We baked. We ate. We drank.
We relaxed, I think.
In the depths of the dark tropical nights, as the fragrant flowers perfumed the air, Junie and I made love. Sweet and slow and gentle. Afterward, sweaty and spent, I lay in her arms and listened to the world be the world. No gunfire, no screams.
On days like this one, though, as we all lay sprawled on chairs and towels, it seemed to me that we had crossed a line, reached a place, achieved a state. Relaxation isn’t really the right word. Peace, maybe. Or a calm before the next storm.
Church said that the war would still be there. He said that if he needed us he’d call.
My cell phone sat on the table beside my chair, day after day, and didn’t ring.
It did not ring.
Until it did.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling author, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, anthology editor, and comic book writer. He writes horror, thrillers, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and suspense for adults and teens. Several of Jonathan’s novels are in development for movies or TV including V-Wars, Extinction Machine, Rot & Ruin, and Dead of Night. He also writes comics for Marvel, IDW, and Dark Horse. His V-Wars books have been developed as a board game. He is a popular featured expert on History Channel shows like Zombies: A Living History and True Monsters. He lives in Del Mar, California, with his wife, Sara Jo, and their dog, Rosie.
www.jonathanmaberry.com.