Everything Under the Sun: A Novel

By J. A. Redmerski

Thais Fenwick was eleven years old when civilization fell, devastated by a virus that killed off most of the world's population. For seven years, Thais and her family lived in a community of survivors deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. But when raiders attack her town, she and her blind sister are taken away to the East-Central Territory, destined to live the cruel and unjust kind of life about which her late mother warned her.

 

Atticus Hunt is a troubled soldier in Lexington City who has spent the past seven years trying to conform to the vicious nature of men in a post-apocalyptic society. He knows that to survive, he must abandon his morals and conscience and become like those surrounding him. But when he meets Thais, morals and conscience win over conformity, and he risks his rank and life to help her. They escape the city and set out together on a long and dangerous journey to find safety in Shreveport, Louisiana.

 

Struggling to survive in a world without electricity, food, shelter, and clean water, Atticus and Thais shed their fear of growing too close, and they fall hopelessly in love. But can love survive in such dark times, or is it fated to die with them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jessica Ann Tacu
• Release date: Aug 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201326470

J. A. Redmerski

J.A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of THE EDGE OF NEVER lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead.

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, historical events, businesses, companies, products, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locations, persons living or deceased is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2017 – Jessica Redmerski

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole, in part, and in any form.

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without prior written permission is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

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Cover Design by J.A. Redmerski

Cover Image by BalazsKovacs | Depositphotos

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ASIN: B09C433KVC

ASIN: B09CC4DSKN

J.A. Redmerski | EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN

Fiction & Literature

Contents

PART I - HALLELUJAH

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

PART II – DARKNESS & LIGHT

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

PART III - THE SWEET LIE

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

PART IV - THE BITTER TRUTH

72

For Gabriel.

Thank you for saving me.

PART

I

HALLELUJAH

Chapter One

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Seven years after The Fall...

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Thais Fenwick burst through the front door of her tiny house, face alight with excitement, hair disheveled and dirty like it always was. A water-soaked backpack was tossed over her shoulder; she closed the door with her foot, opened the bag, and pulled out a string of fish dangling from a nylon rope.

I caught dinner!

Wrinkles deepened around her sister’s nose when the fishy smell found her on the other side of the room.

"That stinks, Thais! Take ‘em outside—please."

Sosie was too much of a girl, Thais thought and stuck her tongue out at her. Eighteen and nineteen years old, they still acted like children at times. Youth and innocence were essential in keeping them optimistic in a post-societal world. However, optimism was more difficult for Thais’ older sister, who was blind.

Sosie lost her sight six years ago when she got The Fever, and the world fell; she hadn’t seen a color, light, or shape. They were grateful that what took Sosie’s sight didn’t take her life, too, like most who contracted it. Thais almost lost her big sister, her beautiful Sosie, with hair the color of cotton—just like their mother’s was—and an ever-smiling face as creamy-white as the milk their father once put in his coffee—when milk could be wasted on coffee.

That’s a good catch, their father said.

Thais handed the string of fish over to him; pink-tinged water dripped from the rear fins onto the floor as blood trickled from the wounds where the fish had been strung.

You sure you don’t want to clean them? Their father’s mouth spread into a playful smile, deepening the lines around his lips and nose.

Feigning disgust, Thais shook her head. "No. I’ll never clean them. I’ll catch them and bring them home and cook them, but cutting off the heads and scraping the scales and removing the guts—she shuddered something awful—will always be your job, Daddy."

He patted her on the shoulder with a filthy work-weathered hand.

Their father, James Fenwick, had dark brown hair that hung over his ears and a scruffy beard and mustache to match; deep-blue eyes set perfectly within his face, and freckles paraded his cheeks and nose. Just as Sosie was their mother's mirror image, Thais was practically her father’s twin—minus the beard and mustache. And they were both incredibly stubborn when it came to matters of...well, all matters, really.

I’m glad you know how to clean them, at least, he said, heading into the kitchen.  You’ll have to one day.

Thais’ smile disappeared—she didn’t want to think about that. She wasn’t afraid to clean fish; she just knew that if she ever had to do it herself, it would mean that her father wasn’t around to do it anymore. She never wanted to imagine life without him. It was difficult enough being without her mother, who died one year after The Fall.

Thais followed him into the kitchen, passing underneath the paint-chipped entrance flanked by stacks of tattered books. Books were everywhere in their house, stacked against every wall. Thais spent a great deal of time reading and often aloud to her sister. She didn’t get to complete school, end of society and all, but because of her love for books and an insatiable desire for knowledge and learning, she spoke fluent Spanish—also with the help of Fernando next door—and was teaching herself French. She was a walking encyclopedia with History and Science and all things Survival. The only subject she struggled with was Math. Damn numbers! she would say, slamming the books shut during her self-inflicted torture sessions. Who needs them, anyway?

Your tooth is hurting again, Thais pointed out to her father.

Two of his teeth were rotting away. They were bothering him now. She could tell how his jaw hardened and stole his smile for a moment.

I’m fine, he said, placing the flopping fish into the deep sink and removing them from the stringer. Just a bit tender, but nothing like it was a few days ago.

She knew he was lying.

I’ll see if Ms. Mercado has more peppermint oil, she insisted. Has she come back with Fernando yet?

Father shook his head.

"I haven’t seen Emilia or Fernando since yesterday morning," he answered.

He laid one fish on the cutting board; his right arm moved back and forth in a sawing motion while the left held the fish still.

Thais sat down at the table. Where could Fernando be? I hope they’re okay.

