Heather shook her head and pulled out a pair of khakis as she turned to smile at him. “No. I’m glad they’re going to get put to good use. When everything happened, I realized these might be what Travis would have to wear soon. Luke would want them to be used by those in need. I’m guessing you’re in need,” she added, turning back to grab a shirt.
“Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this,” Wolf told her.
“There’s a bathroom there you can change in,” she said to Regan. “I’ll leave the candle here for you.”
“Thank you,” Regan murmured.
“It’s my pleasure. Really, I’m happy to help. I’ll leave you two to get dressed. If you would, leave the wet clothes in the tub and we can hang them to dry in the morning,” she said with a friendly smile.
Maybe it was the candlelight, but the woman seemed so kind and warm. The house felt cozy, too, even if it was half the size of Wolf’s home on the island. Heather left the room, leaving Regan and Wolf alone for the first time in what felt like forever. Regan walked right into his arms, her face resting against his damp chest as his arms came around her.
“That was pretty stupid what you did back there,” he muttered, running his hands up and down her back.
“What I did? I didn’t provoke a crazy woman and stay behind on a burning island. She was going to kill you, Wolf. I don’t know what you did to make her hate you so much, but I was really scared,” she admitted.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, holding her more tightly. “There was a moment there when I wasn’t sure things were going to turn out too good for any of us. And, for the record, I never did anything to make her hate me. She was sick. She refused to get help. I couldn’t take the constant pushing anymore. She only wanted me because of who I was—I was her competition. Nothing more.”
Regan had gathered as much from the brief conversations she’d heard between the two of them. They certainly couldn’t have had a healthy relationship.
“Who’s Luke?” she asked, thinking back to what Heather had said.
Wolf took a deep breath, the movement enough to cause Regan’s face to rise and fall when he exhaled. “He was her husband. He was shot in the line of duty a year ago.”
“Oh wow, how horrible,” Regan breathed out. “She seems like such a nice person—so friendly. It’s hard to believe she went through something so rough, so recently.”
“Yes, it was awful. The community rallied around her. She’s always been very strong. Travis helps her a lot, too.”
“Good. I’m glad she has someone.”
Wolf stepped away from her with that, gently nudging her toward the bathroom. “Go change. We don’t want to be in here too long. I don’t want to deal with Lily’s attitude right now, and some of the others may be damp enough that they want some dry clothes, as well.”
Regan nodded, taking the clothes she’d been given and heading into the bathroom to change. Heather was a little taller than her, but the clothes fit perfectly. She could only be relieved to get out of her wet, sandy clothing. She placed it in the bathtub like Heather had requested, and when she opened the door, Wolf handed her his wet clothing, as well.
They shared a quick kiss before rejoining the group in the small living room. Travis was leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest as he surveyed the group. He turned to look at her and she thought she saw his nostrils flare. Regan just managed to hold in a sigh. It was hard to imagine what horrible stories Lily had told him about her.
Tabitha and Geno were huddled on the couch, with Lily sitting next to Tabitha and Fred on the other side of her. RC stood against the opposite wall in the same stance as Travis. Regan felt awkward standing in the middle of the room, and moved to sit on the floor next to the entryway table. Wolf moved up to stand next to his father. There was a thick awkwardness in the room with no one talking.
And then Heather came into the room carrying a tray with glasses on it. “Here’s some fresh water.”
Everyone quickly grabbed a glass, sucking the water down in seconds. Regan’s throat had been unspeakably dry after the smoke and saltwater, not to mention the exertion of getting away from the island and then here. The water felt good coating her raw throat.
There was a round of thank-yous before Heather returned the tray and empty glasses to the kitchen. She came back into the room immediately afterward, taking the one available chair and folding her hands in her lap.
“What happened?” Travis asked once his mother was settled.
“Travis,” Heather admonished. “Don’t be rude.”
“It’s fine,” Wolf said, sliding down the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him.
“I’m sorry I don’t have much furniture,” Heather said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
“It’s fine,” Wolf assured her, looking up at his father, who sat down next to him after a moment.
Everyone turned to look at Travis then, the last man standing. Regan thought it was a bit of a power struggle. He was the man of the house and wanted everyone to know it. Somehow, it was actually endearing.
“Have a seat, Travis,” Heather said in a soft voice.
Travis looked at her before dropping to the floor himself, his knees bent up in front of him and his wrists resting on his knees.
“The island is on fire,” Wolf said simply.
Heather’s mouth dropped open. “Oh no! Lightning?”
“Yes,” Wolf answered.
Lily scoffed. “No, not just that. My crazy ex-stepmother.”
Heather looked at Wolf. “What? You were married?”
