The Wasteland Chronicles

Chapter 4

Three Weeks Before Hell

Lily walked up the quaint, trimmed garden. Lush as ever, at the peak of summer. A slight warm breeze brushed her hair as she strode in confidence down the small, straight path made of smooth stone. The path led up to a large, two-story house. It was in pleasant condition, and the sun shone rays of light onto it. The glistening, friendly appearance of the house was a very welcoming sight to Lily. Her face warmed up even more as she noticed a familliar face in the window of the home. A young boy, around the age of 8, was smiling and waving enthusiastically. She gave him a slight wave and her walk became a slight skip as she knocked politely on the polished white wooden door.

She heard footsteps scurrying to the door, and another set of calmer footsteps. There was a friendly laughter as the door opened to the sight of a middle-aged woman - Lily's mother. "Lily! I'm so glad you're here," she gave a warm, tender smile and hugged her daughter. Lily enjoyed the warm, friendly hug. The feel of her mother's arms refreshed and relaxed her like nobody else. Pulling away from the affection, Lily bent down and smiled widely at the cheeky grin of the little boy near her. She gave him a hug too, picking him up in the hug and holding him tight, "Hey Tommy boy," she said, before putting him down.

She strode inside the hallway, slipping off her leather jacket and hanging it up to reveal a cream tank-top and tight jean shorts. She admired the white painted wall and white carpet in the hall, she moved into the living room and relaxed on the brown sofa. "Where's Tara?" Lily looked up at her mother, and she shrugged "She should be back any minute now. She was off into Palmerston to get a Starbucks and continue her book."

Lily chuckled, "Still chasing up that dream 'eh? Teenage author and all... Can't blame her, seems like the best fantasy there is to me." She looked out of the window and admired the neatly trimmed garden, paying attention to some of the garden gnomes that dotted the place. The white picket fence enclosing the property really made the entire place quite picturesque. "Can't blame a girl for trying, can I get you something? Cup of tea? Biscuit or two?" Lily's mother offered, which Lily nodded "Please. Tea and biscuits sounds lovely," she beamed. Lily's mother smiled and slipped out to the kitchen.

There was a knock at the door, Lily stayed and stared at the fireplace infront of the coffee table. As her mother brought in tea she thanked her and sipped the tea carefully. Tara walked inside the living room, dumbfounded. Her jaw dropped and Lily put down the tea, rushing to hug her sister. "I missed you so much," Tara whispered into Lily's long brown hair. They held eachother closely in a sisterly hug, feeling eachothers warmth and savouring the time they had together. They moved to the sofa and ate biscuits, conversing about life.

"So how was university?" Tara inquired, asking questions about her courses and studies after her initial question. Lily explained her time at university, and the two sat down to enjoy eachother's company. Lily smiled, looking around her family that had gathered: Her mother, her sister, and her brother. She was glad she could cherish her family, and hope'd she'd have them forever.

She didn't know they'd be gone soon...

*******

Present Day

Lily leaned against the window, pushed up by Tara. She yawned and stared out into what used to be a field. She sighed, it was practically a desert now. The SUV rolled past the sign and slowly approached the abandoned town. "Well, shit," Jasper claimed, throwing up his arms. It caused a little commotion due to the lack of space, him defending himself with a snarl as Tara gave him a dirty look. "Place is clear. How about we hit some shops and get some essentials?" offered up Hana. Connor shrugged, looking around the place rather skepitcally.

"How do we know it's clear?" He responded blatantly. Looking up at the scenery. There were rows of cute little homes down the long, main road. On the other side there were some stores - clothes stores, a market, a bar, and a café. The market was a little larger than the one in the service station, but not the size of a supermarket. The clothing stores were little boutiques with blood stains splattered on the window. The houses on the other side of the road had smashed glass, wrecked garden ornaments, tattered doors, and demolished gardens. The grass was singed and black on all the gardens. "We don't," Hana finally said.