Hunting Daybreak: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Romance (Shattered Sunlight Book 2)

by E A Chance

  Dashay took Adrian’s other arm. “You say that like it isn’t already. We knew Kearns could be after Adrian from the beginning. What’s the plan?”

  As Coop led Biscuit toward Dyl’s clinic, he explained to them about Echo. “Once we have the ham radio and say goodbye to Echo, we’ll get a few hours of sleep, then be on the road before sunrise. I’ll ask Dyl to help us reroute our way out of here. We can trust him. Avoiding population centers will slow our progress, but we have no choice if we’re going to protect Adrian and dodge Kearns’ army.”

  Dashay let go of Adrian and came to a halt. “How will Nico find us if we do that?”

  The others avoided her gaze. The thought had crossed Riley’s mind, but she’d held out little hope of Nico finding them since they left Charleston.

  “I’m going to stay in Huntington and wait for him. We’ll catch up with you together.”

  “If you stay, you’ll be trapped here,” Riley said. “That’s exactly what Nico was trying to protect you from.”

  Dashay shook her head. “He was trying to keep me from getting caught in the middle of a war. That won’t happen here. Maybe this Dyl will let me stay and work for him until Nico gets here.”

  “It didn’t look like he had much business and he had Callie,” Coop said over his shoulder. “I refuse to leave you behind, Dashay. Nico would never forgive me. We’ll help you find him once we reach safety.”

  Adrian crossed his arms and said, “No. Leave me.”

  Riley glared at him. “Are you insane? You wouldn’t last a day.”

  “I got myself into this situation. I won’t be responsible for putting your lives in jeopardy, and you’re under a time crunch with the baby coming, Riley. I could find a hollow up in the nearby hills and hunker down until the danger passes. My education and knowledge of plants will get me by. I’ll live off the land until this blows over. I’m not helpless.”

  Dashay waved her hand at Coop to get moving and retook Adrian’s arm. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’ll go together and figure the rest out later. You can help me figure out a way to leave clues for Nico. If that fails, I have his family’s address in New Mexico.”

  Riley watched Dashay out of the corner of her eye, knowing it was breaking her heart to sever all chances of reconnecting with Nico. When Riley insisted to Coop that Adrian come with them, she hadn’t stopped to think how much of a sacrifice protecting him would be for all of them. Long-term ramifications, she thought as her determination wavered until she reminded herself that Adrian was under immediate threat. Kearns’ people were the ones distributing the fliers. That meant they were already in Huntington.

  “This is a discussion for later,” she said. “Pick it up, Coop. We need to get off this street.”

  When they reached the clinic, Dyl eyed Adrian with suspicion as he worked with Coop to find an alternate route out of the region. Riley enlisted Adrian to help carry the radio rig out to the cart, then she and Dashay gave a much-improved Echo a tearful goodbye.

  Riley hugged Callie, then surprised Dyl with a hug, too. “Take care of my boy,” she said. “Maybe we’ll be back this way to say hello someday.”

  Dyl stepped away and blew his nose loudly on a huge paisley handkerchief. “You have my word that I’ll do my best. Safe travels, my friends.”

  Riley hurried out and took hold of Biscuit’s reins. “It’s down to you now, friend. Take us where we need to go.”

  After what felt like five minutes, Coop was shaking Riley awake. “Time to ditch this popsicle stand, babe. Don’t forget to nibble your crackers before you get out of bed.”

  She sat up and wrapped her unruly mop of hair into a knot. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.”

  Coop kissed her, then threw his backpack over his shoulder on the way out. Riley looked around and frowned while she munched a cracker, wondering how long it would be before she’d sleep under a roof in a proper bed. “This will be our life now, always on the run,” she said to the empty room, hoping Kearns would give up at some point and trouble wouldn’t dog them all the way to Colorado.

  After throwing on her last clean set of clothes and brushing her teeth with bottled water, she went out the front door to join the others. They were gathered around the opposite side of the cart, chatting enthusiastically over something Riley couldn’t see. She quickened her pace and was delighted when she came around the cart to find four bikes gleaming in the first rays of dawn.

