The Divide
Page 18
It made no sense at all, but that voice was unmistakable. She told Bob it was okay, and a moment later Eric Branson stepped into view from out behind a jumble of boulders next to the trail.
“Eric!” Shauna swung down from the saddle and handed the reins to Bob, who was putting two and two together after all Shauna had told him about her ex-husband. Shauna threw herself into Eric’s arms and he pulled her close to him. “Lieutenant Holton said you were dead. I never believed it, Eric! But how did you find me here? Did you go to the university first?”
Eric told her that he did, and that he got her letter and that he’d already been to the ranch and that Megan wasn’t there. He told her what happened to Vicky’s grandparents and the ranch house, as well as the horses, and how Vicky was waiting there right now for him to return.
“We were just going there to see if Megan was there,” Shauna said. “That’s why we have an extra saddle horse. I was so hopeful that she would be there and that we could bring her back.” Then she told him what happened to Jonathan, and how they’d been waiting in Bob’s cabin for days for the conditions to improve so they could make the trip to that ranch.
“It sounds like he’s in a good place then,” Eric said. “Vicky, on the other hand, is traumatized, as you can imagine. I hated to leave her alone there at all, but she was too weak to keep up. Horses are exactly what I had in mind when I left there this morning.” Eric reached up and patted the mare she was riding.
When Eric told them of the place he’d spotted from afar on his way out to the ranch, and that he had been heading back there to see about finding some horses, Bob just grinned. It was his own place, visible from an overlook at one specific point along the main trail. Shauna and Jonathan hadn’t been able to see it that day in the snowstorm, but Bob had pointed it out to her this morning when they rode up out of the drainage. “We can go on over there right now then and get her,” Bob said. “She can ride back on the packhorse or double up with one of us. We’ll take her back to my cabin so she can get her strength back, and then all of you can figure out what you want to do.”
“You are too kind, Bob,” Shauna said. “We sure haven’t run into many folks as helpful as you.”
Bob shrugged it off and led the way, riding on ahead so Shauna and Eric could talk and catch up on everything that had happened since the two of them last saw each other. The news Eric learned of Megan from Vicky didn’t do much to ease Shauna’s worries though.
“At least we know where she’s heading,” Eric said. “And she’s with someone who supposedly knows this country if what Vicky said is true.”
“But how far is it to New Mexico from here, Eric? And how will we get there?”
“Maybe the same way she is; horses? Do you think Bob would be willing to part with any of these? How many more does he have?”
“A few more, but I doubt he’ll sell. From what I know about him after being around him for over a week, I’ll bet he’ll let us use them for free though if we let him go with us!”
* * *
Thank you for reading Feral Nation - The Divide. I hope you enjoyed the story! There’s a lot more action to come in Book Five: Feral Nation - Perseverance, available to pre-order on Amazon now at this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBYV6L2
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Feral Nation - Perseverance
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More by Scott B. Williams
THE FOLLOWING LINKS WILL take you to the Amazon Kindle versions of my most popular books that are available now. New books are coming all the time so stay up to date by signing up for my book alerts via my New Release Updates
Feral Nation Series
Feral Nation - Infiltration (Book 1)
Feral Nation - Insurrection (Book 2)
Feral Nation - Tribulation (Book 3)
Feral Nation - The Divide (Book 4)
Feral Nation - Perseverance (Book 5)
The Pulse Series:
The Pulse: A Novel of Surviving the Collapse of the Grid (Book 1)
Refuge After the Collapse (Book 2)
Voyage After the Collapse (Book 3)
Landfall: Islands in the Aftermath (Book 4)
Horizons Beyond the Darkness (Book 5)
The Darkness After Series:
Enter the Darkness (Series Prequel)
The Darkness After (Book 1)
Into the River Lands (Book 2)
The Forge of Darkness (Book 3)
The Savage Darkness (Book 4)
Apocalypse Series:
Sailing the Apocalypse: A Misadventure at Sea
Nonfiction:
On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean
Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late
About the Author
SCOTT B. WILLIAMS HAS been writing about his adventures for more than twenty-five years. His published work includes dozens of magazine articles and twenty-two books, with more projects currently underway. His interest in backpacking, sea kayaking and sailing small boats to remote places led him to pursue the wilderness survival skills that he has written about in his popular survival nonfiction books such as Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late. He has also authored travel narratives such as On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean, an account of his two-year solo kayaking journey through the islands. With the release of The Pulse in 2012, Scott moved into writing fiction and has written several more novels with many more in the works. To learn more about his upcoming books or to contact Scott, visit his website: www.scottbwilliams.com
Dedication
THIS ONE IS FOR Joseph. We will miss you, brother.