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  Aftermath

  The Armorian Chronicles

  Courtney Beals

  Copyright © 2017 Courtney Beals

  All rights reserved. No part(s) of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form, or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval systems without prior expressed written permission of the author of this book.

  ISBN: 978-1-5356-0943-2 (epub)

  ISBN: 978-1-5356-0944-9 (mobi)

  To my beloved great grandparents, Kenneth Loyd Himes and Betty Jane Ethington.

  May your souls radiate in heaven until we meet again

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Lyla Langston stands in a dark room. A single candle is lit on the opposite side of the room next to a crib with two baby girls lying sound asleep. Next to the crib is a changing table stocked with diapers and baby wipes. Just across the room is a dresser on the side wall and a wooden rocking chair in the corner. A large circular rug is placed in the middle of the room. She notices two windows as the moonlight shines through onto the floor.

  Loud voices arise in the hallway from a man and a woman. The sounds are muffled, but Lyla tries to make out the words as well as she can.

  “Where is it?” asks the man.

  “I do not have what you seek,” replies the woman with a firm tone.

  “I know you have it,” he yells. “Give it to me or you and your children will die.”

  Lyla hears what seems to be a struggle. Someone runs toward the room, so she moves to the other side by the crib. Suddenly, the woman comes through the door and closes it behind her. She locks it before rushing to the crib.

  The woman is very beautiful, with long, dark brown hair. Lyla can see that she is very thin and frail as if she would break if anyone touched her. Her skin is very pale and looks like she has not seen sun in ages. Dark circles are visible under her eyes from lack of sleep. As she approaches, Lyla sees that she has the most beautiful eyes. They are a deep blue that compare to the depths of the ocean.

  “I love you both,” she says to her two girls. She bends down and kisses them both on the forehead. She takes them in her arms and hides them under the crib before hanging a blanket over the side to cover the bottom so they are not to be seen. They both stay sound asleep as the mother crosses the room to the door. She opens the door, and waiting on the other side is the unidentifiable man.

  Lyla notices that he is much taller than the woman and looks like a giant standing in front of her. He is clothed in all black, head to toe, and a dark hooded cloak hangs from his shoulders. She cannot see his face or any other way to identify him. He suddenly pulls out a sword, something she had not seen hanging from his belt under the cloak.

  “You will pay for this,” he says, and shoves the sword into her abdomen, pulling it out as quickly as it went in. Her eyes go wide as she stumbles backward and falls to the floor with only a few breaths left. The man stares toward the crib, and Lyla feels as if he is looking right at her. The dark figure steps toward her.

  Lyla woke suddenly. She lay on the hard ground covered by a blanket. She could see the campfire burnt down to smoking ash and her sister sleeping just beyond it. It was still dark, but she could see the sun creeping up beyond the trees that stood before her. There was a small breeze of summer air passing through that was still cool from the night.

  She got up slowly and folded her blanket before putting it in her bag, which was a burlap sack with a shoulder strap for easier carry. She went over to her sister to wake her. Her skin was pale with freckles that lightly covered her face and she had brown hair to coincide. Her sister was very thin and frail, just as she was.

  “Lilly, wake up.” Lyla put her hand on Lilly’s shoulder and gently shook her.

  “It’s too early,” said Lilly wearily. She remained in the same position with her eyes closed. “Just a little bit longer.”

  “Lil, we must go now. We have already stayed too long and dawn is quickly approaching. We have to keep moving. We mustn’t linger where we do not belong.”

  Lilly got up slowly and steadily, wiping her eyes and yawning. “You look terrible,” Lilly said to her sister.

  “Thanks a lot. You always give the best compliments.”

  “Did you have the dream again?” Lilly asked.

  “Every night for as long as I can remember,” said Lyla. “Always the same. Never more or less. I suppose I should be used to it by now, but I’m not. It’s a nightmare!”

  Lilly looked at her with concerned eyes. Lyla looked back at her and gave a slight smile.

  “It’s all right,” said Lyla. “Why don’t you take a few minutes to fully wake up? I will scope out the area, but be ready when I get back.”

  Lyla took her knife in hand and walked north into the woods. It was still mostly dark, but she could see enough that there was no need to carry a light. She walked around carefully, so as not to make a sound, and saw nothing but a few creatures scurrying along. She had her sights on a rabbit that she would have killed for food had it not been for the four baby rabbits that followed behind her. They were a family, something she did not have much of. If it wasn’t for Lilly she would have felt as if she had no one. A feeling of sadness came over her that she tried to push away as quickly as it approached.

  Suddenly, she heard the sound of twigs breaking and muffled voices up ahead. The animals scattered and Lyla moved forward slowly to investigate. She was very courageous and rarely ran away from danger. As she got closer, she saw three men walking through the forest heavily armed with swords and knives. They were dressed in black with dark cloaks. She had seen these men many times before and they always seemed to be searching for something, but she did not know what. She backed away slowly and headed toward camp.