Regan smirked. Despite the awkward look on Wolf’s face, she was glad she wasn’t the only who’d been in the dark about Wolf’s history.
“Yes. We divorced a long time ago,” he said simply.
“Six years ago,” Lily clarified.
Wolf shot her a look over the arm of the couch. Lily shrugged a shoulder in response.
“Virginia, my ex-wife, was jealous, and trapped us inside the house. Lightning struck a tree which fell on the house, and that’s how the fire started,” he said, staring at Lily while he said it. “It spread from there.”
“Well, we could have put it out if she hadn’t had us locked in that room. She had a little army. They had guns,” Lily added for dramatic effect.
“Are you okay?” Travis asked, concern creeping into his voice.
Lily smiled. “I’m fine. We managed to escape.”
Heather shook her head. “The house is a loss?”
Wolf nodded. “It is, as is the island and everything I had stockpiled.”
Heather tisked. “I’m so sorry. That is terrible. You’re welcome to stay here. I know it’s small and we have very little, but I’m willing to share.”
“Thank you,” Wolf answered, but he was already shaking his head. “We’ll be moving on. We don’t want to impose. We only came here tonight because of the storm,” Wolf added with a smile.
“Where will you go?” Heather asked.
“The swamp,” Lily grumbled.
“The swamp?” Heather echoed as if she wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly.
Wolf cleared his throat. “When all of this started, I was filming for my new season of the show. We were deep in the swamp.”
Heather nodded, clearly still not understanding. “Oh,” she said.
Fred sat forward. “We feel the swamp will be safer. There are too many people here. Too many risks. There’s not much there in the way of supplies, but we were able to save some things from the island before we left, and there is something of a framework in place to build out there.”
Heather nodded her head in understanding. “Ah, I understand. It is dangerous out here. It’s hard to tell what’s hiding on any given street.”
“You should go with us,” Lily blurted out.
Everyone in the room turned to look at her. Regan’s eyes darted over to Wolf, judging his reaction. He looked taken aback, but quickly recovered.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Heather said with an awkward smile.
Regan could see the hope in her eyes, though—and it was the final strike in telling her that the swamp made sense. If this woman who’d been living in her own home on the mainland was prepared to abandon it, in hopes of joining a group in the middle of nowhere…that meant something. From the look in her eyes, Heather knew her time in her own home was limited.
Wolf was right. The gangs had to be spreading out like a group of locusts, devouring everything in sight—including the people.
“It’s an option,” Wolf said, his eyes moving between Heather and Lily.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to leave my house,” Heather whispered.
“Mom, you said we were going to have to go any day now,” Travis hissed.
“Shh,” she shushed her son.
Travis looked around the group, and then back to his mother, but there was no disguising the hope in his voice. “Mom, they can keep us safe. We can work together.”
“Why don’t we talk about it in the morning?” Wolf suggested. “The two of you might want to discuss it without all of us listening in, I’m sure,” he added, looking pointedly at his daughter.
Heather nodded her head. “Yes, good idea. You’ve all had a rough day. Let me see what I can find for blankets and pillows.”
Tabitha had been resting her head against Geno’s chest. She looked as if she was ready to sleep right where she was—even Lily’s sudden invitation had barely phased her.
“Please, don’t go to any trouble,” Wolf said, getting to his feet.
“We’ll all be fine here,” RC added.
Regan felt the exhaustion and the adrenaline rush fading as they spoke, pulling her down, as well. She could sleep right where she was, without a doubt. Still, Heather ignored their protests and returned a few minutes later carrying a stack of blankets in varying sizes and colors. She quickly distributed them before excusing herself, dragging her son along as well and insisting that he also get to bed.
In seconds, they’d all lain down in various spots around the living room, barely in their own spaces. Just like they had stretched out on the ground together while first traveling, on so many nights on their way out of the swamp.
“I can’t believe we’re going back to the swamp,” Geno muttered.
“Me, either,” Regan agreed.
“At least it will be much easier going back in than it was coming out,” Fred rationalized.
Regan wasn’t quite so sure. She thought about the people they had encountered on the way. Would they still be there? Were they all dead? She closed her eyes, blocking everything out and focusing on sleep. She didn’t want to think about any of it anymore. It was a problem for tomorrow.
26
Lily
Dear Diary:
Everything has changed. My home is gone. Everything is gone. Even my diary. I’m starting over in a new notebook Heather was nice enough to give me. I wasn’t going to bother. What’s the point? Heather told me writing is a good way to work through my feelings and encouraged me to keep writing. She said, one day, I’m going to look back at these diary entries and smile. She says even bad times have a tendency to look a little better with some distance. I don’t know about that, but I know Heather has had a lot of bad times in her life. I’m going to take her word for it.
