Aftermath Read online

  Aftermath

  By Joanne Clancy

  The second book of The Secrets and Lies Trilogy

  Copyright 2012 Joanne Clancy. All rights reserved.

  Kindle Edition

  Discover other titles by Joanne Clancy at Amazon:

  The Wedding Day

  Unfaithfully Yours

  Unforgettable Embrace

  My Love

  And

  The Secrets & Lies Trilogy:

  Secrets & Lies, Book 1(Available June 2012)

  Aftermath, Book 2 (Available August 2012)

  Redemption, Book 3 (Available Winter 2012)

  Praise for Secrets and Lies, the first book of The Secrets and Lies Trilogy

  Having read a few previous books by this author, which I'd also enjoyed, I have to say that Joanne Clancy just gets better and better every time and as a result this is a polished and well thought-out, intriguing story. It follows the lives of a couple of female main characters. Kerry who's married to Conor and Hope who's married to Niall and it sure makes you wonder how these two, very different ladies are connected and I don't want to spoil anything, but could it be their husbands? The sex scenes were handled really well as I've come to expect, for Joanne Clancy has a knack of making them downright sexy without being 'cringey' which is a major skill in itself. I got stuck into this novel right from the start and raced to finish it, seeing as I was carried away on a simple basis of wanting to find out what happens next. In fact, it's such a page-turner that I nearly missed my doctor’s appointment when they'd called out my name, but I was so engrossed in reading it that I didn't hear them until the nurse tapped me on the shoulder and I nearly dropped my Kindle. I can't wait for the second book in this trilogy to be produced and if you read it too then you'll understand, why! ~ Maureen Reil, Amazon

  Kerry Darcy is not just "settled" - she is blissfully settled. She has two children, plenty of disposable income and a thriving career as an author to keep her busy while the love of her life, her husband, Conor, is off on business trip after business trip, only able to stay home for short periods of time.

  It appears, then, that she would have little in common with young, bubbly Hope Kennedy who is a childless, aspiring actress. But, Hope understands the loneliness Kerry feels because her husband, Niall, is also only able to stay home for short periods of time while he takes business trip after business trip.

  Fortunately, in March of 2011 the Darcys finally manage time for a family vacation on the fascinating island of Japan. On March 11, Conor goes off for a little sightseeing when an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Tohoku. From the moment the size of the 9.0 earthquake was recognized, it took Japan only three minutes to issue a tsunami warning. However it took only 29 minutes for the first waves to reach Japan. Ultimately, over 15,000 were killed, with several thousand more injured. As Kerry and her daughter, Saoirse, fight frantically to escape their crashing hotel, fear mounts as Hope Kennedy cannot reach her husband, who coincidentally is in Japan for yet another business trip.

  As an avid reader, even though this book was superbly written, I actually found the plot a little predictable. However, the characters were so well-crafted that I felt drawn into their lives - their families. Author Joanne Clancy did a superb job of making me care what happened to these women and I anxiously await the second book to discover if Kerry and Saoirse are all right. Even more, I am impatient to discover how Connor and Niall have fared. This is one book where you'll be eager to get your hands on the sequel! ~ M. Walker~ Amazon

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Books by Joanne Clancy

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Kerry Darcy would never forget the ear-piercing screams that filled the air all around her. There were hideous shrieks as everyone ran for their lives. Men, women and children were dashing everywhere, some even jumped into the pool! There was no concept of running in one direction.

  The air resounded with the steady, ear-splitting, cracking thunderclaps of frightening noise as the buildings began to crumble before the onslaught of the flooding water. One minute Kerry had been enjoying a peaceful, afternoon nap, the next minute she was fighting for her life; that's how fast it all happened.

  Suddenly, there was a rush of water that rose up the winding stairs, chasing mother and daughter. Kerry didn't even have a chance to call Saoirse's name. An overwhelming torrent of water came from all directions, engulfing everything and hurtling them out into the furious current. For one split second, before the water separated them, Kerry caught a brief glimpse of her beloved daughter's precious face. Then she lost sight of her...

  Nobody could ever have imagined the enormity of the catastrophic Japanese tsunami. Kerry had no idea that she was only one of thousands of people who were desperately battling the tsunami's punishing waves and that within a very short time more than fifteen thousand people would be dead and many more would be injured.

  Sharp, agonising, stabbing pains wracked Kerry’s entire body. It was an all-consuming pain, like nothing that she'd ever experienced. She tried to keep her eyes closed, to block out the horror that was surrounding her and from which she didn't believe she could ever escape, but the brutal pain kept forcing her back to consciousness.