Why do you have to clean them inside the house, Daddy? Sosie said, coming around the corner. It smells terrible. And it clings to the walls. We’ll be smelling it for days. She braced one hand against the paneled wall to help guide her, a stick in the other, long, sturdy, smooth, and just her size. Father had made it for her, stripped it of its bark, and wrapped a rubbery knob fashioned from an old bicycle tire around the top to provide grip. The stick helped to keep her from bumping into things.

"You know why, Sosie," Father answered as he scraped the dull side of his knife over the scales to remove them, the sound akin to the scraping of burnt toast.

"Yeah, I know, but it just really stinks."

Sosie complained a lot. Thais hated it, but she never said much unless she wanted an argument that she knew she’d never win—Sosie was always right, even when she was blatantly wrong.

Well, I haven’t seen Alice or her inbred sons outside today either, so—

"Sosie, Father scolded, his voice sharp. They’re not inbred, and you shouldn’t go around saying things like that."

Thais sighed and shook her head.

Well, they act like heathens, Sosie argued. And I don’t say those things to anyone but the two of you.

You still shouldn’t say it. He turned back to the fish; the sound of the blade sawing through another head made Thais wince. It’s not the kind of rumor you want to be spreading, he added.

Fine, Daddy, Sosie said with mild exasperation. But I still haven’t seen them today, so please clean the fish out back.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t home, Thais chimed in. And if they are, the second Daddy goes out back to clean the fish, you know they’ll come right on over and invite themselves to dinner.

Sosie huffed and then came farther into the kitchen, tapping her walking stick against the floor out ahead of her. Finally, she sat down at the small table across from Thais.

"They can catch their own damn fish, Sosie said with a sneer. Besides, they’ll probably smell it when you cook it and come running over here anyway."

Neither Thais nor her father said anything more about the matter—Sosie was right this time.

When it came to the food they harvested or hunted separately from the rest of the town, they had to be careful to hide it. Of course, the community members looked out for one another, but they would turn on each other after doing without for too long. And twelve days without meat was just on the cusp of being too long.

Father boiled the fish over a small fire in the fireplace, using water Thais had brought from the lake yesterday. They ate in silence, mainly because they were so hungry all they could focus on were the tiny pieces of fish in front of them.

I can go fishing again before it gets too dark, Thais said from the couch. They were biting today, but I heard something in the woods and left before the bait ran out.

I don’t want you going anywhere this late, Father spoke up from across the room.

He was standing at the window overlooking the front porch; his left hand touched the side of his face as if to soothe the growing ache in his mouth. But he seemed more focused on something outside the window rather than the progressing pain.

But if the fish are biting—

No, Thais. No more fishing. He turned and looked across at her sternly. Understood?

She nodded, always respectful of her father’s wishes. It didn’t mean she always agreed with him, but he was her father, and she trusted him more than anyone, so she could never bring herself to argue.

Noticing her father rubbing his mouth again, Thais got up and placed her hand on the doorknob. I’ll go see if Ms. Mercado is home yet. She started to open the door.

She’s not, Father said. The peppermint oil isn’t going to help with the pain anyway. It never really does.

But Daddy—. She stopped when his eyes fell on her, filled with concern. And then she said instead, Is something wrong? You seem worried.

I am, he confirmed. The fact that Emilia and Fernando still haven’t come back—well, something’s not right about it.

Thais had been having these thoughts all afternoon.

They’re probably just searching for supplies, Sosie called from the couch.

For two days? Thais pointed out. Not even Fernando would stay away from home that long without telling anyone.

Fernando was a tall, handsome, eighteen-year-old man, just four months younger than Thais. He hoped they might be married someday. But Thais wasn’t interested in Fernando or any other man for anything other than friendship, and even friendship she was cautious of—rarely did men want to be just friends with women.

Over the years of their incredibly difficult life, Thais witnessed the death of two women trying to give birth, several babies that were stillborn, many that were premature and died hours after birth, and one infant death too horrific to speak of. Life in this new world was not fit for children or the mothers who risked giving birth to them. And Thais was terrified of ever being part of the statistic. But she was a young woman, and she found Fernando Mercado attractive, and sometimes she imagined him kissing her. But thoughts were as far as she would ever let herself go. Like death, rape was something that she could never un-see, and she went out of her way to keep it from happening to her.

I’m going next door, Father said, moved in front of her, and opened the door. Stay here and clean up. I’ll be back soon.

What are you going to do? Thais asked.

He stepped outside into the humid air of early June.

I’m going to talk to Mr. Hatley and see if anyone else has seen Emilia or Fernando. Stay inside the house. He left promptly and disappeared across the street.

The heat from the day had begun to burn off, but their tiny house was filled with it, and Thais felt like she was slowly roasting away in an oven. She stayed at the window, desperate for the light breeze that crept in through the screen, and she watched for her father to return. The sound of a million cicadas singing and crickets chirruping and frogs croaking filled the early evening; the distinct call of a Whippoorwill sounded in a melodious song as the night settled in. Thais always loved the call of the Whippoorwill. It filled her mind with wonder and made her forget about the chaotic world that raged around them.

I wish the world had never ended, Sosie spoke up from her favorite chair by another window, pulling Thais from her peaceful thoughts.

Thais uncrossed her arms.

The world didn’t end, Sosie, she said. Just life as we ever knew it.

Isn’t that basically the same thing?

Thais shook her head.

No, she answered. But also, like her father, Thais often hid what she really felt. Yes, it’s basically the same thing, Sosie...

