Latest / Stuff Mom Never Told You / SMNTY Fiction: Terminus (Chapter 5)

Transcript

SMNTY Fiction: Terminus (Chapter 5) · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to step
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: I never told you protection of I Heart Radio and
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: this time Boss Smith d Fiction, which is a once
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: a month the thing that we do. So it's not
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: your thing. I totally get it. It is continuing, so
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: we are on. I believe chapter five. I can never
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: I always get confused because there's a prologue and then yeah,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: so who knows, but not a chapter. Annie, I would
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: love to know if anybody's doing uh Nana raimo. I'm
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: getting all the updates and I'm like, no, yeah, if
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: you if you don't know which I mentioned it before
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: on here, that's National Novel Writing Month, where you try
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: to write a sixty thousand word novel in a month.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: And I learned people cheat, Samantha. And maybe I'm being
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: naive and innocent, but I was like, people cheat, Oh
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: my god, people will pick up their old works. Oh
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: my gosh. I didn't know that. Well, I don't really care,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: but I was legitimately shocked. To be fair me, I like,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: I I tried. I told you to get very far
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: in mine? What what was it? The staff? Was it?
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Like the inspiration was gone? It was the timing? Yeah,
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: all of those things, and I am a procrastinator to
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: the max. But like the story, I had a beginning
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: and an end and then like so the build up
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: was good, and then I got caught up in the middle,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: like what happens here? And then I changed some things
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: and then I was like, oh no, so yeah, yeah,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: well I'm always interested. I had a friend who we
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: did it together. The first time, which is, by the way,
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: where this story comes from, was my first time doing
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: a oramo um. And it's gonna become especially obviously in
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: the middle because I had the same problem and I
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: will when we get to those chapters. I'll talk about it,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: because I think it's pretty clear. I was just trying
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: to write something get done. But I would do two
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: thousand words a day. That was my strategy. She did
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: hers in like the last week. Yeah, I find that fascinating,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: like those kind of different strategies. But yeah, as this
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: comes out, it's November, so some of you might be scrambling,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: but I would love to hear you. Yeah, I experience yes,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: please please be please um. And thanks to everybody who
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: has written in about enjoying these because it is kind
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: of a I enjoyed doing it um, and as I've said,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: I didn't really edit these too much, so I know
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: they've got their their issues, but I do enjoy doing it.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: We love fiction here, um, but it is kind of
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: like a vulnerable and scary like what if everyone I hate?
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Oh gosh. So I really do appreciate who all those
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: who have taken the time to write it and say
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: that you like it, even if it's just like, oh yeah,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: I like it, that's that's great. Thank you. So content
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: warning this one for this one, gun violence, illness, threat
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: of violence and child separation, hunger, crude language, child danger,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: discussions around infertility, stigma around sex and illness, lack of
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: agency around your body. So if you haven't heard any
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: of that, you're listening to that like, wow, this seems
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: poorly time for what's going on right now. I know,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: I know, um, right on time. As I've said, I
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: think some people it's like how Contagion was like the
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: top streaming movie during the early pandemic. I think for
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: some people it helps you process. Other people it really doesn't.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: And I understand that escape sometimes you need to know
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: all of it, yes, exactly. Uh So this one is
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: a bit of a longer fiction part, so not too
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: much to say. I'm going to give a quick recap
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: for what's happened. So, the global population has been decimated
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: by a virus. Government, along with a religious organization called
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: arm A r M, determines where the rare child that
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: is born will go. Unwilling to be separated from her child,
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: um Tilda escaped with her child, Madison, and they have
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: been on the run for six years. Winter approaches and
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Madison has a worrying cough. Their clothes are thin and
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: their supplies are dwindling. Her heroes found a supermarket with
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: some supplies, but were surprised by enforcers or enforcers of
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: the government who have been searching for priority number one
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Tilda and her son, Madison. So let's get into it.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Enforcers stood arms crossed waiting. Tilda's toes ramped into the
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: front of her shoes as she jerked to stop, almost
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: crashing to her knees. Madison creened to the asphalt, but
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: almost instantaneously searched back to his feet with a tiny
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: whimper of fear. Tilda turned on her heels to take
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: off back the way they came, but the other enforcer
