Wandering Through the Shadows of Earth

By Rox M. Ven

An end-of-the-world survival story, unlike any other, where the inhabitants of the planet get only vague warnings of what is to come. All that is important to modern-day humans is ripped away from the Earth in a sweeping monumental event.

Lexi Davey, a big fan of post-apocalyptic stories, finds herself oddly prepared in the devastated suburb of Phoenix. She is not a doomsday prepper, but she knows to swiftly set a plan in motion to find weapons, supplies, and the tools needed to stay alive just in case this is happening nationally or internationally.

Hindered by the weight of depression, and the loss of the life and family Lexi took for granted, the unbearable loss makes it challenging to find the motivation to continue on her survival mission.

Lexi’s quest becomes hopeful when she runs into other survivors along the way to New Mexico in search of her missing daughters. Lexi must overcome her despair as she struggles to trust and connect with strangers. She and her new allies avoid inadvertent run-ins with a local biker gang, which ultimately result in an interconnected fate.

There is more to this extinction than they will ever know. Earth was warning us globally. The world’s leaders did not take heed. Why did people have to pay the final price? It soon becomes a terrifying realization that in time they will need to adapt to primitive life and forever face the ominous shadows of Earth.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781649792853

Rox M. Ven

Rox M. Ven was born in Ulm, Germany, at a US Army base, where her American father served as a Sergeant. She grew up, married, and had children in northern New Jersey until the mid-1990s. With her husband and two daughters, they moved to a desert city in Arizona and live there presently. Roxann cares deeply for animals and is a true environmentalist, doing all she can to help the earth, with recycling being her number one priority. She enjoys hiking year-round and shares her nature photos on her Facebook page, US Hikers Gallery. Being an avid reader of post-apocalyptic style books, everything from EMP’s to zombies, she felt a different doomsday scenario was overdue. Therefore, it was her impetus to create this original end-of-days concept for her first fiction book.

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About the Author

author

Author bio

Rox M. Ven was born in Ulm, Germany, at a US Army base, where her American father served as a Sergeant. She grew up, married, and had children in northern New Jersey until the mid-1990s. With her husband and two daughters, they moved to a desert city in Arizona and live there presently.

Roxann cares deeply for animals and is a true environmentalist, doing all she can to help the earth, with recycling being her number one priority. She enjoys hiking year-round and shares her nature photos on her Facebook page, US Hikers Gallery.

Being an avid reader of post-apocalyptic style books, everything from EMP’s to zombies, she felt a different doomsday scenario was overdue. Therefore, it was her impetus to create this original end-of-days concept for her first fiction book.

Dedication

Dedicated to my husband, Ricky V. You motivate me to believe in myself and prove I can do amazing things if I try.

Dear Mom, your country life with Rudy was a big inspiration to make this story.

Copyright Information ©

Rox M. Ven 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Ven, Rox M.

Wandering Through the Shadows of Earth

ISBN 9781649792846 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781649792853 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021920926

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2021

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgments

Thank you, Lana, my lovely daughter, for all your help and patience. Your assessments, ideas and edits got me through this long, long process. You are my best critic, coach, and friend. I love you.

Tahnee, thank you for pointing me in the right direction for realistic dialogs. I love you, my eldest, hardworking daughter. Your perspective and support made this possible.

Thank you, my dearest friend, Karen C. Your unconditional friendship and encouragement helped me accomplish my first big time endeavor! Love you lots, my bestie forever.

Thank you, Linda, for sharing ups and downs with me and urging me to get through the tough times. Love you my little sister.

Special thanks to Dave S. Your unique stories inspired me to write this book.

In Memoriam:

Grandma, Marion H. Aunt Ada B, and all the sisters.

Dads, George H. Edwin P. Neil P. Rudy S.

Aunt Marion F. The Pycior family and all the cousins.

Prologue

Climate change has been an undeniable issue for decades. With large populations come huge responsibilities to protect the environment, which was not the priority in most countries. The world leaders do not seem to believe in the climate crisis. Therefore, they do not consider it necessary to correct the conditions causing our planet’s dire situation. Concerned citizens and conservationists try everything in their power to promote positive changes. Still, with limited resources and blocked actions from non-conforming avaricious manufacturers and corporations, it causes the well-intended efforts to be generally futile. Many other citizens of the Earth want to prevent the climate crisis from progressing, but spoiled lifestyles, and our fossil fuel reliance, thwarts any attempts to repair the Earth.

Other worldwide problems of sicknesses, diseases, economic issues, political issues, crimes, and wars contribute to the Earth’s inhabitants’ sad realities. Therefore, mental health issues have been on the rise universally, resulting in drug and alcohol addictions.

