Coushatta LaRue's Blog, page 6

Chapter one of The Ashes of Amour

Here is chapter one for my second novel in my Amour series! The Ashes of Amour! If you enjoy it please check it out on amazon! It is only .99 cents for the ebook!

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As the hope of a new beginning drives Abby and her friends towards Haven the ever lingering threat of the Undead slowly starts to fade. Yet in the light of hope a shadow arises from the darkness of humanity’s mistakes. As this shadow grows in the ashes the road to Haven starts to bend and break. Trying to hold onto sanity as safety fades Abby must find a new strength to survive and protect her friends in this new chaos.

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-Prologue-

The black bird was watching Ava from its cozy roost on a large oak tree. The tree was slowly losing its leaves as winter crept up. The bird moved down the limb as it chirped with a raspy breath. Ava stared at its tiny black eyes and saw the red twinkle in it. A shiver ran down her back as she crossed her arms and lowered her eyes. Goosebumps ran down her arms as Ava breathed.

The bird had white foam at the edges of its beak and it wobbled as it moved. Ava knew sickness when she saw it. It had the virus. It was infected with Scarlet. Though she could not say if it had been the bird that infected the children in the small town of Daleswood or if it had been the other way around. It did not matter which way it happened though. They all would be exterminated. The bird tilted its tiny head and stared at her for a long time before flying away.

Ava watched it and as it flew over her she cringed. The lingering fear of infection was always in the back of her mind. Pulling a curl behind her ear Ava stared off into the small town ahead of her and sighed. It took less than three hours to shut down the town and get the townsfolks to calm. They believed the FBI and Army were in their town to find a terrorist. Everyone had followed the instructions to stay inside their homes or businesses until further notice.

They had easily complied. They questioned the reasons of why all internet access was shut off along with phone lines and even satellites.  However, when told it was because of the terrorists they kept quiet. It seemed most were scared to question them and those that did were quickly silenced. Anyone who was caught outside their homes or jobs were placed back in and anyone caught trying to leave the town was put behind bars. Most importantly if anyone tried to see what was happening in the elementary school they would be terminated.

Ava watched a few Army trucks drive by as she turned back towards the school. She was standing in a small courtyard next to the main street. There was a chill in the air and it seemed too quiet. Ava walked towards the entranceway when she noticed something moving behind her. Looking over her shoulder she saw a tall woman with long blond hair pulling a young boy. Ava turned and reached for her earpiece to tell the idiots who worked for her that someone got out.

The little boy turned and looked at her. He had a little round face with large dark eyes and then he smiled and waved at Ava. The boy’s mom glanced back to see who her son was waving at. The woman’s eyes widened and pure horror filled her expression. Something inside Ava made her put her hand down. She knew she should get them back and that this boy needed to be secured. The boy glanced over at an ambulance in the courtyard and then at an Army truck on the road. Ava swallowed hard as she thought of her two sons back home.

She would just get the boy later. Entering the school Rodgers and Matthews greeted her with pale faces. Rodgers dark eyes scanned her and looked displeased while Matthews seemed jittery. Ava walked with them as Matthews read something from a data pad. They passed a few rooms with Army men blocking the doors. Walking by a room with a large glass window to the hall Ava looked in and saw teachers glaring at her. Their faces blamed her already. Ava looked away and kept her cool.

“Eighty percent have the virus ma’am. There have been seven deaths already this week. This place has to be purged.” Matthews told her as he pressed his large glasses up on his nose.

“Liquidations must start now ma’am,” Rodgers said with a flat tone, “The townsfolks will only cooperate for so long.”

“I know.” She replied quietly.

“We do it now ma’am. The cover story is already prepared.” Rodgers informed her.

“What of the other towns?” Ava asked.

There had been at least five towns that had been infected with the virus since its release. All these towns were on lockdown for the same bullshit reasons. They had to make sure they did this at the same time so people would believe the story. Massive terrorist attack. Ava felt her stomach tie in knots as they walked down the hall past more Army men and women. Matthews paused as an Army man pushed by him.

“They are ready for the order ma’am,” Rodgers replied with a slight annoyance in his tone.

The solider ran into Ava and almost knocked her down. She felt him force something into her hand as he pushed away from her. Ava glared at him but kept her hand closed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She growled at the man.

The soldier looked at her with very tired eyes and frowned heavily with regret.

“I’m so sorry ma’am. I’m just in a hurry to get to my post.” He said with a shaky voice.

“Well get the hell out of our way,” Rodgers snapped at him. The soldier hesitated then quickly glanced at Ava’s hand and back into her eyes. She nodded at him and he hurried away.

“Fool,” Rodgers snarled as he turned to Ava and crossed his arms over his armored vest, “We need to do this now. This is the only way to stop the virus.”

Ava glanced up at him and lowered her eyes as she studied the old man’s face. Stress had made him look much older than he really was. He was a kind rough man but she could trust him. He was also right. They needed to do this now or never. The virus was killing more children by the day and if it got out and spread America could fall into a crisis. The once harmless pathogen was created by an independent Scientific research team, funded by America’s closest allies, and ran under American men and women. It had changed since its first release and it had now turned on them.

Ava peered down at the note in her hand. All it said was bathroom. She thought about how simple the plan was back then. Population control. To save the world. Now it was on the edge of destroying it.

“I need to do something,” She said, “I will be right back.”

“What?” Rodgers cleared his throat and threw his hands up, “Where are you going?”

“Ma’am we have no time. We need to do this now,” Matthews said with a soft voice.

“I can either go to the bathroom or pop a squat here. Which would you rather?” She sneered at them.