  Finally, she willed herself to open her eyes, to face reality. She looked up at the sky. It was a perfect clear blue, untroubled by clouds and the sun was shining brightly. For a moment she almost believed that she was dreaming, trapped in a horrific nightmare, but then the pain stabbed at her again and she realised that she was clinging to a tree. Her bare arms were scratched and bleeding and aching from the iron grip that she had on the tree's solid trunk. Her survival instincts must have taken over because she wasn't even fully aware of the grip that she had on the tree. It was as if she were having some sort of bizarre out of body experience, like this horrific nightmare was happening to somebody else and not to her. Part of her was convinced that at any minute she'd wake up and all would be well again in her world, normality would be restored.

  Black, oil-slicked muddy water, choked with debris, swirled around her, engulfing most of her battered body. She felt dizzy and confused. What's happening? Where am I? Where's Saoirse? SAOIRSE! She called her daughter’s name over and over again, but there was no answer.

  Then she remembered running for her life up the hotel stairs, clutching Saoirse’s hand, while the powerful water rushed up the steps towards them, chasing them. Suddenly, they'd been engulfed by water and were brutally hurtled outside into the raging current. For one brief moment just before the cruel wave separated them Kerry saw her daughter's petrified face.

  “Mom!” she screamed. “Mom! What's happening?”

  Kerry couldn't answer her. She didn't know how to explain what was happening to them. Then she lost sight of her. Seconds later, Kerry glimpsed her again, whirling in the tumultuous water. They were a few metres apart and Kerry could see a rooftop sticking out of the water.

  “Catch the roof! Catch the roof!” she shouted at her daughter, but then she disappeared. She prayed that her daughter had heard her over the roaring noise of the water and she willed her to have grabbed hold of that roof. Saoirse's only hope was that she was a strong swimmer. How thankful she was that Conor had insisted on both their daughters learning to swim, in spite of their complaints about having to get up early at the weekends for practice.

  “Please God let her be okay,�
�� she prayed like she had never prayed before.

  “Saoirse! Saoirse!” she screamed over and over again, but there was no answer. Then, mercifully, she passed out.

  It was impossible to tell in which direction the water was streaming. Saoirse knew she needed to grab onto something or else she'd be swept away. The water had swept her past the first roof top that her mother had shouted at her to grab, but luckily, further downstream, she'd seen another one. She reached out her arms and using every last bit of strength that was left in her exhausted body, she grabbed the roof's edges and held on tight. Instantly, her legs were sucked underneath by the tearing water, and everything accumulated by the raging torrent; wood, metal objects, rubbish, began slamming against her hips and legs. Still, Saoirse hung on, screaming in pain and fear. She was sure that she would be crushed at any moment and for the first time in her young life she really thought she might die.

  Thankfully, the powerful pressure of the water began to subside and Saoirse managed to haul herself up onto the roof. She lay there for a few blissful moments, staring at the perfect blue sky and desperately trying to catch her breath. Finally, her breathing began to steady and her heart rate slowly returned to normal.

  Out of nowhere, as quickly as the first terrifying wave had struck, another tremendous wall of water rose up and poured over the roof top. Saoirse lost her grip and was pulled down under the wave. Frantically, she flailed her arms, trying desperately to escape from under the thick layer of filth and debris that lay between her and the surface. It was dark and cold and murky in the water and she couldn't see anything in the pitch blackness that surrounded her. She fought to get some air until she had no breath left in her lungs and she couldn't fight anymore. Eventually, she stopped struggling and the dirty, inky water seeped into her mouth. A wonderful feeling of peacefulness immersed her. She surrendered to the calmness and the overwhelming tiredness.

  Suddenly, without any effort on her part, she was flung through the barrier of debris and darkness to the blinding brightness of the surface. She threw back her head and gasped for air, letting each fresh breath fill her lungs. She'd never been so happy in her life to see the sun.

  Kerry awoke to find herself released from the thick layer of debris and back in the rushing current. She couldn't remember letting go of the tree but her grip must have slipped when she passed out. She knew she had to find something to hold on to; anything to stop her being pummelled by the force of the torrential water. Ahead of her, she saw another tree sticking out of the water. She willed herself to grab it but it was no use. The water swept her by the tree too quickly. Desperately, she scanned the surface for something, anything to grab.

  “Keep trying!” she yelled aloud, willing herself to persevere.

  The debris-choked water pushed her towards another tree and she managed to clutch onto a branch. She curled her bloodied fingers around it and held on with every bit of strength she had left. It was enough. The waters released their terrifying hold on her and rushed on. Kerry pulled herself closer to the trunk of the tree. The water was below her chest and she could feel another branch beneath her feet. She tried to stand on it, but it was too painful. She couldn't do it, so she clung to the upper branch, battling against the current and at the same time, trying different positions to relieve her agonising pain. By the intensity of the pain she knew her legs were broken. She braced herself against the tree's trunk and let her legs float out in front. This position eased her pain slightly. Ironically, the water, which had caused all her agony, was now helping her by cushioning her broken legs.

  Kerry clung to the tree for what must have been hours, passing in and out of consciousness. The air was full of horrible sounds; crashing, smashing, violent sounds. She was petrified that the noises signalled the onslaught of yet another terrible wave.

