World of Ash
Release Date: 12/02/13
Summary from Goodreads
There are two
inherent truths in the world: life as we know it is over, and monsters are
real.
The Pestas came in the night, spreading their pox, a deadly plague that
decimated the population. Kat, one of the unlucky few who survived, is
determined to get to her last living relative and find shelter from the pox
that continues to devastate the world. When it mutates and becomes airborne,
Kat is desperate to avoid people because staying alone might be her only chance
to stay alive.
That is, until she meets Dylan. Dylan, with his easy smile and dark, curly
hair, has nowhere to go and no one to live for. He convinces Kat there can be
safety in numbers, that they can watch out for each other. So the unlikely
couple set off together through the barren wasteland to find a new life – if
they can survive the roaming Pestas, bands of wild, gun-toting children, and piles
of burning, pox-ridden bodies.
Swallowing
useless words, I cram the box of matches into my pocket and turn to walk back
to the house. It was stupid of me to come out here with this guy, and I hate
myself for putting myself in danger. Not to mention the supplies I left at the
house. What if someone had followed them? Idiot. I want to run, but the
exertion of carrying a dead body so far has taken a lot out of me.
Just as I
see the gate of the property forming out of the darkness, I hear a voice call
out behind me. My stomach lurches, and unable to help myself, I glance over my
shoulder to see the boy hurrying to catch up. Blue growls, stopping in his
tracks. He barks three times in quick succession, warning him off. The boy has
the good sense to pause, holding his hands up in surrender.
“C’mon,
Blue,” I say, touching his head before I turn back for the house. This time, I
do run. I run in spite of the pain in my side and the pounding in my head that
lets me know I haven’t eaten nearly enough. His footsteps spur me on.
“Hey!
Please wait!” he calls. His voice sounds scared and a little desperate, not at
all threatening, but I can’t let it get to me. I don’t know him or what he’s
capable of. My mother’s warning not to trust anyone in this new world echoes in
my mind. The house looms ahead of me, a white and grey mass in the distance. I
remember, belatedly, that the front door is still locked and barred from the
inside. I veer to the left to run around to the back of the house.
Blue keeps
up easily, even skirting around the corner of the house ahead of me, barking
excitedly to get me to hurry up. My feet feel as if they’re encased in cement,
and I can’t lift them fast enough. The muscles in my legs are seizing, and I’m
terrified I’m going to get a cramp and fall. The terror of what he might do if
he catches me pushes me to run faster, like a hand shoving me forward. I skid
around the side of the house, almost falling, but my hand on the ground keeps
me upright. I just manage to snatch up my sickle from where I’d left it
earlier.
I burst
forward, hurling myself at the back door. I strike it with my shoulder and a
shock of pain crashes into me. I stumble inside and fling the door shut just as
I see the boy coming around the house, his eyes wide and scared. I throw the
first lock and slam the hasp lock simultaneously. As I turn the deadbolt, I
hear him reach the door, grabbing the doorknob and shaking it.
“Please,
please open the door!” he calls, his voice muffled.
My lungs
are on fire, and each breath I manage to suck down burns. I collapse as my
chest heaves and my stomach threatens to give up what little food I’d managed
to eat today. I pull my mask off, letting it hang loose around my neck, to make
it easier to breathe. Blue barks at the door, the sharp noise cutting into my
pounding head. I squeeze my eyes shut as I cover my ears.
“Shush,
Blue,” I hiss, patting his head to calm him. The boy keeps pounding on the door
until I’m sure his hand must be throbbing in pain.
“Please,
you can’t leave me out here by myself,” he says. I think I hear his voice
catch, as if he might start crying.
I shake my
head, keeping my mouth shut. He has to stop. He’s making so much noise, and
with the fire outside, he’ll attract anyone within a mile of us. And the
Pestas, who come out at night. “Shut up!” I yell at him, scooting closer to the
door to slam my fist against it.
“Please,” he says, his voice softer, “you can’t, you can’t
leave me out here.”
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About the Author
Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid
reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer.
Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the
first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released
four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is
currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, staring a spunky witch
with a smush-faced cat named Artemis.
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