Neither one of them said a word. Ava hurried towards the girl’s bathroom. Not knowing who or what she would meet she had a feeling in her gut that she knew though. Entering the bathroom, she noticed that the lights were out. The only light came from a large window in the back that was open. A cold wind blew in through it. Ava walked slowly towards the back of the bathroom with her hand on her handgun. A stall door slowly opened and a figure stepped out.

Ava stopped and her heart sank.

“Hello sister,” Doctor Hadley said.

Ava stared at her step-sister in disbelief. Though she had known that somehow this had something to do with her. Ava sighed and shook her head as she stepped forward. Hadley stood tall, slender, and her skin was paler than normal. Her bright blue eyes shined in the darkness yet her face was thin and sickly. She looked tired and used. Her clothes were dirty and torn. Ava looked around for Rowland and saw no one else.

“Where is Rowland?” Ava asked crossing her arms feeling suddenly vulnerable.

Hadley’s eyes lowered and she placed a thin hand onto her forearm and grimaced.

“He is gone,” Hadley frowned.

“Why are you here Hadley?” Ava asked ignoring the tightness in her gut.

“You can’t do this Ava,” Hadley said stepping forward out of the shadows. Ava gritted her teeth as she stared at Hadley’s weak body. Just six months ago Hadley had been a plump lovely woman and now she was just a shadow of nothing.

“You have to stop this,” Hadley went on as she waved a hand in the air, “You will only make things worse.”

“You don’t have a right to say that.” Ava growled.

Hadley stepped back looking wounded. Ava felt a ping of shame. They had never been real sisters. They only had lived in the same foster home. Nevertheless, Ava and Hadley had been close as children and even after they left the home. Life brought them back together when they both joined the secret Government Company to help them build a bio-weapon. The weapon was just going to help the world’s overpopulation. Nothing more or less. At least that was what it was supposed to be used for. Yet here they were.

“Please listen to me. It is changing Ava. Look at what it has already done. In a controlled environment it was able to be contained and did what it needed to do. But, only because we did not allow it to live for a long time.” Hadley cleared her throat and spoke slowly, “But, in the labs I saw it firsthand. When it was not contained it grew and mutated. We destroyed these mutations and let it slide because we thought they did not want more. It did what it was supposed to do in China and Africa. It killed billions as they wanted and sterilized the rest. We did what we were told to.”

Ava looked away as she remembered the day they came to change the plans. Ava had not agreed with it and it made her sick. Yet she had already had her children and knew that they had to do something fast to save the world. People were starving and it was getting worse. The people did not realize just how bad things had become because of the media lying to them. Nevertheless, Ava knew something big had to happen to save the world. She did not want her children to go through what she had gone through as a child.

“And then they wanted to sterilize everyone.” Ava said in a hushed voice, “I know Hadley.”

Ava thought of that day and the plans they had showed them. The other countries allied with America had chosen to just sterilize the whole world. And use frozen eggs and semen to have more children with lotteries.  The plan was horrible and inhumane. Millions would die.

However, it could work. Most of the people at the Violet company refused this plan but were bought easily with money and promises that their families would win the lottery every other year. Plus, people were desperate. The media hid the truth of the dying world. Yet the truth was slowly coming out. With that people would dive into chaos quickly. No one wanted that.

“I don’t regret what I did Ava,” Hadley explained with tears in her eyes, “I was helping. I knew that it had turned and it could be used to save us. But, not that way. “

Hadley paused then looked away with shame in her eyes.

“Everything would have been fine if I had not been betrayed.” Hadley swallowed hard.

“I do not have time for this. I should have you arrested.”   Ava snapped as her patience drained.

“Don’t burn them Ava,” Hadley said with a firm voice, “It will fight back.”

“What?” Ava stared.

“That is what it did. When it got out. It changed to live within the birds. And when we started killing them it changed. Fire may destroy it now. But, it will fight before it dies.” Hadley stepped forward and licked her dry lips as she cried, “You see… You’re living now Ava but if I was to put a gun to your head you would do everything to survive.”

Ava stepped back and reached for her gun but Hadley turned around in a circle moaning. Ava wondered what was wrong with her. She looked terrible. Depression and stress had to be ruining Hadley. Ava was shocked that Hadley was even still alive after everything she had been through after the chase.

“You would fight back wouldn’t you?” Hadley asked.

When Ava did not answer Hadley shook her head and asked again in a lower tone, “Wouldn’t you?”

“Yes.” Ava said slowly, “You speak like it is alive, as if it knows what is happening to it. It is just a virus… a manmade weapon. Nothing more.”

“Yes, we played God. It evolved to survive Ava. Just like human beings did.”

“What do you want from me Hadley?”

“Do not burn them.” Hadley put a hand on Ava’s shoulder; Ava could feel her shaking, “Please. It will only make things worse. Just let it be. It will die out if it thinks it is not in danger.”

Ava saw a mad look in Hadley’s eyes that suddenly looked red and dark. Hadley smelt of alcohol and something else. Ava pushed her hand away and stepped back as she wrinkled her nose. Ava could not believe Hadley had become such a weak thing. Ava had once looked up to Hadley and wanted to be like her. Now Hadley was just a shell of nothingness.  Her voice was weak and shaky and she spoke nonsense. She sounded like a child.

“You need help Hadley.”

“No. Ava listen to me!” Hadley shouted, “I understand you think this is what you have to do. You are thinking of Josh and Patrick. I would probably think the same if I had children of my own. You want to protect them and save them I know.”

“Do not speak of my children,” Ava threatened.

“You think doing this will save them.”

Hadley gasped and stepped back looking at the bathroom door. Ava closed her eyes and breathed. She saw her two boys in her mind and knew that she was doing this for them. Nevertheless, it was not just for them. It was for the world, for every child in the world, to save them from a death of choking on their own blood. The virus would spread like wildfire if they did not do this now. Killing hundreds of children in weeks.

