by Harley Tate
Madison smiled. The little cat loved the property and the surrounding forest. He hunted all night and sprawled out in a little patch of sun on the porch all day. It was cat paradise. Thanks to the generosity of Brianna and her family, not only Fireball, but Madison, her mom, dad, and friend Peyton all had a home. It was a place they could do more than survive the day. It was somewhere they could live.
Breathe. Sleep at night.
When the grid failed, Brianna helped them leave school and hit the road. She was the reason Madison and Peyton were alive. Madison owed her former roommate and her parents this garden. It would have to work.
Madison picked up the box of seeds beside her. “You ever think about what everyone from school is doing now?”
“No.”
Madison blinked. “Not once?”
“Never.” Brianna turned away, hiding her face from view. Her voice carried over her shoulder. “What’s the point? They’re either dead or will be.”
“I guess I—” Madison faltered, unsure what to say. Brianna’s boyfriend Tucker died on the way to the cabin.
After his makeshift funeral, Brianna acted as if college never existed. If Madison or Peyton brought up UC Davis, Brianna shut down or checked out.
She channeled all of her hurt and sadness into scouting missions or chopping firewood or inventorying their supplies. Brianna didn’t stop working until she collapsed into bed at night. It made for productive days, but Madison worried about what was going on inside her head. Did she think about Tucker? Did she blame herself for his death?
Madison would never be able to repay Brianna for the kindness of bringing her family to safety, but she wished she could ease the twenty-year-old’s burden. She stood up with the box of seeds under her arm. “I’m about to plant two rows of peas. Would you like to help?”
Brianna turned back around, her eyes glassy and bright. “I need to check on the traps.”
The mention of hunting roiled Madison’s stomach. Her father was out in the forest, miles and miles away from the cabin, hunting and gathering as much food as he could. Walter Sloane wasn’t a man for sitting around or failing to contribute. After only two days at the cabin, Madison’s father packed up and headed north. No one knew when he was coming home.
“Your dad will be all right. He’s tough as nails.”
Madison scrunched her nose. “Is it obvious?”
“That you’re worried?” Brianna flashed a weak smile. “Yeah, but your secret’s safe with me.” Stretching her arms wide, she closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the sun. As she relaxed, she slung her rifle onto her shoulder. “I guess hunting can wait. Let’s plant some peas.”
“Are you sure? I can manage if you need to go.”
Brianna shrugged. “Some company could do me good. Besides, it’s about time I learned some of this stuff.”
Together the two young women planted the rows, with Madison explaining depth of seed and ratio of soil to water. By the time they finished, a dusting of dirt covered their jeans and sweat dampened their backs.
“This is hard work.”
“Wait until the harvest comes in. We’ll be picking all day.”
Brianna stared down the mounded row of earth they made. “What will we do with all the produce?”
“Cook, can, dehydrate. You name it. If there’s a way to preserve it, we have to try. I do not want to end up like the Donner party.”
“Ew. I don’t care how hungry I am, eating dead people is not on my list of acceptable options.”
“Even if you’re starving?”
Brianna shook her head. “Not a chance. If I’m resorting to cannibalism, then I’m finding a fresh one.”
Madison groaned. “You’re so gross.”
“Is she making you smell her stinky armpits again?” Peyton bounded into the clearing and stopped a few steps away. At over six feet and built like a football player, he practically blotted out the morning sun.
“We were discussing the finer points of cannibalism, if you must know.”
Peyton pulled a face. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Brianna reached up and squeezed his arm, pretending to test it for muscle. “Afraid we’ll eat you first?”
Peyton pointed at his thighs. “There’s no oven big enough for these legs. But Madison over there is just the right size for that stock pot your mom uses to heat water.”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
The three former college kids erupted into a fit of laughter. After a moment, Madison wiped at her eyes. “At least the end of the world hasn’t killed our sense of humor.”
“Never.” Peyton leaned over and wrapped Madison in a sideways hug. “Want something else to cheer you up?”
She eyed him with suspicion. “Don’t tell me you’ve tried to cook breakfast again.”
“Not a chance. But I did figure out how to power the radio.”
Madison swallowed. “You did?”
“I haven’t heard anyone broadcasting yet, but there’s always a chance. It’s set up on the main porch.”
Madison scooped up her supplies and headed straight toward the line of trees and the kitchen cabin. If her father could find a way to broadcast, he would. She wanted to be there to hear it.
Chapter Two
WALTER
Northern California Forest
11:10 a.m.
Walter kneeled in front of the radio and watched the faces of two people he had come to count on as more than friends. Dani scowled at the dirt. Colt’s brow wrinkled and his teeth clenched. Although Colt volunteered to make the journey with Walter back to the Cliftons’ cabin, a few days’ delay let doubts creep in.
Thanks to steady drizzle and a terrain impossible to navigate without traction or the sun, Walter had been forced to put his departure on hold. But the sun shone this morning and the ground was dry enough to drag supplies along without digging a trench a mile deep. It was time to go.
He began to pack the radio. It had been a long two weeks in the woods of Northern California and Walter was thankful for the daily radio talks. He didn’t know if anyone heard his voice as he spoke into the void, but it centered him and gave him focus.
