Plus, they had other problems.

  8

  Amanda felt like she could fall asleep standing up. She was so tired after the grueling journey the night before and the lack of sleep, her bones actually hurt. She didn’t care that she was sitting on the hard ground with no shelter over her head. Her body demanded sleep. It also wanted something more substantial than berries and greens and nuts, but that was another matter. After breakfast, she’d moved the horses to a flat, open area with lots of green grass after leading them to the water to drink their fill. The simple task had sapped her energy.

  She looked up from her spot outside the circle of people sitting around the campfire in the fading sunlight and saw Austin and Sarah in the lean-to, talking in hushed voices. Austin was gesturing and had a look of frustration on his face. The information wasn’t coming fast enough for him. She hadn’t had a chance to catch up with him yet about what his grand plan for saving the world was, but assumed it was something to do with the USB. It always was. She appreciated his hopefulness and his willingness to do something good, too, but she couldn’t help but think they were just a lone group of survivors. They had no chance against something like the NWO. It was an opinion she hadn’t shared with him, knowing he wouldn’t want to hear it.

  She mustered the energy to get up and walk into the lean-to. Austin looked up and held out a hand to help her sit down next to him.

  “Why don’t you try and sleep?” Austin suggested, his tone gentle. “You took care of the horses, but you need to take care of you too.”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. You told me you had some news. Can you tell me now?”

  He half-smiled. “Well, the good news…. Basically, in a nutshell, this laptop has the codes to missiles that will shoot down satellites hovering above the earth’s atmosphere that are holding nuclear warheads. And we think we know a timeline of how long we have to use them.”

  Amanda blinked, rubbing her face as she tried to focus. She couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. “Austin, do you plan on blowing up the earth?” she asked.

  Sarah looked up from the laptop and frowned at her before returning to her work.

  He grinned. “No, but it is an option. The satellites would blow up, and the nuclear bombs would explode high in the atmosphere and not touch us here on the surface.”

  “You’re sure about that?” she asked.

  He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again to finally answer. “Not entirely, but yes, I think so.”

  “Why do the satellites matter? How does that help us?”

  “We believe our government is already working on a solution to this problem. They have enough underground bunkers to have some technology functioning that would allow them to restore the power grid or to at least get started in that direction. If this thing is worldwide, other countries are going to have the same technology and will be working hard to fight back against the NWO. Those satellites are the NWO’s safety net, their back-up plan. At the first sign of progress, they’re going to launch another EMP and set us back to square one,” Austin explained.

  She took a minute to process what he was saying. “Okay. So, what’s our role?”

  “We get to the missiles and kill the satellites,” he said, as if it was as simple as running down to the grocery store.

  “You want to shoot down nuclear warheads?” Ennis asked, squatting down outside the lean-to. “Am I hearing that right?”

  “Yes,” Austin replied without hesitation.

  “That seems dangerous,” Tonya said, her arm going around Malachi’s shoulders where they sat around the fire.

  Amanda looked around—they’d been talking louder than she’d realized, and most everyone was present and listening now.

  “Living like we are is dangerous,” Mike chimed in.

  The group erupted, everyone talking at once about the pros and cons of the situation before the arguing transformed into a litany of complaints.

  “Stop!” Austin said, holding up a hand and climbing out of the shelter to stand beside it.

  Amanda could see his legs and nothing else, but noticed that everyone outside the shelter was looking up at him. They were waiting for him to tell them what to do; for better or worse, they’d accepted him as their leader, and it was his idea they wanted to hear most.

  “Let him talk,” Ennis said to the crowd when the murmurs started again.

  “I know we’re lost in every way, but this could be our only chance at fixing things,” Austin started.

  “Why us? Where’s the government?” Ezra asked.

  Austin shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope they’re underground somewhere, maybe Cheyenne, working on a fix to this. I do know that the files that were passed to me were not seen by anyone else. My friend did a lot of digging to get those files. He tried to tell the bigwigs at the Pentagon and no one would listen. He entrusted me with finding someone willing to pay attention. Unfortunately, things happened fast, maybe because they knew Callum was onto their operation and was about to shut it down. I don’t know. I do know I’m tired of living like this. I’m tired of worrying how I’ll keep my daughter safe and worrying about her future. I have to do something. We have the knowledge, and I think we owe it to ourselves and our country to do something about it.”

  “How are we supposed to shoot missiles? Isn’t that a little more technical than pushing a big red button?” Gretchen said.

  Sarah cleared her throat. “It is. It requires specific codes—which I have.”

  Amanda whipped her head around to stare at the woman. Austin dropped down low, staring into the lean-to. “You do?” he asked with excitement. “You got them?”

  Sarah offered a rare, tired smile. “I do.”

  Amanda turned back to look at Austin, who was grinning like a fool. “Austin, I have one little question.”

  “What?” he asked, still grinning.

  “Where are we supposed to find missiles?” she asked.

  Austin’s grin faded as he looked to Dr. Bastani. The woman grimaced. “I’m working on it.”

