Yesterday's Gone: Season Three (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER)

under the boy’s arm.
    He crawled into bed beside his son, wrapping his arm around him, drawing from his warmth, and never wanting to let go.
    Ben turned over and his eyes began to open. “Daddy?” he said, groggy.
    “Yes, buddy,” Brent said. “I’m back.”
    “Where were you?” Ben’s voice asked, still in the grips of sleep. Otherwise, he would have certainly leaped up excited to see his Daddy.
    “Far away, but I’m home now, Buddy. And I’m never leaving again.”
    “Promise?” Ben said, eyes closed and lips barely parting.
    “I promise,” Brent said, hugging his son tighter.
    “I love you, Daddy,” Ben said.
    “I love you, too.”

    * * * *

EPILOGUE

    Our Earth
    August 4, 2012
    10 Months After The Event…

    The Darkness stared into the mirror, examining Its face.
    It could heal the scar and the eye. But there was something about the patch which disarmed humans.
    It liked that feeling.
    It also liked that the echoes of the human, Boricio Bishop, hated the scar and the patch. Boricio was stronger than the other shells It had used. The more It could do to break what was left of his will, the better.
    It lifted the patch, looking at the hole where an eye had once been, now nothing more than a core of mottled skin.
    It smiled into the mirror.
    It set Its hands in the sink and allowed the cool water to sooth Its burning body before splashing Its face.
    Someone knocked on the door. Again.
    It opened the door to a fat bearded man, stupidly glaring.
    The man didn’t dare speak his displeasure. Its husk was too intimidating.
    And that was good.
    It made Its way back to Its seat in the third row of first class, then sat and stretched Its legs, thankful not to have another stinking human in the seat beside It . There were three others in first class — a tall black man in a gray suit, leaning back and sleeping in the front row; an older woman in the row behind the man, her head buried in a Kindle; and a tall, muscular man in the row in front of It . The man was watching a movie on his iPad.
    It could feel the man’s rage burning inside, could see his primitive thoughts playing themselves out in his stupid brain. He was angry at his ex-wife. So angry he could hardly pay attention to his insipid film.
    He thought only of violence; all the things he wanted to do to the “lying fucking bitch.”
    Yes, he will make an excellent acquisition.
    It looked over to the old woman again. She wouldn’t notice if It removed Its clothing and proceeded to shit in the aisle’s center.
    Humans were so easily placated.
    It opened its mouth, allowing part of Itself — just a wisp, so small she might not have noticed even if she had been paying attention — to float out and then over the seat in front of It.
    The Darkness crept into the man’s mouth so subtly he hardly noticed.
    Then, in seconds, It infiltrated the man, burrowing deep inside. Infecting him.
    The man was just one of 300 so far.
    But it wouldn’t be long before It had an army at Its disposal.
    Then, It would find Luca.

TO BE CONTINUED IN…
YESTERDAY’S GONE: SEASON 4
    THE INFECTION COMES HOME

SUMMER 2013.

    * * * *

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    Yesterday’s Gone: Season Three (EPISODES 13-18)

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    Thank you for reading and your support,
    Sean Platt & David Wright
    www.collectiveinkwell.com

AUTHOR’S NOTE:
    ABOUT THE ENDING: David Wright

    Stop here if you’ve not yet read the end of this episode, as this will contain spoilers.

    Chapters 15, 16, and 17 weren’t originally in this Episode.
    Sean and I had thought about writing these scenes, allowing the audience to catch up with those who’d made it back, but for some reason, we felt it might be better left a mystery. We figured if we ended the episode with a bunch of scenes, it might be a bit too much like those never-ending endings in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King .
    So we opted to just end the book with Luca’s chapter, where we suggested that the others had been brought back. That was followed by the epilogue.
    And then something interesting happened.
    We began to hear from readers who either didn’t like the ending or were confused by