  “Look,” Dashay said, excitedly waving her over.

  She patted the seat of the smallest bike, and said, “Where did these come from?”

  In answer, Coop held a card out to her. Sher raised her eyebrows in question, then read it.

  Dear Drs. Riley and Coop,

  When cousin Dyl told me your story, I knew I had to help, so we rounded up these bikes. We hope they’ll get you to safety long before the new arrival makes an appearance. As an OB/GYN, Riley, I recommend you ride in the cart after your second trimester. I hope you don’t mind I took your old bike to fix up and pay forward to someone else.

  We also left a few packs of medical supplies and food for humans and horses (with instructions). Use them well.

  Our best to all of you and God speed.

  Dr. Brent

  Riley’s eyes teared up, so she bit the side of her cheek to ward off a crying jag. “Glad to know there’s goodness left in this world,” she whispered.

  Coop put his arm around her shoulders. “Hopefully, much more than we know. We’re going to need it more than ever.”

  Dashay tossed her pack into the cart and got on the neon purple bike. “Enough of this mush. Let’s get out before the cavalry descends. Riley, that tiny pink bike must be for you.”

  “Funny,” Riley said, as she shoved her pack in the bike’s flowered basket and climbed on the glittery seat. Emily had a bike just like and made her feel closer to her. She hadn’t ridden a bike in seven or eight months, so she took a few loops around the yard to get the feel. Adrian stood next to his bike, silently watching her.

  “What’s the holdup?” Dashay asked as she rode past him. “Mount that thing and let’s go.”

  Adrian gingerly threw his leg over the bike. “I haven’t ridden since I was a child and I wasn’t much good at it then. I’m apprehensive.”

  “We’ll need to ride slowly to keep pace with Biscuit,” she said, as she circled around him. “You’ve got this.”

  Coop walked his bike next to Biscuit and wrapped the reins around his hand before climbing on. “Your choices are the bike or stay and die. Walking’s not an option.”

  “I might die on the bike,” Adrian mumbled.

  “Bike it is,” Coop said as he started pedaling and got Biscuit moving.

  Dashay let out a whoop and took the lead. Riley got behind the cart, leaving Adrian staring after them.

  Riley glanced back and smiled to encourage him. “You know the saying, ‘it’s like riding a bike.’”

  Adrian pushed off and wobbled a few times before stabilizing and getting into rhythm. He grinned proudly and moved next to Riley. “You’re right. It’s coming back to me. I think I’ll prefer this to walking.”

  “My feet agree,” Riley said.

  “I haven’t thanked you, Riley,” he mumbled. “Your feelings are no secret, but you didn’t have to stick your neck out for me. I’ve done nothing to deserve your kindness. That changes from this point on. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

  Riley glanced at him and gave him a half-grin. “I appreciate that, and I’ll hold you to it. The information you possess about Kearns could destroy her. My gut tells me the time will come when you’ll be forced to divulge what you know. Will you be prepared to do that?”

  He grew quiet while he mulled over her question. Riley was anxious for his answer. Courage wasn’t a characteristic Adrian had demonstrated in the time she’d known him. She wouldn’t go so far as to brand him a coward, but he’d shown more than once he cared more for his own self-interest
than the wellbeing of those around him. She hoped he’d learned enough that when given a second chance, he’d make the honorable choice.

  “My honest answer right now is I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, I want to do what’s right. I’m ashamed of my past failures and don’t want to repeat them. I may need you to keep me in line.”

  “You can count on that,” she said, pleased to see a glimmer of progress. “And it’s all we can ask.”

  They rode in silence for a time, each lost in thought and doing their best to keep pace with Coop and Dashay. Riley was grateful for the time to consider if she’d judged Adrian too harshly and held him to too high a standard. He’d made mistakes, no question, but she knew little of his life before that moment. Did she owe it to him to find out? If she was going to risk her life, the least she could do was find out who the man was. She had nothing but time to dig a little deeper.

