The young couple sat beneath the ancient oak at the edge of their land. They watched their son playing the family dog, a mutt of such mixed heritage that its ancestry would never be known, and they smiled. Their work was finished, and the mid-afternoon meal in the shade was a well-deserved treat. Leftover pheasant, fresh picked vegetables and homemade brandy made for a perfect lunch that day.
Times had been hard since the end of the war, but they had survived the war, disease and famine, and their fortunes had finally turned around. The crops were growing and there was almost no sign of the blight, only one of the piglets died before it was weaned and spring had come in March instead of May. They were all signs that the world was beginning to shake off the nuclear holocaust, at least in the places that were not radioactive wastelands. Continue reading
There was a lot of space between the buildings, but Bernard could make the leap with a running head start. From building to building he leapt, each time it brought him closer and closer to the gymnasium, and his prey. Occasionally he had to stop and wait as men with lanterns and torches walked between buildings, but he was patient, and not getting caught was more important than getting to the target quickly.