Well, end of the world or not, Sosie said, I’m glad I have my little sister to brave it with.

Me too, Thais said lightheartedly. Without you, the end of the world would be awfully boring.

Sosie laughed lightly and tossed her blonde hair back with the delicate gesture of her hand. But, of course, it would, she said dramatically. I’m the life of this party, didn’t you know? She grinned.

Thais smiled back at her sister, a mask covering the dismal thoughts that lay beneath.

Civilization ended on a hot July day when Thais was only eleven years old, the day people started dying off quickly from The Sickness that spread too fast and too far for anyone to contain. As everyone knew it, civilization was over, taken back to a time in history that no one in the modern world fed by privilege and luxury and complacency could fathom.

After The Fall, there was no such thing as magic water that spilled forth from a magic faucet. There were no stocked warehouses with giant automatic doors and shopping carts that people could fill to the brim with food they might never get around to eating. There were no more hospitals to treat the sick, police officers to save lives, or churches to nurture souls. When civilization fell, it fell like an intricate maze of dominoes. Electricity—gone. Clean running water—gone. Disneyland, television, the Internet, and Saturday trips to the park with their mother and Friday nights with their father at the movies—gone, gone, gone, gone. Everything they ever knew vanished within months following The Outbreak.

And with society’s downfall came the loss of freedom. Raiders formed in the Big Cities. They marched across the countryside like a hailstorm, pillaging food and supplies; they tore able-bodied boys and men from their families and forced them to fight in corrupt armies for corrupt leaders who preached corrupt beliefs. And women not yet past childbearing age were taken into the cities and made to reproduce—made to reproduce.

Don’t ever let a man take from you what isn’t his to take, their mother warned shortly before her death. They’re taking everything else. You’re all you have left, yourselves and each other.

Thais grew up bearing the weight of the truth about her mother’s death, never wanting her sister to know. Sosie couldn’t handle the truth; it would destroy what little was left of her and push her over the edge. Sosie was a damaged soul. Weak. Broken. Broken by the loss of her sight, the loss of everything she had ever known and loved about life before The Fall. Shattered by their mother’s death. Sosie Fenwick was a landmine just waiting to be stepped on. If Thais had ever told her the truth about their mother, it would have been what finally set her off.

So, with her secrets, mask of bravery, and motherly efforts that often fell short, Thais went on living—existing—in a dangerous world much bigger than she would ever be. Life in the mountains, hidden away from the raiders and the Big City leaders and the chaos, death, and slavery, was, in a sense, peaceful. Life went on. But every day that passed left her feeling the dread of inevitability. She knew their quiet, secretive life in the mountains would not last forever. Every night when she closed her eyes, she imagined it. And every morning when she opened them, she expected it—the end of their peaceful life.

Thank you for the fish, Sosie said with a smile in her voice.

Thais looked up, the terrible images running through her mind still there. They were always there.

Anything for you, she said. Even if you’re an impossible girl sometimes. She smiled.

Sosie laughed. But her playful mood was short-lived.

I hate that I can’t do the things you can do, she said. I feel so worthless.

"You’re not worthless, Thais scolded. Don’t ever say that. You do plenty. She needed to make sure Sosie always felt valued and needed. And I have to say, Thais went on, you recite the most beautiful poetry, and for a little while, you make me forget about all of this. I don’t know what I’d do without you."

You like my poetry? Sosie’s voice held an undertone of surprise.

Of course I do! You wait and see—she pointed at her—your name will be mentioned with the likes of Baudelaire and Poe and Angelou someday—long after you’re dead, of course. She chuckled.

Sosie’s cheeks flushed, and she couldn’t keep the smile from her face, though she made an effort. Compliments were never easy for Sosie, who stayed down on herself because of her handicap. Feeling sorry for herself was her only flaw—that and complaining all of the time.

Well, you’re the best storyteller I’ve ever known, Sosie said.

You think so?

Definitely, Sosie answered. And to be honest, I think your poetry is even better than mine.

Never, Thais told her, shaking her head.

Is so.

Is not.

Is so!

Laughter erupted.

What, are we in elementary school again? Thais said.

Sosie chuckled. But then her smile faded. I wish we were, Thais...I really wish we were...

Thais turned back to the window to watch for their father, Fernando and his mother, or anyone. It was eerily quiet outside. Sosie went on raving in the background about Thais’ stories. But when Thais noticed an orange glow illuminating the forest behind Mr. Hatley’s house, she put up her hand to silence her sister.

"Shh!" she hissed, eyes fixed on the glowing light that seemed to get bigger and brighter as it came through the dense trees.

Sosie rose from the chair; the wood creaked as her weight shifted.

What is it? she whispered impatiently.

I...don’t know.

A flash of her father’s figure darted past the window, and the front door swung open and slammed into the wall. Sosie let out a yelp.

Help Sosie get her shoes on! He was frantic as he ran through the house. "Now, Thais!" He pointed at Sosie with urgency.

Thais half expected her sister to protest about the assistance like she always did, but this time even Sosie knew there was no time for that—something terrible was happening. Standing in her tattered blue dress that hung to her ankles, she looked affright.

As Thais rushed through the room to grab Sosie’s shoes next to the fireplace, Father ran into his bedroom and came out toting his shotgun.

Daddy, what’s going on? Thais dropped Sosie’s shoes next to her on the floor. I saw something in the woods. It looked like torches.