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: had arrived blocking their way. He smiled serenely, and Tilda's
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: knees almost gave out from underneath her. Her neck cricked
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: as she whipped her head around to the other approaching
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: behind them. Madison wrapped his arms tightly around her middle,
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: watching the man in front of them with wide eyes.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Should we call it in? The one from behind her asked,
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: a pale man, bald, tall, broad, shiny, pink sores decorating
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: his face. Tilda thought she could hear excitement lurking in
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: his low voice. The other, an olive skinned man with
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: whitish raised bumps on his face, dark hair, more lean
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: and build, smirked at her wildly darting eyes. Her only
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: thought escape The signal out here is too weak. We'll
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: call it in when we get closer to d see.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: He fixed his eyes on Tilda. Tilda, noan, you are
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: under arrest for the kidnapping of a child. A half
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: hearted protest rose to Madison's lips, the tiniest bane of despair.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: The enforcers dark eyes rested on the child, intense, almost hungrily,
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: taking him in. Tilda hugged him closer, a disconnected hopelessness
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: settling over her like a veil. The enforcers stepped forward
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: to take him, but Madison turned his head and screamed
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: into her side. The man paused, perplexed, his outstretched hand
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: closed into a fist, his jaw ticked. A deep voice
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: from behind them growled move. He shoved her shoulder blade,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: propelling them forward so that they were pincered between the
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: two men. Their grim procession led them deeper into the
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: dead town. They passed empty streets and broken windows, shattered
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: street lamps and molding mannekins, body parts twisted hanging out
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: of shop displays. The air was still, but Tilda imagine
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: she could hear the muted echo of howl and whispering
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: up the deserted streets as they headed into the center
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: of Cleo Springs, a thousand voices silently screaming as their
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: hopes their futures were extinguished. Madison started to weep silently
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: years seeping into tilt his jacket, she stroked his hair.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: Half a dozen escape plans spring up in her head,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: and dying just as quickly. She'd failed. For six years,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: she'd put off the inevitable, but she had failed. The
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: enforcers would take Madison from her, place him with government
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: approved parents and send him to arms sponsored schools to
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: teach him fear and shame and self loathing until the
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: If they didn't Expete outright, she'd brought in prison or
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: be left to starve. But that didn't scare her as
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: much as the thought of never seeing Madison again. Resolved
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: took cold inside her, bolstered by the quiet crying into
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: her side, the talisman against the fear. What about the others?
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: Where are they? The enforcer behind them questioned around The
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: gruff voice in front of them answered, some of them
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: went back to survey the road, and the rest stationed
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: outside of town. Shouldn't we tell them? Searches over. The
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: other glanced over his shoulder at Tilda. She could see
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: the holster and the platinum handle of his government issued
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: firearm around his waist. No, Tilda thought she could detect
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: a dark humor in his response. Let them sit in
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: place for a bit. We don't need any of them
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: trying to take credit for capturing these two. The others snorted,
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: before addressing Tilda mockingly. I have to say I was
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: expecting more theatrics from a priority number one case. Something
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: more are dramatic, Please be as entertaining as you like.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: Tilda ignored him, eyes sliding from side to side, searching
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: for something, for anything, anyway out. The man continued, of course,
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: it's only fair that I warn you. We have been
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: authorized to kill you if you cause any trouble. Madison
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: stopped loudly At that. Tilda soothed him with murmured reassurances,
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: the roots of anger starting to take hold, not the whole,
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: of course him. We want alive. We went to harm
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: a hair on his pretty little head. Far from being
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: comfort did, Madison wailed even louder. The enforcer laughed, while
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: the dark haired one leading the way tossed a look
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: over his shoulder, expression half wary and half amused. Tilda
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: suppose the crying of child was a rare thing these days.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: She wondered if it was a sound these men had
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: ever heard before. A battered black car came into the
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: parked at the corner of what once had been the
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: bustling town square. Now it almost resembled a scale model
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: of an extinct civilization, a way of life that felt
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: quaint and indulgent as it lumbered towards obscurity. A rough
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: beast shuffling unknowingly towards his end. The enforcer glanced around,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: opening the back passenger door. Get in, he issued coldly.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: Tilda paused, the look on her face one of a
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: trapped animal about to bolt. The other enforcer moved to
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: stand directly behind her, watching to see what she would do. Slowly,