He glanced at Colt as the man crouched down beside him. “Did I sound all right this morning?”
Colt nodded.
“Thank you again for the radio. I’d missed broadcasting.” Five days of steady on-time broadcasts and calm had seeped back into Walter’s bones.
“Glad to help. I heard you one night in Eugene and thought you might want to pick it back up.”
Walter blinked. Colt heard him all the way up in Oregon?
They first met the day the power grid failed: an airline pilot and an air marshal. Chance put them on the same plane, but a solar storm destroyed the grid while they watched from 37,000 feet in the air. Walter landed the plane on a private runway and Colt kept order in the passenger cabin, but they parted ways the day after the EMP.
Thanks to a strange coincidence, and maybe some luck, they were back together again. Walter eased onto his heels as he thought about all that transpired in between. Making it down to Sacramento, barely escaping riots with his life, finding his family, and trekking to Truckee.
He asked Colt a question he’d often wondered. “Did it make a difference?”
“The broadcast?” Colt scratched his beard. “It did to me. Gave me hope. I knew you’d gone to Sacramento. If you were still alive, that meant all of us in Eugene had a chance to make it, too.”
“Good.” Walter let a smile show. “All I want is to give people the strength to carry on. If I can reach even one person…”
“Then you’ll have done something.”
Walter nodded. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” Colt stood and made his way across the little camp in the woods to where a teenage girl sat with a scrap of a dog in her lap. Dani might not be related to Colt by blood, but the two were as close as Walter and his daughter Madison.
Wa
lter thought about all the displaced families. All the people who were stuck like he was, hundreds or thousands of miles away from home, when the EMP hit. Madison had been so damn lucky.
If she’d gone on spring break like so many of her friends, would she be alive today? How would any college kid make it home from a beach in Mexico or a ski trip in the mountains?
At any moment in America, millions of people were flying, driving, riding on buses or trains. All going somewhere. When the EMP hit, how many were hundreds or thousands of miles away?
Six weeks later, how many were still alive? How many who struggled today would survive the winter?
Walter wasn’t sure the Clifton family would accept Colt, Dani, or their friend, James Larkin, but he had to try. Leaving them out in the forest with no shelter wasn’t an option.
His knees cracked and popped as he stood. Making his way across the camp, Walter paused in front of Colt and Dani. Their little dog, Lottie, yipped at him and Walter bent to scratch her head. “It’s time for me to go. The ground is dry enough and I need to seize the opportunity.”
Dani nodded, but didn’t say a word.
“Like I said before, I was hoping you would come with me.”
Dani glanced up, her lower lip caught between her teeth.
Walter pressed on. “I don’t know if the owners will let you stay, but I owe you a debt of gratitude. Not only did I welcome the company, but you made short work of all my tasks.”
Colt rose up, rubbing his face as he looked around the camp. “I know I agreed before, but I’ve got some doubts. I’m not sure we should impose.”
“Like I said, there’s no guarantee you can stay.”
Dani dug a trench in the dirt with her shoe, bending forward until stringy brown hair covered her face. She didn’t say a word. Not the warm reception Walter had hoped for. Lottie, the little dog belonging to one of their former group members, crouched against her feet, trembling.
Despite weighing only a handful of pounds, the little Yorkie proved herself a fearsome watchdog and retriever. Too bad her owner didn’t have the same will to survive. Melody was one of many to die in the last few weeks.
From what Colt explained, most of their group perished in one grisly way or another. If it wasn’t at the hands of a rogue militia, then nature or anger or fear swallowed them up, one by one.
Walter knew the dangers the current state of the country would bring. While the three people sharing his camp would be helpful as time wore on, their stockpile of guns and ammo could be invaluable. He wanted them to come with him, not just for the company, but for the protection they could provide.
A former Navy SEAL, Army major, and a scrappy teenager who fought off more men in the last forty-five days than MMA fighters over the course of a career. They were a motley, well-seasoned crew. Walter and the rest of his group could use their wits and muscle.
Convincing everyone to take a chance would be a challenge.
The lean-to constructed at the edge of the camp rustled to life. Major James Larkin’s sandy-blond head emerged from the pine boughs and drying leaves. He paused after stretching to his full height.
“Whoa. Somebody else die or what?” He made a show of counting the group on his fingers. “All remaining members present and accounted for, so what the hell is wrong?”
Walter spoke up. “It’s time I head back.”
Larkin’s lips thinned for a moment before he recovered. “I see.” His attention turned to Colt. “I suppose we should be on our way, then.”
Colt didn’t move from Dani’s side. “Walter’s offer still stands. He wants us to come with him.”
“For what, protection?”
“Or to stay.” Colt let out a breath and glanced at Walter. “We could make a trade: weapons for lodging.”
Walter kept the shock off his face. That Colt would be willing to give up some of their haul in exchange for a place to stay showed the good in him. Walter needed them to come.
Dani disagreed. “Colt, no!” She scooped up Lottie and jumped to her feet. “Look what happened last time we stayed with someone.” She clutched the only living member of the group Colt and Dani befriended in Eugene to her chest. The dog yipped.
