Collapse Series (Book 8): State of Fear (

by Lane, Summer

  It takes me a long time, but I eventually find my way through neighborhoods of palm trees, magenta bougainvillea vines, shady trees and tropical flower gardens. I find G Avenue, and I pull the Jeep to the curb.

  There are many houses here – all of them are gorgeous beach homes, neat and tidy. And, by the looks of it, probably extremely pricey. I hop out, bringing my rifle with me, and look around. The street is pretty quiet. All of the front lawns are dead, but most of the flowers and gardens are still flourishing.

  There is an armored Humvee parked in front of a blue house with white trim. It is the only military vehicle on the entire block, and I instantly know – without a doubt – that this is where I will find Chris.

  Don’t be nervous. Just do this.

  I cross the street and walk through the gate, up the front steps and stop at the front door. It’s wide open, with only a flimsy screen door keeping me from entering. I touch the handle. Unlocked.

  “Chris?” I call.

  I open the door and step inside. It’s cool. The floors are dark wood, and the walls are painted white. I walk past a dining room table, through a shadowy kitchen filled with boxes of dishes. In the living room, there is one couch facing a white fireplace. Dusty pictures line the top of the mantle.

  This is where I find him.

  He is sitting on the couch, his hands folded, staring at the fireplace. His hair is pulled tight, his beard is trimmed short. His electric green eyes find mine in the reflection of the mirror on the wall.

  “Chris,” I say.

  My heart is thundering my chest.

  He slowly stands, turning and meeting my gaze, a storm of emotions on his face.

  “I knew you’d come here to find me,” he says.

  “Why didn’t you meet me at the dock?” I ask, my voice trembling. “Didn’t you want to see me?”

  “Of course I did. I just wanted it to be private.” He doesn’t move. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine. You?”

  He nods.

  There is a long silence. The tension between us is so thick – so heavy – that I could cut it with a knife.

  “This is your house,” I say, grim realization setting in. “This is the house you shared with Jane.”

  “Yes,” he answers.

  His muscles tense beneath the tight black shirt he wears tucked into his blue fatigues. He is tall and towering, more of a Navy SEAL now than I have ever seen him before.

  “Why did you come here?” I ask. “Why did you want to meet me here?”

  Something sick and dreadful festers in my stomach.

  What is he trying to tell me?

  “I wanted you to see,” he says. “This is where I found Jane, dead. Right here, on the floor.” He points to the carpet, a white area rug stained with dark spots. “Nobody even bothered to get the blood out of the floor.”

  I flinch.

  “Why are you showing me this?” I ask.

  “Because this is what my relationships are like,” he tells me, swallowing hard. “The people I love die, or leave me. I do it to them – I get them killed, Cassie. It’s what I do. And you…you would follow me into the gates of hell because you love me, so that you get killed and I’m left here to mourn for you.”

  “You’re trying to get rid of me,” I state, incredulous. Hot, acidic tears slip down my cheeks. “You’re trying to scare me away.”

  “No,” Chris replies. “You’re a fighter, now. You know how this works.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “I just want you to realize that all of this” – he gestures to the space between us – “could be over in an instant, especially now.”

  “What’s your point, Christopher?” I demand, using his full name.

  He draws his eyebrows together, stepping closer.

  “I’ve lost one wife,” he tells me. “I don’t want to lose you, too. So don’t take this lightly.”

  “Chris, that doesn’t make sense.”

  Chris pulls something from his pocket. It’s gold in this lighting, glimmering dimly from the sunshine coming through the window.

  “This is my class ring,” he says. “I gave it to Jeff, before he died. You remember.”

  I nod. Yes, I remember.

  “It’s the best I’ve got,” he says. He steps closer and touches my cheek. “Cassidy, will you marry me?”

  I stare at him.

  “What?” I gasp, shocked.

  “Will you, Cassidy Hart, marry me?” A slight smile touches his lips, and he holds the ring higher. “Please?”

  “Are you…serious?” I say, blinking.

  “I’m as serious as I’ve ever been.”

  “But all of this…this talk about loss and death and – ”

  “I want you to be sure that you know what you’re getting into.”

  I look at him, anger flashing in my eyes.

  “If you think I don’t know that already, then you don’t know me,” I say.

  Chris nods, never taking his eyes from my face.

  “You’re right,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

  Silence.

  “So…?” he asks. “Will you?”

  Something blossoms in my chest in this moment – something free, something pure. Something sweet and exciting. It’s love, it’s the giddy young girl inside of me, the love-struck teenager, the hopeless romantic buried deep beneath the layers of a tough exterior.

  “Yes,” I whisper. “Of course. There is no one else.”