  “Dear God in heaven, please don't let another wave come,” she prayed over and over again. Eventually, the floodwaters were slowly starting to recede but as the water level lowered her pain became more intense. She forced herself to keep moving her body in an effort to find the least painful position, while at the same time trying to make sure her legs didn't get trapped by the debris. At one point, her precious tree started to crack and for a moment she thought that the weight of the rubbish surrounding her would cause the tree to collapse entirely and take her back under the murky water.

  She glanced around, but couldn't see anything. The whole place was in chaos and a jumble of floating objects blocked her vision, but she could hear the sounds of people crying out all around her. There were two women in a tree behind her. She knew there were two because one was speaking French and the other was speaking English. They were screaming for help, but nobody heard their screams. Nobody came. It felt as if they would be stuck there alone in that God forsaken place forever.

  Kerry heard a child crying in the distance, but after a while, maybe an hour, the crying stopped. She prayed he was alright. She prayed like she had never prayed before and focused with all her heart and soul on Saoirse and Conor getting to safety.

  “Please, God, let them be okay,” she repeated her prayer. She closed her eyes and sent them all her love and energy, willing them to have survived this nightmare in which they so unexpectedly and inexplicably found themselves.

  Her mind drifted to memories of her good friend, Sophie Astaire who had first introduced her to the power of energy and positivity. Kerry had believed in the power of positive thinking ever since she'd read Deepak Chopra's book “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success” many years before. The book had been given to her by Sophie, a college friend of hers who had since emigrated to Australia so the two friends rarely saw each other anymore. Sophie was easy to talk to, wonderful to listen to and possessed a serene inner calm which had fascinated Kerry, until she accidentally discovered the source of her friend's serenity one afternoon when she went to meet her at her apartment. Kerry had walked into the apartment and found Sophie sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hands on her knees and her eyes closed in deep concentration. It was obvious that she was doing something special and private. Kerry waited and after some time her friend opened her eyes.

  “What were you doing?” Kerry asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  “I was meditating and working with energy,” Sophie responded with her usual ready smile.

  “What is energy?” Kerry wondered.

  “Every one of us is made of energy and energy surrounds each of us.”

  “So what does energy actually do?”

  “It helps your mind and body to grow stronger. It can help you to become healthier and it can even help to heal others if you direct the power of your positive energy towards them.”

  Kerry had been immediately enthralled by that one word “energy.” She had bombarded her friend with questions and soon Sophie was introducing her to meditation and energy work. This was her initiation into the beautiful world of spirituality, which she had been exploring ever since.

  Kerry's study of energy helped her to draw strength from the connection between body, mind and spirit. It changed her entire life, making her stronger physically, emotionally and mentally. Physically, she didn’t get sick for several years; whereas before she discovered the power of focused energy she had suffered from many colds and frequent bouts of 'flu. Emotionally, she grew more confident in herself and mentally it sharpened her senses. Now, she thought much more clearly and was overall a calmer person; skills which she desperately needed in the nightmare that she found herself.

  Chapter 2

  Time passed. The sky was darkening; evening was falling and the sun was slowly beginning to makes its descent. Cuts and scratches covered Kerry's arms and legs. They stung but none of them were very deep. Worryingly, the water around her was quite bloody and she vaguely thought that she might have some internal bleeding, but she put it out of her mind. She was just grateful to be alive and she wanted to stay focused on staying alive. The water was steadily receding, which enabled her to carefu
lly lower herself further down the tree. She tried her best to keep her legs floating on the surface of the water which provided a welcome cushion from the searing pain in her lower body. She splashed water on her face so she wouldn't faint, realising that it was imperative that she remain alert, but even so, she still couldn't help drifting off a few times. The combination of the agonising pain and the overwhelming exhaustion simply proved to be too much for her to endure.

  When the water receded even further she could see that a patch of mud had formed below her and she tried to stand on it. She hung on to the tree branches for support and began lowering herself but the stabbing pain that shot through her entire body stopped her. She couldn't do it and passed out.

  The chill of the evening woke her up. She was completely naked; the force of the water had ripped every shred of clothing from her poor, battered body, but nakedness was the least of her worries. Again, she splashed her face with the filthy black water in an effort to wake herself up but the tiredness was all-consuming. She put her head down for a moment and drifted into blissful unconsciousness.

  When she came around the water levels had decreased even more and there was nothing to ease the stings and aches of her broken body. The night was fast approaching and soon the sun would set. The day had been filled with the sounds of people crying and begging for help. Kerry had stopped screaming hours ago. She quickly realised that calling out wouldn't help. She needed to preserve her energy but she wondered if anyone knew where she was. Even the helicopters that eventually flew overhead quickly disappeared but she knew they would return, they simply had to return. There was no way that she was going to die out there alone, away from her husband and daughter. She had to know they were okay so dying was not an option.