Alexis Davey, or Lexi as she prefers, has been living with undiagnosed depression for most of her life. Up until one year ago, she did not do anything about it. When Lexi finally went to seek help from a physician and a psychiatrist, they diagnosed her condition to be MDD (major depressive disorder). They experimented with various medications to combat it. Unfortunately, all the drugs had side effects, which were too difficult to deal with, so she opted for some natural supplements that seemed to help somewhat for a while, but it still wasn’t enough. Recently, she started again with bupropion, one of the drugs which worked the best but caused her mild tinnitus. She supposes that it is worth going through the annoying ear-ringing if it means feeling less edgy and continually melancholy.

While her husband Thomas works, she takes care of a little family business with her two daughters. The website maintenance and bookkeeping for the business occupies her time at home alone. Tom works five or six days per week, but she is thankful for the time they spend apart. When he comes home, they seem to bicker about the most insane, trivial things almost daily. They have had extreme ups and downs throughout their marriage of thirty years, but Lexi has remained by Thomas’s side through all the anguish they have put each other through.

When it comes right down to it, she knows Tom is the only person that knows her better than anyone. Having been with him for what feels like her entire life, at least they can see each other as complacent friends.

Last night, Lexi watched the news as she had too often, despite knowing how easily she gets upset about the current political situation. Lately, the leading news story is in the special reports about some strange mass of objects that an astronomer discovered in the outer edges of our solar system less than a year ago. According to the astrophysicists, they believe that it is most likely a multitude of meteors, possibly heading on a collision course toward the Earth. The most bizarre thing is that they all seem to be of the same size and shape. The scientists’ calculations predict the group could reach the Earth this month. The experts and military are confident that they can reroute the fast-moving cluster with the use of our advanced missile defense systems that they believe cannot fail.

Thomas wakes up late as he usually does on his day off and complains, I’m so sick of my job. I can’t believe they’re cutting my pay after six years of working my ass off for them, and I contributed to them being the top corporation in the country! Lexi, you’re gonna need to help out with more than your bullshit little internet business.

What? she says in bewilderment, I’m in my friggin’ 50s, you know how I’ve tried applying to different jobs tons of times before starting this business. All those rejections wiped me out. You know I can’t stand office work any longer, and you know office jobs are friggin’ impossible for me to get NOW. They hire younger and cheaper.

Thomas spits back, Always with these fucking excuses. You should try an employment agency, not just those online sites, or try working in another field!

Through gritted teeth, she rants, Even if I could get a fuckin’ job, you know that would take time away from all the shit I gotta do for our house and the girls. You’d have to chip in more around the house too, but YOU’RE an asshole never willing to do that! If YOU could stay on budget and not spend on crazy shit like all your collectible crap, we’d be okay! She stomps her feet as she leaves the room, getting distance from him to calm herself down.

When that doesn’t help, she storms back in to shout at him, …and besides, don’t you pay attention to the news? We may get hit by those friggin’ asteroids or whatever! That’s something to worry about NOW, asshole!

Screw you, Lex! You can’t believe the crap on bullshit news. I’m done with you.

As she heads toward the kitchen, she hisses back, Fuck you too, Tom. Fine, let’s end it!

She ponders as she is getting the ingredients for a good stiff drink. Why is he being such a douche about this shit, and on a beautiful sunny day like this?

Their fight was more intense than usual, even though they threatened each other with divorce many times before, but in the past, they would always back down and casually return to their daily routines. This time felt different, though, her anger was dangerous. Lexi anxiously tapped on her revolver’s handle in its custom holster, always tucked inside the waistband at her hip as protection. She was beginning to have disturbing thoughts to use the .38 pistol just to end his miserable life and then hers. She envisions how easy it would be. Too easy.

She yells in mind, NO! I know I’d never do that. I am so pissed off! I am so tired of this mundane life. I feel so alone and have no desire to continue any longer.

With a deep sigh, she retreats outside to the pool’s lounge chair with her favorite cocktail in hand. She sips her concocted elixir to escape from reality, gazing up forlornly at the idle Arizona sun. Why can’t we just enjoy simple days like this anymore? Her thoughts are depressing her more than usual.

She began dreaming up plans on her chaise looking up to her tropical palapa umbrella, with dreamy thoughts of selling the house, splitting the money, and sell most of their unnecessary material things, then go their separate ways. She could envision moving to the Caribbean, maybe purchasing a small resort to run, which she had been researching and fantasizing about for years. Her husband never sought to take the risk.

Her eyes remain shut, warmed, and comfortable in her modern oasis, drifting with the thoughts of the future on her mind. Possibly one or both of my daughters could join me. Asshole Tom always shot down my ideas, saying I was a dreamer, but I know he was the one afraid of failure, not me. We both need a change! I won’t go back into the same routine this time. I will make it all happen tomorrow. I must…as she drifts off in a late morning nap.

Then it happens.

