Flashpoint Box Set, Vol. 1 | Books 1-3

by Ellis, Tara

  “Because if all of their electronics are wiped out and they’ve been cut off for the past five days, they might be getting pretty desperate,” Ripley explained. The attractive young woman was barely recognizable from when the trek had started. Her company shirt was dirty, sweat-stained, and torn from when she’d fallen. Her lower legs were covered in scratches from the unplanned, unmaintained trail, and her long brown hair was a matted mess. The intense UV rays had also burned her face, and she’d broken out in fever blisters on her lips so it was painful for her to even talk.

  “Why should they be desperate?” Trevor countered, setting his pack next to Crissy’s and leaning his back against hers for support. They’d been forced to give him another EpiPen the night before after a second allergic episode and the teen was left weakened and pale. “Living out here in the middle of nowhere, I bet they lose power all the time in the winter. Five days isn’t that long.”

  “This isn’t just five days without power,” Chloe replied, kicking at a rock. It was discouraging to reach their goal, only to realize they might yet face another obstacle. She just wanted to drink a gallon of water, eat a burger, and sleep in a soft bed for twenty-four hours. She pushed her short black hair back from her face, thinking of how the purple tips had seriously lost any of their original appeal. “If it was only that, they’d be running generators. But they’re not.”

  “No, they’re not.” Bishop’s voice was ominous.

  “Which means they’ve truly been without any power for five days. So, no refrigerators, no running water—”

  “And no cars,” Trevor interrupted Chloe. She didn’t think it was possible, but his face took on a paler hue. “Do you think all of their, like…electronics and stuff got fried, too, like our radios and phones? I mean, yeah, of course they must have, but man. Seriously. This is really messed up.”

  “How are we going to get home?” Crissy looked panicked.

  Bishop put his hands up. “Woah. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Like I said, we don’t know what the situation is. It might not be that bad. Or, it could be limited to this area, and there’s already help here or on the way. I just want us all to be aware that we shouldn’t waltz into town asking to be taken care of. If they’re already struggling to fend for themselves, five strangers will be a low priority.”

  Chloe nodded and fought against a fresh wave of anxiety when she imagined how they would look, walking into town in their dirty clothes and unwashed hair. They were a pretty rough-looking group at the moment. What were they supposed to do if no one would help them? She was almost out of water and down to her last couple of snacks.

  Chloe looked up at the darkening sky and saw the first of the stars twinkling to life. She found it reassuring to see that something hadn’t changed, but then she noticed the flickering of the northern lights chasing the last of the sunlight away and her anxiety increased. Turning from the odd display, she instead studied the thick evergreens surrounding them. It still felt like they were a long way from civilization, although Bishop estimated it was less than five miles to downtown Mercy. Birds called to each other in the twilight and the aroma of warmed pine needles completed the confusing masquerade of normalcy. Chloe glanced at the abandoned cars and then up again at the brightening ribbons of purple and red to remind herself that things weren’t normal. She wondered if they ever would be.

  “Come on.” Ripley tugged at Crissy and Trevor, eliciting moans. “It’s already late. I’d like to try and make our arrival as undramatic as possible.”

  Trevor stood wearily and helped Crissy up. In spite of everything he’d endured, he was still remaining optimistic and supportive to his friends. Chloe thought about how she’d misjudged him as she watched him lift Crissy’s pack for her. She’d always considered herself a good judge of character, and it made her wonder how many other people she’d been wrong about.

  They made their way out to a road that seemed to be heading in the general direction of town, but they didn’t make it more than a quarter mile before Chloe heard the distinct clopping of a horse coming toward them.

  “Hello!” Ripley called out before the animal came into view. “We don’t want to startle your horse.”

  The clip-clop slowed and then horse and rider appeared as they rounded a bend on the steeply slanted road. Chloe saw it was a middle-aged woman with thick black hair pulled back in a ponytail. She sat astride the horse in a way that left no doubt she’d spent a lifetime doing it. The woman was also holding a rifle.