“Fire has killed it since the beginning Hadley. It stops here. They have done the research since it was released. This is how it stops, this is where it ends.” Ava explained with confidence.

“That is true. But, that does not defeat the logic that it will change to survive.  It will grow in the ashes and it will rise and take flight in the flames.” Hadley licked her lips again and wrapped her arms around her tiny body, “You forget. I’m the one who created this. Do not do this. It will be our doom. Sometimes the best thing is to just let it go. Accept the things we cannot change.”

Silence filled the air and Ava could hear a bird singing outside. She thought of the boy she had let go with his mother and realized how stupid that was. She would make sure that they would find him as soon as they were finished here. Hadley walked to the window sobbing and Ava felt bad. Her heart sank and she wished she could help Hadley. In the end she still felt like the big sister. Ava knew she should stop Hadley and arrest her for what she had done. Nevertheless, Ava had a soft spot for her and she turned away.

“Ava?” Hadley whispered.

Ava looked back as her gut twisted in knots. Hadley was staring at her with wide tear filled eyes. Ava grimaced at the ill expression on Hadley’s face. Anger filled Hadley’s eyes then disgust and then sadness as she lifted her head to look at Ava with lowered dark blue eyes.

“Will you watch them burn for your children?” Hadley hissed.

Ava’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped. Hadley disappeared through the window and Ava’s heart skipped a beat. For what felt like forever Ava stared at the open window as cold wind blew in. Ava’s gaze lowered as she heard Hadley again in her mind. Ava took in a deep breath and left the bathroom.

“Ma’am,” Rodgers greeted her, “We need to do this.”

Ava nodded slowly. Rodgers stared at her with an uneasy expression. Ava forced a smile and she walked with them. Matthews kept looking at her with nervous eyes. Rodgers kept staring at his watch and looking out windows as they passed by them. Ava’s heart was racing as doubt filled her mind. She tried to fight it off but Hadley had always been the smartest on the team. She and Rowland had created the first pathogen and controlled it. They knew more about it than anyone.

They entered a large classroom with dozens of children inside. Some sat at their desk quietly while others stood on a back wall drawing on a chalk board as they laughed.  Ava stared at the Christmas décor around the classroom and it cut her deep. Her boys were making Reindeer feed at their school this week.

Ava glanced at the front of the class where an empty desk sat and she sighed. Behind the desk were small pictures under large names drawn in bright colors. One picture caught her eye. It was the boy she saw leaving the school. His name was Tomas. She made a mental note to make sure to find Tomas after this. She remembered how scared the mother looked and her head spun.

Rodgers and Matthews stood near the doorway as two Army men entered the room with rifles raised. The children turned to them with silent confused expressions. One boy sat at his desk with large watery eyes. Ava felt that somehow, he knew what was going to happen. A little girl with red pigtails coughed violently as blood dripped from her nose. Matthews stared at Ava with fear in his eyes and Rodgers nodded his head.

Ava had to do what she needed. She had to protect not only her children but the world. Hadley was wrong. This was the only way. Even if she knew she was damned to burn in hell. Sometimes doing the wrong thing was for the greater good. Ava had to keep telling herself that. This was the right thing, wasn’t it? Ava swallowed hard as her lips twitched. The fire would destroy it as it always had. It would end here. No one would know the truth. Ava raised an arm and Rodgers nodded his head and placed a finger onto his earpiece.

“Liquidate.” Rodgers said.

Two soldiers walked into the room as Rodgers and Matthews left quickly. The other two soldiers left with them and Ava stepped towards the door as the two new soldiers lit their flame throwers. Ava froze as time slowed. Sweat rolled down her forehead into her eyes and it burned. Her skin was crawling and she could not hear anything. Could there be another way? The world around her was spinning as she thought of her boys. Staring at the little girl with a bloody nose Ava chewed on her bottom lip.

“This must be done,” Ava said aloud to no one.

A little boy in the back row stared at her with a blank pink face. He was probably the same age as Patrick. The boy put his hands onto his desk as the other students began to scream and cry. Some ran to the back of the classroom while others stayed in their seats crying. This boy however did not cry or move. He just stared at Ava with disbelief. Ava went to turn around to leave.

Screams filled her ears, she paused and heard Hadley in her mind.

“Will you watch them burn for your children?”

Ava turned back to the classroom just as the soldiers pulled their triggers.  She would face what she was doing. As the flames shot out the boy looking at her never looked away. Even when the flames licked his desk and flesh. He did not look away until he was engulfed in flames. Children’s screams were muffled out by the screech of the flame throwers. Ava watched them as the smell of burning flesh entered her lungs. There was no other way. She watched them burn for her children. Ava felt her knees become weak.

Her stomach turned and bile filled her throat as she listened to children scream down the hallways. She had to do this. This was what needed to be done. She knew first hand it would only die this way. They had tried everything. This was the only thing. Ava stepped back, placing a hand over her heart, as the children in the classroom finally stopped screaming.

The two men in front of her turned their flame throwers off and stared at the scene before them. Little tiny bodies laid across the floor in the back or sat in their chairs. Their flesh smoked and sizzled. Ava wanted to scream and cry and run away. Yet she stood there, expressionless, emotionless.

The two men looked at her with terrified expressions. One was crying. Ava nodded at them and they relaxed yet were clearly scared. She wondered if they hated her more than they hated themselves. Ava closed her eyes as she breathed hard. This was the right thing she kept telling herself. Gunfire made her eyes shoot open and heart skip a beat. Ava turned around and stared out of the classroom as smoke burned her nose. There was not supposed to be gunfire. More rang out followed by hollers and shouts.

