Escape the Fall (Nuclear Survival: Southern Grit Book 2)

by Harley Tate

  “No. It’s not about me. It’s—about Grant.”

  Leah held her breath.

  “He was here.”

  “He’s alive?”

  Dawn nodded. “He came here, looking for you.”

  The promise of a future filled Leah with hope. She rushed out her questions without thinking. “Where is he? Is he out collecting supplies or working with law enforcement? When will he be back?” She couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around him.

  Her sister faltered and pulled her hand away. “Chris… We… sent him away.”

  Leah jerked back. “What?”

  “Chris didn’t—I didn’t—”

  “He was acting crazy.” Chris ran a hand through his hair and focused on the wall above Leah’s head. “He showed up here in a hot-wired car, ranting about the end of the world and a supposed nuclear holocaust.”

  “But it’s true. All of it.”

  Chris crossed his arms. “We don’t know that. Not for sure.”

  “He was erratic and talking crazy.” Dawn managed a pained smile. “We thought maybe he was on drugs.”

  Leah tilted her head and stared at her sister. “You thought Grant was on drugs? My husband?”

  Dawn pressed her fingertips to the wood table and her voice shrank to barely above a whisper. “I’ve seen it before. The ranting about things that aren’t true. The stealing. It was the logical conclusion.”

  Leah swallowed. “You know him. You know he’s never taken drugs.”

  “We made the best decision under the circumstances.”

  Leah turned on her brother-in-law. “The best decision? You kicked my husband out after the worst terrorist attack in history because you refused to believe him and have the nerve to tell me it was the best decision?”

  She stood on shaky legs, barely able to contain her fury. “He told me to meet him here. I risked everything to get here. My life. My sanity. Everything. And you sent him away!”

  “We’re sorry, Leah.” Dawn reached for her again, but Leah jerked her arm away.

  “All this time, the only thing that kept me going was the hope of finding Grant. That he would be here, waiting for me.” She focused on her sister. “How could you do this?”

  Dawn forced out the words. “We were afraid.”

  Leah closed her eyes. Her husband was out there, somewhere. Alive. If it weren’t for Dawn and her husband, they would be together. Leah sucked in a breath and tried to focus.

  This wasn’t the end of the world. She could survive this.

  She opened her eyes and asked the only question left. “Where did he go?”

  Her sister eased back down into her chair. “I’m sorry, Leah. But I don’t have any idea.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  GRANT

  Downtown

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Saturday, 8:00 p.m.

  “Can you hand me that bag of fluid?”

  Grant reached behind him and grabbed a clear bag that nurses hook up to IVs and held it up. “This one?”

  “Yep. Thanks.”

  He smiled at the nurse as she took it and hooked it up to a rolling IV cart. Over the course of the day, his outlook on life had swung from hope, to the depths of despair, and back to hope again. The second he walked into the waiting area, able bodied and lucid, the nurses put him to work.

  During the past four hours, he’d fetched supplies, held down patients while they thrashed about, cleaned up noxious messes, and otherwise worked his backside off. He’d even rigged up flashlights to a hanging rack for makeshift nighttime lights.

  Grant hadn’t been filled with this much purpose since the bombs went off.

  Even the dog had gotten into the act, weaving through patients and allowing them to pet her and cheer themselves up. Gone was the shy little thing that couldn’t stand to be touched, and in her place, a courageous animal that wanted to help.

  Grant washed his hands for the twentieth time in the portable scrubbing station set up in the rear of the clinic. While helping banished the gloom from his mind temporarily, it didn’t get him any closer to finding his wife. He’d asked all the nurses, but so far, no luck. They didn’t know Leah, and no one had seen a blonde nurse matching her description.

  He needed to head home.

  As Grant whistled for the dog, a healthy man strode into the clinic, white doctor coat a stark contrast to the dirt and grime all around. He lifted a hand to catch a nurse’s attention. “I’m an ER doctor from Georgia Memorial. What can I do to help?”

