by Hayden James
“I like the sound of it too,” said William. “Seems like I’ve been able to put my military background and experience as a security guard to good use.” The pair monitored the community garden as townspeople came to harvest the crops.
“I’m glad you won the election,” replied Rachel. “Seems like you are where you were meant to be.”
“But I didn’t even run,” interjected William.
“Even more the reason that you are where you’re supposed to be.”
“It sure does feel right. Just think, ever since I left the military, I never really found my place in this world. This is the first time since then that it just feels right,” said William, putting his arm around Rachel’s shoulders.
There was a peaceful feeling that fell over Tucker Hollow. A feeling that both William and Rachel had worked toward ever since the pulse hit. William made sure everything went smoothly during the community harvest, and there was not one incident as everyone did their part and helped one another.
“Too bad you didn’t take the mayor position,” started William. “I could get used to having meetings with the Mayor,” he joked.
“I know. I know. It is just not where I am in my life. I want a simpler life. You know I was running myself ragged back in Indianapolis. Constantly working on campaigns, carpooling children, starting over with Natasha. I wanted a way out, and I never thought it would be an attack on our nation that would be my out,” explained Rachel.
“Gees. I’m glad our troops could neutralize the threat coming from China. They never touched our soil, only choreographing the EMP attack with the coronal mass ejection. Guess they thought once they undid our power infrastructure, we would self-destruct.”
“We almost did,” affirmed Rachel. “Too bad Dwight didn’t want to be mayor either. He would have been great at it.”
“He would have been, but Rach, you know he’d never do anything like that. He’s practically a curmudgeon.”
“The election is in a few weeks; I wonder who will win.”
“I’m sure either Dana or Bud will win.” The upcoming election had several townspeople running to fill the spot since neither Dwight nor Rachel accepted the position during the Town Hall meeting where both of their names were nominated and unanimously voted on. Both of them declined the offer at the meeting. Both Dana and Bud were the front runners, and the position would probably go to either of them.
“Glad to see the harvest is going well,” said Rachel as they continued watching the townsfolk pick vegetables in the garden.
“I will never get used to the sight of that,” said William as he pointed to Maddy and Gary holding hands as they walked through the garden, each holding a basket of vegetables.
“I won’t either,” affirmed Rachel. “But, you know, they are grown women and they will probably get married and have families of their own soon.”
“I realize that but doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Addy and Vince snuggled in a corner of the garden as they picked tomatoes, displaying subtle physical contact toward each other as they worked.
“You weren’t bothered when Liam and Prue got engaged,” teased Rachel. “You seemed perfectly fine when your eldest will start his own family soon.”
Dwight and Liam began constructing a structure on Dwight’s property next to the main house where Liam would start his family after he married Prue. They would move in there after the wedding with Chewy. Chewy and Regis enjoyed playing with each other every evening as the Conner’s had a large family dinner. Carol did the majority of the cooking and Harv worked with Dwight in his garden. This relieved William from his duties since he was now the Sheriff. Carol took the pressure off of Rachel who would work in the garden and prepare the meals. Now, Rachel managed the property with Dwight.
As the kids would grow up and start their families, Dwight would continue adding structures in his property to accommodate the growing families. They would have the bunker carved into the mountain as a fallout shelter in case they were ever attacked again.
“Rach, that’s different. Liam is older than Maddy and Addy.”
Rachel giggled, “He’s also not your little girls either.”
William appeared as though he didn’t want to admit it, but Rachel was right. “I still don’t like the fact that Vince and Gary are older than Liam. I know my girls are eighteen now, but I’m just not ready for this.”
“I understand. This has been hard for me too. But Gary and Vince seem to treat are girls with respect and they seem happy. They are good men.”
“I still don’t like it,” repeated William, not looking int he direction of his daughters who were with their respective significant others. “I know it’s a double standard, but I will never apologize for wanting to protect my girls.”
“That was sure nice that Dwight and a few others had donated some supplies to keep the town going,” said Rachel.