Father crossed to the window and jerked the curtain over the screen, leaving just a sliver that he could watch from. His gun was loaded, his finger never far from the trigger.

I want you to go to the cave, he demanded. Don’t take anything but yourselves. His body shifted; he peered through the break in the curtain more closely.

Are you coming with us? Sosie asked, her voice small and scared like a little girl’s. She stood next to Thais with her walking stick; they both shook, their arms linked, panic on their faces.

"Go now! Don’t stop for anything, and don’t come back here! I’ll come for you. Now go! GO!"

Thais’ heart pounding violently in her chest, she grabbed Sosie’s arm and dragged her through the living room, the kitchen, and then out the back door; the screen door slapped against the frame as it closed sharply behind them.

I can’t run as fast as you! Sosie cried. I might fall!

I’ve got you! Thais said, pulling her along. Just don’t stop running!

Sosie’s open-toed sandal caught underfoot and sent her falling forward; Thais couldn’t catch her in time and nearly went down with her. Sosie made a retching sound as the rubber end of her walking stick buried in her gut.

Get up! Thais shouted, trying desperately to pull her to her feet.

Glancing back, Thais saw the orange glow getting larger amid the trees, and she knew that whoever it was had to be close to their house.

"Hurry, Sosie! No—leave it! Thais grabbed her walking stick and tossed it aside. We’ll get it later!"

A booming shot rang out. For a moment, they couldn’t move; Thais looked back through the thick trees that hid the view of the town, waiting. But for what? What do I do? Why can’t I move?

Another shot. Shouting. More shots. Screams.

Sosie lost control of her bladder, and the smell of urine rose between them; tears streamed down their cheeks.

Come on! Thais said, pulling Sosie’s arm.

They sprinted clumsily through the woods toward the cave.

Chapter Two

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Many exhausting minutes of nonstop running seemed to fly by as they made their way deeper into the woods. Thais refused to stop, out of breath, her lungs burning even though it felt like her heart might give out if she didn’t.

But Sosie could go no farther.

She snapped her arm from Thais’ grasp and let her weight drop, falling against the ground. She gasped for air, her hand pressed to her chest.

We can’t stop here, Thais said, standing over her. Please, Sosie, get up; we’re almost there; we’re almost to the hill.

Sosie put her hand out and shook her head argumentatively. "I can’t breathe, Thais, she snapped. The cave won’t do me any good if...I’m dead before I get there. Just let me...catch my breath."

Thais gave in, even if only for a moment.

She heard crickets and frogs and a breeze brushing through the trees but nothing else, not even the call of the Whippoorwill. There were no more gunshots or people screaming. But she didn’t hear the leaves rustling or the bushes shaking, either. This gave her some comfort, hopeful they had not been followed.

Then she caught the distinct scent of smoke in the air.

Thais peered through the darkness, expecting to see the moving light of torch fires any moment, but all she saw was blackness fringed by moonlight.

We have to keep moving, Sosie. She hooked her hand underneath Sosie’s arm and yanked her to her feet.

After a few more minutes, they came to the rocky hill. As they ascended, Sosie expressed relief for leaving the walking stick behind: the rocks were precarious, the hill steep, and they needed both hands to feel their way over them and for grip.

Careful right here, Thais cautioned. Put your foot here.

She stayed behind her sister, practically on top of her, to ensure she didn’t fall backward and tumble down the incline.

When they reached the top, the rocky ground leveled out, replaced by dirt. The mouth of the shallow rock cave was dark and empty. They fell to the ground and tried to catch their breath. They didn’t speak for a long time; still, only the sounds of nature made any sound, ever-singing, ever-bickering, as if the world went on all around them, and nothing devastating had just happened to everyone they knew.

Thais stayed awake into the early morning hours, fueled by horrific images of what might have happened to the town. To her friends. To her father. She wept into her filthy bloodstained hands—she had cut the right one somewhere between the house and the cave.

Sosie did nothing, said nothing; she hardly moved.

Thais rolled onto her side and curled up next to Sosie’s back the way she always did when they slept. Sosie never stirred; only the rising of her shoulder as she breathed indicated that she was still alive.

Thais gazed beyond her at the stars flickering in the clear, dark sky; she watched the tops of the trees sway in the wind; the moon as it moved through the sky slowly, hour by hour, it seemed, until her eyes got so heavy that she couldn’t keep them open anymore and a restless sleep finally claimed her.

The smell of choking smoke woke her the following day. She opened her eyes to a slate sky, not colored by clouds so much as the thick layer of smoke that hung in the air. Every bone and muscle in her body ached. Sleeping against the hard ground only added to the discomfort. She moaned and reached around, kneading her lower back with her fingertips.

Daddy’s dead, she heard Sosie say from behind. Her voice was listless, deadpanned; her face lifeless and broken.

You don’t know that. Thais resented her for such words. Don’t say things like that. He’ll be here to get us.

Sosie’s head, pressed against the rock, shook side to side. No, he won’t be here to get us. She stared emotionlessly out ahead, her knees drawn toward her chest, her hands hidden behind them, tucked between her belly and thighs.

"He will," Thais said sharply and left it at that as if there was no argument to be had on the matter.

Thais stepped out of the cave and to the edge of the rock slope. She could see the forest at a better vantage point higher off the ground and in the daylight. But she couldn’t see much aside from trees and the rocks descending in a scattered, perilous pattern below her. She could faintly hear trickling water somewhere nearby. The air felt drier than usual, choked by smoke lingering like a stubborn fog that had yet to lift.

