by Ellis, Tara
Tom moved with a grace that was unusual in a man of his size, and it allowed him to get close without being heard or seen. Some distance from the fire, he heard the horses before he saw them. His breath coming faster, Tom saw a light bobbing, headed toward him.
“What the—” Tom breathed when he realized it was a flashlight he was seeing. Blinking a couple of times, he ignored the implications and instead focused on who was holding it. They were in total darkness now, and with the light out in front of him, it was impossible for Tom to make out the other man’s features.
He eased closer to the trees and horses, the tall, dew-laden grass masking his movement. The horse nearest him whinnied and tossed its head, catching a corner of the beam of light. It was Tango.
Tom’s nostrils flared. It was Ethan’s horse and the only other thing he was certain of was that the man moving closer was not his son. He was too big, his shoulders too broad. Kneeling down, Tom felt blindly around on the ground until his hand closed over a large stick. He chastised himself for not taking the time at some point during his trek to find something he could use as a weapon. Now, he’d have to make do with what he could find, even if it meant going up against armed men with a tree branch. It never occurred to him to leave and form a plan. He was single-minded in his desperation and not thinking clearly.
As the man walked past Tom on his way to Tango, he stood and without any hesitation, brought the stick down like a club with all of his strength. It connected with the back of the man’s head with a sickening thud and he staggered forward three steps before dropping, the flashlight disappearing into the thick grass.
Tom didn’t even stop to check and see if he was unconscious, he was already moving toward the fire when the other man hit the ground. Tom’s heart hammered in his ears, and his vision was narrowed. Time felt as if it were slowing down and he was moving through a heavy atmosphere.
Tom saw the fire, about thirty feet away. As he neared, two figures came into view, one with their back to him. On the other side of the campfire a smaller shape huddled under a sleeping bag, his head drooping.
Tom’s breath caught. It was Ethan. His son, wrapped in a sleeping bag, his face so battered that he hardly recognized him. Fury welled up in Tom’s chest, a hatred so strong that it scared him. He would kill whoever had done that to his son. With his bare hands, he’d kill him.
Tom shifted his attention to the target of his vengeance. The man’s back was to him, and he was also wrapped in a sleeping bag, but he wasn’t asleep. He was moving, turning towards him, likely having heard Tom as he’d begun running.
All Tom could think of in that moment was that he couldn’t get shot. He was taken back to the day on the trail, when he’d let his guard down and had failed at protecting his son. It would never happen again.
A guttural cry of rage escaped Tom as he threw himself into the other man’s back and knocked him to the ground.
Chapter 26
DANNY
North of Virginia, Idaho
Danny gazed up at the night sky, thinking that she’d never get used to the constant presence of the northern lights. They were extremely bright that night, with dark purple pillars cutting through the bluish-white billowing ribbons. She missed seeing the stars.
She opened her mouth to make a comment about it to Ethan, when she noticed that the boy had fallen asleep. Grinning, she leaned out and tossed another stick on the small fire they had going. It was the first time in several days that they’d kept one burning after eating dinner. The first few nights, the light had brought a peace of mind, but lately, it just made it too hot to sleep. Not that night, though.
Danny sat back on the log and pulled her sleeping bag back up, all the way to her head. She couldn’t get warm, which was a strange sensation to have after melting in the heat for a week. She looked back up at the lights and frowned. What were the odds that the atmosphere was extra-weird the same night that it was unseasonably cool? The storm with the odd lightning from the other night still weighed on her mind. Things were off, and in a world where everything else was turned inside-out, she’d hoped to at least be able to count on Mother Nature to keep it together.
Shaking her head, Danny wondered what was keeping Sam. He worried too much about the horses and had already checked on them twice now since they’d stopped. But that was just Sam being Sam, and she knew better than to try and control him. Danny had learned that much, at least, during their time together.