Chapter One

The Shock

It was just another typical winter day in Phoenix, a warm 67 degrees. Since Lexi’s husband wouldn’t stop nagging her about finding a job, she decided to enjoy her favorite cocktail outside by the pool to escape his noise. She’s resting on her poolside lounge chair wearing jeans, comfy boots, and a light jacket because temps in the sixties it feels chilly to her. She’s not warm until it is in the eighties.

With all the stuff happening on the news lately, there are more things to worry about than getting a job that won’t offer much to our income anyways. Angrily, Lexi rehashes their argument in her mind.

As she lounges under the palapa, she dwells on thoughts of their past. Thirty years married; I gave him two beautiful daughters. We agreed that he would get his college degree while I took care of our kids. All these years, I’ve worked here and there, at odd jobs, many times to help us just make ends meet. My needs were always last or never happened. The thoughts disgust her.

Since their two daughters left the house, Lexi and girls have been running a small business on the internet. Lexi and Tom are in their mid-fifties, feeling the effects of the empty nest syndrome. Their daughters, Deena and Shannon, who live about five miles away, artistically create original dolls to resemble any way the customer, adult, or child, wishes the ten-inch plastic figures to appear. Lexi manages the website, inventory control, weekly payroll, and maintain all the equipment while her artisan girls create their little peoples. They are struggling artists making just a little more than their expenses.

Lexi is also on-call to her mother-in-law’s needs to stop by weekly and take her for special shopping trips and many doctor visits. Mrs. Davey Sr. is a cancer survivor and needs to have medical tests routinely. Her husband died a few years ago, so it was for the best that she lived closer to Tom and Lexi than too far away in Florida. She lives in a cozy two-bedroom home in Sun City, a senior citizen community.

Lexi and Tom also own a two-bedroom condo as an investment that Lexi is in charge of running. She handles rent collection, minor repairs, hires appropriate contractors, and performs all the other usual landlord duties. Plus, she upholds all the daily household chores, the typical upkeep, errands, maintains their in-ground pool, plus landscape work for their property and their daughters’ yards.

With all these responsibilities, anyone would agree that her role would be more than enough of a contribution to the Davey’s domestic life. To Lexi, her husband still doesn’t seem to appreciate her worth.

He should believe the news and be more concerned about those damn asteroids, or whatever they are, hurtling their way toward the Earth at supersonic speeds! She contemplates this thought in fear.

Thomas is skeptical about the news coverage because he believes the news television networks just like to sensationalize everything, especially those reports claiming what the scientists predict. The Asteroids are coming! according to Lexi.

At first, the media said that the military has plans to send nuclear missiles to blow them up before they are too close to affecting the Earth. Last week, sources leaked info that they have already launched hundreds of rockets to destroy or divert them, but it was in vain. All those artilleries sent, and yet they seem to have disappeared without a trace. There were no explosions, no rocket fragments, nothing.

Asteroids? Really? It doesn’t seem that simple anymore. The government has to have it under control. They would give us advanced notice to prepare and have shelters ready for us, wouldn’t they? She reasons to herself, nervously sipping her mid-morning cocktail.

Ah, yes, this little drink is helping to calm my nerves, she thinks while she is lying there, feeling the contented buzz. The warm temperature was so relaxing under the tropical palapa, shading her from the bright Arizona sun. Not a single cloud in the gorgeous clear sky. The meditative cool gentle breeze is massaging her into a relaxing siesta, a cozy outdoor nap…

BOOM!

A jolt so hard, it knocked Lexi right off the chaise lounge, startling her awake to a bumping force and the ground shaking for a minute or more, where she almost falls into the pool. When it stops, she struggles to stand up and is at super alert with adrenaline pouring through her veins.

Her mind swims with a blur of questions. What happened? Her eyes widen in disbelief. WHERE IS MY HOUSE? She rubs her eyes hard and tries to focus on the fact that her beautiful house is entirely gone.

Am I dreaming? Am I drunk? she says out loud, staring in doubt.

She slowly turns around, trying to assess the situation, mumbling under her breath, Where are all the houses? How can this be, no fires or smoke or destruction, are all the houses missing? A cold breeze blows in, chilling her to the bone as she is shaking from the nervous energy.

As she steps up on the chair to peer over the wall, she sees only other concrete block walls and various palm trees and other foliage still standing in her neighborhood, but not a single house. She turns her attention back to her yard and notices that the pool is completely fine, and the palapa umbrella she was napping under is intact as well.

Her little oasis yard appears okay with its synthetic lawn, tropical shrubs, and all the yard ornaments, but the patio, the attached garage, and all that was under her home’s roof have vanished.

She’d expect to hear emergency sirens blaring, but in the distance, there are only the sounds of dogs faintly barking. She wants to call 911.

Frantically she checks her pockets, searching for her cell phone. She grunts out loud, Oh shit…where the fuck is it!? Where can it be? In the house?…she stares at the empty void that was once where her house stood. Stumbling toward it, she peers down at the missing foundation. It’s now just a giant scary black patch, like a dark shadow of what used to be her house.