  “What about Cheyenne?” Harlen asked. “Isn’t that a huge underground bunker with missiles and all that?”

  Amanda nodded. “It is.”

  “We also have to disable the systems controlling the satellites,” Sarah said, looking at Austin pointedly as if he should have remembered this part.

  “How are we supposed to do that?” Wendell asked.

  “We find the control center and disable it. Then, and only then, do we launch the missiles to destroy the satellites,” Sarah explained. “It has to happen in order—that’s our one shot at ending all this.”

  Amanda looked to Austin. His simplistic plan had just gotten a lot more complicated. The look on his face was one of disappointment, but he moved to sit back down next to her. “And you’re still looking for the locations? So, how? How do we do that?” he asked, clearly not giving up on his goal of winning the war against the NWO.

  Sarah looked up from the computer, seeming to notice for the first time that all eyes were on her. Everyone was waiting for her to give them the secret.

  “There are three likely places the NWO would be commandeering to guide the satellites,” she started. “I don’t know where for sure. Once the guidance system is disabled, the missiles could be launched. Unfortunately, the computer center and the missile silos are not going to be in the same place.”

  The group fell quiet again, all of them struggling to understand the information.

  “We find the computer center, disable it, and then find the missiles,” Amanda said, breaking it down.

  “Yes,” Sarah said firmly, “but the problem is time.”

  “What if they move to another one of those three places you’re talking about while we’re trying to find missiles?” Drew asked.

  “That’s another problem,” Sarah muttered.

  “It has to be a coordinated attack. We have to take out the guidance system and launch the missiles shortly after,” Austin said, summing it up.

  Wendell scoffed. “Oh, so simple.”

  Amanda shot the man another glare. She was cranky, in need of sleep, and had zero patience left to deal with his snide comments. “Anything is possible.”

  “You don’t know where these potential sites for computer centers might be?” Ennis asked.

  Sarah shook her head. “Not yet. I’m digging. These files are buried deep. I just need more time.”

  “Do we sit here and wait?” Ennis asked, looking to Austin.

  Austin looked at Amanda. She really had no answers, and gave a little shrug.

  “How long do you think it will take you to unlock those files?” Austin asked.

  Sarah looked up. “It could be in five minutes or five years, I don’t know. The fact that I found the codes already is promising… but there are no guarantees.”

  Amanda scowled. The woman’s response wasn’t exactly encouraging. She turned to look back at Austin, waiting to see what he would say.

  “Well, we only have so much time,” he said, and with that he filled the group in on the countdown and messengers they’d found on the NWO soldier. “The fact is,” he finished, “if we move now, we could be moving away from where we need to be to make a move against the NWO. And there’s only so much time. This isn’t an ideal location, but we’re doing okay. I say we give Sarah a few days to work on this rather than moving needlessly. We’ll do what we can to rest up and get ready to move when we can. If she hasn’t found it in a week or so, we can re-evaluate.”

  Tonya nodded, though she didn’t look excited. “Meanwhile, we can think about what to do if Sarah doesn’t find those locations—if we can’t do anything against the NWO,” she said gently, her eyes on Austin. “Where do we go if that date passes and nothing has changed?”

  Amanda met Austin’s eyes and saw the worry there, but he didn’t argue.

  Everyone looked at one another. “We need to get somewhere with a mild climate,” Gretchen offered. “A place where we can grow food all year, or at least a good portion of the year.”

  Amanda smiled, liking the way the woman thought. She was thinking long term. It was smart, and meant she had accepted what was happening. This plan against the NWO was a longshot, whether Austin wanted to admit it or not.

  “I agree,” Amanda chimed in.

  “I like that idea, but don’t you think everyone else is going to have the same idea?” Harlen asked.

  “We can’t live in the mountains through winter with no shelter,” Mike added.

  “I agree, but the mountains offer resources that we aren’t going to find in the lower elevations,” Amanda said. “Plus, we are somewhat sheltered in the mountains.”

  “I say we head west if it comes to it,” Austin said. “Stick to the mountains as much as we can. Without a map, I can’t say exactly where we are, but I think if we head towards southern Oregon, we can have the best of both worlds. The weather’s fairly mild, and there’s plenty of farmland and mountains.”

  “Works for me,” Harlen said, putting his hands in the air.

  Amanda nodded. “It’s decided then. We give Sarah some time to find those locations, keeping camp here. If she does, we re-evaluate and figure out what makes sense and what we can do. If that doesn’t happen, though, we have a plan.” While she loved the idea of saving the world, she was more inclined to believe it was a fool’s errand. She wanted a back-up plan, a place they could call home and learn to start living once again.

  There were more murmurs among the group before it was officially decided they were headed west; all but Austin seemed to assume that the information on the laptop wouldn’t bear any fruit, and that this plan would be their next play. Amanda couldn’t help feeling the same, but wondered if they’d ever really make it… or, rather, how many of them would survive such a trip, the way the world was now.

