Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 124341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Sam walked off the farm in the direction of those woods where he’d spent weeks living off the land and then first come upon the old blind man.
Things are always changing, Sam. Life is moving all around us, even when it seems to be standing still.
But sometimes, that moving, swirling fate brought assassins to your door.
Sam first began jogging and then moved into a full out sprint, crashing through the brush and weaving between the trees before he fell to his knees, finally allowing the monster within to bellow at the sky. My fault, my fault, my fault.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The muted doorbell echoed inside the white, two-story house with the small front porch. Autumn’s gaze went to the freshly painted dark green shutters and then to the flowered wreath hanging on the door. The occupants obviously took pride in their home.
The door was pulled open, and a man about her age stood there, wearing jeans and a button-down shirt. “Autumn.”
She smiled, stepping back as he pushed the screen door toward her to allow her entrance. “Hi, Kaden.”
He smiled in return. “I almost feel like I should hug you or something. Would that be weird?”
She laughed. She felt the same way, and she had since the minute she’d heard his voice on the phone, and he’d confirmed who he was. An immediate connection. It’d been surprisingly easy to find him since he still lived at the address in his file. A quick Google search at the library she’d stopped at that morning, and she had him on the phone ten minutes later.
They hugged quickly, and when they stepped back, Kaden said, “There are other ADHM survivors, I know that, but you’re the first one I’ve met in person. Please come in.”
Autumn stepped inside. It smelled like some sort of toffee candle, and she could hear a child’s voice coming from upstairs, followed by a woman’s. “Thanks,” she said. “Your house is lovely.”
“That’s all my wife. Ashtyn. She’s putting our daughter down for a nap, but she’ll be down in a few to meet you. Come on in here,” he said, leading her to a living room that featured a large tan sectional and baskets near the windows filled with toys. Autumn sat down at one corner, and Kaden sat near the middle, turning to face her. “I’m so glad you called me. I went online once a few years ago to see if there was a message board or somewhere I could connect to other kids like us, but…”
He didn’t have to finish that sentence. “They’ve mostly passed,” she said. “The few of us who remained are scattered.” She bit at her lip momentarily. “Or they don’t choose to revisit that time. There’s a stigma.”
“There is.” Kaden ran a hand through his short brown hair. “They did so many public service campaigns and put out so much information about the disease, yet the idea that ADHM babies are contagious or…”
“Dirty.”
Kaden gave a quick nod. “Damaged.”
“I know. I’ve experienced some of it. I think it’s disturbing to a lot of people. You know, just the whole idea of tumor-riddled babies. I also think there’s this fear that the disease will somehow be passed down to our kids if we have them.” Her eyes widened slightly, going quickly to the baskets of toys and then back to him. “I mean—”
“You can speak completely freely here,” he said. “And you’re a hundred percent right. I think those are the main fears. Even Ashtyn’s mom, who is the nicest woman you’ll ever meet, took her aside before we married and asked if there were tests that could be done to ensure no concerning genetic material would be passed to our kids.” He paused. “I mean, the truth is there really isn’t any guarantee, you know? The oldest survivors are just a few years older than you and me. The group of us are just beginning to have kids.”
She nodded, her brow dipping. She’d had regular checkups even after she’d been declared healthy. There had never been anything unusual on any of her tests but…Kaden was right, there was no guarantee. Above and beyond that though, she might never have had it in her system at all. Suspected ADHM.
“I still have effects,” Kaden went on, “but my doctor says it’s likely more to do with the medication. And they’re mostly mild: joint issues, some tinnitus, stuff like that. I accept those trade-offs happily though considering it’s what saved my life. What about you? Any lingering effects?”
“No, thankfully. But that’s actually part of the reason I wanted to meet with you.”
A pretty brunette woman walked in the room. “Hi, Autumn? I’m Ashtyn.” The woman bent down, gathering her in a quick hug the same way her husband had. “I feel like you’re already family. Joined by such a rare and miraculous circumstance. Did Kaden offer you something to drink?”