“The kid’s got a point.” Larkin ran a hand through his hair before letting out a low whistle. “Death seems to follow us around.”
“I don’t believe that.” Walter walked over to the wood pile and picked up two more logs. He added them to the dwindling fire as he spoke. “Colt explained what happened. Those people made their own choices. You didn’t kill them.”
“Might as well have.” Dani stroked the dog’s fur as she looked to Colt for support. “We can’t go.”
Colt stared at her for a moment before glancing at Larkin. “There’s no harm in checking it out. We have to go somewhere; we can’t stay in the forest forever.”
Walter seized the opportunity to push his point. “We could use a few more hands at the cabin. Combine your skills with the weapon stash you’re lugging around and I’m sure the owners will see the value in your addition to the group.”
Larkin pressed on with Dani’s concerns. “We don’t have the best track record of keeping people alive.”
Walter shook his head. “You won’t need to protect us. We’re hardened to the reality of this new life.” He jabbed the logs with a poker made out of hardwood. “Not to say we won’t appreciate the support, because we would. But we’re not helpless. You won’t shoulder the entire burden. You’ll share it.”
Larkin focused on the flames as they licked the new logs. At last, he conceded. “If Colt’s in, I’m in. Even if your group doesn’t welcome us to stay, the least we can do is get you there safe and sound.” He nodded as he spoke, solidifying the decision. “We can leave as easily as we come.”
Walter turned to Colt. “What about you?”
“Say no, Colt.” Dani’s voice warbled as she protested. “We can’t risk it.”
Colt glanced at Dani, his jaw set and tense. “We could have a place to stay, Dani. A home. Kids closer to your age.”
She snorted. “Look how well that turned out last time.”
The man winced, but he turned to Walter. “It wouldn’t be fair to send you on your way with all this gear. The least we can do is help you get home.”
Walter nodded. “Thank you. Like I said, no promises. But once the rest of the group meets you, I can’t imagine them sending you away.” He turned to Dani. “We won’t force you to stay. If you want to leave after you meet everyone, that’s okay. But you could use a few days of rest.”
Larkin let out a short chuckle. “Is that what you do there, rest?”
Walter shook his head with a smile. “No. I don’t think anyone will be resting for very long now. Not if they want to survive.”
Larkin clapped his hands. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get packing.”
Chapter Three
COLT
Northern California Forest
3:00 p.m.
“We can’t go with Walter.” Dani walked beside Colt while they made a final circle of the camp. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath their feet. “Everyone we get to know dies. I can’t go through that again. I can’t get another family killed.”
Lottie scampered ahead of them, snuffling out an animal’s tracks in the underbrush. Colt focused on the little dog who’d proved herself more valuable than many of the people he’d met over the past six weeks. She might be happy camping out in makeshift shelter in the woods now with moderate daytime temperatures and lows in the fifties, but come winter, even Lottie would want a permanent home.
“We have to think ahead, Dani. The winter in this area will be brutal. There could be a foot of snow on the ground, maybe more. We need to prepare now. Come November, living in the forest won’t be an option.”
“Then we find an abandoned place and take it over. We don’t need anyone else.”
As they approached the first of ten snares set up in a circle around the camp, Colt br
ought his finger to his lips. He slowed, hoping an unsuspecting rabbit took the bait, but no such luck. The snare sat empty and loose.
He dismantled the wire while Lottie gobbled up the blob of peanut butter left as bait. “You can’t ignore what Walter’s done for us. Thanks to him we had a chance to heal, gather food, and stay warm at night. We’ve slept, Dani. Actually slept more than a handful of minutes a night. Do you know how valuable that is?”
She chewed on her lip while Colt worked, staring at his hands but not really seeing them. The girl had been through so much, but still she fought to stay alive. Colt wished he could give her a safe home, a warm bed, and all the food they could ever need.
But he couldn’t promise a miracle. Walter was the key to that.
As he stood up and stowed the snare supplies, Dani sighed. “Fine. We can get him home. But we aren’t staying.”
Colt kept a smile to himself. Getting her there was the hard part. If the compound was anything close to what Walter described, Dani would want to stay. “Let’s take down the rest of the snares as quick as we can. We need to help Walter and Larkin pack.”
“How are we going to carry everything? Walter’s assembled way more than we can manage. Even if we made some sort of a sled it wouldn’t be enough.”
This time, Colt didn’t hold back. A smile cracked his dry lips. “Larkin’s got that under control.”
Dani’s eyebrows pinched, but she said nothing, opting instead to check the next snare. They lapsed into silence as they worked, each one veering off the main circular route to check the traps.
All the snares sat empty and unsprung. Either the animals in the forest wised up to their methods, or they had cleared the immediate vicinity of most easy-to-trap critters.
The lack of success solidified Colt’s determination. Moving on wasn’t just an option; it was a necessity. He entered the camp with Dani and Lottie by his side and nothing to show for their efforts.
Walter glanced up from a crouch. His gaze flitted over their empty hands and grim faces. “No luck?”