She thought of her father and wanted to believe that he was still alive and would come for them soon. But a part of her feared Sosie was right. A part of her feared that finally, after six years, the moment when she would become an orphan had come to pass.

Standing at the edge of the incline, Thais peered down at her filthy toes poking from her sandals. Absently, she watched a beetle scuttle past her foot and then disappear under a leaf. But she was barely conscious of any of it; mostly, she saw only her mother’s face, recalling the last moment she’d had with her as if it had all been a sign of things to come.

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One year after The Fall...

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You’re very special, Momma began. You’re my girls. And I want you to be safe in this new world. Always safe. But it’s only going to get harder. Do you understand?

They didn’t understand, but they sat next to her, silent and attentive, so they could at least try.

Momma placed her hands within her lap; her delicate fingers disappeared beneath the folds of her long skirt. Her porcelain face appeared downcast and nervous; her tired blue eyes, framed by soft, blonde hair, were wrinkled at the edges, not by age so much as by pain and suffering—the very sight of her like this put Thais on edge.

Momma looked up from her restlessly moving fingers wedged between her knees. There are some important things you both need to understand before I’m not here anymore to teach you.

Thais swallowed nervously.

What is it, Momma? she asked with reluctance. And what do you mean when you’re not here anymore? You’re not old. You won’t be dying anytime soon. She wanted to believe her own words but felt a growing sadness in the deepest part of her. She knew there were other ways her momma could die and that all of them were more likely to claim her before old age ever had a chance.

Momma motioned for Thais to scoot closer, and she did with haste, not wanting to be anywhere else but next to her mother. And they sat together, the three of them, with Momma in the middle, so close Thais could smell the pear-scented shampoo she’d washed her hair with last.

Momma’s shoulders rose and fell under her button-up shirt's long, thin sleeves as she prepared the words she was about to say.

Don’t let them take your body, she began. "Run as fast as you can to get away. And if you don’t get away, you fight them. And if you have to, you kill them. You hear me? Thais felt her mother’s hand tighten around hers. And if all else fails... She paused, a vision or a memory passing over her eyes. Then, finally, she added with terrible grief: We’re all better off dead if all that we have left is taken from us. We’re all better off dead..."

Momma committed suicide a week later.

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It’s happening, Thais said under her breath, pushing her mother’s face out of her mind. My God, it’s happening...

She wiped a stream of tears from her cheeks, sniffled back the rest, and resolved to rid her thoughts of the memory and the frightening images that always accompanied it. She swallowed hard and raised her chin high, trying to reel her strength back in.

We’ll wait here like Daddy said, Thais decided. At least until tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll come before it gets dark. But we’ll give him until the morning.

Sosie said nothing.

And they waited. Two hours. Four. By midday, dark clouds rolled in, but so far, nothing had come from them. They engaged in no conversation—it took more than one person talking to constitute a conversation, and only Thais ever did any talking.

By late afternoon, she was starving. But thirst was a far greater concern, and the day's heat only worsened it.

Come with me to the stream, she said. We need water. I would bring you some here, but there’s nothing to carry it back in.

I’m not thirsty.

You have to drink.

I’m not drinking the water, Thais.

Stop being stubborn. She clenched her fists with frustration. "You have to drink. Now let’s go." She bent and reached for her sister’s arm.

Sosie’s head snapped around.

You’re being stupid! she barked, her blind eyes blazing. We have no way to sterilize the water, and I’m not drinking it, so leave me alone.

Thais felt stupid because Sosie was right.

Then I’ll make a fire, she said smartly, trying to come back from her mistake.

Thais searched for sticks and a proper stone she could use to spark a flame.

You never could make one like that before, Sosie said as if she could see what Thais was preparing to do. It’s not that easy, and you know it. Besides, if you have nothing to carry the water in, what do you plan to boil it in, genius?

Thais lowered her head, feeling the sting of shame.

If you’re so sure Daddy will come for us, Sosie added, then wait. It hasn’t been long; you can live three days without water.

Accepting defeat, Thais gave up, sat against the rock wall next to Sosie, drew her knees, and wrapped her arms loosely around them. She thought about what might happen next if their father came for them, what they would do if he didn’t.

Another night fell, but Thais had a much harder time falling asleep than the night before. She could do little more than lay on the dirt floor and think of all the things that could go wrong—and those that already had—with just enough energy to swat the bugs off her.

The following day, she stood at the cave’s mouth and gazed over the forest, despising the ritual.

Their father never came.

The only thing to do now was return to the town and find him. Maybe he’s wounded and can’t make it to the cave. Perhaps he’s hiding somewhere, and his only hope of rescue is me. She knew that he would have found them by now if he wasn’t in some kind of trouble—or dead, but she didn’t want to think about that.

I’m going to the house, Thais announced, standing with her back to her sister. Stay here and wait for me.

You shouldn’t go back there.

I have to. Daddy may need my help.

"He’s dead, Thais! The sheer anger in her sister’s voice startled her. You know he is, so stop pretending. Accept the truth and move on."

"Move on to what? Thais re-entered the cave, hurt and resentment twisted in her gut. Even if he is dead, we have to know. We can’t just leave and not know."

Sosie grabbed ahold of her knee as she crouched in front of her. But if you go back there, she said with determination, and the raiders are still there, they’ll kill you too. Or worse, they’ll take you away.

I won’t let them take me, Thais said. "I won’t even let them see me. I’ll be careful."

You can’t go, Thais! Sosie’s fingers dug into her leg. Don’t leave me here alone! Her voice boomed and echoed off the cave walls.