“Right, Dwight likes how the communal aspect of our society is voluntary rather than mandatory,” emphasized William. Dwight had donated equipment and supplies and one of the cattle ranchers nearby had given the town a supply of his livestock to start breeding. Vince oversaw that as well as the entire community garden. Now the community could feed each other in a communal spirt that was voluntary, not forced.
“Life has surely changed since the pulse,” started William. “I can tell you, there’s not one part that I miss about my old life. I felt trapped. I felt like both of us were on a hamster wheel, not trying to get ahead, just trying to stay afloat. We didn’t enjoy anything, not even each other.”
Rachel sighed. “I’m truly grateful for all of this.” She leaned into William as he held her while they watched the harvest and Regis playing with Maddy and Addy, running in between the twins as they picked vegetables. “This attack has brought our family, our community, our nation together and we are now stronger than ever. We are thriving in the aftermath of this attack and environmental catastrophe. It was tough for a few weeks, but we came out the other side, together.”
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Start on the Next Series: Lights Out
What would happen if the power grid failed? Would you be ready?
Demi Thicke, a mega pop star, is on stage when the lights go out. She had finally scored her dream venue, performing at The Dive, an almost twenty thousand seat arena, and she sold it out. When the lights go out, Demi and her best friend, Mike, soon discover it’s not just the lights that are gone. Vehicles no longer work, and fires are raging along Las Vegas Boulevard. At first, she wants to refuse to believe, but she knows what this is. Thanks to her unconventional childhood with an overbearing, prepper father, she recognizes the signs of a high-altitude nuclear detonation that creates a massive EMP.
Demi is on a race against time and the inevitable crumbling of society as she and Mike form a plan to leave Las Vegas, so they can reach her sister and his family. The panic is just beginning, but Demi knows it will only get worse. Desperate people do desperate things, and they need to leave Las Vegas while they still can.
That proves more difficult than she ever anticipated…
Lights Out a three-part series
Powerless kicks off the post-apocalyptic thriller series by following ordinary people doing extraordinary things after the United States experiences a disaster, destroying their entire infrastructure.
Powerless is the first in a three-part survival series about the aftermath of a HEMP. Parts two and three of Lights Out will be available soon.
Be on the lookout for Book 2: Power Trip and Book 3: Power Struggle.
Also by Hayden James
The Pulse Series
Lights Out Series
Coming Soon
Power Trip Book 2 in the Lights Out Series
Power Struggle Book 3 in the Lights Out Series
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About the Author
What would happen if the power grid failed? Would you be ready?
When the Earth as we know it comes tumbling down, what would you do to survive?
Hayden James writes suspenseful post-apocalyptic fiction examining what transpires when ordinary people face unreasonable choices. Do they come together and help one another or do they look out only for themselves?
If our nation was attacked, who would survive?
Subscribe to Hayden's newsletter for updates on new releases, discounts, and unpublished chapters: https://mailchi.mp/c592e77dbc77/haydenjames
The apocalypse brings out the best and the worst in all of us. It is survival of the fittest at its finest.
The end of the world is only the beginning.
Forge Faith: A Post-Apocalypse Survival Thriller
Copyright © 2019 Hayden James
All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988, or under the terms of anybody since permitting limited copying issued by the copyright leasing agency.
This book is the work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidences either are the product of the author’s imagination or coincidental. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 9781690199786
Contents
Forge Faith
I. Day Fifteen
1. Chapter One
2. Chapter Two
II. Day Sixteen
3. Chapter Three
4. Chapter Four
III. Day Seventeen
5. Chapter Five
6. Chapter Six
7. Chapter Seven
8. Chapter Eight
IV. Day Eighteeen
9. Chapter Nine
10. Chapter Ten
V. Day Nineteen
11. Chapter Eleven
12. Chapter Twelve
VI. Day Twenty
13. Chapter Thirteen
14. Chapter Fourteen
15. Chapter Fifteen
VII. A Few Months Later
Epilogue
Also by Hayden James
About the Author