  “Name’s Carl Kingston,” Bishop said, stepping forward. “The kids call me Bishop. I’m one of the leaders and co-founder for Trek Thru Trouble. It’s a program—”

  “I know what it is,” the woman interrupted. “I donated to it last year. You and your crew are a long way off course. Your office is almost a hundred miles that way.” She gestured toward the shadowy mountains at her back.

  “We were on the Lewis and Clark trail when the…um, light happened,” Bishop explained. “Vehicles at our drop points didn’t work. Mercy was the closest civilization we could reach with the supplies we had.” He pointed at the rest of their group. “This is Ripley, I mean Emily, and three of our kids. The rest of us got split up, unfortunately. We’re hoping the other four will make it here in a few days.”

  The woman shifted in her saddle and then lowered the rifle, resting it across her lap. Chloe let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and began breathing again.

  “Name’s Sandy Miller. I apologize for the unfriendly greeting. Things are a bit restless right now and, no offense, but you’re looking a little ragged.”

  Crissy started crying. “Do you have a phone?” She wiped at her face and then winced when her tears got into an open blister. “I really want to call my mom.”

  It was rapidly getting darker, but Chloe was still able to see the change in Sandy’s demeanor as her features softened. “How long have you been out there?” She directed the question to Bishop.

  “Seven days.” Bishop removed his ballcap and took a small step towards Sandy. “Please. We have no idea what’s going on. If you could help us get some water and information, I can work on getting these kids reunited with their parents and we’ll be on our way.”

  Sandy shifted in her saddle again and looked at each of them, ending with Chloe. Chloe met her gaze and was disturbed to see tears welling in the older woman’s eyes.

  “I’m afraid it isn’t going to be that easy. Come on.” Sandy urged her horse into motion. “Follow me. My ranch is just a mile up the road here. We’ll get you cleaned up.”

  Chloe was so utterly exhausted that she barely noticed the impressive arched entrance to the Miller ranch, made of huge raw timbers. A half-moon and the northern lights provided enough illumination to reveal the A-frame log home, complete with wrap-around porch and a massive barn not far behind it. It was all tucked on a plateau of one of the mountains that encircled Mercy. Acres of fenced pasture surrounded them, all bordered by thick evergreen woods nestled below sharp, jagged mountain peaks that rose above them in the near distance.

  “Wow,” Trevor whistled. “My mom would love this.”

  “My son Tom runs the ranch now, but he’s…not here at the moment.” Sandy gracefully dismounted her horse and tied him to a hitching post near the home’s entrance. “I’ll get you all settled and then tend to Skywalker.” She ran a hand down Skywalker’s silky neck before leading the way up the wide steps.

  Chloe gratefully removed her pack and shoes and set her gear next to everyone else’s on the porch before entering the house. Sandy was in the process of going around the large open room, lighting candles. It revealed a river-rock fireplace that filled half of one wall. Chloe remembered seeing something similar in a ski lodge once, and was fascinated with how much work must have gone into creating it. Over-stuffed leather couches occupied the center of the room, arranged in front of the hearth. In the soft candlelight, Chloe couldn’t see much else, but got a strong sense of history and family. Sandy w
aved a hand at them, encouraging them to move further into the room.

  “Please, sit down.” Sandy chose to perch on the edge of the fireplace, but immediately stood again and began pacing, looking nervous. “I have a lot to tell you.”

  Chapter 7

  PATTY

  Mercy, Montana

  “I don’t know what to do, Patty.” Dr. Melissa Olsen was seated at a small table across from Patty. A floor lamp and two candles offered just enough light in the doctor’s office to see by. The second of the town’s two diesel generators grumbled from outside in the alley. “I should have admitted this days ago—I don’t have nearly enough help and we need to move to a bigger building.”

  Patty looked down at the list of names on the papers under her hands. She’d come by to get the latest reports from Melissa, and it was immediately clear that they needed to make some changes. Most of her initial patients had either died or gone home, but she still had several housed in the three small exam rooms. Even at the late hour, six people were crowded into the small waiting room out front. From the confines of Melissa’s office, Patty could hear sobbing and moaning, mixed in with several conversations. A twinge of guilt made her take a heavy breath.