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: she approached the car, Madison offering the barest resistance at
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: her side. Although he'd never been in a working one before,
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: he knew what getting in would mean. With gent little hands,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: the enforcers observing her almost scientifically, she guided him into
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: the back seat, his tiny fingers still twisted into the
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: fabric of her shirt. Unwilling to let go, she climbed
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: inside after him, the enforcers slamming the door behind her.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: A click signaled the lock, engaging automatically. Madison immediately crawled
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: into her lap, circling his arms around her neck. Tilta
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: took inventory of the back seat, searching for something, but
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: there wasn't anything. The enforcer slid into the front seats
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: on either side, dark haired on the right, while the
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: hairless one got behind the driver's seat. The car eased
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: away from the curve, the engine quiet. The last time
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: Tilda had been in a working vehicle, she had been
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: with her parents. She blinked, her eyes, burning gazed, drawn
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: to the child in her lap. They drove in silence,
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: Madison shuddering in her grasp. Shining hazel eyes swept over
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: the overgrown fields of grain and planes of wild prairie grass.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: Purple clouds collided with gray and a pale blue sky
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: as they passed desolate wind farms and the rubble of
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: collapsed solitary barns, and still tilta formulated possible escape plans,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: discarding most of them as impractical or flat out impossible.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: But the longer they drove, the more her desperation grew.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: Soon there would be worn enforcers and no chance. Madison
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: coughed roughly. The dark haired enforcer glanced over his shoulder.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: He's sick. While his question was not one of concern,
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: his tone was quite serious. Tilda stroked Madisone's hair and
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: rubbed his back, not responding, only barely managing to suppress
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: the panic. Murmuring wildly the lower depths of her subconscious,
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: The driver drawled condescendingly. Mother of the year. Here has
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: some out in the cold, wearing rags on a diet
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: of peanut butter and crackers. I'm surprised he's still alive
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: at all, Madison coughed again, flinging up his arm and
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: muffling the sound with his elbow. Have you given him
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: any medication? The patronizing way in which he asked the
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: question rankled, but also succeeded in making Tilda feel small.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: She shook her head, not trusting her voice. He exhaled sharply.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Stop in the next town, should be Wichita. We can
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: get him something there. His partner disparaged, can't it wait
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: till we get within radio range? Is probably just a
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: cold I am not taking that chance. The other returned formally,
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: side and frustration. If that dumb bitch would hay the
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: other cut in angrily shut up. A tense silence fell.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: Signs for Wichita started to pop up on the side
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: of the road. Tilta's thoughts outpaced her understanding of them.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: Stopping could be an opportunity for them to slip away,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: But how far could they get now? They still needed supplies.
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: For what must have been the hundredth time, she cursed
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: herself for forgetting their packs, all because of a broadcast
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: The Witchita skyline came into view, shrouded by heavy grain clouds.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: The car emerged onto the exit and to the right.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Cities always appeared more apocalyptic in the scale of their
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: destruction than towns, the devastation more visible, the denser population
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: feeding off each other's hopelessness, fostering it until it could
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: not have been contained, and exploded outward, fragments of life,
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: destroying the civilization they built that would stand along after
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: its creators had faded to dust. They traveled a few
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: miles before spotting a relatively untouched pharmacy. The enforcer guided
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: the car into the parking lot of the stained white building.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: Let's hope the place hasn't been looted, the driver and
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: toned caustically under his breath. Parking right in front of
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: the door, the two men share to look. You want
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: to run in? I don't know what to get, The
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: olive skinned man admitted lowly. Do you cold medicine? The
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: other one snarked yes, but for a child. He hissed
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: under his breath. This stumped his partner. Momentarily, he huffed,
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: We'll just break a pill in a half. The other
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: sky often a flurry of hissed communication passed between them. Fine,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: the bald man ground out, will take the woman in
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: with us and leave me with a hysterical child, the
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: other questioned, and disbelief while I'm not staying with him.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: Fresh tears rolled down Madison's cheeks. Tilda watched, frozen, horrified
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: at the idea of being separated. The pale one stated, simply,
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: I think it'd be easier if we killed the girl.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: Madison trembled all over at that declaration. Untilda held him
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: to her tightly, the air snagged in the back of
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: her throat. No, the other refuted vehemently, you read the
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: file only as a last resort. A furious staring contest ensued.