  Chris laughs, and two tears escape his eyes, streaming down his face. He slips the heavy gold ring on my finger and a soft laugh bubbles out of me. I meet his gaze.

  “I love you, Cassidy Hart,” he says. “Until death do us part, and beyond.”

  “Same,” I reply. “Always.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck, standing on the toes of my boots. Chris’s strong arms hold me close to his chest. He kisses me, and it is the longest, surest kiss we have ever shared. It makes up for every heartache, every separation, every argument, every disappointment that we have ever had. His tears mix with mine and I taste their salty residue on my lips.

  “What does marriage look like in the apocalypse, anyway?” I grin, kissing his cheek, his chin, his neck. “How do people do it now?”

  “I don’t know,” he replies, spinning me around the room. “I don’t care. I just love you, and I want to do this. For real. Both of us. It’s about time.”

  I laugh again, wrapped in his strong embrace. I never want to leave again. Ever.

  Chris slips his hand behind my back, pulling me close, his other hand flat against the wall. I fit my lips against his, the familiar scent of coffee and leather filling my senses. When I smell it, I am home. I am with Chris, and I am with the one person in the world who I can trust unconditionally.

  I’m marrying Chris Young, I think. I never thought we would do this.

  “It’s so good to see you, Cassie,” he smiles. “I missed you, you have no idea. I know I don’t always say it, but having you around is the best part of my life. Without you, I’m apparently a real pain in the ass…at least that’s what Arlene says.”

  “She’s probably right.” But I’m grinning.

  “So how do you want to do this?” he asks. “Church wedding? Elope?”

  “We can’t elope, Chris. We’re fighting a war.”

  “Yeah, well. I like to keep my options open.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t care. I just want to marry you.”

  “You’re my kind of woman,” he jokes.

  Bam, bam, bam.

  Someone bangs on the door. Chris frowns, but he doesn’t remove his hand from my waist.

  “Commander Young?”

  I recognize the voice. Lieutenant Devin May, Chris’s old Navy SEAL buddy, and a friend from our time in Monterey. He walks inside. He’s nearly as tall as Chris, and just as powerful. His hair is shaved closed to the scalp, but today, he is as pale as a sheet.

  “Lieutenant May,” I say, smiling. �
�It’s nice to see you again.”

  “Commander Hart,” he replies, stony, barely even looking at me. “Chris, we gotta get out.”

  I raise my eyebrows – Devin has never been this coarse.

  “What are you talking about, Devin?” Chris asks.

  Somewhere on the island, a siren wails. It is a loud, screeching sound. I look to Chris, alarmed. “What is it?” I ask.

  “Omega,” Devin replies. “They’re sending a nuke our way.”

  My eyes widen, and terror renders me motionless.

  “What?” I breathe.

  “Retaliation,” Devin replies. “They’ve launched a nuclear weapon at San Diego.”

  “How long until impact?” Chris asks, solid.

  “T-minus thirty-two minutes.”

  I cover my mouth with my hands.

  That’s not enough time to get out. That’s just not enough.

  Chris looks at me, all of the hope and love we shared just a moment ago dulled by the knowledge of our impending doom.

  In just thirty-two minutes, we will be dead.

  And our dreams will be dead with them.

  Epilogue

  Before the war, I loved very few people. Maybe no more than two.

  There is just something about the battlefield that brings people together. Because when you’re out there – and the bullets are flying and the fires are blazing – you’re not just friends. You’re brothers and sisters, bound by bloodshed and death and loyalty. I love so many people now. I love Chris, Uriah, Manny, Vera, Elle, Andrew and Arlene. They’re not just my people, they’re my family.

  Nothing will take that away from me. I won’t allow it.

  There are so many questions that need to be answered. So many battles that have to be fought. Will we survive the next year? The next week? The next day?

  It’s so easy to live in fear, to be terrified of what Omega will do next.

  But I will not be afraid anymore.

  I will face the end with courage, with Chris by my side, and with my family around me.

  Win or lose, live or die. We will give it everything we have.

  We are the last fighters.

  We are fear itself.

  To Be Continued in

  State of Allegiance

  Book 9 of The Collapse Series

  All Titles by Summer Lane

  The Collapse Series

  State of Emergency: The Collapse

  State of Chaos

  State of Rebellion

  State of Pursuit

  State of Alliance

  State of Vengeance

  State of Destruction

  State of Fear

  State of Allegiance

  State of Hope

  The Zero Trilogy

  Day Zero

  Day One

  End of Day

  Graphic Guides

  Collapse: The Illustrated Guide

  The Bravo Saga

  Bravo: Apocalypse Mission

  Bravo: Blood Road

  About the Author

  Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of The Collapse Series, The Zero Trilogy and The Bravo Saga. She is also the author of Collapse: The Illustrated Guide, a #1 bestselling companion to her original series.