Nervously looking around, she notices their garden shed is still standing. The pool filter is there with two large potted plants and one lone palm tree.

She shouts, How can an entire house just disappear! Our pets, all of our stuff and…Thomas? Her thoughts taper off, realizing how dangerous this predicament is.

With overpowering fear, her mind feels like it is tricking her.

Should I hide? Should I call out? Maybe he’s okay.

She first whispers, "Tommy, where are you?

"Tommy…

Tom??

Then she screams, THOMAS!?…CAN ANYONE HEAR ME? She wails. "HELP…

"HELP…

"HELP ME!

Please, please, someone be here, she utters as she starts crying hysterically, losing hope, her shouts turn to a whisper.

She can’t breathe and falls to her knees, dropping her head to the ground. Suddenly, she freezes, and her heart begins to race as a shadow creeps slowly in front of her. Then in a flash, she feels a wetness on the top of her hand. She looks up to an uplifting surprise. Oh my little Rossi! she says in relief.

Lexi’s favorite dog is her fur-baby. He resembles a dingo in miniature at about only 12 pounds. Rossi is their two-year-old rescue dog who has been with them for about a year and very loyal to Lexi. She delights in the brief moment of joy, You’re OK! I love you, little buddy! She cheers in her mind. I’m not all alone!

Rossi seems scared with his ears down and tail between his legs. He is usually a very confident pint-sized protector. Please help me. Be strong for me, my little baby, she says, snuggling and hugging the petite canine.

After sitting back under the palapa for which felt like an hour in disbelief, she snaps out of the shock and convinces herself that she needs to come up with a plan. She asks Rossi who was nuzzled right by her side, Should we go out and find somebody for help and find out what’s going on?

He barked!

Lexi chuckles weakly, OK, let’s go!

She takes a moment and thinks to herself. Shit, what am I going to do?

She touches her waistband and is relieved that she still has her gun in the unique holster that she conceals most of the time. Her .38 Smith and Wesson short-nose revolver is her bodyguard.

Thomas and Lexi had firearms training for concealed carry licenses a few years ago because their house has been burglarized twice. She wants to be ready for any bad guys that may cross her path again. Just having it on her makes Lexi feel a little safer, but now she’s unsure of the entire situation regardless.

She’s shaking out of control with her nervousness is weighing down on her. I doubt I could hit a brick wall three feet away. I need a tranquilizer, but my house is gone—no medicine cabinet. No alcohol.

Oh fuck, she hisses aloud as she begins walking with trepidation, her little dog dutifully trotting by her side. They tiptoe around the ominous dark stain of where her house once stood. Lexi’s eyes widen in disbelief as she gazes up and down the street and stares dumbfoundedly at the emptiness.

Where are all the cars? How could this happen? HOW? She yells at the sky, shaking her fist upwards as if she is threatening God.

I don’t know how I didn’t notice this before. Lexi’s eyes scan the horizon. She shakes her head in disbelief. Those damn ugly utility poles and wires are still there, but not a single house anywhere! How could that be? The asphalt road and sidewalks are here too. She wonders about all the new mysteries in her mind, trying in vain to make sense of all this, praying she’ll find someone to help her soon.

She walks back to the temporary safe-haven of her yard, sticking close to the wall around the horrific void of her former home. The air is getting colder as winter’s evenings usually drop to the forties or fifties this time of year. Fortunately, she always has a jacket with her wearing layers is the best way to be comfortable in the desert. A lot of people wear sandals almost year-round, but not Lexi, she feels colder when her feet are bare. Shoes or boots are the usual fall and winter footwear for her.

For the past few years, Lexi had been obsessed with reading post-apocalyptic stories. Houses and cars are still there for survival, according to most books. Lexi is no prepper, and presently, she does not know how to prepare for this impossible situation. She is determined to find out how the houses and cars disappeared, but her mind is still too jumbled to think straight.

Is it like this everywhere? This is unbelievably scary. This can’t be happening! She hits her head a few times with her fists in attempts to wake herself up from this nightmare.

Ow, that didn’t work.

I’m so parched. I guess I’ll just have to drink from the pool for now. Hmm, it should be harmless enough with the chlorine, Lexi convinces herself as she cups up a few palms full of the chilly water.

Yuck! OK, time to be brave, she says aloud, motivating herself to take a few gulps to quench the thirst. She doesn’t feel all that much better after the chemical infused drink.

Sluggishly she forces herself up from the pool’s edge and takes a few steps to the garden shed to open the door only to be reminded that there are just chlorine tablets, some garden tools, beach chairs, and an extension cord in there.

If she cannot find help, according to the survival rules in all those end-of-the-world books and stories, she knows that she has to go out there and come up with a plan for shelter, food, and water.