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: All right, Cabald and pale One snapped with a sort
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: of jeering humor. Let's all go in one big, happy family.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: He searched out of the car, slamming the door behind him.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: He jerked the handle of the passenger door opposite his prisoners,
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: gesturing with his gun for them to get out. Madison
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: refused to relinquish his hold, so Tilda awkwardly maneuvered them
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: from the are, leaning away from the enforcer to put
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: as much distance as possible between them. She couldn't help
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: but notice he'd left the keys in the ignition, averting
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: her eyes before he caught her. Observing this and realizing
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: his mistake, she took wary steps toward the entrance, the
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: other enforcers striving to stand in front of her. The
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: glass pane doors had long been shattered, powdery crushed glass
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: crunched beneath their feet. Inside was dark. Some shelves have toppled,
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: contents spilled to the floor, the only thing holding them
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: up the wall or shelf opposite. A gun jabbed in
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: her back, pushing her towards the rose of cough medicine.
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: Are we expecting her to know what to get? He sneered,
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: I'm assuming this isn't the first time he's gotten sick,
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: the other pointed out, exasperated, and she's young. She probably
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: remembers what her mother got for her muteness. Muttering was
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: the only response. As they turned down the row of
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: cough medicines. The shelving on the right was tilted precariously,
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: leaning onto its counterpart on the left until they met
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: at the far end, an inverted b much had been plundered,
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: multi cardboard boxes littering the floor and shells. All that
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: was left was shoved to the back. What if he
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: doesn't how cold? If it's something more serious, the dark
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: haired man spoke up, voicing concern that had been lingering
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: in the back of Tilda's mind. This is just a
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: quick fix, this partner said, tossing a box aside. To
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: make sure things don't escally, we can get improper health
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: guarantee see. Tilda knelt down tentatively examining the bottom shelf.
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: The enforcers allowed at, studying her intently for a moment.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: I'm going to put you down for a minute. Okay,
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: she whispered shakily in Madison's ear, a watery plan forming
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: in her mind. Madison protest of the low mule, drawing
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: the attention of the enforcers. It's gonna be okay, she whispered,
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: with the most confident she could simmon. Remember elephant, elephant
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: will be all right. Madison released her reluctantly, twisting his
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: fingers together, sniffling, red rimmed eyes brimming with tears, Tilda
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: glanced furtively over her shoulder. The enforcers had moved closer
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: to where the two rows met, not paying much attention
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: to their prisoners. Although Tilda was sure she made a
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: move to stand or to make a run for it,
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: they'd have their guns trained on her in an instant,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: and what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. She reached
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: the back of the shelf, where she noticed a rusty
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: metal bar held in by loose screws supporting the structure
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: and keeping it from crashing into the other shelves. Tilda
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: closed her hand around it, tugging at it experimentally. It
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: gave a bit squeaking, breath catching. She shot a look
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: at the two men tossing aside empty containers and sorting
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: through what little roomained, complaining about her and coffinescence and
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: confusing tiny print. Wrapping both hands around the cold metal,
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: bracing herself, Tilta took a deep breath and yanked the bar,
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: pulled free with a metallic, groaning shriek. She grabbed Madison
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: around the middle and slid them from underneath the collapsing
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: shelf as it smashing to the enforcers, knocking them into
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: the other unit. Jerking Madison to his feet, she broke
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: into a run, pulling him behind her. Bang something fiery
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: rip through her midcalf in the reflection of one of
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: the still standing windows, she could see a gun leveled
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: close to the floor, the enforcer holding it, struggling to
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: keep it steady while he tried to wriggle free from
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: the metal on top of him. Tilda's knee turned in,
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: almost collapsing entirely, fire eating up her leg, but adrenaline
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: kept her on her feet, and she almost ripped the
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: car door off its hinges, opening it, lifting Madison unceremoniously
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: and depositing him in the passenger seat. She hit her
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: hip on the steering wheel with bruising force, but it
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: did nothing to slow her tilta could see movement inside
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: the pharmacy. She twisted the key so hard it bit