“What the hell is going on?” Ava shouted as she pressed a finger onto her earpiece.

No one answered. Gunfire followed by more screams echoed through the halls. The two soldiers looked at her strangely and she put a hand up. Staring down the hall she took in a deep breath and burnt flesh burned her lungs. Ava watched as a man ran from around a corner with blood across his blue shirt. He ran their way but was quickly gunned down by a solider. Ava walked towards the scene and glared at them.

“What the fuck was that?” She shouted.

Before the men could answer she heard gunfire again and the sound of vehicles. They ran to the closest window and she saw dozens of civilian’s cars pulling onto the roads. They were trying to leave the town. Ava’s heart dropped. People were storming the school yet quickly being gunned down by her men. Ava’s head spun as she stepped back placing a hand over her heart. What the hell had happened?

“What is going on?” She screamed in her earpiece.

“Someone talked. The town is going bat shit crazy. Do we have orders to do a full liquidation?” Rodgers replied.

Ava felt bile in the back of her throat. How could everything go so wrong within a matter of minutes? Her eyes widened as she thought of Hadley and then of the little boy Tomas. Who could it have been? It did not matter anymore. Everything had gone to shit. Ava wanted to save this town and now there was nothing she could do. Pushing back tears she stormed down the hallway. Passing burnt room’s as gunfire filled her ears along with cries and screams.

More men followed her as they left the classrooms they had burned. Ava did not dare to consider these rooms. She stopped when she saw the door ahead had been broken through. Ava walked through the door and her heart stopped when she saw three soldier’s dead on the ground. The ambulance sat in silence. Her mind raced as her throat went dry. Trying to tune out the screams and gunfire she stared upwards into the sky and saw smoke. Did they not see that she was saving them? This had to be done. She did not want to kill anyone. Yet, she had to save the ones she could.

“Ma’am?!” Rodgers voice shouted through her earpiece.

Ava looked down at her boots as a few soldiers stood around her staring with blank expressions. It was supposed to be so simple. Come in, take care of the infected, leave with a bogus story and be done with it. The world saved. The end. Ava glanced up with glassy eyes as she dug her nails into the palms of her hands. She wanted to throw up. She hoped that the liquidations were going better in the other towns.

“No, please try to contain them. Liquidate the ones you cannot.” Ava said flatly.

She saw past the ambulance, on the street, many cars sat with their doors open. People were running down the street away from the school as the soldiers with flamethrowers walked their way. Maybe she could save some, maybe she could pay some off, maybe they would not tell. Ava crossed her arms knowing there was nothing she could do.

Turning around her stomach twisted and she had to close her eyes so she would not vomit.

“Ma’am this is Sanders,” A raggedy voice said in her earpiece, “Liquidation completed in all towns. But, we have a problem in Samsville. We need you here.”

Ava looked into the sky towards Samsville. It was not that far away from them. She saw a large smoke cloud growing.  Gritting her teeth, she shook her head smiling in fear. Lowering her eyes, she kept tears back as she tilted her head, and pressed her earpiece.

“Our liquidation is not complete. It will be awhile. What happened?”

Ava spoke firmly yet she could hear the fear in her voice.

“The town was more infected than we first believed. We had to burn the whole town. We need you here.” Sanders replied.

“Okay.” Ava replied with no emotion.

Ava looked down at her hands. They looked pale. She had to remind herself that this was the right thing to do. Hundreds would die but the world would be saved. A tear rolled down her face and she wiped it away. Why did she feel so guilty and horrible? Why did she feel wrong? They had given her proof that this was the only way. Ava heard a bird tweeting and she glanced behind her. It was the same infected bird that she had seen earlier.

The bird had white foam leaking from its beak. Its eyes had a white film over it. Its biddy eyes looked down at her. Ava felt suddenly very frightened. The bird moved forward and squawked loudly and spat foam out of its mouth. Ava froze and her body stiffened. The bird flew above her then landed on the ambulance. It looked up into the air and Ava saw smoke behind it. She could smell the children’s burnt flesh on her. The bird looked down at her with accusing eyes. Ava could only think of one thing…

“Will you watch them burn for your children?”

 

 

 

Chapter one of The Embers of Amour.

Hello everyone! This is the first Chapter of my novel The Embers of Amour! Enjoy! If you would like to read more the ebook is only .99 cents on amazon!

Buy The Embers of Amour on Amazon!

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-Chapter one-

Abby woke in a sudden outburst of tears and sweat. She gasped for air as her lungs burned, and her skin crawled. Above her was a very large hole in the second floor, she could barely remember the floor caving in under her; but she could remember falling through. She felt cold on the outside but very hot on the inside, and as a drop of water rolled down her face she felt the pain coming from her leg. Her plush lips pressed together as her dull blue eyes darted down in horror. She tried to swallow, but a lump in her dry throat stopped her. Her thin round face went pale as she let out a loud scream. She shot up quickly. Her head spun, and her eyes blurred, but she knew what was happening to her.

The undead was digging its sharp jagged teeth into her left thigh. Abby let out a screech as her hands fumbled forward reaching for the monster. Her body was shaking so violently that when she first tried to grab the undead, her hands just pushed past its head and she almost fell on it. She pulled her arms back up and screamed as it ripped at her leg. It looked up at her with hollow eyes. She saw her own meat hanging from its mouth. It made her head spin, and she was sure she would vomit. It made a low growl in its throat as it moved upwards to bite her again. She cursed and pushed its head back from biting her face, shoving it away.

