EMP: Heading Home

by Harp, Wilson

  Emma held onto me.

  “And what then, daddy?”

  “We’re heading home.”

  Epilogue

  It took us another week to reach Lebanon. The weather had turned cold again, so we decided a little time to recover at the base would do us all some good. We showed our passes from General Andrews and I convinced the guards at the gate Emma need not be processed because she was my minor daughter and I had already been vetted.

  I never got to see Andrews again. Maybe he didn’t want to face what I had done. If I had foolishly opened the box and found the answer I sought, well most of the answer anyway, then maybe it would have added an extra load of guilt to his shoulders. After we relayed the message from Miller, and showed the passes to travel through his territory, we were given fine accommodations and 500 scrip. That was our reward for risking our lives and arranging talks between the two parties.

  I was able to raise Tom on the radio at Shangri-La and told Sophia we got Emma back, but Ted and Kenny found someone who needed help. I don’t know if she believed me, but she wished us luck and told us to come by the compound before we headed home.

  We spent a week at the base before we continued on. The first spring storm system caught us a few days from the river, and we spent two days in an old barn. By this time Emma was enamored with the traveling life. After some of the things Emma had to endure, told to me second-hand by Anne, I could see where any change would be a good one. Lexi didn’t want to leave, but she knew Emma deserved more out of life, and for that, at least, I was thankful.

  Emma still hadn’t found her legs yet, and we were in no hurry to get home, so we traveled at a slow pace. Ten miles a day was about what we shot for.

  We crossed the river and made it safely to Sikeston about ten days after we left the base. The town was ready to burst open with people. The fields were full, the people were excited about their future, and there was a sense of hope which had been gone for an entire year.

  While at Sikeston we learned the military had moved on Thayer and had brought justice to Burnett and his town of outlaws. Wilcox had been brought under military control as well. I didn’t have the naivety about the military I possessed when I left on my pilgrimage, but I still smiled as I realized Kenton was safe on all sides.

  We reached the compound on a bright, warm spring day. Tom met us at the gate and Sophia fixed a big meal. Anne and Emma went to see the horses. I had told them not to mention Kenny or Ted, but I think Sophia knew her brother was in trouble.

  We decided we would live at Anne’s place, since Luke and the others were living at my house. We took the horses home and spent a few days getting the place in order. I told Anne to send for the minister and we would have our wedding that evening, and then I went back to my house.

  Luke met me out front. He limped over to me and hugged me tight.

  “You did it,” he said. “Do you realize what day it is?”

  “No,” I said. “I’m afraid I’ve lost track of days.”

  “It’s April 8th. Exactly one year since we got hit.”

  I couldn’t believe it. A year had passed. So much had changed. I had changed. But we had made a lot of progress in a year. And I had kept my vow. I had brought my wife and daughter back from Chicago. And now I could start life anew.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for reading the conclusion of David Hartsman’s heroic attempt to rescue his family in a world ravaged by the aftereffects of an EMP. I would imagine that in a situation like the one David found himself, there would be tens of thousands of stories like his. People frantic to rescued their loved ones and risking everything for the slim chance to bring them back. David, Anne and Emma are able to start over in this desolate wasteland that has an all too real element to it.

  In the first book, many who read this genre mentioned that it was not what they were used to, and I am pleased to say this was part of the intent. I tried to tell a small story, a personal story, in a setting that generally would have dealt with men like Miller or Helling. I think the post-apocalyptic genre has plenty of room to stretch and grow, and I am happy to risk finding new ground in this well-loved area of fiction.

  If you enjoyed this novel, I encourage you to leave a review where you bought it. Your opinion will let others know that this is a book worth spending a few dollars on and will be of great benefit to me.

  I would also invite you to join my VIP Fan Club. This club is free to join and you will be kept up to date with two e-mails a month concerning new releases, what I am planning in the future, giveaways and promotions. You can head over to my website as well, but the easiest way to stay in touch is through my VIP Fan Club.

  Thank you,

  Wilson Harp

  www.wilsonharpbooks.com

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