She made a face of disgust. “Dad, I know when to shower. Will you stop treating me like I’m a little kid?”

  “I’m not treating you like a little kid. I’m telling you to shower now. There’s a system in place for a reason, so everyone can shower at least once a week. It’s your day, and I know you like to shower at night. That means now. If you’re not out there listening to the sermon, then you can get upstairs and shower.”

  “We were talking about some of the traps I’m going to show her how to set,” Ennis said.

  “What traps?” Austin asked, his eyes on his brother now.

  “For deer and rabbit, and whatever else might be out there,” Savannah replied.

  “I’m going to help,” Wendell chimed in.

  Austin shot him a look, wondering why the guy was even involved in this conversation at all. The idea of Wendell hanging out with his daughter did not sit well with him, for traps or any other reason. Wendell was a creep as far as he was concerned.

  “Don’t you think that’s a job best left to one of the men?” Austin asked.

  “Dad!” Savannah protested.

  Ennis shook his head. “Savannah pointed out the fact that if this new world we’re living in persists, she’s going to need the skills to survive on her own, and maybe even one day keep her own family alive.”

  Austin felt as if he’d been slapped. “Her family? What are you talking about? She’s fourteen!” he said, his voice rising.

  “I’m saying that she needs to learn these skills,” Ennis argued as Savannah let out an exaggerated grown. “It will only help her and us. What if one of us is sick or injured and we have to rely on her to take care of us while we heal? I’m going to be with her. I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” Ennis promised, his voice going gentler.

  “I can teach her later, when it’s more appropriate,” Austin replied after a moment. He could see in his brother’s face that he was overreacting, but this was his daughter. His little girl. She didn’t need to be out setting traps and worrying over their survival. That was his job.

  “Dad, is there ever a more appropriate time than right now? I want to learn. I don’t want to sit around here like a pet,” she complained.

  Austin closed his eyes, searching for patience. He was used to dealing with her typical teenage attitude, but he wasn’t in the mood for it right now. He also didn’t appreciate his brother taking her side. He felt like the odd man out here, when it was about his daughter.

  “Savannah, please, just go take a shower,” he said, hoping she’d realize he was at his wit’s end and just needed a break from the bickering.

  She grumbled, making a big show about getting up and walking out of the living room. He watched her disappear up the stairs before he turned to look at his brother again.

  “Why are you glaring at me?” Ennis asked.

  “Where were the two of you all day?” he asked.

  “Fishing, Austin,” he replied nonchalantly. “We were fishing. Nothing dangerous about it.”

  “Alone?” he shot back.

  Ennis shook his head. “Yes, alone. I had my gun. It wasn’t like I dragged her into the city. We went to the same place we’ve been going. You need to take a step back. She’s not a two-year-old.”

  Austin leaned in, wishing they were alone for this and didn’t have Wendell watching them like they were a television program. Still, he couldn’t let Ennis’s remark slide. “Don’t tell me how to raise my kid.”

  Ennis shrugged. “Someone should.”

  Austin felt rage boiling to the surface. “Ennis, when you’re a parent to a teenage girl, you can give me parenting advice.”

  “I think he’s only trying to help,” Wendell chimed in.

  Austin shot him a look that warned him to shut his mouth before he did it for him.

  “I wasn’t trying to parent her,” Ennis told him, getting to his feet. “She asked to go fishing. You never had a problem with me teaching her how to shoot before. What’s the problem now?”

  “The problem is, we’re not living in a world where you can call nine-one-one if something goes wrong. You can’t traipse around the forest with her,” he said.

  Ennis shook his head at him, as if he was the one being sane here. “You’re being ridiculous. You think you’re the big boss around here. Need I remind you that this is my house? My beds? My food,” he said, stepping closer to Austin.

  “I don’t see you stepping up and taking the leadership role,” Austin snapped.

  “Not every leader has to rule with an iron fist,” Ennis argued.

  “I’m not ruling anything. I’m trying to help people live through this. We need some direction,” Austin told him, not for the first time.

  Ennis shrugged. “Whatever you say, Austin. We’re not all your kids. You can’t boss us around.”

  Austin took a deep breath and was just getting ready to rip into his little brother when Amanda stepped in, apparently having heard the last of the argument. “Austin, let’s go for a walk. I need to check on the horses.”

  Austin glared at Ennis and Wendell before stomping out of the living room, not bothering to say another word. He walked outside ahead of her, taking in big gulps of the humid night air. Somewhere in the back of his mind, as he breathed in and told himself to calm down, he realized there was a thunderstorm brewing. He could feel it in the air, and immediately started to think about what needed to be done to prepare for an early summer storm. This, at least, he could do.

  “Hey,” Amanda said, coming up to stand beside him.

  “What?”

  “Don’t bite my head off. Come on, we need to walk,” she said, heading away from the house.

  After a moment, he followed her, suddenly recognizing that she’d stopped an argument from getting out of hand, and then he’d bitten her head off in return. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t snap at you. That guy, though, he’s on my last nerve,” he muttered.

  “Your brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why? I came in at the end. What were you two arguing about?” she asked.