It quickly came back at her with such force that it knocked her down onto her back. She began to sob as it clawed at her. One of her arms was keeping it from taking a chunk out of her face, while the other dug around her for anything that could stop this thing from killing her. Finally she felt something large and hard and brought it upwards, smashing it into its head. It made a loud groaning sound as she hit it again and again, before finally its skull caved in. Its body fell on her, and Abby used all of her energy to shove it off.

Abby looked down at the object in her hand and noticed it was part of the second floor that had fallen with her. She closed her eyes tightly as she took in very long, deep breaths. Her eyes opened again as the wound on her leg stung and burned with such pain that she finally did vomit.  She began to choke on it before turning her head and letting it out all over the floor next to her. She gasped for air and pulled herself upwards.  It took everything in her to do this and all of her might to look down at her leg. The moment she did she let out a load cry and began to sob.

Abby’s hands shook in front of her as she tried to figure out if she should touch the wound or not. The undead had shredded the top of her thigh and had ripped a good chunk of meat out.  Blood was gushing out, and Abby knew she did not have long before she passed out from blood loss. She needed to bandage it up as soon as possible, but she paused for a moment as her lips shivered. Did it even matter? She knew no one survived a bite from one of those monsters… everyone and everything would die and then come back as a monster.

Fear filled her as she looked around her making sure nothing else was there. To her luck, she was all alone. Abby heard a gunshot followed by a scream far in the distance.  Her eyes widened, and she waited as tears streamed down her face. She heard nothing. She was not sure of what to do. She was sweating uncontrollably. She finally decided she did not want to die in a dark high school hallway. She would find somewhere she could lock herself in so she could hurt no one.

Abby slowly started to move. Every part of her body hurt as she used the half burnt wall to her right to support her. The school had been set on fire with the workers and students inside. Some were shot, while others burned alive. Abby had come across a few of these buildings before. The ones who had done this were trying to do it out of the good of their hearts. They thought that killing innocent people would help stop the virus. But it only just prolonged it.

Abby let out a holler as she stood up leaning her whole body onto the wall. Her left leg felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and the blood that poured from her wound felt as if it were cutting into her. Her stomach turned, and her throat felt as if it were going to close. She gritted her teeth hard and started to push herself along the wall, letting her left leg drag with her. It hurt so badly that she was sure she would faint and die right there, but she kept pushing and breathing.

She glanced downward at her bloody blue t-shirt and black pants and tried to see if her necklace was still there. Abby could barely make it out in the dim light of the hall, but she could see it there swaying as she hunched over on the wall. It was a silver necklace with a small ruby heart that had little diamonds surrounding it. She touched it with her bloody fingers and faintly smiled through the pain. She was happy it was still there. It gave her a strange sense of hope that maybe, just maybe everything would be okay.

Abby thought of Aaron, the man she swore she still loved dearly; the man she knew was gone. She could still see his golden hair falling towards his deep dark brown eyes. She could see his bright smile as his tan muscular arms wrapped around her. Tears fell from her face as she tried to remember what his laugh sounded like. She stopped and clutched at her necklace, closing her eyes. She listened to her shallow heartbeat and focused on the blood dripping down her leg tickling her in the worst kind of way.

Pain shot through her leg hard, causing her to fall forward, landing on her knees with a loud bang. She screamed and bit her lip. Blood filled her mouth as she used her hands to protect her face from hitting the ground. She felt one of her fingers snap and let out a cry as her teeth slammed together. She spat out a tooth as she cried trying to get herself back up.   Her right hand was shaking badly.  She forced herself to look at the finger that had snapped. Her pinky was bent out of place.

Abby was not sure of where she was going or why. She was dead no matter what happened to her. If she found someone from her group, they would kill her on the spot. She did not blame them, because she would do the same thing. No one lived from this… everyone turned. Once bitten, the virus would travel through you attacking all of your good blood cells and infecting them. Your body starts to burn as it goes through you; and once it hits your heart, it would kill you; then it attacks the brain. You would come back except not as yourself but as a mindless cannibalistic monster.

Abby knew the best thing to do would be to find a way to kill herself, so she would not hurt anyone after she turned. However, she did not want to die. She was sobbing and could taste the bile in the back of her throat. She felt as if any moment would be her last, and she would fall onto the cold floor and die. She pushed herself around a corner and saw light at the end of the long hallway. She swallowed blood and gasped. She could hear soft moans coming from one of the rooms around her.

Everything tingled and felt very strange as sweat dripped down her forehead. She wondered if this was the virus making its way into her head.  Her vision kept blurring, but she kept moving forward. She was not sure of where to go, just that she wanted to be anywhere but there. She frowned, nothing could help her now. She knew that bitter truth, but a hope inside her told her to not stop moving.

Abby poked at a missing tooth in her mouth and moaned in pain. She stopped and gasped for air as she cried. She heard more gunshots from somewhere in the school and paused. A tremor ran down her body. She felt very hot, but her skin was ice cold.  She closed her eyes tightly before walking again.  She wandered past a classroom door and leaned on it to take in some more air.

She glanced through the glass window, and her heart sank a little. The children that had gone to this school were still inside. Sitting in their seats, some slumped over the desk, and others slightly hanging off. They had been burned alive in them. Abby’s teeth chattered. She stared at the tiny bodies then at the back of the wall where the teachers had been shot. Bullet holes covered the wall behind the collapsed bodies. On the wall written in red paint was Fear the living.

As fear suddenly traveled through her bones, Abby pushed herself from the door and headed for the light at the end of the hall. It was a glass door that had been broken a long time ago. She rubbed her chin with a shaking hand, before she made the painful move through the broken door. Her left leg tried to snag on some of the glass, but she forced it through causing her to lose her footing and fall forward.