  Before a nurse could whisk the man away, Grant closed the distance between them. “Did you say Georgia Memorial?”

  The doctor frowned in Grant’s direction. “Yes, I did.” Tall, with brown hair and gaunt cheeks, he didn’t look familiar. But Grant didn’t know many of Leah’s coworkers.

  “Do you know Leah Walton?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Her husband, Grant.”

  The doctor gave him the once over, inspecting everything from his stubbled chin to his dirty boots. “I hope you don’t mind, but do you have any ID? It’s been a crazy few days.”

  Grant fished his wallet from his back pocket and flipped it open. On one side sat his driver’s license, on the other, a photo of Leah on their honeymoon.

  The doctor’s shoulders sagged. “Didn’t she make it to her sister’s place?”

  “So, you know her?”

  “She saved my life.” The doctor held out his hand. “Andy Phillips.”

  Grant shook his hand and pressed on. “She survived the blast?”

  Dr. Phillips nodded. “Thanks to her, so did I. She’s amazing, that wife of yours.”

  A pang of jealousy shot through Grant, but he kept his voice even. “When’s the last time you saw her?”

  The doctor drummed his fingers across his forehead, thinking. “A few hours before the blast. She drove me to my neighborhood and tried to convince everyone to get into the clubhouse basement.”

  “Did it work?”

  Dr. Phillips paused. “Trying to convince a bunch of middle-class families that we’re about to be bombed back into the stone age isn’t exactly easy.”

  Grant snorted. “Sounds familiar.”

  “But Leah did the best job she could. Thanks to her, about half the neighborhood survived the worst of it.”

  “And the rest?”

  Dr. Phillips pressed his fingers to his lips. “The last one died this afternoon. That’s why I’m here. I figured there had to be somewhere I could help.”

  “And we need it.” A plump nurse with a raised eyebrow stood a step away, fists on her hips. “If you two are done gabbing, we need some help.”

  Grant held up a hand. “Just one more minute.”

  She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

  Dr. Phillips smiled. “I’ll be there in a moment.”

  The nurse walked off in a huff.

  “Do you know where Leah was headed?”

  Dr. Phillips nodded. “Exactly where you told her. To her sister’s place.”

  Grant blinked in slow motion. “I checked, and she wasn’t there.”

  The doctor shrugged. “I’m sorry. That’s all I know. She dropped me off at my house and headed north.” He explained to Grant where he lived and what roads Leah might have taken toward Hampton.

  Grant thought it over. “Do you think she could have made it out of the radiation area before the blast?”

  “I don’t know. We crawled through the city streets, but the roads might have opened up to the north.”

  “If she didn’t make it to safety…”

  Grant left the rest unsaid, but the doctor finished it.

  “Then she’s probably dead.”

  Grant nodded. “Thanks for your time.”

  “Good luck. I hope you find her. If you do, tell her thank you.” He paused with a strange sort of smile. “And that I’ve quit smoking for good.”

  As he headed out of the makeshift clinic, Grant called the dog t
o his side. He didn’t know if Leah survived the exposure to radiation, but thanks to Dr. Phillips, his search had changed. No more scouring the wreckage of the blast site. He needed to set his sights farther north.

  He checked the analog watch on his wrist. After nine already. Searching now would be pointless. His best option was to head home, get a good night’s sleep, and start fresh in the morning. Leah was out there somewhere and he wouldn’t quit until he found her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  LEAH

  83 Iris Lane

  Hampton, Georgia

  Saturday, 10:00 p.m.

  Leah could barely process the words out of her sister’s mouth. First, she kicked Grant out of her house for speaking the truth, then she didn’t bother to find out where he was going.

  They might look the same, with prominent cheekbones and blue eyes that shifted from cornflower to aquamarine depending on the day. They might have shared the same bedroom when they were kids.

