The Great Solar Storm | Book 5 | Absolute Elimination, page 1
part #5 of The Great Solar Storm Series
ABSOLUTE ELIMINATION
THE GREAT SOLAR STORM
KELLEE L. GREENE
CONTENTS
Books By Kellee L. Greene
Author’s Note
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
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
What’s next?
Books By Kellee L. Greene
About the Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 Kellee L. Greene
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author.
First Edition April 2022
BOOKS BY KELLEE L. GREENE
The Great Solar Storm
Absolute Darkness - Book 1
Absolute Collapse - Book 2
Absolute Destruction - Book 3
Absolute Eradication - Book 4
Absolute Elimination - Book 5
After The Fires
The Water Farmer - Book 1
The Trials Ahead - Book 2
The Measures Taken - Book 3
The Reset Series
Flood - Book 1
Sinking - Book 2
Drowned - Book 3
Swamp - Book 4
Torrent - Book 5
Striking - Book 6
What Remains Series
Sickness - Book 1
Outpost - Book 2
Infected - Book 3
Evasion - Book 4
Red Sky Series
Red Sky - Book 1
Blue Cloud - Book 2
Black Rain - Book 3
White Dust - Book 4
Indigo Ice - Book 5
Yellow Heat - Book 6
Ravaged Land Series (1)
Ravaged Land -Book 1
Finding Home - Book 2
Crashing Down - Book 3
Running Away - Book 4
Escaping Fear - Book 5
Fighting Back - Book 6
Ravaged Land: Divided Series (2)
The Last Disaster - Book 1
The Last Remnants - Book 2
The Last Struggle - Book 3
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Series (3)
The Wall - Book 1
The Outside - Book 2
Falling Darkness Series
Unholy - Book 1
Uprising - Book 2
Hunted - Book 3
The Island Series
The Island - Book 1
The Fight - Book 2
The Escape - Book 3
The Erased - Book 4
From Below Series
Creatures - Book 1
Desolation - Book 2
The Alien Invasion Series
The Landing - Book 1
The Aftermath - Book 2
Destined Realms Series
Destined - Book 1
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Names of towns and locations may have been changed in order to maintain the fictional nature of the story. Any resemblance to actual locations is entirely coincidental. Thank you for your understanding.
1
If anyone would have told me there would be a great disaster that would destroy the world, I wouldn’t have believed them. If they would have also said to me that I would have been one of the few to survive, I would have laughed in their face.
My hand shook as I raised it up to the door. Erik and Bobby were at my sides, looking around for signs of trouble. It felt as though there were eyes on us, but it was impossible to see them in our dreary, desolate surroundings.
The city was a disaster area. There was rubble from collapsed or destroyed buildings. The air was acrid from smoldering fires scattered around the area.
It was cold. The sun couldn’t force its way through the thick smoke overhead.
We’d traveled from Door County, Wisconsin, halfway across the United States to Massachusetts, to get to Sam’s daughter. I struggled daily to accept the fact that Sam hadn’t survived the journey, and Maysie refused to accept that it was her father that had killed my best friend.
Dorian had been right to stay with Agnes. They avoided all the trouble and stayed safe in Agnes’s house and bunker.
If we had stayed back, Sam would still be alive. We’d all be safer instead of roaming around a city that should have been familiar to me.
“Want me to do it?” Erik asked, sucking in an impatient breath.
“No,” I said, pounding my fist softly against the door. My hand bounced back as if I were fluffing a pillow.
I wasn’t afraid of Sam’s ex Jameson. He was a good guy. I just had absolutely no idea how I’d tell him that Sam had died.
I took a step back, accidentally pressing my heel down on the toe of Maysie’s shoe. She was always—always—right behind me. Or if I somehow managed to break free, she’d be glued to Bobby.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s fine.” Maysie squeaked like a tiny, frightened mouse.
We stood there waiting for someone to come to the door for at least five minutes before Erik cleared his throat. I pulled in a breath, raising my hand to knock again.
“Maybe he’s afraid to answer,” Maysie said, digging her fingertips into my arm.
“He’d recognize me,” I said, standing on my tiptoes to look in the window at the top of the door.