  Chapter Nine

  Julia paused from hammering in a tent stake to watch the incredible colors spread across the sky as the sun slipped below the horizon. They’d spent the late afternoon getting drenched by rain, but the storm had blown east and left behind a stunning sunset.

  They’d wound their way south for the past few days from Knoxville, Tennessee to just north of Birmingham, Alabama. Uncle Mitch had plotted a more southerly route, hoping it would keep Kearns’ troops off their trail if they were still following them. It had worked so far. They’d seen no signs of the military in the small towns they’d passed.

  None of the group was happy about having to go so far south since that route meant a longer trip. Unlike the others, Julia had spent most of the year on the road and was past ready to get home and stop running. If they didn’t run into trouble, Uncle Mitch estimated they’d reach Colorado Springs in ten weeks. That put their arrival in August. Julia thought that was optimistic since they always ran into trouble. In her opinion, they wouldn’t see Colorado until October. What she cared about most was that they got there before the snows started. She’d had enough of getting stuck in the snow to last the rest of her life.

  As the sky darkened, she finished pounding the stake in, then dropped onto the ground to munch on a protein bar. Aunt Beth said it was too late to bother with a hot meal. It had been the same for the past three days since Uncle Mitch was pushing them pretty hard. He’d promised that morning before they left the camp that if it was safe, they’d spend two nights outside Birmingham. They needed to replenish their stores and rest the horses.

  As much as Julia was in a hurry to get home, she was all for taking a break. Their camp was in a beautiful spot near a lake, and she was enjoying getting to see the southern part of the country. Her family had usually flown when they’d taken vacations, but all she saw was the view from her plane window. If life ever got back to normal, she hoped to take some road trips to get to know more of the country.

  “Julia,” Uncle Mitch called, startling her out of her thoughts.

  When she looked up, he waved her over to where he was sitting on a hunting stool at a small table with the ham radio and dual band VHF/UHF antenna set up and hooked to the solar battery. It had become their ritual each morning and evening to get on the radio and communicate with people around the country, and sometimes, even around the world. Reports from the east had become sporadic, probably because the military had taken the radios away from civilians, but she and Uncle Mitch had still connected with people in surrounding areas and further west. Julia continued to hope that one day, they’d reach Grandma and Grandpa in Colorado.

  She hurried over to Uncle Mitch and watched quietly as he gave his call sign and said, “Monitoring.” Next came the part Julia didn’t like, waiting for someone to respond. It could take several minutes for someone to answer. They got lucky that day. The radio crackled right away and a woman in San Antonio, Texas, answered. They’d communicated with her before, so they exchanged information on their situations and Mitch updated her on the progress of the western movement of the military.

  They interacted with five or six other people over the following thirty minutes until Julia yawned. Uncle Mitch was about to stop broadcasting for the night when the radio crackled again, and a voice Julia hadn’t heard for a month came across the receiver.

  Her mom’s voice trembled as she gave her call sign, and said, “Uncle Mitch? Is that you? It’s me, Riley.”

  “Yes, it’s me, Riley Kate,” he answered in a hoarse voice, trying to control his emotions. “I have someone else here with me.”

  Julie grabbed the handset and cried, “It’s me, Mom! It’s Julia! Where are you? Are you okay? Is Coop there?”

  Her mom laughed and cried at the same time in answer. “I’m perfectly fine and so is Coop.”

  “Hey, WP,” Coop said. “How’s the leg, Champ?”

  “I’m great, Coop. It’s awesome to hear your voice. Where are you? We’re in Birmingham, Alabama.”

  There was a moment’s silence before her mom said, “Why in the world are you in Alabama?”

  Uncle Mitch took the handset back from Julia. “President Kearns’ troops took over the ranch. We escaped just in time. There are fifty of us here, plus the horses.”

  “That’s horrible, Uncle Mitch. I’m sorry you lost the ranch but relieved you all got out safely.”

  “Me, too. We’re heading to you. Should be in Colorado Springs by August. How far have you gotten?”

  “You’re headed to Colorado? I didn’t think I’d see you for years, if ever. That’s incredible news. We have news of our own. You’re going to have another brother or sister, Julia.”