Thais jumped to put her hand over her mouth. Be quiet, she whispered harshly.

Not until Sosie became still did Thais slowly move her hand from her mouth.

And what will I do if they catch you? Sosie asked with reproach.

Thais sat down in front of her, determined to make her understand. Reaching out, she touched her dirt-and-tear-streaked face. You will always have me to help you, she said. I know you resent me for being your eyes, but you’re my sister, and if I can’t make myself useful by helping you, then I can’t find a reason to be here. You’re all I have, and I’ll die before I let anything happen to you. Her fingers fell away from her face. So, if you think I could leave you here alone and let myself get captured knowing you have no one else, then you don’t know me very well at all.

Sosie’s womanly chest rose and fell with a heavy breath. She took a moment but relented.

Okay, she said. You go to the house. But listen to me closely.

Thais squeezed Sosie’s hand and gave Sosie her full attention.

You need to go the other way, Sosie began. The way you’d always go when you were on your way back from fishing.

Why?

Because when you came from that way, I could never hear you. The way we took last night, I always knew when you were home because I could hear your feet shuffling through the leaves.

Sosie didn’t know that Thais would be exposed if she went through the grassy field. The grass wasn’t tall enough to conceal her, and she would be out in the wide open. But Thais didn’t want to tell Sosie the truth. She wanted her to believe that her advice and observations were sound and needed.

Okay, I’ll take the long way around, Thais lied, leaned in, and pressed her lips to her forehead. But you have to promise me you’ll stay right here—she pointed at the ground—in this very spot where you can’t be seen.

I’ll stay here, she agreed. But before you go, please take me somewhere to pee.

Thais helped Sosie down the rock incline to relieve herself, and then, reluctantly, she left her in the cave and headed back to the town to find their father. Dead or alive.

Chapter Three

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The closer Thais got to the town, the more intense the stench of smoke; she could taste it in the back of her throat. When the path widened, and the leaves became more numerous underfoot, she glimpsed something charred out ahead. She stopped and listened for signs of movement. She was afraid to go any farther and afraid to let her sister down, but mostly she was fearful of what she would find.

She waited to be sure and then pushed forward until the trees thinned out and more charred houses, including her own, came into view.

Everything had been burned. People lay dead everywhere, maimed by bullet wounds. Thais choked on tears as she crept past her house and went into the street. She had to see them, the bodies that lay haphazardly, strewn about like ragdolls with grotesque open mouths and lifeless open eyes and blood-soaked hair. An old man lay face-down next to a rusted truck across the street.

She crouched beside him and placed her hand on his arm. A shiver raced up her spine when she touched him, skin on skin, life on death; she held a breath deep in her lungs as she turned him over. Her neighbor, Mr. Hatley, stared up at her with dead glass-like eyes. She gasped and jerked her hand away; his body fell back against the dirt like a heavy, old rug.

Thais hurried to the next body. And then the next. And after six bodies, she came to only one conclusion: they were all elderly people, those who the raiders would consider having nothing left to offer.

Her father was not old; he was in his late thirties, but not old. She thought he could still be alive, and hope pushed her forward and lent movement to paralyzed legs. But that hopeful moment ended too soon when she thought about what might become of him if he had not been murdered—death might be a kinder sentence. Oh, Daddy...

Choking back more tears, Thais braced herself to witness what had once been her home. She didn’t want to go in there. She didn’t want to see it, to face the truths she knew it would tell her. It had been why she passed her house up and wanted to first place names with the bodies in the street. Out of trepidation, she needed to save her own house for last.

On rubbery legs, she hobbled toward the blackened rubble; thin coils of smoke spiraled upward from the caved-in roof. The front porch was the only thing not entirely touched by fire. Where the front door had been was nothing left but the frame, a steaming dark thing that, in some sick way, beckoned her like a witch in the woods with an apple. She wanted to go inside, needed to go inside, but was afraid. She knew there was nothing in there for her but heartbreak; a sinking feeling sat sour, heavy, in the pit of her stomach. But still, hope somehow pushed her forward.

Thais stepped onto the porch and through the open doorway on trembling legs. She paused. Her stomach ached not with hunger anymore but with sadness. She entered the house, lit by the early morning slate light beaming from above the missing roof. Now the roof lay like a black smoking blanket across every stitch of furniture, every knickknack she and her sister had collected over the years, every book stored and cherished, and their only source of knowledge of the Old World. There was nothing left.

She wanted to break down; she could feel herself unraveling, like a thread that held a garment together being pulled into its inevitable destruction. But she sucked the tears back, swallowed her grief, and pressed on.

She tiptoed through the living room, stepped over debris that still smoked, and felt warm when she got too close.  A crackle-crackle-crash sounded behind her when more of the roof hit the floor in front of the doorway. She jumped at the sound, losing her breath in one sharp gasp. She couldn’t stay inside the house much longer, or it would all come crashing down on top of her next.

Her eyes darted all around; she hoped to find something, anything she could take back to the cave. She considered going down the hallway to the bedrooms, but portions of the roof blocked the hall. She went into the kitchen instead. The cabinets were black from top to bottom but still intact. Stepping over debris, she reached for a cabinet knob, jerking back her hand a split second after touching it in case it might still be hot. Carefully pulling back the cooled cabinet door, she saw it was empty inside. All of them were empty, and she knew that every other house would be the same.

There was only one thing left: check the pockets of the dead.