  “Melissa, I’m sorry.” Patty reached across the table and took the younger woman’s hands. If she and Caleb had had a daughter, she’d be about her age. “I should have stopped back in sooner. I made an assumption that you had enough hands in here and I didn’t consider the ongoing health issues that are coming up.”

  “It’s okay,” Melissa said quickly. “None of us could have known. Matt and Em have been great,” she added, referring to the one nurse in town and her normal medical assistant. “But I need more.”

  Patty flipped the top sheet over and looked at the second and third. “Three more deaths? I thought there were only two.”

  “Sheriff Waters found Mrs. Dutton a couple of hours ago,” Melissa explained. “I gave him a list of patients to check on for me. She was an insulin-dependent diabetic and had a hard time getting around. I should have thought of her sooner. I should have—”

  “Don’t,” Patty interrupted. “Don’t blame yourself. You can’t. It’s impossible for you to be responsible for everyone.”

  Melissa nodded. “I know that, except it doesn’t make the guilt go away.”

  Patty stood and placed her hands on the table, looking stoically at her friend. “Melissa, right now we can’t afford the luxury of feeling guilty. These first few weeks are going to be the worst, but I strongly believe that if we can make it through them, we’ll be okay. Now, tell me how I can help. What do you need?”

  “The cafeteria at the school.”

  “Really?” It wasn’t what Patty had expected.

  Melissa shoved another paper across the table at her and Patty recognized a rough floorplan of the high school. “I’ll treat it like a mass casualty triage. Frankly, I was surprised this wasn’t included in the disaster plan.”

  Patty took the drawing and was impressed at how organized it was. “Do we have this many cots?”

  Shaking her head, Melissa pointed at the drawing. “Turn it over. I list the supplies and ideas of where to get them. The fire department has a few, as do the police. I have a few, too. I suggest putting a call out, since I’m sure there are some people with camping cots that would work. I can use the cafeteria space and utilities to a limited degree with the generator. A couple of the volunteers in the fire department are EMTs and they’ve agreed to work a couple of shifts a week, but I’ll need more.”

  Patty sat back down and tipped her head questioningly at the doctor. “Melissa, this looks good and you know you have my full support, but do you really need this much?”

  Right on cue, Em stuck her head into the office and looked apologetically at Melissa. “Sorry, Doc, I think we’ve got another dehydration case. Pretty severe.”

  “Enough to warrant one of the last bags of fluid?” Melissa asked, her face a mask of concern.

  “Maybe.” Em looked at Patty and smiled. “Hey, Mayor. Didn’t you use to be a nurse? Wanna start a line?”

  Patty grimaced at the girl who didn’t look any older than eighteen. “I could, but I don’t think your patient would appreciate it. It’s been nearly twenty years since I did much nursing.”

  Em shrugged and turned back to Melissa. “And two more patients just came in. Look like the others.”

  Patty watched the door close and then blinked at Melissa. “What was that about?”

  “The reason I need so many beds,” Melissa answered. She rubbed at her eyes and Patty noticed how pronounced the bags under them were getting. “I’m pretty sure it’s radiation poisoning.”

  Patty blanched. She’d had a mild headache for two days but had been writing it off as stress and lack of sleep.

  “So far, it’s primarily infants, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.” Melissa pushed yet another sheet of paper at Patty. “I’ve made a list of the symptoms; it lines up with everything I’ve read about gamma radiation. But,” she urged, “I think it qualifies as mild. Especially since it was five days after the event before anyone started complaining.”

  “I’ve had a headache,” Patty said, her voice hoarse. “Caleb, too.”

  “Could be radiation,” Melissa confirmed. “Or it could be from you pushing yourself way too hard, Patty. You’re almost seventy. It’s ten at night and I’ll bet you have hours of things left to check off your list for the day. When was the last time you slept in your bed?”