  When she got back, Lilly had already watered down the fire and covered it with dirt to make it look as if no one had ever been there. Her pack was ready and hanging across her body over her shoulder. She wore light-colored cotton pants and a gray shirt, both were very worn with tears and holes. Lilly saw the urgency in the way Lyla walked toward her. She knew something was wrong.

  “What is it?” Lilly asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Takers! In the woods, not far behind us. We must move!” Lyla had a distressed look on her face, trying to make sense of what she’d just seen. “They have never come this far south before, not that I have seen anyway. What are they doing here?”

  “We will figure that out later,” said Lilly. “Let’s just focus on getting home before they find us.”

  Lyla and Lilly headed south into the woods, moving as quickly and quietly as they possibly could. The woods were all too familiar. They had been through it many times for hunting and gathering food. Also for training, and heading north to spy on the Takers. They did not know who the Takers really were or what they were doing there. All they knew is they had been around since they
were infants and no one knew where they came from. Lyla and Lilly had given them the name Takers because they had been known to take and destroy. They had invaded the entire planet and caused an all-out war of mass destruction, and unfortunately the Takers were successful. Those who were not dead fled and went into hiding.

  They came to a small town that had a town square surrounded by shops and houses. Each time they came through they would search only one house at a time, for fear if they stayed too long they would be discovered. After the towns were fully searched they would take new routes and search through other towns.

  “We can’t stop,” said Lyla.

  “We must!” said Lilly.

  “Not when we have Takers on our trail. It’s too risky.” They were walking down a side street in between a long row of houses, all of which had overgrown plant life in the yard and broken windows, all part of the Aftermath. Lilly grabbed Lyla’s arm so she would come to a stop.

  “Risky or not we need supplies,” said Lilly. “If they catch up with us we are fully prepared to defend ourselves.” Lyla didn’t want to admit it but she knew her sister was right. Supplies were hard to come by in the tough times they lived in.

  “Fine,” Lyla said. “But we make it quick. We move fast and stay low.”

  They stopped at a single-story home with a large front porch attached to the front. Just like many of the other houses the windows were smashed and the door frame was broken by someone who’d kicked in the door. When the invasion happened, it was said to be massive chaos all over the world. People were scared and afraid and ransacked other people’s home for more supplies, which left barely anything for Lyla and Lilly to find when they searched the houses. Every once in a while they would find something useful, but other times they left empty-handed and moved on.

  Inches of dust and dirt had settled on every surface and feces were in various places of the house, indicating that rodents were occupying the space. When they first started searching houses, Lilly and Lyla would gag at the obscene smells and unkempt messes, but now they had seen it all and had grown accustomed to the harsh environments.

  “I will search the cupboards for food if you want to search the rest of the house for any other supplies that might be useful,” said Lyla. Lilly nodded and went to search the rest of the house.

  Lyla started for the cupboards with her knife in hand just as a precaution if something were lingering inside. One by one she opened the cupboards, finding a few lonely cans that remained on the shelves. She grabbed them and put them in her bag. Lilly came around the corner empty-handed.

  “All I found were a few blankets and various furniture pieces. Did you find any food?”

  “Only a few cans of vegetables, which is better than nothing,” said Lyla. “We have plenty of blankets. Maybe we will find something in the shops, but we must hurry.”

  Before they left the house they carefully looked down the street and around the houses surrounding them to see if they had been followed. As far as they could tell, everything was completely empty. When they made it to the town square where all the shops were, they split up to save time. Normally, they would stay together, but they did not want to linger for too long when the Takers were nearby.

  They had already been to the bakery and the grocery store on one of their previous travels through. There was hardly anything left, but they had managed to salvage a few items. Knowing that they would not be finding any food, Lyla headed for the clothing store. When Lyla walked in she noticed metal racks lying on the floor with minimal clothing scattered around them. It almost seemed hopeless to scavenge for food and supplies, but giving up would only make it seem more hopeless. Lyla stuffed whatever clothing she could in her bag. Even though none of them were her size, they would find a use for them.

  A slight movement caught her gaze from the corner of her eye. Lyla spotted three figures walking in the center of the road and her heart contracted. The Takers had caught up with them. She ducked down away from the large glass window in front of her and hid behind a long counter. She pulled a knife from her belt and waited.

  When Lyla heard the door open she peeked around the counter and saw that only one Taker had entered. He stood for a moment looking at all the fallen racks. Slowly he walked around opening doors and slamming them when he found nothing. Lyla heard him come to a stop and listened as his footsteps grew louder toward where she was hidden. Her heart was racing and as he came to the counter she stood and rammed her knife into his chest. She kicked him down to the ground and ran. She knew Lilly was in the building at the end of the street, but she didn’t know where the other Takers were. She had to find Lilly and they had to leave this town.