Thais turned on the soot-covered floor, her sandals and feet covered in powdery black dust, and she stepped over more debris, intent on leaving. But instinct stopped her, and she turned to see behind her instead.

Her lips quivered, and her hands shook. She stood frozen, horror and heartbreak crashing through her insides in a violent wave. Her hand flew up and covered her mouth; the tears she had tried to hold back sprang from her eyes, tearing through the dirt and soot that clung to her cheeks.

"Oh no, Daddy, no...no!"

She dashed across the room toward the window where Sosie always sat. An old black boot on the end of a pair of burnt blue jeans lay against the floor, unmoving, sticking out from beneath a pile of charred debris.

No, no, no, no!

In a frantic rush, Thais pulled the rubble off of her father, piece by piece, chucking it here and there with crazed abandon, fragments of roof and board and broken furniture.

Her father was unrecognizable. His unkempt hair was gone, his face with bright blue eyes just like hers, disfigured by the flames so terribly that she thought him a monster and couldn’t help but turn away. She stumbled backward, tripping over something that sent her crashing onto the floor. She fell on her bottom and her hands; a broken board jabbed her in the small of the back.

She took a long time to get up, to notice the splinter that had stung and throbbed in the tip of her index finger. Her face scrunched up in a painful wince as she took the sliver between two fingernails and pulled. A trickle of blood surfaced behind it, cutting a path through the blackness on her hand. She wiped both hands on her blouse and took a deep breath. I have to get back to Sosie. She tried to get her head together, searching for an excuse to be anywhere but here.

She raised her chin and straightened her shoulders, pretending to be strong, pretending to be someone she knew she wasn’t. She peered down at her father again, took another deep breath, and then crouched beside his body with all the courage she could muster. She worked her hands into his pockets and felt the cool metal of the pocketknife he’d always carried brush against her fingertips. She searched inside his other pocket, but it was empty; then around him for his shotgun, but it was nowhere to be found.

Pushing aside her fear and the shock of seeing her father in such a horrific state, she thought of the last time she saw him alive, the last time she saw him smile, and when he hugged her. Tears blurred her vision as she touched her fingers to her lips and then to his burnt face. I love you, Daddy—she trembled—I’ll take care of Sosie. I promise I’ll take care of her. Tell Momma that I’m keeping my promise...

Thais ran out of the house and back into the street, where she checked more pockets—anything to help distract her from her father.

Mr. Hatley had six thick matches wrapped in an old handkerchief hidden in his shirt pocket. She also found another pocketknife and a wallet filled with American money that no longer held value. Sifting through the wallet compartments, she found photos of his sons and wife, who died when The Sickness hit. She left Mr. Hatley with his wallet and his smiling family and went to search the other bodies. She barely found anything more, just a lot of pocketknives and photos.

She continued to search for anything she could take back with her. She found a roll of fishing string beside Mr. Hatley’s house and a stainless-steel water bottle without a top at the next. She plucked it from the dirt and hastily wiped down the sides. In another yard, she found a backpack. By the time she set out for the trail again, the backpack carried not only the fishing string and pocketknives and stainless-steel water bottle but also a can of pinto beans, a small iron pan that weighed the backpack down, and an old sun-faded soda can. It wasn’t much, but more than she had when she set out. The only other useful items she left with were two pairs of work boots that laced up the front, also taken off the dead. She wore one pair on the way back; the other pair hung over her shoulder, tied together by the long, black strings. They smelled rancid but were better protection for Sosie’s feet than the open-toed sandals she wore now.

Thais hurried up the path back toward the cave, her eyes burning, thinking of her father. She saw Sosie’s walking stick still where she’d tossed it, grabbed it, and took it back to her sister.

Chapter Four

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They didn’t talk about their father. Sosie knew he was dead—Thais’ silence only confirmed it.

I got you some boots. Untying the laces, Thais set the boots in front of Sosie on the ground. They’ll protect your feet better than those.

In true Sosie fashion, her nose wrinkled when she got a good whiff. For the briefest of moments, it made Thais smile.

I’m thirsty, Sosie said minutes later.

Thais fished the water bottle from the backpack and smacked the bottom against the palm of her hand to knock the dirt out.

Well, that’s another problem solved, she said proudly and stood. I found something to boil the water in.

She crawled down the rock incline in her new boots and made her way to the stream; already, she felt the spots where she knew she’d end up with blisters later as the leather rubbed against her skin.

The stream was small; she could stand over it with a foot on each side, and if it didn’t rain soon, it would dry up in a couple of days. She filled the bottle and took it back up the hill to the cave.

I’m scared, Sosie said, sitting against the wall where she seemed to stay, just like her chair by the window at home. I’d rather get shot than cut up by somebody and put in a pot.

They weren’t savages, Thais assured her as she prepared a small campfire.

How do you know?

They left the bodies. She struck one of the matches she’d found in Mr. Hatley’s pocket against a rock, setting a small mound of twigs and some dried leaves aflame. All of the dead were old, too, she added as an afterthought, ignoring her father’s age. A small fire crackled and spit as she slowly added more sticks, strategically placing them so as not to suffocate the flames.

And everyone else?

They were gone, Thais said. "And so was everything else before they burned the houses. I was lucky to find a can of beans. They left nothing. Nothing, Sosie." She wanted to stay strong for her sister, but reality would not allow her strength. And worse than what she could not change, she had no idea what they would do from here on out.

When the third night fell, Sosie had stopped talking much again. Put out the fire, so no one sees us in the dark was all she’d said in three hours.

