The Darkest Hour

Hi everyone!

This is still a very rough first draft. I am debating whether to add a prologue or not, but I wanted to get it out there to see if it's making sense. Here is the full synopsis:

In the aftermath of a deadly biological attack in the US that annihilated 90% of the population, Olivia Black must cross a desolate west coast in hopes of finding life across the border. With no electricity, food getting more and more scarce and dangerous survivors, she finds herself responsible for an orphaned child and in the middle of an unexepected conspiracy, while trying to decide who is friend or foe along the way.


Chapter 1


The smell of burning flesh still lingered in the air.


Even though the pyre was a few miles away from where she was, Olivia Black could still see the smoke in the distance as she fled the grocery store with a full backpack hitting painfully on her lower back. The smell in San Diego hardly resembled what used to be - that salty, ocean and sand and summer smell - and just the thought of what was going on in Balboa Park made her stomach roll uncomfortably.


But it didn’t matter, not anymore. What mattered now was getting to safety - hopefully with the backpack she carried still intact. She knew one of the looters had seen her and it would only be a matter of time before they came after her. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw one of them point her out to someone and knew this was it. She had to run.


The black backpack was heavy and maybe that had been a mistake on her part. But she had a plan and she had no idea what she would face when she set out north the next day. Who knew if she would be able to find any food or water on the way to Canada? It was going to be a long journey and she could handle the weight of her survival pack, if that meant she could go a few days without having to look for food.


One day at a time. That had been her motto for the past five weeks.


“There she is!”


She heard a man call out and, before she could second guess herself, she broke into a run - the weight on her back all but forgotten. It was amazing how the instinct to fight like hell to survive kicked in in dire situations. And if you asked Olivia, her reality now was as dire as it could possibly get.


Making a left on the corner of West Point Loma Boulevard and Groton Street, she ran at full speed towards Barnard Street. She knew there were a few apartments around here, having visited a few of her friends in this part of town, so maybe she could hide out here for a little while. The sun was almost setting and she knew she had to get to safety before dark.


Things got really ugly after nightfall.


Before she made it to Barnard Street, however, she saw a few houses up a ways in a quiet street. Maybe that was a better plan than trying to break into a building. Making another steep left, she ran towards the end of the street. The shadows cast by the trees would help her out while she looked for a safe hiding spot. She could still hear the men chasing after her, calling her names, but she knew she could make it.


When she got to the end of street, she stepped under a tree and threw her precious backpack over the fence. Praying to whatever higher power that was willing to listen that there would be no one home, she jumped over it, landing badly on her knees. With a grimace, she crouched down and grabbed her backpack, making her way to the side of the house, hoping there was a back door somewhere.

The yard was big and had a swing set, which just made her feel incredibly sad. In all her 28 years on this Earth, she had never felt so small and alone. A loud male voice made her heart jump and she stopped in her tracks, getting as close to the wall as possible. She could already see a door a little further down, so she reached for the hairpin she had in her pocket.


Ever since the first wave hit, she had never been more thankful for her cousin Max teaching her how to pick a lock than she was now. The voices were getting closer and she knew she had to act fast. Inserting the pin in the lock, she heard the click and let out a relieved sigh, slowly pushing the door open.


“Please, don’t let anyone be home. Please, God.” she muttered under her breath, stepping inside and closing the door behind her quickly.


Crouching down near the window again, she looked outside, listening closely to any voices nearby. She could hear the looters still looking for her out there, but it seemed like the house she had broken into was deserted. There was a heavy silence hanging in the air as she looked around the kitchen, though. Moving silently to the living room, she tried to prepare herself to run into dead bodies. There was something in the air, she could feel it, but when she entered the next room, clutching her backpack tightly over her shoulder, there was no one around.


Thanking her lucky stars, Olivia made her way to the window, crouching down again to avoid being seen. She looked outside and saw the smoke in the distance again, closing her eyes in prayer for those lost lives. The looters seemed to have given up on her, so she allowed herself to sit down on the floor and just try to get her heart and her breathing under control.


Looking around the living room, she saw two black couches that looked ridiculously comfortable and a big TV on the wall. Fat lot of good that would do, she thought to herself. Power had been cut a couple of weeks before, so it wasn’t even like she could get an update on the situation or just netflix and chill. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes, willing herself to just try and relax for a few minutes. If the house was really deserted, maybe she could crash here tonight before setting out tomorrow.


First order of business, though, was getting something to eat. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably as she realized she hadn’t had anything to eat since this morning. Just as Olivia had made up her mind to pick herself up off the floor and get some dinner, she suddenly had the distinct impression that someone was watching her. She quickly grabbed what looked like a heavy candle holder from the table near the window and prepared to attack whoever was there. The room was dark, so she couldn’t see much in front of her, but she could feel the heat of someone’s eyes on her.


Looking around, she advanced slowly into the living room, candle holder held tightly in her hand. Trying to listen closely to any weird sounds, she suddenly heard someone’s heavy breathing and turned around, trying to follow the sound.


A gasp escaped her lips when she saw a small form, crouched down behind the other end of the couch.


A child. A little girl with disheveled hair and scared eyes.


“Hi,” she whispered, and Olivia felt her heart skip a beat at the fear in her voice.


“Hi, sweetie,” she whispered, taking a step closer to the child. “What’s your name?”


The little girl wiped away a tear and seemed torn about answering her or not. Her parents must have drilled into her mind that she shouldn’t ever talk to strangers. Now that she was closer, Olivia could see how young she was, her light brown hair falling over her eyes as she looked down to the floor.


“My name is Olivia,” she tried again, putting the candle holder down and then lifting both hands up, so the kid could see she didn’t mean any harm. “What’s yours?”


“Julia,” she heard her tiny voice again and offered her a small smile. “Will you help me, Miss Olivia?”


“Of course, honey. What do you need?” She finally made her way close enough to the child and crouched down to her level, so she could see her eyes. They were of a vivid blue, but were red rimmed with tell-tale sign of tears.


“It’s my mom and dad. I can’t wake them up. Will you help me?”


~*~

Thoughts?