by J. R. Tate
“That they need to be turned off and demolished,” Ryan replied as Darryl dug for the handcuff key, finding it in the jacket pocket that Mike was wearing. Freeing him from the restraints felt amazing and he rubbed each wrist, the soreness a dull ache compared to his pounding head.
“And how do we go about doing that?” Steve asked, looking over the gauges and switches.
“He didn’t get that far in teaching me but I’m sure between the three of us, we can figure it out.” Ryan patted his jeans, remembering they had taken all of his belongings, including his pocketknife. “Either of you have a knife on you? I bet we can start by cutting the wires.” Their theory was working – with each wire cut the low hum stopped and that was enough evidence to know that the weather control machines would not be sending anymore electricity up into the ionosphere.
Steve went to work, disabling each antenna across the pasture. Darryl patted Ryan on the shoulder and looked down at the ground. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” His voice cracked and he quickly wiped something from his face.
“Me either, Dad. I was for sure I was a goner and the rest of y’all would be left behind to deal with this.”
“You think there’s anyone else involved?”
Ryan nodded and watched Steve – the man was enjoying his task of disabling all of the antennas, a bounce in his step as he went from tower to tower, shutting them down. “Probably. But we’ll be ready for them if they come around.”
“You’re sure about that?” Darryl asked, his smile accompanied by a laugh.
“You’re damn right I am. After everything we’ve all been through, I don’t think anything is going to stop us from building a decent future for those of us who remain. We just have to keep an eye on the looters and make sure we’re protected from a possible attack. That threat still exists.”
“So they were controlling the weather, huh?” Darryl’s father clicked his tongue and shook his head. “And Mike Rayburn was directly involved. You think you know a person.” He paused, taking a swig off of his canteen before offering it to Ryan, who took it and drank most of its contents. “You’re going to have to fill me in on everything they told you,” Darryl said, his eyes remaining downcast.
“Looks like the weather around us is already improving. The wind has stopped blowing and the sun is coming up.” Ryan handed his father the canteen. “We’ve got a long hike back to Harper Springs. I’ll tell y’all all about it on the way home.”
The end!
Acknowledgments:
I have to begin by thanking all of the readers out there! Without you, this would be like I was talking to myself. I hope you enjoyed The Damaged Climate Series as much as I enjoyed writing it. There is always a possibility of a book four in the series but I also ended it where it wasn’t a massive cliffhanger. Secondly, I have to thank my mother, Patti, who has been so supportive of my writing endeavors. She listens to my griping, my ideas, and everything in between. Without her, I don’t think I could ever finish a book! Thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to read my work and give me feedback, whether it is through emails, social media, or by reviews on the product page. It’s always rewarding to hear what people think of my work. And last but not least, I have to send a huge shout out to Leslie Goodfellow, the kind lady who took the time to help with edits! Her suggestions and watchful eye helped improve the quality of the manuscript. You are the best!
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