Remnants — Episode 14

Jason glanced out the picture window of the weathered bungalow he’s just entered. The only footsteps in the sand outside were his own. He clicked the light switch. No power, and it would be dark soon. Time enough to make sure he had the place to himself.

An old boombox sat on the coffee table in front of a widescreen television. He noticed an audio cassette in the radio and pushed the PLAY button.

“Beat it,” someone sang. “No one wants to be defeated.” He clicked it off.

After searching the bedroom and bathroom, he stepped into the kitchen. The refrigerator was dead so he didn’t bother to open its door to likely stench and decay. Cabinets held canned goods and bottles of juice. They’d last until he could replenish. Yeah, this could work, he thought as he headed back to the front room.

Jason gazed out the big front window. A long white beach. An aquamarine sea. A boat way out, in front of a lowering sun.

Almost paradise. As close as he’d find now, anyway.

* * *

Lightning slashed a path across the evening sky. In its brief flare, a solitary man examined the small huddle of cottages around a common yard. A child’s wagon had turned on its side, two wheels in the air too rusted to turn. Something was loose, banging in the gusting wind. The man turned toward…