This time she was able to catch herself on a bench right outside the door. She cursed and started to breathe heavily. Abby felt as if she had no more tears inside of her now. She looked back from where she came and saw inside the dark gloomy halls. She felt as if something was lingering in there watching her, and it scared her. She looked forward into the blue sky and at the emptiness around her, carefully listening. She could not hear anything. Not even birds, or insects, just pure silence.

Everything around her was a mess and ruined. If it was not burnt, it had been shot at. She saw a few old, rotting corpses lying around. The air was full of rot and death. She swallowed hard; her vision blurring still. She felt more hot tears roll down her red cheeks. She sniffled and wondered where she would go from here. What would she do now?

Abby saw an ambulance sitting in the middle of the school yard. She glanced down at her shaking leg and touched her blood soaked pants. She needed to find something to help her stand, so she would not have to crawl. She scanned for a long time, before she frowned then slowly sat down on the ground and turned her back towards the ambulance. She started to drag herself towards it. Every movement hurt as her broken finger drug on the ground.

Abby stared at the doorway to the high school and watched it carefully. She still was feeling as if something was watching her. She felt paranoid and sick. She wondered why she was even trying to help herself. She hated the thought that she would die and turn, but she also hated the thought of just giving up.

It took her a few minutes to drag herself all the way to the ambulance and at least a few more minutes to finally pull herself upwards. She glanced at three dead bodies and saw that they were all in army uniforms. She reached for the door handle of the ambulance and hoped it would open, and with a hard pull it did.  Abby felt herself let out a breath of air as she pulled herself inside closing the door behind her.

Her dark red hair fell in front of her face and stuck from sweat. Her big, round eyes were trying to close, when she rubbed her small thin nose with the back of her bloody hand. She managed to pull herself onto a gurney that was sitting perfectly behind her. Her body felt numb and icy from head to toe except for the sharp throbbing coming from her broken pinky.

Abby took in a long deep breath before looking down at her leg. It was covered in blood; but the wound seemed to not be bleeding anymore. There was strange yellow goo seeping from it and it smelt of mold.

She needed to do something about her leg, before the pain in it came back; more importantly before she passed out from blood loss. She reached over to a small storage container next to her and started to search. She pulled out a lot of medical supplies that would be helpful for her leg and placed it next to her. She found ointments, bottles of aspirin, many different kinds of bandages, and a few splints, then placed them on her lap.

Wind began to howl outside, and Abby swore she heard faint growls and moans twisting in it. She paused and stared at the two windows on the back door, waiting. Nothing happened, so she allowed herself to breath. The thought of her whole group being dead made her feel ill inside. The thought of them being alive and leaving her behind was worse. She met them almost five months after the virus had gotten out of hand and had stayed with them for ten months now.

Abby scrambled around looking for something to drink and found a half empty silver water bottle. She opened it slowly and looked in. It was no telling how old the water was or who had been drinking from it, but she had no other choice. She took a sip, and the water slid down her throat with a dirty taste. She closed it before setting it to the side of her. She then looked at her leg and at the yellow goo coming from it. It made her head swim.

Abby looked at her pinky and saw how the bone was sticking out and then at the splints by her. She picked one that looked as if it would fit. Her breathing became heavier as she prepared herself to push the bone back in. She reached for it with her left hand and barely touched it when pain went rushing through her right hand. She cursed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she grabbed her pinky and snapped the bone straight. She screamed and fainted for a moment.

Her eyes rolled back into her head as the pain swam through her and a ringing in her head filled the silence around her. It took her a few moments to get the courage to sit back up and look at her finger. She took another sip of the water and started to cough heavily. Afterwards she took some gauze and slowly wrapped it around her finger tightly before putting the splint on. Every little touch on her finger hurt, but she was starting to get used to it and was not sure if that was a good thing or not.

After the splint went on, Abby wrapped more gauze around it and taped it.  She stared at her pinky and frowned. She had no idea what she was doing and was only going by what she had seen on tv shows. She hoped it would help her finger heal. She quickly forgot her finger when she felt a strange tingling feeling on her bite wounds. She looked at it and saw that more yellow goo had come out of it with some blood.  She shivered and looked around at the things she had collected on the gurney.

“I don’t…I… what am I supposed to do?” Abby cried as she reached around all the different things. She decided to pour the water on her wound to clean it. Her hands shook as she lifted it above the wound. She looked at it and noticed her skin around the wound was turning green and blue. She looked away as she tilted the bottle, so it could spill onto her wound. It stung but not as badly as she thought it would. She looked back and saw the goo being washed away with some blood. After she was done, she grabbed a hand full of gauze and lowered it to her wound; so she could clean it more.

Abby was not sure if it was a good idea or not, but she had no idea what else to do. She gritted her teeth and softly touched the wound. This time she did feel pain, and it made her cry. However, she kept cleaning the blood and goo. The goo smelt horrible, and her blood looked black. She quickly stopped when the pain started to become too much. Her hand stumbled through the supplies around her as she searched for something that may help the wound not get infected. She stopped when she found peroxide and grabbed it. She stopped suddenly and let out a laugh filled with tears.

“I’m going to die…” She mumbled through tears as she closed her eyes and lowered her hand towards the peroxide. “I don’t want to,” She whimpered.

It did not matter what she did to the wound. She would turn no matter what, and she knew that. She felt stupid for trying to patch it up. She felt foolish for having hope for life. She thought about Aaron and wondered if he had been bitten and if he was walking around dead.  She shook the thought away and struggled to take in a deep breath.

Abby opened the bottle and poured it on the wound. It started to bubble; the white bubbles quickly turned dark red. She looked at the windows in front of her and was glad she was inside the ambulance. At least when she turned she would be trapped and would not hurt anyone. That was really all that mattered.

