Humanity Gone (Book 3): Rebirth (21 page)

Jonathon

I quietly insert the key, into the door. I should have been home hours ago. Dad’s gonna be pissed if he’s still awake. The apartment is dark.

Jo sits on the couch with a book under the low light of a nearby lamp. Her eyes give a mean look that I deserve. She barely considers me her brother anymore.

Still, she is always there for me.

I mouth, “Sorry” to her. She simply rolls her eyes and makes her way to her bedroom. If only she knew why I was out late, perhaps she wouldn’t
have looked at me like that. I'm not going to tell her until I have all of the money. Although she's only a junior, she has her eyes on going to Cornell. God knows dad could never afford it. She has the grades, but probably not anywhere near close enough for a full-ride. I'm going to get her there.

I've been working a variety of under the table jobs for the past year, so she doesn't have the burden of taking out as many loans. I'm giving up college for her.
And these past few days, a lot of people have been calling off sick. I've really been able to pocket a lot.

I want my sister to have the best future. I smile lightly and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Perhaps tomorrow I'll tell them both what I have been doing.

Maybe then, he'll look at me different.

For a change, the future looks
really hopeful.

Humanity Gone

A Final Thanks

Thanks to my friends and family for giving me the encouragement to complete this
year long journey.

Rebirth
went without a title for the longest time. After outlines and first drafts, no title seemed to work. Finally, I thought of
Rebirth
. It was simple and it spoke to many of the characters whose journeys were beginning or ending throughout the book.

Most of all, it's how I decided to end things with Caitlyn. Originally, the ending, especially hers, was going to be bleaker. Her inability to exist in a “fixed world,” seemed a natural reason for her to die. However, it didn't feel right.

For once in my life, I wanted things to be optimistic. The three books are filled with so much sadness and loss that ending on hope felt more fulfilling. In writing her final chapter, I discovered the real message of this saga. Hope. That no matter how ugly, hopeless, and scary things will ever get, we need to keep shoving through. Then, although it may not be easy to forget the past, difficulties will ease with time.

It
may be called
Humanity Gone
, but it's about still believing in humanity when there is little to be found.

Since this is the last, I have many who have made all of this possible. I want to thanks Marie
McCausland who demanded that I have a plague with at least some grounding in science. She detailed a disease that could do what I asked, and I hope my simplification of her science gives her justice.

With the tireless efforts of Dean Culver, many mistakes and plot holes would still exist. His help has been instrumental in making this possible and I truly cannot thank him enough for his efforts.

Sandra Finley's final edits caught the very last of those pesky typos, and her excitement for my work is truly treasured.

Most of all, thanks to you. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed reading this trilogy. Whether friend, family, student, or stranger, your support is dearly cherished.

I'm currently working on a few projects, and I hope to be able to share them with you soon.

Derek
Deremer

12/3/2013

About the Author

Derek Dereme
r
continues his love of stories and tries to share that with his students. He is from Pittsburgh and earned an English degree at Westminster College.

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DerekDeremer

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