  Julia jumped up and squealed in delight. “Seriously?” she said over Mitch’s shoulder. “When?”

  “Not exactly sure, but we estimate mid-November. It’s more than I could have dreamed that you’ll be there in time for the birth. There’s someone else here who wants to say hi.”

  Julia couldn’t imagine who it was, but hoped it was Angie. She held her breath until a voice came on, and said, “Is that my Julia? How’re you doing, girl?”

  It took Julia a second to put the voice with a face. “Dashay? What are you doing with Mom and Coop?”

  “That’s a story I’ll save for when I see you.”

  “Is Angie there, too?”

  “She’s not, but don’t worry. She’s fine, Julia. She went home to her kids.”

  “That’s so great. I’ve worried about her every day. Where are you guys?”

  The others in the camp heard Julia’s squeal and had gathered around the radio. Aunt Beth gave Julia’s hand a squeeze and Holly fist bumped her.

  Her mom came back on, and said, “We’re in a small town, southwest of Louisville, Kentucky. We have Biscuit with us. He’s been a trooper. I’m sorry to tell you, Uncle Mitch, but Aurora was killed by a bear. It was so awful. Echo’s alive, but we had to leave him with this amazing vet in Huntington, West Virginia. His leg got injured but he’ll recover. I’m hoping to go back for him someday. He’s the reason we got the ham rig. We traded Echo for it.”

  “That’s fine, Pumpkin,” Uncle Mitch said. “Don’t worry about the horses. Sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure.”

  The line was quiet again, until her mom said, “We have but we’re good. The rains slowed us down at first, but we got some bikes, and we’re making good time. I’m sorry for running off without saying goodbye, but was afraid I wouldn’t have been able to tear myself away. Guess it wasn’t necessary since you’re on the road now, too. I’m sorry I took your horses and provisions, Uncle Mitch. I needed to get to Jared and Emily. I’m deeply indebted to you for taking care of Julia.”

  “All is forgiven and Julia is like another granddaughter to us. We won’t let anything happen to her!” Uncle Mitch said.

  Julia leaned closer to the handset. “Are you really fine, Mom? I remember how sick you get when you’re pregnant.”

  “I’m really am, sweetheart. I was sick at first, but I’m past that and feeling strong. You know how much I enjoy biking.”


  “I do,” Julia whispered, trying not to cry.

  Aunt Beth took the handset and pressed the button to speak. “Hello, dear. It’s Beth. Congratulations on your news.”

  “Let’s connect every night around this time when possible,” Mitch said. “Maybe we can meet farther down the road and travel together.”

  “We’d love that, but it may not be possible. I’ll explain later. We need to sign off now. Battery’s running low. We’ll try to reach you tomorrow. We have so much to tell you.”

  “We all love and miss you, Pumpkin. Take care of yourself and that little one.”

  “I will. We love you all, too, especial you, Julia. I miss my Warrior Princess.”

  “And I miss my Red Queen,” Julia said. “Love you, Mom.”

  After they signed off, Julia lowered herself onto a log and sobbed into her hands. Holly dropped next to her and threw her arms around her. “Riley and Coop are alive!” she said. “It’s the best ever, and a new baby, too. Just think, Julia, we’ll be there when it’s born. How cool is that?”

  Julia hugged her back and the two of them laughed and cried until Mitch told them that was enough sniveling, and it was time for bed. They moved to their tent but stayed up talking for hours until Holly finally drifted off. Julia was too excited to sleep and lay awake till dawn imagining the reunion with her mom, Coop, and the rest of the family in Colorado. She realized it was the first time since the CME she believed deep down they’d make it home. It was almost more happiness than she could handle.

  She grabbed her flashlight and the journal Aunt Beth had given her to record their journey. She poured her feelings onto the page as fast as the pen could move, looking forward to the day when she’d share her feelings with her new brother or sister. Satisfied, she returned the journal to its hiding place in her pack and closed her eyes for two hours of sleep before it was time to get back on the road and do it all over again.