When it was done bubbling, she grabbed some gauze then went to put it on the wound. She gave the bite marks one last long look and pressed her lips together in disappointment. She placed the gauze on the wound then wrapped some more around her whole leg before putting tape on it. It looked horrible, but it made Abby feel a strange clarity. She licked her dry lips and grabbed the aspirin she found and poured a dozen pills in her hand with the broken finger. She gave the pills a hard stare, rocking herself back and forth.

She could take all of them and fall asleep and not have to feel the pain of dying from the virus. It would be an easy and painless death. She closed her hand around the pills and shook her head.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered shamefully.

Abby put the pills back into the bottle and took only three. She lay back onto the gurney. Her eyes had milky foam in them, and her face was very thin and pale. She could feel icy coldness moving through her body, and she swore she could feel something moving around her skull. “This must be it.” She thought.  She would die there without anyone ever knowing. She would die alone and confused. And worst die not knowing what had happened to Aaron.

“I’m sorry Aaron…” She choked on her words as she started to drift off to sleep. Sleep would take her; and when she woke, she would be a monster. However, a monster locked away in this ambulance. She would not hurt anyone; and she hoped if someone found the ambulance, they would not be dumb enough to open it without looking.  Abby’s eyes closed slowly, and she took in a deep breath as the darkness took her.

“What do you mean by that?” Abby’s voice slipped and cracked as she tried to contain her composure.

Aaron was pacing around the room with his hand over his mouth and his eyes looking everywhere but at her. She watched his arms move slowly, and the muscles in them contracted as he turned towards her finally. She sat on their red sofa with her arms upwards towards her mouth, and her eyes full of worry. She was fit and plump and tan with long auburn hair that was thick and tangled. His dirty blond hair bounced in front of his dark eyes, and he rubbed a hand over his caramel skin as he tried to find the words inside of him.

His eyes found hers, and he frowned deeply. She could tell he was scared to speak and that it was taking everything for him to find the courage to do so. It made the hole in her stomach larger, and her head fill with fear. He crossed his arms and shook his head. He was wearing his firefighter’s t-shirt and blue jeans, and Abby stared at the strange red stain on his shirt.

“They said the virus hasn’t become airborne, but it is spreading faster than they expected. They believe it has somehow gotten into the water supply, and that is how it is spreading.” He voice was shaky yet calm and collected. Abby glanced over at the ten large cases of water Aaron had brought in when he came home, and she frowned.

Abby felt herself shake as she leaned back onto the sofa, bringing her knees up to her to wrap her arms around them. He saw her and hurried over, sitting next to her. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the forehead. She could feel the warmth of his body and smell him. It made her feel better.

“It will be okay. It still hasn’t gotten here… it is states away. We have time. The government says they have a new vaccine they want to try out and…” His words trailed off with a queer grumble in his throat. She felt him stiffen, and she looked up at him. His eyes were fixed on their flat screen tv. She realized he was looking at himself. She saw them huddled together. They looked so small.

“And what?” She said almost in a whisper.

She felt his body shake as he pulled her tightly to him. He placed his nose in her hair and took in a deep breath. It was almost as if he was trying to take in all of her scent, so he would never forget. After a moment of silence, Abby pulled away and glanced up at him with wide eyes. She saw that he had tears in his eyes and that his tan chiseled face had grown pale. It made fear crawl through her bones.

“What is it, hun?” She asked softly as she brushed her fingers lightly on his cheeks. He grabbed her hand and pressed his lips into the palm of it. He laid his face on her hand then gave her a long hard look. His oval brown eyes looked deep inside of her. Finally, he looked away from her and let go of her hand as he took in a deep breath.

“They are calling it liquidation. It…” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, then he continued, “If a town is showing signs of the virus… if a certain amount of people are quarantined and sick then they will.” He shook his head, and she saw him rolling his eyes as he cleared his throat again.

“They will send the army in to cleanse it.” He looked at her and hoped she would understand what he meant so he would not have to explain it more. And she did. Her stomach was twisting in knots, and she felt lightheaded. She leaned forward, closing her eyes.

“You mean they are going to kill them?” He did not answer, so she looked back at him, and his face said it all.

“Fire apparently kills the virus. They’re going to start the liquidations tonight. The guys at the station are all stocking up on food and M.R.E.’s from the army store down town. People are talking about going up to the mountains to hide.” He told her, his voice becoming less scared and stronger. She could hear a hint of suggestion in his voice, though she didn’t provoke it.

“But you just said the virus is states away. That we are fine here. We are going to be okay… right? That is what you told me… ” She turned towards him and put her hands onto his arms and squeezed.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, and there was a sadness in them. He was hiding something, and she knew it. She reached up to his face and touched it. He felt cold. She begged him for an answer with her tear filled blue eyes and chewed at her lip.

“Sometimes I’m not always right…” He said flatly with the shakiness coming back to his voice.

A Way Home.

Here is a little taste of the adventure…

I will probably post the first chapter soon! For sneak peak!

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Writing… writing…

[image error]Someday I will be a best seller

I’m not really sure how to run a website.

I’ve been thinking about doing a mailing list. But I don’t know if it’s even worth it. I don’t really have a following. I’m hoping I will soon. But, it’s very difficult to get. Especially when people can’t even do a simple like or share of a post. Which is honestly sad. I don’t know why it’s so hard to help support somebody. Just takes a simple like and share. But I know I have to do most of this by myself. And whining is not going to change anything. Though it does discourage you because you wish people would care. Care more at least. So I’m not sure what to do. Some people tell me to do a mailing list but I don’t see the point. People hardly even care about my Facebook post. I wouldn’t mind doing one when I actually have a following.