Everyone is inside, eating breakfast. I needed a few minutes to myself. Everyone is in a state of shock, I think. Like, no one is really talking. Even Fred. We’re all devastated. The quiet was freaking me out a little, so now I’m outside sitting under a tree and thinking. I still cannot believe my ex-stepmom burned down our house and the island. I can’t believe we lost everything. I have no clothes, none of my things—nothing.
My heart hurts thinking about how much we lost, and I don’t just mean the house. Everything I had was there. The house and food is a big deal, obviously, but Dad keeps saying that it will be okay. I know Dad is worried, even though he’s trying to pretend he isn’t. They’re all worried.
Yesterday was a nightmare. I can’t believe Virginia turned out to be so evil. Why us? Why did she have to take everything? My dad says we’re going back to the swamp. I know nobody really wants to go. Regan hates the swamp. I saw how scared she was. I’m not really excited to go, either, but Dad is convinced bad guys are going to be coming to town soon and that our lives will be way worse if we stay here.
I know I said a lot of bad stuff about Regan in my last diary. I’m not exactly her best friend, but I think I have to give her a bit of a break. Last night, she saved my dad. I have to give her some credit. Plus, she helped me in the storeroom. She was the only one who went back in. I guess she’s not as bad as I thought. I’m still not happy that she moved in on my dad so fast, but I think she really cares about him. No one else was brave enough to stand up to Virginia. Only Regan.
Now, we’re here with Travis and Heather. My dad pulled me aside this morning and told me I need to talk with him before I invite anyone else to join us. It’s Heather and Travis, though. They aren’t just anyone. It isn’t like we’re bringing them into our house. We don’t have a house. We don’t have food. We have nothing. He said he understands why I invited them, but wants to make sure I don’t go handing out invitations without talking with him first in the future. Like I would do that—he should know me better than that, but I guess I surprised him when I invited them.
I’m just glad we all got off the island alive. I was so scared…more scared than I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve never seen Grandpa so worried before, either. When we drove up and down the shoreline looking for Dad, I could see how scared he was. He told me to look in the water in case Dad had tried to swim away. Fred took one side and I took the other. I thought for sure he was dead.
I think Travis is worried about his mom, too. We got to talk for a few minutes this morning. He said one of the men in town has been giving her a hard time. They have to go with us. Travis said, if they don’t go with us, they’re still leaving. I laughed when he said he was the man of the house, but I knew what he meant. He’s protecting his mom, which is really sweet.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen today. I’m dreading the swamp—like, seriously dreading it. I’ve seen alligators before, but in the swamp, without a boat or anything, and no warnings, that’s scary. I know my dad is used to the whole outdoor survival thing, and I don’t mind camping, but this is going to be the real thing. I kind of hope we stay here for a few more days.
I’m afraid. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m scared. This is the real thing. This is what my dad has been preparing for, but I’m not ready. I don’t want to live in a hut in the swamp. I don’t want to never have electricity again or running water. I can’t think about it anymore.
If I never write another page, I guess whoever finds this will know what happened. I died. Maybe we all died.
I hear someone coming. It’s time to go. Bye, for now—I hope.
End of Surviving the Refuge
Survivalist Reality Show Book Two
Surviving the Swamp, 7 March 2019
Surviving the Refuge, 11 April 2019
Surviving the Elements, 9 May 2019
PS: Do you love post-apocalyptic fiction? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts from Surviving the Elements and Dead Lines.
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About Grace Hamilton
Grace Hamilton is the prepper pen-name for a bad-ass, survivalist momma-bear of four kids, and wife to a wonderful husband. After being stuck in a mou
ntain cabin for six days following a flash flood, she decided she never wanted to feel so powerless or have to send her kids to bed hungry again. Now she lives the prepper lifestyle and knows that if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens, she’ll be ready to help protect and provide for her family.
Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"
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BLURB
Wolf has watched his entire world go up in flames. Now, Regan must help him pick up the pieces if they hope to survive…
After the total disintegration of the island, Regan, Wolf, and the rest of the group decide to return to the one place they’ve called home—the swamp. However, returning isn’t as easy as it seems. The journey across Florida presents a whole new range of horrors as society breaks down, made all the worse when one of their own gets seriously injured. Plus, the team must face the trek with two new members whom some believe don’t belong with them at all.
With danger and supply shortages at every step, questions are raised whether or not they’re making the best choice in returning. And while Regan believes she’s learned her lesson—groups are the way to go—it’s terrifying to make the final leap and fight not just survive... but to live.
Get your copy of Surviving the Elements
Available 9 May 2019
www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com
Surviving the Refuge (Survivalist Reality Show Book 2) Page 26