Thais couldn’t sleep. She stayed up all night on watch, thinking about what they would do next, where they would go. They couldn’t stay in the cave forever. They had little to eat as it was—the beans, after nearly cutting her finger off trying to open the can with a knife, turned out to be spoiled—and she wasn’t a good hunter like her father. But even if she could hunt, she had no weapon with which to hunt. Catching fish and eating bugs would be their only means of survival. But for how long? She had five matches left, tucked away inside Mr. Hatley’s handkerchief, wedged between two rocks inside the cave to keep them from getting wet if it ever rained.

But it still had not rained four days later, and the stream was drying up.

Thais kept filling the water bottle and sterilizing it over the campfire, burning the stainless-steel bottom until it was as black as charcoal. They drank as much as possible instead of letting the water disappear into the earth. They still had the lake, but it was a risk going there even to fish. Not only was it a thirty-minute walk away, but she’d have to go across the grassy field to get to it, which would leave her exposed.

She thought, I’ll crawl through the field on my belly if I have to, hoping she wouldn’t have to.

On the sixth day, it finally rained.

A violent storm came in, pushing them against the back wall of the cave where they huddled together, shaking in each other’s arms as the thunder boomed overhead, lightning cracked through the sky like a whip, and the winds howled and ripped through the trees. When the storm was over, they crawled out of the cave to a replenished stream, but a soggy pile of sticks that had been their campfire and a forest full of wet everything that would surely hinder the lighting of a new one.

And they had only two matches left.

We have to leave the fire burning throughout the night, Thais said after finding wood dry enough to burn on the seventh day. I’ll pile rocks around it and keep it low, so no one will see the flames.

Sosie did not argue; she was still her unmoving, unemotional self.

By day ten, they had no more food. Thais’ stomach ached with hunger to the point she felt nauseous and lightheaded. Sosie felt the same, Thais knew—raiders from far away could probably hear Sosie’s stomach rumbling. But she never complained; for once in her life, Sosie didn’t have the energy.

You have to eat. Thais held out a few earthworms draped over a stick she’d just roasted over the fire. I know they’re disgusting, but they’re full of protein.

I don’t want it. Sosie’s voice was listless.

It’s all we have.

I don’t care. I’m not hungry.

Thais threw the stick down in front of her. Then I’ll go fishing, she snapped and rose to her feet, hunched over to keep from hitting her head on the cave roof. I can’t survive this alone. She stomped away. "You could at least act like you want to help me."

I told you I’m not hungry, Sosie said with a little more emotion. "You can eat the worms, ants, and whatever else you find. There’s no need for you to get yourself killed going to the lake for me. I’m just not hungry."

"But you still have to eat! Thais squatted beside her, tired of her attitude. Without food, you have no energy. Without energy, you can’t do anything but sit here in this stupid cave and die."

"Maybe I want to die!" Sosie raised her body from the ground, her face stiff, enraged; her ratted hair made her appear savage.

For a moment, all Thais could do was stare into her sister’s blind eyes, desperately searching for words fit to respond to her admission, words fit to reflect how the admission made Thais feel.

What do you mean? It was all she could get out.

Sosie shook her head and laid back down.

Momma is gone, she began. "Daddy is gone. Everybody’s gone, Thais. I don’t know why you want to keep doing this."

Thais felt sick; the things Sosie was saying she just wanted to close her ears up to and pretend she had never heard a word. Long ago, Thais had felt this way when she thought that going the way of their mother was the easy way out—the only way out—but since then, she had given up on ‘giving up’, trading it for strength and determination. She wanted to live, but more than that, she wanted to live with Sosie.

You don’t mean that, Thais said, knowing she meant it, and it cut her to the bone.

Look at this world, Thais, Sosie began. There’s hardly anything left. We lived in peace with Daddy for years, but we were always afraid, always looking over our shoulders. We were prisoners, confined behind bars, with this great big world all around us that we could never see, touch, taste, or experience.

She drew her arm up and pressed her hand beneath her cheek, palm down, padding her face against the dirt.

Thais sat and listened, tears welling in her eyes because she knew that everything Sosie was saying was right, that her argument made more sense than anything Thais could’ve come up with.

Before all of this, Sosie went on, "I used to come home every day from school and rush to get to the television before you because I knew it would make you mad. I dreamed of being a model on that show. I thought: If that one ugly girl can win, then I can win!—(Thais smiled thoughtfully)—It was my dream to be a model, to dress up in weird clothes that nobody ever really wore, and get my picture taken. I wanted to travel the world to exotic places and be on commercials. She sighed, and the reminiscent quality she’d displayed disappeared. Now, not only will that never happen for me, much less any kind of life where I don’t have to look over my shoulder every second of every day, but I can’t even look over my shoulder at all. I have to depend on you to do it for me. And I love you, Thais, I love everything about you—except when you snore—(Thais’ smile was as faint as it was brief)—but I don’t want to live this kind of life. I’d

Reviews for Everything Under the Sun

[Laivi Sireli · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is just out of this world. This post-apocalyptical universe is just mind blowing!!! How the flow of the story just draws you into it and leaves you feeling like you're part of that world. The way it makse you feel and think, as if you were those characters, the despair, the hunger just everything.

If you were left to live in the world where there's no electricity, no more laws just pure survival. In other words THIS BOOK IS SIMPLY PURE MAGIC

PS! IF anybody here has already read or are going to read it and loved the book. Please spread the word and lets help this book reach the bestsellers list. Thank you in advance!!!