  Summer owns WB Publishing. She is an accomplished journalist and creative writing teacher. She also owns Writing Belle, an online magazine about the art of storytelling, where she has interviewed and worked with countless authors from around the globe.

  Summer lives in the Central Valley of California, where she enjoys reading, collecting tea, and visiting the beach and mountains with her fiancé, Scott.

  Connect with Summer Lane:

  Twitter: @SummerEllenLane

  Facebook: Summer Lane – Int. Bestselling Author

  Website: summerlaneauthor.com

  Blog: writingbelle.com

  Email Summer with letters or thoughts about her books! She loves to hear from readers.

  Email: summerlane101@gmail.com

  Send her a letter:

  Summer Lane/WB Publishing

  P.O. Box 994

  Reedley, CA 93654

  Love Dogs?

  Civilization, collapsed. Society, gone.

  The apocalypse rules all, and mankind struggles for survival. But there was a dog, and his name was Bravo.

  **

  Discover his story, a tale of bravery and adventure.

  Pick up this thrilling, #1 bestselling phenomenon on Amazon and Barnes & Noble from prolific author Summer Lane.

  One girl. One sword. One dog.

  Pick up the #1 Bestselling Zero Trilogy by

  Summer Lane.

  Featuring Bravo the bomb dog and Elle, the fearless, teenage warrior of the apocalypse.

  Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

  Collapse: The Illustrated Guide

  Love Cassidy Hart? Love Elle?

  Explore designs from 20 of the most popular characters from both series. Enjoy concept art and three exclusive short stories from Chris Young, Sophia Rodriguez and Harry Lydell.

  Always available for just 99 cents on Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

  Acknowledgements

  I am not afraid to say that this book was a challenge! Of course, every book is a challenge, in some way, but this one was particularly interesting because of the new story aspects that Cassidy is now facing – from traveling to new places to finding herself submerged in the belly of a submarine. Suffice it to say that much research was done, and many days were spent in the office, poring over tons of information and trying to figure out what to call a siren on a sub. (The answer to that question is a klaxon!)

  I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank everyone who helped this novel come to life. I run a tight ship (no submarine pun intended) here at WB Publishing, and this book seriously gave me a run for my money. The relief I feel at releasing it at last is palpable. I am even tempted to take a vacation.

  I’d like to thank my fiancé, Scott, who was the award-worthy guy who encouraged me to utilize submarines in this novel like I’ve always wanted. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what I would have done! Good thing I’m marrying him this year, I need that kind of encouragement in my life. (insert mischievous wink here)

  And then there is my brother, who was casually having a discussion about ice and caves and glaciers over a cup of tea in my office (let it be noted here that I was the one with the tea), which gave me the idea to take Cassidy to the Mendenhall Glacier. Thanks for the inspiration, bro!

  Thanks to Don for going through the novel. Yes, I’m an adult, but I still like getting my Daddy’s opinion on my books to this day! It’s just one of those things. Thanks for working with my crazy, crazy schedule, Jake – your editing is helpful. Flexibility is the cardinal sign of a snazzy individual. You’re pretty snazzy! The same goes for Giselle – another flexible cool cat. I’m lucky to work with people like you.

  Thanks to the forty-six sub-readers and beta commentators that helped make this book even better than I thought it could possibly be! Also, a special shout-out to Steven for again making a great cover for my book. I chose to highlight the Roamers’ fortress for the cover because I thought it was something that we haven’t seen before. It took some tweaking to get it right, but we pulled through!

  This book is a fast-paced action novel that finally gets to some of the emotional moments that I’ve been positively dying to flesh out (especially between Chris and Cassidy!).

  State of Fear is, simply put, the prologue to the final two installments of the series, which will be longer and more detailed than any of the installments before it. I promise a slam-bang finish for you guys with the last two books, State of Allegiance and State of Hope. It’s important to me to create an ending for the series that will be worthy of the characters who have become my dear friends – and yours, too.

  I’ll be working on these books over the next year and a half. So don’t worry. There’s still time to theorize about what’s going t
o happen next!

  As a final note, I think it’s interestingly ironic that in the same book that Cassidy has finally reached a state of engagement (Ha. Ha.) with Chris, that I am getting married. I have talked about this a lot on my website and in interviews, but I can’t get over this coincidence. I honestly did not plan it out this way – it just happened!

  Thanks for being such awesome readers, and for carrying Cassidy all around the world. Here’s to the next 100,000 readers!