Grace snored from where she was curled up at Ethan’s feet under the sleeping bag with him. The two were inseparable, and Danny was trying not to be jealous. She didn’t blame Grace; the kid was pretty likable and in obvious need of a friend. The golden retriever was a perfect candidate since all she did was offer companionship without asking any questions.
Danny prayed they’d find Ethan’s dad, but chances were that it would be back at the rest stop where he’d last seen him. She wasn’t sure how they’d handle that, when the time came. The only thing she was sure of was that she’d be delivering Ethan home to his grandma at the Miller Ranch, no matter what. Ethan told them all about it, describing the rolling pastures and private lakes all backed up to the rugged mountains surrounding the valley. Danny was looking forward to visiting, after she had a nice, long reunion with her dad.
Her brows drew together at the thought of her own father. While Ethan seemed confident in his grandma’s ability to fend for herself, it was different for her dad. Maybe she was underestimating him. Rubbing her hands together under the sleeping bag, Danny tried to talk herself down from the building anxiety. The beta-blockers he took slowed his heart rate and lowered his blood pressure. He had narrowing of his coronary arteries, which was what led to his heart attack. If his pressure got too high and his heart rate went unchecked, it was only a matter of time before he suffered another, more serious heart attack, or else a stroke.
A sound behind her broke through her thoughts, and Danny started to turn, ready to give Sam a hard time for spending so much time obsessing over the horses. She registered something wasn’t right before she’d completed the turn. The steps were too heavy and coming too fast. Sam wouldn’t be running…rushing at her.
Before Danny had a chance to react, someone big slammed into her back, knocking her off the log, and the breath from her lungs. Stunned, she reacted without thinking, rolling onto her back and shoving at her attacker, attempting to push him off her. The face she looked into was so unexpected that she stopped struggling for a heartbeat to grasp what she was seeing.
The man’s shaggy black hair blended with his beard to obscure part of his features, but his intense green eyes were terrifying. They were wild with a savage bloodlust she’d never seen before. His face was swollen in places and shaded with healing bruises. His teeth flashed white in the dim light as he snarled and it compelled her to move.
Bringing her legs up she planted her feet solidly against the man’s chest and kicked out with all of her strength. Just before she launched him several feet through the air, his expression changed. His brows came together and his mouth opened in surprise, perhaps recognizing for the first time that his opponent was a woman.
Danny didn’t care. She wouldn’t let anyone ever hurt the boy again, and it certainly wasn’t going to be by some crazed lunatic. Scrambling to her feet, she reached for the 1911 that was secured in the leg holster she’d made earlier in the day. As she drew it, she became aware of Grace barking and Ethan shouting. Unable to decipher what he was saying, she held up her other hand, motioning for him to stay back.
“Stop!” Ethan screamed when the gun came out, struggling to untangle himself from the sleeping bag. “Stop, Danny!”
Danny squared off with the large man as she raised the gun. He’d already gotten to his feet and was gasping for air, also holding a cautionary hand out to Ethan. His eyes flitted from Ethan, to the growling dog, and then to the weapon. Instead of the fear Danny expected to see, it was more like…recognition.
The only reason she hadn’t alrea
dy pulled the trigger was because it was the last bullet and she didn’t want to miss. By the time she’d lined up the shot, Danny realized that something was off. Aside from being attacked by a wild man, none of it made sense, and there was something familiar about him. The way he stood, the shape of his jaw, the color of his eyes.
“Dad!” Ethan was crying now and moved in between the gun and the man, blocking the shot Danny had already decided not to take.
Tom threw his arms around his son, obviously confused and looking at Danny over Ethan’s head like she was still an adversary.
Sam staggered into the firelight then, moaning and holding a hand to the back of his head. He took one look at Tom and Ethan and then cautiously approached Danny. Reaching out, he placed a hand over hers, pushing it down. She’d still been pointing the gun at them, and holding her breath. Danny made a small whimpering sound as she drew a ragged breath and fought against the fight-or-flight response surging through her body.