  Patty ignored the question. “What are you able to do about them? The patients with radiation poisoning.”

  Melissa leaned back in her seat and let Patty get away with the side-stepping. “In a normal world, I’d send them to Helena for hospitalization, where they’d get IV fluids, anti-nausea medication, anti-diarrhea meds, and, depending on bloodwork, other supportive measures for their internal organs. However, given the current circumstances, it depends on how severe it is. I have a very limited amount of medicine. This is set up as a small clinic. I do have all of those things stocked up and even quite a bit of extra fluids because I like to be prepared, but it isn’t nearly enough.”

  “Homeopathic remedies?” Patty suggested.

  Melissa smiled. “More like over-the-counter, though that’s a good suggestion that I’ll look into. The store and even most people stock antacids and Pedialyte. Sports drinks that have electrolytes are also beneficial. Basically, I’m doing everything I can to keep them hydrated without using IV fluids, but I’ve already had to resort to it with a handful of patients. Normally, I think it would be a fairly easy recovery but I’m worried about our more fragile population, especially once I run out, if this goes on for too long.”

  Em poked her head in again and Melissa stood. “I better get back out there.”

  “I’ll talk to Sheriff Waters and Fire Chief Martinez,” Patty promised, standing with her. “We’ll move you to the school tomorrow and find some more help for you, too.”

  Melissa gave a tired smile. “Thank you. We’ve been lucky, you know,” she added as they walked out together to the front door. “So far, things have been manageable for the most part. That could change quickly.”

  Patty spent several years working in a busy emergency department and she knew exactly what Melissa meant. And she was right. Walking out onto the dark street, she quickly dug the flashlight out of her sweatshirt pocket and snapped it on. She’d been living out in the country for years now and had never been fearful of the dark, but the past few days she found herself panicking in it.

  Quickly making her way down Main Street to City Hall, she made a point of saying hello to the few people she encountered along the way. While the town meeting and barbeque had created a sense of solidarity and helped to calm the rising tension, things were a long way off from being okay. They had only just begun to set some of the plans into motion, let alone adequately meeting everyone’s needs.

  She entered the meeting hall, which ha
d officially become their center of operations. Caleb was seated at the far end of the large circular oak table with Gary, who had become a surprisingly strong cornerstone in the town’s efforts to recover.

  “Do you really think six horses will be enough?” Gary was asking. “And only two stations? Why don’t we do three stations, here…here…and here. Then, with eight horses, we can complete a circuit to Helena in one day, instead of two.”

  Caleb frowned and sat back from the table, running his hands over his head. Patty recognized the gesture and readied herself to intervene. “I already told you, Gary,” he said with a heavy sigh. “The horses can’t be run that hard! There wouldn’t be any benefit to it. One station here in town, and one at the halfway mark. I’ve studied the Pony Express and I’m telling you, this is the best way to do it.”

  Gary noticed Patty first and waved her over. “What do you think?”

  She held her hands up to fend off the request. “Sorry, uh-uh. I have enough on my plate already. I’ll leave the whole Pony Express idea to you two. Although, I’m sure it’s a brilliant idea. All I know is that it ran for a while during the mid-1800s and the only reason it stopped was because of the telegraph and rail lines, both things we don’t have at the moment. Speaking of which, have the scouts gotten back yet?”

  Early the day before, two volunteers had set out for Helena on horseback. The mission was two-fold: to find out the state of the road and city, and to see how long the journey would take. A few residents had made it back to Mercy on foot, after being stranded after the flashpoint. One of them had come all the way from Helena, but they’d left immediately after the event and didn’t have much useful information other than it had been total chaos.

  Caleb looked concerned. “No, not yet.”

  “They were going to one of their relatives that lives on the outskirts,” Gary offered. “Hopefully they’re just resting for a day before heading back.”

  Patty tried to gather her thoughts. She had so many different things to work on, but the dull, persistent ache behind her eyes brought Melissa’s suggestion back to mind. She rubbed at the low throbbing in her temples, giving a slight groan and wishing she could be at home in bed already.