by Mark Goodwin
In a very unceremonious fashion, a piece of paper was signed by Markovich, then passed across the table for Ross and Blackwell’s signatures. Once finished, both parties quickly exited the residence as if neither trusted the other to not blow up the house. The war had officially been put on hold, but the animosity between the two sides would linger for ages.
“Well that’s that, I suppose.” Ava scratched Buckley on top of his head.
Octavio stood. “We should probably get going. Are you ready Captain Murphy?”
Murphy nodded and Charity helped him up. He turned to Ava. “How long until you close on your farm in Texas?”
She looked at Foley and then her dad. “I’m not sure. It was my old boss’ place. He was killed by Markovich’s men and the farm went to his brother. The probate courts are a little backed up, as you can imagine, but the brother said we could move in and rent it from him at a reasonable rate whenever we want. We need to find a buyer for this place first. We’d love to have you come visit once we’re settled in.”
Charity helped him to the door. “That could be a while. Maybe you should pop in and check to see how Foley’s doing in a week or two.”
Ava thought that sounded like a curious request to be coming from Charity, but she didn’t say anything about it.
“You folks take care of yourselves and thank you for the hospitality.” The captain waved and then turned his attention back to Charity. “You can come visit me at Altus. It’s not that far.”
“Maybe I’ll do that.” Charity smiled, then blushed when she noticed Ava looking.
Ava stood by the door and waved. Buckley ran out the door in pursuit of the action. Charity escorted the captain out and helped him into the back seat of Octavio’s car. She turned to Foley. “Those two have a thing going! Did you know that?”
“What, you didn’t?” He smiled.
The landline phone rang and Ulysses walked to the kitchen to answer it. “Hello? Yes, one second. Ava, it’s for you.”
“I’m not home.”
“Oh, I think you might be. It’s the Vice President.”
Ava looked at Foley with big eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
He grinned. “Take your time. I’ll be here when you get back.”
She tried to cushion her excitement but still scurried to the phone. “Vice President Blackwell, what a pleasant surprise.”
“Ava, I wanted to call and thank you once more. I know today wasn’t the best outcome we could hope for, but I’m afraid that without your dedication and perseverance, it would have been much worse. I’m here with someone else who wants to express his gratitude as well. Hang on one moment.”
Ava waited quietly.
“Mrs. Mitchem, this country owes you a debt that can never be repaid.” Ross’ voice was frail and hushed. “I, myself may have never seen my family again had it not been for your bravery. The entire time I was being held by Markovich, I never lost hope. I always believed God would use patriots like you to secure a homeland for the remnant of true Americans.”
She grinned from ear to ear. “Thank you, Mr. President, but I’m afraid you’re ascribing an undue amount of credit to me. It was a team effort.” She pulled the long cord of the old-fashioned wall phone into the living room where she could see Foley and Ulysses. “My father, my husband, and all the people who lost their lives in this conflict, they’re the real heroes.”
“You’re all heroes, Ava. But please, pass along my appreciation to your father and husband. I understand they both went through a lot during the war. How are they?”
“Foley was shot a few times. God gave me more than one miracle with him. He’s recovering nicely. My dad was tortured, he had severe PTSD episodes from this conflict as well as the three decades he spent in a Chinese prison. He’s doing much better. By the grace of God, I think we’re all going to be okay.”
“Very good. I’ll let you get back to them. Thank you again and God bless.”
“Thank you, Mr. President. We were all so glad to see you come home. Goodbye.” Ava hung up and returned to the living room. Ulysses had retaken his seat on the couch in Buckley’s absence.
Ava sat down between her father and husband, putting one arm around each of them. The girl who thought she’d never meet her real father, never be able to trust a man, who thought she’d never see Texas again, would soon be back in the Lone Star State with her loving dad and her faithful husband.
Don’t Panic!
Inevitably, books like this will wake folks up to the need to be prepared. Or, they cause those of us who are already prepared to take inventory of our preparations. New preppers can find the task of getting prepared for an economic collapse, EMP, or societal breakdown to be a source of great anxiety. It shouldn’t be. By following an organized plan and setting a goal of getting a little more prepared each day, you can do it.
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Thank you for reading
Ava’s Crucible, Book Three:
United We Stand
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Stay tuned to PrepperRecon.com for the latest news about my upcoming books, and great interviews on the Prepper Recon Podcast.
Keep watch for my upcoming series,
Cyber Swarm, Book One: Rise of the Locusts
If you’ve enjoyed Ava’s Crucible, you’ll love my post-apocalyptic, end-times thriller series,
The Days of Noah
Tennessee public school teacher, Noah Parker, like many in the United States, has been asleep at the wheel. During his complacency, the founding precepts of America have been slowly, systematically destroyed by a conspiracy that dates back hundreds of years.
Cassandra Parker, Noah’s wife, has diligently followed end-times prophecy and the shifting tide against freedom in America. Noah has tried to avoid the subject, but when charges are filed against him for deviating from the approved curriculum in his school, he quickly understands the seriousness of the situation. The signs can no longer be ignored, and Noah is forced to prepare for the cataclysmic period of financial and political upheaval ahead.
Meanwhile, in an off-site CIA facility outside of Langley, rookie analyst Everett Carroll discovers he’s not being told the whole truth. He’s instructed to disregard troubling information uncovered by his research. Everett ignores his directive and keeps digging. What he finds goes against everything he’s been taught to believe. Unfortunately, his curiosity doesn’t escape the attention of his superiors, and it may cost him his life.
Watch through the eyes of Noah Parker and Everett Carroll as the world descends into chaos, a global empire takes shape, ancient writings are fulfilled, and the last days fall upon the once-great United States of America.
And check out my EMP survival series Seven Cows Ugly and Gaunt
starting with book one,
Behold, Darkness, and Sorrow
Danny and Alisa's lives are turned upside down when Danny begins having prophetic dreams about the judgment coming upon America. Through one of Danny’s dreams, they l
earn about the imminent threat of an EMP attack which will wipe out America’s electric grid, sending the country into a technological dark age.
Living in a nation where life-sustaining systems of support are completely dependent on electricity and computers, the odds for survival are dismal. Municipal water services, retail food distribution, police, fire, EMS and emergency services will come to a screeching halt.
If they want to live through the most catastrophic period in American history, Danny and Alisa will have to race against time to get prepared, before the lights go out.
You’ll also enjoy reading my first series,
The Economic Collapse Chronicles
Dealing with the challenges of being downsized during a period of surging inflation, Matt and Karen Bair face the economic realities of Main Street. Government borrowing and monetary creation have reached their limits and America is on the cusp of financial annihilation. When funds are no longer available for government programs, widespread civil unrest erupts across the country. Matt and Karen are forced to move to a more remote location, and their level of preparedness is revealed as being much less adequate than they believed prior to the crisis. Civil instability erupts into civil war, and Americans are forced to choose a side. Don’t miss this action-packed, post-apocalyptic tale about survival after the total collapse of America.
CLICK HERE to be notified when new books by Mark Goodwin are released!