“It’s okay,” Sam urged, taking the weapon from her.
Her heart still racing, Danny managed to blink a few times and took a step back. Grace came to her and she knelt down, reaching out blindly for the dog. Tasting blood, Danny dabbed at the corner of her mouth, then gingerly touched her right cheek, where her face had taken the brunt of the fall. It was going to leave a mark. The man sure had a way of making an entrance.
Ethan stepped back then and looked over at Sam and Danny, the bruises unable to mask his happiness. “It’s okay, you guys,” he said, his smile growing. He turned back to Tom and hugged him again, his voice muffled as he spoke against his broad chest.
“This is my dad.”
Fallout
The Flashpoint Series Book 3
Preface
The world is reeling in the wake of a cataclysmic event that is still unfolding. The gamma-ray burst traveled thousands of light-years through space to instantly decimate a third of the planet. Gamma radiation then fatally poisoned half of those left alive, sickening the rest to varying degrees. An electromagnetic pulse was also unleashed when the ray impacted the Earth’s atmosphere, one more powerful than anything imagined. With all of the electricity and most technology erased worldwide, those left behind are forced to forge their way blindly through a terrifying landscape.
A handful of survivors are navigating their way towards home, the small town of Mercy. When their paths crossed in both fortunate and ill-fated ways, they understood that there is strength in numbers and a mutual desire.
Danny is on a mission to reach her father, but in doing so, is forced to face her own demons. In her profession as an emergency responder, she’s experienced death so many times that it makes it easier for her to compartmentalize what’s happening around her. While this allows Danny to cope with the ever-changing threats in a way that impresses her companion, Sam, it terrifies her.
Tom, separated from his son, was willing to do anything to get him back. Even if it meant compromising his own morals. Meanwhile, his son Ethan struggled to escape the clutches of two evil convicts and the trail of death they left in their wake. Both father and son have been challenged and changed, and, although reunited, their journey together is far from over.
Sheltered in a steep valley of the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana, Mercy acts as a refuge. Mayor Patty vowed to protect the residents of Mercy, and thought she had a clear vision of how to do it, until faced with turning people away. Survival has a different meaning to everyone and Patty is slowly coming to understand that she isn’t sure what it means to her. There’s a fine line between protection and sacrifice and what drives both.
The first of our travelers to reach the safety of Mercy, Chloe, has learned the devastating truth behind the flashpoint event. Cut off from her parents and left to rely on strangers, the troubled teen must come to terms with her new reality and find her place in it.
General Montgomery knows what has to be done. He’s been making the hard decisions for most of his life, and the continued existence of the citizens of the United States has fallen on his broad shoulders. With martial law declared, the general has the power to decide for the people, and is willing to lose some in order to save many more. In a world where most can’t see clearly, he knows what the endgame is and will do anything to bring as many survivors as possible to it with him.
Russell doesn’t care about the people, or the game, or where it’s all headed, because he already knows, too. The Earth is purging herself. Russell’s there to help, and believes he can do it best in a place called Mercy.
Chapter 1
JAMES
Master Sergeant, US Marines, 1st Force Reconnaissance
Mount Weather, Virginia
Whop, whop, whop
The blades of the Huey beat a rhythm against gravity as it descended towards the cement landing pad of Mount Weather. Dirt swirled in the air and billowed out, announcing their arrival to the silent, lifeless facility.
Spread out over more than five hundred acres, numerous buildings sat on a wooded hill, surrounded by a ten-foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. Some of those buildings had burned to the ground, taking patches of the forest with it. Motionless vehicles were scattered in between the structures, and although it was hard to be certain, smaller indistinguishable forms on the ground were likely employees of the special facility. They weren’t moving.