  But that was all. She couldn’t be more unlike her sister if she tried. She glanced at Chris, half-asleep on the couch. Most of the reasons why were too busy sulking in the living room to be of any use.

  Leah swallowed down a wave a regret and pain and stood up. She’d sat at the kitchen table for an hour while her sister tried to explain their rationale and the town’s reluctance to admit the truth. All Leah heard was excuses and fear. Hampton didn’t have the answers.

  She reached for her bag and air rifle and hoisted them over her shoulder.

  “What are you doing?” Her sister pushed back her chair with a screech.

  “Leaving.”

  “To where?”

  “Home. It’s the only place left. If Grant isn’t here, then he’s got to be there.”

  Dawn glanced at the living room. “It’s not that simple.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You saw the roadblocks.”

  Leah waved her off. “I can get out the same way I got in. I’m sure that officer would love to see me leave.”

  Dawn’s voice grew more insistent. “You don’t understand.”

  Leah huffed out a breath. “Then explain it to me.”

  “After Grant left, things around here changed. The sheriff gathered everyone together and explained how they couldn’t reach anyone at the power company. That no one was talking on official channels about what happened or what it meant. Rumors were flying.”

  “You said all this already as part of your excuse for not believing him.”

  Dawn ignored the slight and carried on. “Some people claimed it was war. That we were invaded on the coast and it was only a matter of time before they reached us here.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Any crazier than a bunch of nuclear bombs all going off at once?”

  Leah frowned. “But we know that’s the truth.”

  “Do we? None of us saw the blast downtown. Grant was the first person to mention anything about bombs. We just thought it was a power outage. Something wrong with the local power plant, that was all.”

  “Here we go again.” Leah crossed her arms. “You should have listened to him.”

  “All it would have done is make things worse.” Chris clambered up off the couch and wiped sleep from his eyes. “The town would have gone into full militia mode instead of just lockdown.”

  Leah shook her head. “What do you mean, lockdown?”

  He scrubbed his face. “Just what it sounds like. The town is closed. No one in. No one out.”

  “I got in.”

  “Not without almost getting shot.” Dawn smoothed back her hair. “Chris went out on a limb to get you in here. You can’t just change your mind.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Leah couldn’t believe the words coming out of her sister’s mouth. Admitting to shoving Grant out the door because he spoke the truth, was one thing, but now claiming Leah couldn’t leave? She understood caring about the safety of the town, but this sounded more like a prison. “They can’t keep people from leaving.”

  Chris’s jaw ticked. “You’re only here because you’re family, Leah. Now that the border’s closed, that’s it. They’ll detain you if you try to escape.”

  Leah palmed the back of her head. “You’re serious? This isn’t some made up story just to get me to stay?”

  “It’s true.”

  Dawn didn’t look like a liar.

  Leah spun around in a circle, panic rising in her throat. She risked her life to get to Hampton and now that she wanted to leave, they wouldn’t let her. “What happens if I try?”

  “Probably the same thing that would have happened before.”

  “I’ll get shot?”

  “That or arrested and thrown in jail.”

  “I can’t stay here. I need to find Grant.”

  Dawn threw her a bone. “He might come back.”

  Leah turned on her. “No one will let him in!”

  She winced. “Maybe we could get him in, too.”

  “No. No way. I can’t stay here. I have to find Grant.” Leah looked all around, canvassing her sister’s house. She couldn’t just walk out the way she came in. She needed a plan. “Do you still have all that camping gear?”

  Leah strode to her sister’s hall closet, oblivious to anything but her new-found mission. “I need a backpack. Something better than this duffel.”

  “Slow down.” Dawn stood up. “Weren’t you listening? You can’t leave.”

  Leah ignored her and opened the door to the closet. Clear tubs were stacked on the floor and Leah dragged them out into the dim candlelight.

  “Put all that away and come back to the table. We can talk this through.”

