Read Online Darkest Before Dawn (A Guardian's Diary Book 1) by Amelia Hutchins - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Amelia Hutchins
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There were a few things you got used to in this new world. The smell of death however, wasn’t one of them. Seeing children left parentless with no one to defend them was another and if I was right, Sarah was alive. Or there was a cougar in here hunting me. The second option seemed dismal as the house’s set-up was pretty open which left no place for a cougar to hide.
I braced myself for what I knew I would find, and walked inside. There in the corner was Joseph, dead. He was torn to shreds, as if a wild animal had done it. I walked over to the blinds and pulled them, and blinked back tears at the destruction I found. They’d fought hard, but in the end, whatever had attacked had won.
From the gnawing marks, and the way their bodies were mutilated, I was willing to guess it had been an animal, and not humans. Karen was in the doorway to the only bedroom in the cabin. Her body lay torn and ripped into pieces as Joseph’s was. I fought the tears, and won. I scanned the room, looking for the smallest of Danvers. But I couldn’t see little Sarah anywhere.
I stepped over the grisly remains and looked around the room. The whimpering had stopped, but it was more than possible that the baby was among the remains. She was a tiny little thing. I sent a silent prayer and turned to leave when I heard the faint whimper again.
I swung back around and looked through the room. I walked over the window and tossed it open for more light. There were several items for the baby, which meant Joseph had gone on a run before they were attacked. I searched around, but still couldn’t find any sign of her. I walked to the bed and pulled off the bedding, but she wasn’t there. I stepped around the bed and as my foot slid on something white and oozing, I felt the loose floorboard.
They wouldn’t have put a baby in a floor, right? If I’d been Karen, I’d have put her anywhere I thought she’d survive…I stepped back, and leaned down to remove the board. There in the small space was Sarah, her big blue baby eyes looking up even as she squinted from the light.
I closed my eyes in relief as pressure left my chest as I expelled the breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Hi, Sweetling Sarah, you’ve had a tough day, haven’t you?” I cooed softly. I’d often heard her mother calling her Sweetling, so I figured I’d try to comfort her with it. Babies liked familiar things…right? I wasn’t baby friendly, what the hell was I supposed to do now?
I put my hand down to check her breathing, but as I did, she wrapped her tiny little hand around my finger. I carefully pulled her out, and held her against me. Wow, she reeked. “Poor thing, how long have you been in there?” I waited, right up until I realized I was expecting this little being to talk back. I looked around the room until I found a sheet, and walked to the bed. “Don’t move,” I told the tiny, mewling infant, as if she was going to get off the bed and run away.
I collected a few things and placed them in my pack, like formula, and diapers. I didn’t see any bottles, well, correction. I saw one that hadn’t been gnawed at. Obviously the bigger animals that had killed the family had come and gone, and then little ones arrived after and had decided to tear everything else apart. Poor little Sarah fell asleep. She must have been fussing all day and conked out from exhaustion. I brought out the knife again and quickly shredded the sheet as I made a makeshift baby sling. I arranged her so I could easily get to the AR-15 if I had to.
Mmm, I’d seen women wearing them in the front, but if I was attacked, she’d be in front of the vest…the back it is! I reached down and secured the tiny being in the cloth and then brought her up as I tied the sling around my chest. She wasn’t crying, but that was probably because she was relieved I wasn’t some long toothed animal.
I grabbed the pack and walked to the front door as I mentally assessed the room
There were a few things you got used to in this new world. The smell of death however, wasn’t one of them. Seeing children left parentless with no one to defend them was another and if I was right, Sarah was alive. Or there was a cougar in here hunting me. The second option seemed dismal as the house’s set-up was pretty open which left no place for a cougar to hide.
I braced myself for what I knew I would find, and walked inside. There in the corner was Joseph, dead. He was torn to shreds, as if a wild animal had done it. I walked over to the blinds and pulled them, and blinked back tears at the destruction I found. They’d fought hard, but in the end, whatever had attacked had won.
From the gnawing marks, and the way their bodies were mutilated, I was willing to guess it had been an animal, and not humans. Karen was in the doorway to the only bedroom in the cabin. Her body lay torn and ripped into pieces as Joseph’s was. I fought the tears, and won. I scanned the room, looking for the smallest of Danvers. But I couldn’t see little Sarah anywhere.
I stepped over the grisly remains and looked around the room. The whimpering had stopped, but it was more than possible that the baby was among the remains. She was a tiny little thing. I sent a silent prayer and turned to leave when I heard the faint whimper again.
I swung back around and looked through the room. I walked over the window and tossed it open for more light. There were several items for the baby, which meant Joseph had gone on a run before they were attacked. I searched around, but still couldn’t find any sign of her. I walked to the bed and pulled off the bedding, but she wasn’t there. I stepped around the bed and as my foot slid on something white and oozing, I felt the loose floorboard.
They wouldn’t have put a baby in a floor, right? If I’d been Karen, I’d have put her anywhere I thought she’d survive…I stepped back, and leaned down to remove the board. There in the small space was Sarah, her big blue baby eyes looking up even as she squinted from the light.
I closed my eyes in relief as pressure left my chest as I expelled the breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Hi, Sweetling Sarah, you’ve had a tough day, haven’t you?” I cooed softly. I’d often heard her mother calling her Sweetling, so I figured I’d try to comfort her with it. Babies liked familiar things…right? I wasn’t baby friendly, what the hell was I supposed to do now?
I put my hand down to check her breathing, but as I did, she wrapped her tiny little hand around my finger. I carefully pulled her out, and held her against me. Wow, she reeked. “Poor thing, how long have you been in there?” I waited, right up until I realized I was expecting this little being to talk back. I looked around the room until I found a sheet, and walked to the bed. “Don’t move,” I told the tiny, mewling infant, as if she was going to get off the bed and run away.
I collected a few things and placed them in my pack, like formula, and diapers. I didn’t see any bottles, well, correction. I saw one that hadn’t been gnawed at. Obviously the bigger animals that had killed the family had come and gone, and then little ones arrived after and had decided to tear everything else apart. Poor little Sarah fell asleep. She must have been fussing all day and conked out from exhaustion. I brought out the knife again and quickly shredded the sheet as I made a makeshift baby sling. I arranged her so I could easily get to the AR-15 if I had to.
Mmm, I’d seen women wearing them in the front, but if I was attacked, she’d be in front of the vest…the back it is! I reached down and secured the tiny being in the cloth and then brought her up as I tied the sling around my chest. She wasn’t crying, but that was probably because she was relieved I wasn’t some long toothed animal.
I grabbed the pack and walked to the front door as I mentally assessed the room
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