Master Sergeant James Campbell wore a grim expression, noticeable even behind his aviation sunglasses and headset. He looked older than his twenty-nine years under the weight of responsibility. The Marine was a large man and created an impressive profile in the open door of the Huey as he looked out at the mysterious compound. He’d heard about Mount Weather, of course, but being there was something James thought he’d never experience. The past ten days had been full of so many surprises, and he was more than ready for a little bit of normalcy, but the sergeant was a realist and knew they were in for a long wait for normalcy.
As the helicopter touched down, James hung his head for a moment. He’d envisioned himself and the six men who made up his special force’s unit celebrating the accomplishment. It had taken over two days and four stops for refueling to reach their target. No small feat, considering the logistics involved in not only plotting the course, but successfully getting the fuel loaded each time without any electricity. Only, now that they were there, it was obvious there was nothing to celebrate.
James had been briefed that after initial contact on day one of the flashpoint, there was radio silence from Mount Weather for the past nine days, and all were presumed dead from gamma radiation. Apparently, no amount of rock was enough shielding. Being there and seeing it was altogether different and a sudden unease settled deep within his stomach as James thought of the darkened chambers deep in the bowels of the mountain.
The last two military bases they’d stopped at for fuel proved to be nothing short of a nightmare. Like scenes ripped from some cheesy horror film, the few buildings they’d taken the time to enter revealed that death by radiation was a slow process. A slow, bloody, and messy way to die.
“Sarge?”
Sergeant Campbell looked over slowly at his second-in-command. Jay was also his best friend so he knew the man wasn’t fishing for an explanation. It was simply a prompt to get him moving. James yanked his headset off and snatched up the leather briefcase at his feet. “Let’s get this done.”
The landing pad was near the main entrance, so they had a fair distance to cover on foot. James didn’t mind. Some fresh air out in the open sunlight was just what he needed. His 6’4” muscular frame and calm demeanor had earned him the nickname of Bear in high school, but as a Marine in bootcamp, Terminator became his new handle. James knew there was some witty joke to be made about the Terminator being in a secret underground bunker, but he’d lost his ability to make light of the situation.
Initially ignoring another body lying next to a personal vehicle, James was bothered by something. He stopped and pulled off his sunglasses, re
vealing startling blue eyes. Running a hand over his light brown hair, already outgrowing his normal high-and-tight buzz cut, he turned to look back at the woman. Her face was bloated and discolored after lying in the sun for more than a week. She still had a purse in her hand, the car keys on the ground near her feet.
“What is it, Sarge?” one of his men asked uneasily. He looked around like a rabbit who heard multiple sources of possible threats, although the silence was tangible.
James pointed at the woman with his M4 Carbine, his thick brows drawing together. “You think she was trying to get into her car when she collapsed? I was told they lost all communication shortly after the flashpoint, but was the radiation so bad that they didn’t even make it out of the facility alive?”
“I thought the idea behind this place was to bring the government here when the SHTF,” Jay countered. “Why would anyone try to leave?”
“For the same reason no one from DC made it here,” James replied as he began walking again. “This was never the intended scenario.” He waved his free hand at the sky. “Nuclear attack, yes. Killer solar beam from outer space that hit without any warning? Nope. Just like that woman back there, aside from the fact that anyone near the East Coast was sick and dying before they could find any working form of transportation, their last thoughts would have been to be with their families. Even if the pre-selected government officials stuck to protocol and tried to bug-out here, based on what we’re seeing here, I don’t think they would have made it.”
“Not that it would have done them any good,” Jay muttered.
James grunted. His friend had a point. Clearly, there wasn’t any way to counter the radiation. “We can add this place to our list of black zones.”
In addition to running recon for supplies and retrieving the survivor list at Mount Weather, they had also been tasked with trying to clearly define the dead zones. Armed with a map of the States, they were labeling areas where everyone was deceased as black zones, those with survivors but acutely ill and dying as red zones, and other areas with people sick enough to need medical intervention as yellow zones. So far, the first two bases they stopped at were both red. Everything else was black, and James suspected that would be the case for over half the country.