  She looked at Austin and could see the stress on his face in the way his jaw was set. She reached over and put a hand on his knee. “Take a walk with me?” she whispered, not wanting to attract the attention of the others.

  He stood up without more prodding, helping her up and out of the shelter. They walked into the trees, passing by the horses.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “You okay with all of this?”

  “I don’t think I have a choice.”

  “Something’s bothering you,” she prodded. “But having a back-up plan is a good thing. We’re not giving up, Austin.”

  He let out a long sigh. “Part of me thinks I should just go to ground with Savannah. Find a place, build a cabin if I need to, and give her somewhere to live. I’ve dragged that girl all over the place for more than a year. She’s been on the move since long before the EMP. That’s no life for a kid. She needs stability. I can see her pulling away, Amanda, and it isn’t just from me. She hardly talks to anyone. She’s scared. I need to give her security and help her find her way back to the living.”

  Amanda nodded, appreciating his need to take care of his daughter. “You’re right. She does need something solid in her life, but, Austin, how much security can you really offer her with the NWO in control? It’s always going to be dangerous. None of us will ever going to be safe and comfortable.”

  “But staying put somewhere and giving her a chance to recover from all she’s been through would help,” he argued.

  “Yes, it would, but you and I both know it isn’t that easy. I’ll admit, I initially thought your plan to save the world was a fool’s errand and, in a way, I still do, but I know you well enough to know you will not be able to let this go. You will not be able to sit back and accept the world for what it is unless you know you did everything you could to change it. I feel the same way. I want to relax. I want to kick up my feet and have a drink after a long night of working in the fields or hunting for game. We all want that. It’s human nature.”

  “How do we get that again?” he muttered.

  She chuckled. “We do our best. We try our best to do our part. If we fail, we know we tried. We move on—find our little corner of Oregon and settle down. It will be like the pioneers all those years ago. We plant, we grow food, and we get back to living instead of surviving,” she said, not fully believing what she was saying, but doing her best to sell the dream.

  He pulled her to him, giving her a quick hug before stepping back. “You’re right. Thank you. Now, let’s get back there so you can get some sleep. You’re about to fall over.”

  She laughed softly. “You are so right.”

  They walked back to the camp, finding that the others were either settling in to rest or making plans for hunting and fishing. Mike was planning to lead another group up to those berries that evening. Amanda made her makeshift bed, lying down and ignoring the bumpy, hard ground. Austin sat down a few feet away to work on some sort of rabbit snare Ennis was building. She stared at his profile for several long minutes, comforted by the idea of him watching over her while she slept.

  9

  Ennis settled down by the side of the firepit and glanced around the mostly empty clearing

  “Where is everyone?” he asked Wendell, who was dozing a few feet away, lazily watching the clouds.

  “Wandering around. Fishing for fish that aren’t there or picking those berry bushes clean, maybe,” he said, not looking over.

  “I think you mean they’re out looking for something to eat,” Ennis replied.

  Wendell looked over finally, but didn’t take the jibe. “Yes, that, and Amanda said she had to do something with the horses. Those horses seem to be more of a pain than a help. We can’t ride them. There’s only two of them. They take water away from us, and they’re loud and they stink.”

  Ennis chuckled, not letting Wendell’s attitude bother him. “They’re helpful. Once we start collecting some supplies or need to send folks out on scouting missions, those horses will come in handy.”

  “I suppose,” he said, sitting up and moving in to sit closer by. “Ennis, can we talk for a minute, just you and me?”

  Ennis looked around the empty clearing; even Sarah was taking a break from the laptop while it charged on its solar battery—he guessed she was washing up by the stream, which was about the only place outside the clearing she ventured to. “It’s just you and me.”

  “I mean, I want to talk to you, but only you. I don’t want it going any farther,” he said in a hushed voice.

  “What’s on your mind, Wendy?” he asked with a smile, wishing the guy would relax.

  Wendell bristled a bit at the use of the nickname, but seemed to shake it off. “What are we doing?” he asked.

  “We’re sitting here talking,” Ennis replied dryly.

  “I mean, what are we doing trying to chase down the NWO? Shouldn’t we be trying to get away from them?”

  Ennis stared off into the trees, wishing he could just have one day without thinking about the NWO. It wasn’t to be, obviously. “Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘the best way out is through?’” he asked.

  Wendell rolled his eyes. “Probably, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  “It means that the only way we get to have our lives back is to get through this tough part. If we can take down the NWO, even a little, it’s going to get us that much closer to living a normal life again,” he explained.

  “Do you really think all the other survivors are following that very poor advice?” he muttered.

  Ennis shrugged. “They don’t know there’s a way out. We do. That’s the difference.”

  “No, we don’t know that. It could be a wild goose chase. We could be sacrificing our lives to do the impossible. What good is it going to do us, specifically?” he questioned.

  “It’s going to help us return to normal before we’re old and die,” Ennis replied. “It’s going to give us a chance to actually live a life instead of fighting to survive every single day.”

  Wendell studied his face. “You don’t want to do it,” he said, his eyes lighting up.

 

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