There was a piece of cardboard taped to the other side. I chewed my lip and jiggled the doorknob.
“He could be hiding,” Maysie suggested.
“Jameson,” I said, my voice far too quiet for anyone inside to hear. “It’s me. Mel.”
We waited, but still, no one came to the door. My palms were slick with sweat.
“What do we do now?” Bobby asked.
“We could go back to my house,” Maysie said. “My dad had a lot of stuff we could use.”
“That’s a long way from here,” Erik said.
I held up my palm. “Shh!” I hissed. “I can’t think.”
“We biked here, then we can bike back,” Maysie said.
“Shh!” I said, whipping around. I exhaled and let my shoulders fall. “Sorry, Maysie, but we’re not leaving.”
“It’s okay,” she said, looking down, so I didn’t see her reddening cheeks.
I touched her shoulder briefly before turning back to the door. My eyes eventually settled on Erik.
“I need to get inside,” I said, scratching the back of my head.
“You may not want to see what’s in there,” Erik said, concern widening his eyes.
I huffed. “I saw my best friend murdered before my eyes. There isn’t anything in there that could be worse.”
It would have been devastating to see that Dott hadn’t survived, but if I admitted that, Erik wouldn’t help me get inside. Death and loss were something I had dealt with all my life. Suffering was my normal. But it never got easier.
“Should we break a window?” Erik asked.
I frowned. “This is their home. If there in there, I don’t want to make them less safe.”
Erik nodded.
“I wish I knew if they were in there or not,” I said, dragging my hand down my face as I sighed.
Bobby grunted. He turned and began walking toward the side of the house.
“What’s he doing?” Maysie asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said, pushing past her to follow Bobby.
The buildings on this block were close together. Each one was tall and constructed with the same red brick. Bobby had somehow managed to pry open the window at the side of the house with just his knife. Clearly, the construction of the buildings was questionable.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” I grimaced as I walked to the window.
“I didn’t break anything,” Bobby said.
I exhaled my annoyance and held in my thankfulness. “Give me a boost.”
Bobby locked his fingers and put his hands out, resting them on his thigh. The window wasn’t very high, so I only needed to put my full weight on him for a few seconds.
I pulled myself up into the house and rested my feet on the kitchen floor. The room was clean except for a mug on the counter. It had an image Dott had created in art class printed on it.
“
Maysie appeared behind me. “It’s so clean in here.”
“Yeah,” I said, biting my lip. “And quiet.”
Erik and Bobby were at the window, pulling it closed. Bobby checked to make sure the window was locked and secured before turning to me.
“Someone else could do what I did,” he said.
I frowned. “I don’t think they’re here.”
“Think he has any caulk?” Bobby asked, cocking his head to the side.
I stepped into the living room. Everything was in its place except the coats that usually hung near the door were gone.
“I’m almost positive they’re not here,” I said, lowering my head.
“I’m sorry, Mel,” Erik said, stepping in front of me. He was holding a piece of paper. “They’re not here.”
“What’s that?” I asked, my nose wrinkling.
Erik swallowed. “He left Sam a note.”
2
I snatched the paper from him so quickly that it made a ripping sound. Thankfully, there were no tears. The note was perfectly intact. Not a smudge or smear of ink since the day it had been written.
My eyes shifted away. It was almost as if I was suddenly afraid to read the words.
“Well?” Bobby asked.
“Give her a minute,” Erik said over his shoulder. He kept his eyes on me.
My stomach tightened as my eyes filled. I swallowed, managing to keep the tears from falling.
“She should be here,” I mumbled.
Erik put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “She should.”
“It feels weird to be here without her.” My head lowered. “It isn’t fair.”
I sucked in a breath and ignored my trembling fingers. I opened the paper and cleared my throat even though I had no intentions of reading it out loud.
Sam,
I know the odds of you even seeing this are astronomical, but on the odd chance you’d come here looking for us, I had to leave you something. A rescue group came for Dott and me. We’re heading north to a safe location in Maine. I’ll write the address below.
I miss you, Sam. Dott misses you. I’ve learned a lot over the last few months, and we should have never separated. You were always the one for me.
I pray that we will see each other again. If we want to, we can be a family again.