  “No. I need to get out of here. Where’s that daypack you used when we hiked Lookout Mountain?”

  “I think I gave it to Goodwill.”

  Leah popped the lid on the first tub and tossed on the floor. She rummaged through the contents and pulled out a forest green bag. “Did not. It’s right here.”

  With the backpack in one hand and the duffel in the other, Leah hurried back to the kitchen table. She dumped the contents of her bag across the wood and began to sort the contents.

  “Leah, you need to take a step back and think about this. The police have strict orders.”

  She focused on her things, putting non-essentials like her ruined shirt and torn up scrubs in one pile and her remaining two bottles of water and handful of power bars in the other. I’ll need more food and water to make it all the way home.”

  Leah tallied up how much she would need before digging out her wallet. She was down to her last few dollars. “Any chance you can spot me some cash? There’s got to be somewhere along the way that still has food. I’ll need to find some in the morning.”

  Dawn reached out and grabbed her arm. “Leah, stop.”

  She shoved her sister off. “No. I have to find Grant.” She added her flashlight and other supplies to the backpack and zipped it up.

  Chris stomped up to the table. “That’s enough! You have to sit the hell down and knock this off.” He yanked out an empty kitchen chair and pointed at it.

  Leah scoffed. “Are you going to make me?”

  His lips thinned. “If I have to.”

  She picked up the air rifle. “Try and stop me.”

  “Leah! Chris! Guys, come on.” Dawn tried to interject, but it was useless.

  Chris gripped the back of the chair so hard his knuckles turned white. “Stay out of this, Dawn.”

  “Yeah, why don’t you do that, just like you stayed out of the decision to kick my husband out.”

  “I did not!”

  “Right. Like it was your idea.” She jutted her chin at Chris. “You’re the arbiter of all things, now aren’t you? The one who gets to decide if people are crazy or telling the truth. The one who picks who stays and who goes.”

  Leah walked up to Chris and poked him square in the chest, twisting her index finger until she left a nail mark in his shirt. “It’s your fault Grant i
sn’t here.”

  Chris looked down at her finger, but he didn’t remove it. “We haven’t seen anything to prove a bomb went off.”

  Leah dropped her hand and rolled her eyes. “You’re still going to pull that card? You seriously expect me to believe no one out here saw the giant ball of light or noticed people dying from radiation all over the city?”

  “We thought Grant was on drugs.”

  “And you’re the best judge of that, right?” Leah shook her head. “A former alcoholic who sees addicts in everyone he meets.”

  “Leah.”

  She spun on her sister. “Don’t you Leah, me. I’m right and you know it.” Leah saw the hurt in her sister’s face, but she couldn’t stop herself. All the pent-up rage and frustration at the situation came pouring out of her mouth. “All these years, I bit my tongue and went along while you married a fixer upper. But look how it’s turned out.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  She grabbed the backpack and hoisted it on her back. “I never should have come here.”

  “Leah, please. You’re going to get hurt.”

  “Been there, done that.” Leah strode toward the door, ignoring her sister’s pleading.

  Chris beat her to the door. He stepped in front, blocking her way. “Grant was acting crazy. Bloodshot eyes, all strung out. Stolen car. He wasn’t right in the head.”

  Leah glared at her brother-in-law. “Let me go.”

  “You should stay. For Dawn.”

  “I have to find my husband.”

  They stood in silence, staring each other down, neither one willing to concede.

  “Chris, let her go.” Dawn walked up to the pair, a twenty-dollar bill in her hand. She held it out to Leah. “It’s all I have.”

  Leah sucked in a breath and took the money. “Thank you.”

  “Be careful out there.”

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you and—”

  Dawn held up a hand. “I understand. You need to find Grant.”

  Leah nodded, a rush of conflicting emotions waging war inside her heart. Her sister was wrong, but Leah still loved her. “Take care of yourself.” She wrapped Dawn up in a quick hug before pulling away.