Today folks, something special! Day Three of The Other Life Blog Tour to celebrate the release of... well... The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker! A diary entry from Joshua! ENJOY
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1139 days since our other life ended...
Karen sent me out to search for provisions. It seemed a bit unnecessary. We’ve still got the tomatoes and peppers we’re growing, and the potatoes will be ready soon too. And if the worst comes to the worst we could butcher one of our cows or a chicken. But Karen gave me that look when I argued with her, as if she knows me better than I know myself. As if she could tell I was fishing for excuses.
I don’t mind providing for Safe-haven – it’s my duty and I never cop out. But today I wanted to go hunting. And she knew that. We’d argued about it only yesterday. “Why do you want to go on a hunt twice in only a couple of days?” she asked. “Because the cities are still full of them. They’re everywhere,” I told her, but she just smiled that serene smile. “It’s not your job to deal with Weepers. You can’t release them all. It’s running. You’re running away from something – maybe from yourself.” I wanted to shout at her then but she’s always stitching me up and taking care of me like a mother would, so I dropped it.
Of course, she didn’t give up. And this morning, I couldn’t say no in front of the others when she told me we needed food, couldn’t argue when she sent Larry with me. Because when he’s with me, there’s no chance for a little hunting trip between looking for provisions. And she knows that.
Larry is a good companion. He’s nothing like Karen – maybe that’s why she married him. He doesn’t talk too much and doesn’t insist on getting his way. Sometimes he spends hours staring out of the window without as much as a twitch. Only his eyes flicker in those moments, and you can tell that he’s looking at another place, another time.
It took us hours to find stores that hadn’t been raided yet. It’s getting more difficult. We have to drive longer distances. Some day there won’t be any stores left in the area and then we won’t have a choice but to move. Nomads again. But not yet. Today we came home with cans of beans and corn, jars of pickles and apple sauce. And Karen looked happy. I don’t think it was the food. But I don’t care.
I'm loving these diary posts - lets us get to see part of the story from a different viewpoint :)
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