Anyway, maybe writing this is just therapeutic or some shit because I know after everything that has happened, it’s pretty unlikely you’ll ever see this.
I tell Dott every night that you love her and that you would be here if you could.
Please come to us. I love you.
Jameson
Tears were streaming down my cheeks, soaking the front of my shirt. I held the paper tightly as I threw myself into Erik’s waiting arms.
“There okay,” I said, sniffing so hard it hurt my brain.
There was a long pause before he spoke. “Well, they’re probably okay. We don’t know when that note was written.”
I pulled back as anger flowed through my veins. The sympathetic droop to his brows and the wrinkle on his forehead made me realize he was right.
He hadn’t been trying to hurt me or make me feel worse. Erik was just stating a fact. He hadn’t wanted me to get my hopes up… if that’s what it was called.
I wanted to find Dott and fulfill my promise, but at the same time, I didn’t want to have to tell her what happened to her mom. It would devastate her.
“I guess we’ll find out when we get there,” I said, folding the note into a small square.
“More bikes?” Maysie asked.
“More bikes,” Bobby said.
Maysie blew out her cheeks, but smiled when she noticed me staring at her. “It’s not so bad.”
“It’s hell,” I said. “But I don’t have a choice. Maybe you and Bobby should stay here.”
Bobby laughed. “There might be a safe place for us to go, and you want us to stay here? No freaking way.”
“I want to be safe,” Maysie said. “If that’s even possible.”
“It will be possible,” Erik said, crossing his arms. “But the road to get there could be bumpy.”
“Bumpy is putting it lightly,” Bobby said, pulling back the curtain to look outside. “I don’t like it here.”
I looked around the room. Everything not only felt different, but it also looked different. It was darker than I’d remembered. Colder and empty. It was hard to believe anyone had lived in the place at all.
The front door had a deadbolt and a chain lock. There was a deep chip in the wood and an extra hole, as if whoever had installed it measured wrong. Neither lock was in place.
I walked over to the door, hooked the chain, and flipped the lock.
“It’s pretty safe here,” Erik said. “Maybe we should rest a bit.”
“I easily broke in,” Bobby said, scrunching his nose.
“It wouldn’t take long to board up the windows,” Erik said.
I shook my head. “I’m fine to keep going.”
“I don’t want anything to happen,” Erik said, walking toward me.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his stomach against mine as if I didn’t know what he was talking about. I tried to turn away, but he held me tighter.
“We can’t waste time,” I said. “You can feel winter is on the way. How long will it even take us to get to Maine by bike?”
Erik shrugged. “Depending on how many hours we put in a week or two. That’s just a guess.”
“Then we should get going,” I said, picking up the bag of supplies at Bobby’s feet. We’d consolidated everything we had into two bags and took turns carrying what we had.
Erik stood in front of me. “We can afford to rest for a day or two.”
“I don’t want to rest,” I said, placing my hands on my hips.
My stomach twisted, but I was getting better at ignoring it and keeping food down. The problem was that my skin turned pale, and Erik could tell every time it was bothering me.
“Give me one night,” Erik said.
I turned to Bobby. “Tell him this isn’t a good idea.”
“Don’t get me involved.” Bobby waved his hands in front of his face.
I groaned before glancing at Maysie. She probably would have backed me up if I would have asked, but her eyelids were already half-closed.
“Sometimes, I feel like you guys are against me,” I mumbled.
“Oh, hey!” Erik said, a deep wrinkle forming between his eyes. “That’s not fair. I am one hundred percent on your side and have been since the beginning.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I pressed my hand to my face. “It’s just that I’m very frustrated.”
Erik looked into my eyes. “You have a lot going on right now. I know how badly you want to get to Dott, and that will be so much easier if you’re well-rested.”
“We’ll travel faster, at least for a bit, if we all get some sleep,” Bobby added.
“If it’s a safe place, they won’t be leaving, right?” Maysie asked.
I sighed, but it sounded more like a groan. “If they made it.” I shook my head. “Maybe you guys are right.”
“I like to hear that.” Erik grinned.
“Let’s reinforce the windows,” Bobby said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them together like sandpaper.
Erik grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Why don’t you and Maysie see if there is anything around we can take with us?”