  He felt a little ridiculous admitting to the reason, but couldn’t lie to her about it. “Savannah.”

  “What about her?”

  He shrugged. “I feel like she’s dumped me and chosen Ennis to be her new dad.”

  Amanda chuckled, knocking her elbow against his. “I don’t think it works like that.”

  “You know what I mean. I’ve been so busy with planning the missions into town and taking care of the defenses and that stupid USB drive, I hadn’t even noticed the two of them have been spending the last week together. He took her fishing today! I used to always ask her to go fishing and she never wanted to. Now, he’s going to show her how to set traps and take her hunting,” he complained.

  “That’s a good thing, though, isn’t it?” Amanda asked.

  “Yes, but why can’t I be the one to show her that stuff?”

  “I’m sure you can. Maybe you need to set aside some time with her,” Amanda suggested.

  Easier said than done, Austin thought to himself. Could he do that? Yeah, absolutely… if he could bring himself to take a step back from worrying about the house and their safety, which was something else entirely.

  They made their way to where the horses’ makeshift shelter was underway. It was nothing more than a tarp stretched between two trees, which they were in the process of covering over with branches in order to muffle the sound of rain on plastic and also camouflage the shelter a bit, but Amanda had grand plans to make something much bigger and sturdier. Now, Amanda reached out, stroking Raven’s nose.

  “I don’t think she wants to spend time with me. She’s always mad at me,” Austin confessed, feeling hurt by the realization.

  “She’s a teenage girl who’s been through hell and is trying to figure out life, just like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, she doesn’t have maturity and wisdom on her side. I think she’s also a little upset about the Malachi situation.”

  “What? What Malachi situation? What did he do?” Austin asked, ready to rip the kid limb from limb.

  Amanda smiled, her face illuminated by the muted moonlight filtering through the trees.

  “He hasn’t done anything but ignore her. You yourself said she had a crush on him. Malachi is pushing her away, and she’s hurt by it,” Amanda explained.

  Austin wrinkled his nose. That was new information. “Good.”

  Amanda swatted his arm. “No, not good. She’s got a bit of a broken heart.”

  “So, she’s hanging out with Ennis?” he asked incredulously.

  “Austin, I’m going to say something, and I’m sure it’s going to make you mad and you’re going to want to deny it, but just think about it, okay?”

  He shrugged. “What?”

  “You’re a good father. You have done a great job with Savannah. You’ve done everything you can to protect her and shield her from the harsh world. You’ve been on the road with her traveling, keeping her all to yourself, controlling her environment in order to keep her safe from everything and everybody in the world,” Amanda said, her hand still on his upper arm.

  “I wasn’t trying to control her world,” he defended himself.

  She cocked her head to the side. “Are you sure about that?”

  He inhaled a deep breath. “She’d just lost her mom. Things were bad. I wanted to get her away from it all.”

  “And you did. You did what you thought was best for her, and maybe it was. Scratch that,” she corrected herself when she saw he was about to argue, “I bet it was. Maybe she’s the well-adjusted, happy girl she is today only because you did that for her. You gave her the safety and security she needed at a time when her life had been turned upside down, Austin. But that was then, and this is now. She’s changed. She’s grown up, and she’s had some huge life experiences that have given her strength and courage,” she went on.

  Austin looked into Amanda’s eyes. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying, that little girl that you swooped in and wrapped up with love and protection has grown up some. She’s growing into an independent woman. You have to take a step back, and help her grow and guide her when she needs it. You’ve raised a smart girl, so don’t try and hold her back now,” Amanda said.

  Austin shook his head, wanting to reject the idea that his little girl was growing up. “She’s only fourteen.”

  “She’s fourteen, yeah, but she’s seen more and lived through more than most adults,” Amanda reminded him.

  Austin groaned. “I hate that I’m losing my baby girl.”

  “You’re not losing her, but you will if you don’t let her stretch her wings. Be the one that supports her growth, okay? Just like Ennis is doing. Your relationship has to evolve. She’s moving into a new stage in her life. You have to get on board or she’s going to throw you from the moving train.”

  He nodded, letting Amanda’s words sink in as he stroked Charlie’s muzzle. “You’re right. I’ll try, but it’s hard to see her changing right before my eyes.”

  Amanda giggled. “My dad used to say the same thing about me. When I went on my first date, he actually followed us. I spotted him at the movie theater. Let me tell you, I was so mad! I didn’t talk to him for two full weeks—not until my mom sat us down and made us hash it out. He agreed to give me some room, and I agreed to check in with him.”

  Austin felt himself grinning at the idea of following Savannah on a first date, and then checked himself when he saw Amanda glaring at him. “Thank you. I will talk to her. I just hope it isn’t too late,” he muttered.

  16

  Zander rolled to the side of the bed he’d been laid up in for too long. Merryman was going to pay for what he’d done. He’d not only cost Zander several good soldiers, but had nearly killed him in the bargain. The shot to his arm had barely missed his brachial artery—he’d bled like a stuck pig and had nearly died from the injury. It was only his anger and need for revenge that had kept him going, and still recovery had been too slow for his liking.