 

I don’t know …. advertising and marketing is so expensive and hard to do.  You have to constantly be at it and honestly it’s exhausting. Especially one no one ever cares. Except for maybe one or two like just my mom. I’m very grateful for those who have bought the book. Though I will admit I had to guilt-trip most of them in doing that. Which is pretty sad and shouldn’t have to be done. But I’m trying to focus more on just so if I ever tizing in not caring about no one paying attention. Most time I don’t care and I just keep advertising and marketing. I know I can do a better job at it. But sometimes you get down because it feels like all of your effort is for nothing. But I know it just feels that way. It’s going to be worth it.

Because someday I’ll have a marketing team to do it for me and they’ll be people saying oh remember me? And I’ll be like yeah you didn’t even like one of my post. Haha. But seriously though I’m just frustrated. I’m very grateful for those who do support me or try to get the word out for me. I’m happy for those who bought the book and who share it. I’m glad I have the small little baby fanbase I have. And I’m hoping it’ll grow quickly and fast.

My next novel is with a beta reader and I’m so excited. I love the book and the series. I can’t wait to have it in my hand and show everyone. Definitely going to be fun. I wish it hadn’t taken this long to get it out though. That’s a bit aggravating. Can you tell that I have absolutely no patience? But I’m grateful that it is almost here. I’ve been trying to work on other books because the more I get out the more people notice. I’m just hoping for better things and hoping that how quickly. I love to make a living on my writing. But I guess that’s every right to dream. New paragraph. Enough with the constant self-pitying because it does nothing.

A Way home.

 

Coming soon… horror, action, sci-fi, and adventure!! Join Alice on her journey to try to save her people.

Too many stories!

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So I have this issue. Where I can come up with multiple stories every week. And then I start to obsess over them and that’s all I can think about. And I start to write them down then the next week I’m thinking about something else and obsessing over that and I start writing on that and I forget what I was doing before.

I Put so many things on the back burner for new stories. I mean just in three days I just came up with four different story ideas. And I try to just write them down and focus on what I’m trying to finish. I’m trying to finish the last book of Amour. I finally have the whole story and I was doing pretty well and then I kind of fell off the wagon writing on something else. And the thing is I have so many stories and characters inside of me that I just want people to know about and I just want to drown myself in that world.

So then I start slacking on what I’m actually supposed to be writing on. So in the end I never actually finish anything. It’s a very bad habit. So I’m just going to try to write down the ideas that pop up but then leave them at that. I’m so obsessed people knowing the stories but I need to finish the other ones I’m doing. So no matter how much I want to write on these awesome stories in my head. I got to finish what I’m doing now…

I’m really excited for people to read the third book. Abby is on a new adventure which is a darker Adventure. What’s the new obstacles and challenges. This book will be more action compared to the others. And my more Grim! It took me awhile to get down the story that I want it. But finally I have it. And I’m really excited about it. I love the new characters. The only problem I’m having is in the first two books there’s flashbacks. Which gives a backstory on a character. But I’m not sure how to do that in this book.

 

I was thinking of two characters which I may go back to. Then I was thinking of a different one and then I wrote a chapter for another one. So I’m not a hundred percent sure on which to go with. But I might not even do flashbacks in this one because I’m kind of focusing on two different people. Obviously Abby. I’m just hoping I can finish it in a couple of months or less. I’ve taken a break on it for way too long.

I keep saying I’m going to come up with a new marketing and advertising plan but I’m lazy and I haven’t done anything. So I need to get off my ass and actually do it bring my bookmarks places poster. How can anyone know about me if I don’t do anything? I’m ridiculous

Check out this interview I did!

I was asked to do a interview by Jade Young for her website

https://www.theeducatedwriter.com/author-interviews/coushatta-larue

I have new business cards.

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I still want to use my old style but for my other book series. I created these two just advertise all of my writing. I know it’s plain and simple. But it’s straight to the point. I really love them! Though the texture isn’t as strong as I want it. So when I reorder them I have to make sure I do a different kind of card. I’m going to give people these when they order my newest book A Way Home.

My editor says she only had few pages left to do before I could reply to her comments. I’m really excited! I’ve been writing on my Amour book! I love the new characters in this book. It’s going to be longer than the others. And a lot is going to be happening. I want people to question everything. Absolutely love this series and the characters. I’ve been trying to advertise it from Instagram doing quotes from the book. But as usual people don’t really care. I know I have to spam advertisement that maybe someone will care. Takes one person to get it out there. I do wish people cared more. Though when you become popular people act like they’ve always been there.

Oh well. I’m not making any money on writing. I’m spending so much money just writing and trying to get good covers. People don’t understand that I’m literally not making any money. Someday I really hope I do. I want to make this a career. But I just got to keep writing and trying. I’m excited about my new business cards and I know the more I put out the more likely people are to know me. So I got to go to town and put cards around. Eventually someone will pick it up.

I also want my Editor to edit my first two books I have published. I think she’ll do amazing on them. I have to pay a little at a time for it but I think it’s a great idea. I have to get to writing now. Got to keep hoping.

The Flames of Amour!

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The Flames of Amour. The third and final installment in my Amour series…

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“It has been a year since Evan and Jesse’s disappearance. Abby has joined the military ranks of Haven. As she joins Ava on missions throughout the country the hope of finding those she has lost starts to fade. When a new colony starts to arise Abby starts to question all that she knows. As the world around her changes Abby must decide if she should change too. In this new world being the hero is not always the right way to go.”

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I’m so excited about the new characters in my third novel. This novel is going to be much longer than the first two. I’m really excited about it and I have no idea how long it’s going to take me to right. But I can’t wait for people to read it