she gently placed the small band-aids on his forehead. “I’ve seen her around before, but not really, no.” She sat back and smiled. “You’re all set Mr. Shandling.”
     
    “I’ve told you before Mary Ellen, call me Al.”
     
    She smiled wanly at him as she tossed the wrappers into the trash. “Well Al, you’re all set.” She hefted the medium sized kit up and enfolded it against her chest. “We should probably keep this close by.”
     
    He walked beside her as they made their way back toward the living room. “Where is your daughter?” he inquired. The woman was still standing by the window. She glanced at them as they entered the room, but her attention was immediately drawn back outside.
     
    “She’s at a riding camp in Middleboro, Mass. She loves horses,” Mary Ellen said fondly.
     
    “I’m sure she’s enjoying it.”
     
    “She was…” Mary Ellen whispered. “Do… do you think this is everywhere?”
     
    “I don’t really know what to think.”
     
    “Maybe we should try to go to the police station. It’s only a couple miles away.”
     
    “Let’s try the CB first.”
     
    “I’ll get it for you.”
     
    He shook his head. He barely recalled where the thing was, and he sure wasn’t going to make her go tromping through the dusty old basement to find it. “It’s alright. I’ll be right back.”
     
    Leaving Mary Ellen by his couch, he hurried to the basement stairs. He flicked the switch three times before recalling that there was no power. Feeling silly and a little annoyed with himself, he retrieved a flashlight from the junk drawer and clicked it on. Normally he would have been amazed to find it working, but when a hurricane had nearly made landfall last year he’d actually stocked up on supplies like flashlights, batteries, and first-aid kits for a change. He usually blew off the weather people – they were never right anyway – but this time he’d decided not to take the chance. The hurricane had missed, but he was glad he had the supplies now.
     
    He found the handheld CB at the