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: into her hand, and for a second she thought it
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: might break off. In the ignition, the car cranked, revving
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: as she flooded the engine. Her feet fumbled at the petals,
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: and she hadn't driven in years. Her parents had been
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: in the early stages of teaching her when she discovered
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: she was pregnant, but her body was on autopilot, to
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: the point where she almost felt like a spectator trapped
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: in her own skin. Her foot jammed down the brake
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: as she threw the car and drive her toes and
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: near detached slivers, shoe catching for a mill of second.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: As she switched to the accelerator, a bullet tore into
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: the side of the cars that peeled away until they
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: screamed at Madison to get down. Metals shrieking as she
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: careened over the curb, and her wides were about of
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: the parking lot back end, fish tailing as she clumsily corrected.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: For a brief moment, she worried that she was in
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: the wrong lane. She almost laughed aloud and what might
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: have been hysteria. It's not like there were other cars
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: on the road toory about, she thought, though debris was
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: a real problem. She tore down the exit, almost veering
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: off the road in her haste. Tilda forced her foot
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: to relax in the car to slow, scolding herself fiercely.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Her reckless driving could have hurt Madison, killed him. Even
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: they were away from the enforcers for now. At least,
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: if she got them killed, it would have all been
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: for nothing. They were going north. Tilda decided inwardly to
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: keep heading this way until she saw a sign for
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: a highway heading west. She wanted to put as much
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: distance as she could between her and Madison and the enforcers.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: It's okay, now, mouse, climb back up into the seat.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: Was that wobbly, breathy sound her voice? Madison obeyed, moved.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: It's uncoordinated. A wet cough reminded her of what they
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: still faced. Put your seatbelt on, she rasped. Took several
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: tries before Madison could get it to click. There was
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: something surreal, bordering on apocalyptic, about driving away from danger
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: on a disused road, one that once must have been
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: cogged with cars. She felt that they were the last
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: two people on Earth, and they were fleeing a cresting
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: wave of destruction explosion, wiping out everything behind them and
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: leaving nothingness in its wake. If she looked behind her now,
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: would there be anything there or just a swallowing darkness.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: The end finally come for them, and that brings us
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: to the end of this chapter. Be at four R
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: five or six of Terminus of Terminus. I hope that
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: you enjoyed it, and yes, it is continuing, so there
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: will be more. I love to hear theories people have
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: sit in. That's great. This also included more action scenes
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: and I am not great at writing action scenes. Do
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: you have where they seeing Samantham where you're just like,
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: this is not my skill set. I can't write. So
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: I'm better at character build up than actions, so I'm
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: more My books are more characterized around that conversations. Yeah,
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: I'm not good at action, and I'm definitely not good,
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: as we've discussed before, at any love like sex seed.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: I can do the like flirting, but I cannot do sex.
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: I'm plushing just thinking about it. I wish you could
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: go back any good pace some of our euphemisms in
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: oh no, oh no, I have written sex scenes. I
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: don't know. I don't know if I'll ever published any
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: of those, but you know, maybe one day on spent
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: tea one day. But yeah, I'm enjoying doing this. I'm
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: enjoining hearing from all of you, and it's going to continue.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: This is, like I said, it's part one of a trilogy.
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: I don't know if we'll do the whole thing, but
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: we'll see in the meantime. Yes, please right in. If
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: you did Nano Ramo, or if you just do your
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: thoughts about writing in general, you would love to hear it.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: You can emails at Steffania mom stuff at I Hurt
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: mea dot com. You can find us on Twitter at
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: moms the Podcast or Instagram at stuff I Never Told You.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: Thanks as always to our super producer, Christina Queen of Audio.
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: Thank you, she makes these happen all of you, um
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening. Stefinitely never told You.
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: Protection I Hiart Radio. For more podcast in my Heart Radio,
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: you can check out the Heart Radio ap Apple podcast
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: already listen to your favorite shows