  Lilly went into a large building at the end of the street. It was a brick building, but it had a glass roof. They had never searched this building before and she was curious to know what was in it. She opened the door and immediately came to a set of wooden stairs.

  There must be a side entrance for the space below, she thought.

  She walked up the stairs and looked up at the large glass ceiling as she entered the room. The room had hardwood floors and all around the room were shelves with flower pots on them.

  It’s a greenhouse.

  Lilly walked around the room and to no surprise, all the plants were dead. It had been years since anyone was around to water them. An old desk was sitting at the edge of the room and she searched the drawers. She found an old book, which she examined before placing in her bag. The door down the stairs closed as someone began to walk up the stairs. She assumed it was Lyla until she looked down the stairs and saw two dark-clothed Takers staring back at her. One of them gave out a deep evil laugh.

  “You have nowhere to run,” said the Taker. “No way out. Your life is about to end.”

  Lilly looked around thinking of a way out. There was always a way out. She wasn’t frightened or afraid, but calm and steady. She could either try to kill them, maneuvering past them and down the stairs or… There it was, her way out. She smiled at the Takers who were stepping toward her.

  “Not today, boys,” said Lilly. “I live to fight another day.”

  She ran toward the window behind her, smashed through the glass, and landed on a fire escape. It wasn’t the best landing, but she grabbed the railing, pushing past the pain, and pulled herself up. She heard someone call her name, and when she looked down, she saw Lyla standing in the street below. The height from the ground made her head spin, but she pushed through her fear and pressed forward. She ran down the stairs, and when she met Lyla, they ran into the woods.

  They ran for miles on an unbeaten path with twigs scraping at their arms and leaves kicking up at their feet. Finally, they saw an opening through the woods where the light shined the brightest. They had come to an old, wooden, rickety bridge that they used to cross the river. It was a beautiful sight. Bright red and yellow flowers lined the outside of the forest on both sides. The sun was to their left, showing its vibrant orange and yellow rays. It felt so warm on their faces. The rushing river water was far below and was as blue as could be.

  Lyla had crossed the bridge to the other side, and then she suddenly remembered Lilly’s fear of heights. They had crossed this bridge so many times, but it was like pulling teeth to get her across. She turned around and saw Lilly standing on the opposite side. Her face looked as white as a ghost as she stared down at the water.

  “Lilly, we don’t have time for this,” said Lyla. “They could be right behind us and we have done this multiple times. Don’t make me come get you.”

  Lilly did not move a muscle. “I can’t do it,” she said. Her eyes were glued to the water below. “The bridge seems to get wobblier every time we cross. What if the wood breaks underneath my feet and I fall to my death? I can swim, but the current would pull me under. How would you feel then?”

  “If you do not cross you will die anyway. The Takers will kill you!”

  Lyla was starting to get frustrated. It was very rare that she lost her temper
with her sister, but Lilly was being impossible and this was an urgent matter. Just as she was about to cross the rickety bridge once again, she saw movement in the trees behind Lilly. Coming out of the woods were the Takers, armed and ready.

  “Lilly, behind you!” Lyla yelled.

  “Get them!” one of the men shouted.

  Lilly turned and saw the three Takers standing behind her. She went to reach for one of her weapons when three knives flew by her, one after the other, and stuck in the heart of each of the Takers. They fell to the ground with a thud. Lilly turned to Lyla and smiled. “Nice throw. You always were the best at that!” Lilly exclaimed. “Although they are not exactly dead.” Lyla saw that she was right. They were weakened, but were still alive.

  “I don’t understand how this happens every time! The knives went right to the heart of each of them. They just won’t die. This makes absolutely no sense!” said Lyla. She scanned the bodies of each of the Takers, wondering what was so different about them. “Quick, push them into the river before they get up. We have no other choice.”

  Lyla crossed the bride to help her sister roll them over the edge and into the water. The men were groaning as they went to move them. They were heavier than they looked, as if they were full of bricks. Lyla and Lilly watched them as they splashed into the water, their bodies disappearing under the currents and down the river.

  “Well, we escaped that mess,” said Lilly with a smile. She looked at Lyla, who was staring at her with the most grievous expression. Lilly’s smile went away as quickly as it came. “What?”

  “Cross the bridge before I throw you into the water myself,” said Lyla. “That was too close of a call. Do you not realize how serious this is? You need to stop being so careless!”

  “Okay, okay,” said Lilly. “No need to yell. I’m holding onto you as we go, though. I could still fall, you know.”

  “Seriously, get over it you scaredy-cat.” She laughed as they crossed the bridge and into the forest. No matter how hard she tried, Lyla could never stay mad at her sister.