  Merryman was going to know what it was like to lose everything. Zander’s mission had been deemed a failure by his bosses and that was unacceptable. The powers that be were not happy with him, and he needed to fix that. He couldn’t stand to be a failure. He had devoted too much time and energy to making this transition a success.

  There was a quiet knock on the door, distracting him from the pain shooting down his arm.

  “Come in!” he barked.

  “Sir, I’ve got that list of names you wanted,” one of his captains said, stepping forward and into the office space he had claimed as his own living quarters.

  “Did you secure the horses we’ll need?” Zander asked, skipping any niceties.

  Captain Davis nodded. “I have five right now. How many guys do you want on the hunting team?” he asked. “This is a list of the best options—those who will obey orders and not hesitate,” he said, handing over a piece of paper.

  Zander took the list of names handpicked by the captain and glanced over it. “I want at least six. Five men and myself. We have to find these people.”

  “I’ll get on it. Do you know who you want?”

  Zander didn’t recognize the names on the list, though that was no real surprise. They had been recruiting soldiers for the past two months. It was easy to get people to sign up to be a part of the new controlling force when you took everything away from them. They’d secured quite a few former American military personnel, as well, and were actively hunting for more. The ones who were already trained for war were the most valuable, especially now.

  “I don’t know these men. I’m trusting you to select the right team.” He looked up at his captain and passed the list back to him. “I need at least one person familiar with tracking. I have a feeling these guys are smart enough to try and cover their tracks,” Zander hissed.

  “I’ll do that, sir. How long of a journey should I prepare them for?” Captain Davis asked.

  Zander shrugged his good shoulder. “As long as it takes. They’ve got our weapons and they still have that stupid USB. We have to get it back. You know the leaders will kill all of us if we fail to find and destroy that drive.”

  Captain Davis looked like he might leave, but then hesitated, and instead asked, “How will they access the information on it?”

  Zander glared at him until the man nearly cowered, and did take a step back. He didn’t need his men questioning him about the mission. That wasn’t their place—particularly when they obviously weren’t thinking. “They don’t have to access it. All they have to do is get it into the hands of the wrong people. You can’t think we’re the only ones who were prepared to function after an EMP. If that information is leaked, our entire mission fails. We’ll have done all of this for nothing. We’ll be sought out and get a needle in our arms for our role in taking down the country. I’m not interested in dying, are you?” Zander seethed.

  “No, sir. I’m sorry I questioned your mission. When should I tell them we’ll be leaving?”

  “Two days. In the meantime, I want scouts out asking questions. I want to know if Merryman and his crew were dumb enough to stay in my city. If they are here, I want them brought to me—all of them,” he ordered.

  David nodded, already backing away. “Dead or alive?”

  “Dead, except Merryman. I want him alive. I want to be the one who kills him.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll report in later.”

  “Good. Send in the nurse on your way out,” he added.

  “Yes, sir,” Captain Davis replied as he quickly exited the room.

  17

  Austin swatted away an annoying mosquito buzzing near his ear as he tried to sleep for at least an hour. The trunk of the tree he was leaned up against was digging into his back, and the hard ground he sat on was extremely uncomfortable. After a couple of weeks of having a couch or even a carpeted floor to sleep on, he’d forgotten how miserable it could be to sleep outside with nothing but the ground to lay on.

  He, Amanda, Malachi, and Nash had left that evening, hiking through the forest and hunkering down at the edge of town. Now, he guessed it was well past midnight. They wanted to get a look in town, take the temperature of the situation, and maybe scout out more locations to scavenge. This initial trip was all about getting the lay of the land and determining just how dangerous it was.

  “Are you asleep?” Amanda whispered.

  He guffawed. “No. These dang mosquitoes are relentless.”

  “We should have brought bug spray,” she replied.

  “We’ll know better for next time.”

  “Maybe we should just go now,” Malachi mumbled from a few feet away.

  Austin stared into the darkness. He had no idea what time it was for sure.

  “We probably have an hour or so of walking into town,” Nash reasoned. “I think we can move now and keep a close watch on activity. If it’s too busy, we’ll find somewhere to wait it out until the early morning hours when everyone will hopefully be asleep. None of us are sleeping now, after all.”

  Austin looked to Amanda for her opinion. In the muted light of the stars, he caught the outline of her head moving up and down. “Sounds good to me,” she confirmed. “I don’t think any of us are going to get any sleep, no matter what we planned.”

  With their new plan decided, the foursome headed down the hillside. The smell of fire filled the night air as they hit the paved road leading into the outskirts of the city. It looked and sounded completely deserted. They stuck to the shadows cast by the small buildings lined up along the road.

  “What do you think is burning?” Malachi asked after they’d been walking a bit.

  Nash scoffed. “It’s hard to say. It could be soldiers burning people out or survivors trying to cook food or boil water. It’s best to stay away from the fires.”

  “We’ll go north, up towards the tower,” Austin said quietly.

  “Is that a good idea?” Amanda asked.

  “I’m not saying we go directly to the tower, but there’s a good four miles between where we are and the headquarters. It’s the financial district. You’re the one who said we could scavenge the businesses—”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81