by Tate, Harley
Madison shuddered. She knew Brianna’s father was right, but she wished it wasn’t true.
After speaking a bit more about the threats and how underprepared they were for something like this, he opened it up to the floor. “Anyone have ideas on what we can do?”
Peyton spoke up. “We should have constant surveillance. We could start with sentries or patrols. If we can find an electronics store that isn’t smashed to bits in town, we could get some cameras and find a way to hook them into the solar panels.”
Brianna chimed in. “We can’t have so many people gone at once. Without you and Mr. Sloane, we didn’t have enough people to defend us.”
Her father nodded. “Good points, both of you. Which brings us to another issue. Colt Potter and James Larkin.” He nodded at both men. “Thanks to their help today, we came out of this with only minimal damage. Walter has asked if they can join the group.”
Madison glanced at her father. So far, he’d been quiet, content to lean against the wall and watch. She knew he struggled with what had happened. After being gone when the EMP hit, he had promised to never put them in the same position again.
But how could he have known about Eileen? She didn’t blame him for being gone, and it all worked out in the end.
Brianna’s mother spoke up. “We have room here for twelve. The more people, the more load on everything from the composting toilet to the solar panels and the well. But we built this place with the future in mind. It’s not the most spacious of sleeping arrangements, but we have the room.” She smiled at her husband. “And we could use the help.”
Colt spoke up for the first time. “I appreciate your generosity, ma’am. But I do not want to impose. If you don’t think we’re a good fit or don’t have the room, we understand.” He glanced at Larkin before continuing. “If we do stay, we will contribute. I’m not one for sitting around and being idle.” He almost grinned. “That’s what’s gotten me to this point, I’m afraid.”
Larkin nodded. “Colt’s right. Neither one of us is good at being lazy, so if we’re here we want to work.”
Madison’s father pushed off the wall. “From what I’ve seen of these men, they’re good people, proficient with defense, and don’t put up much fuss. They’re an asset, not a liability.”
Mr. Clifton nodded. “Anyone else?” When no one volunteered, he slapped his thigh and leaned back. “That settles it, then. You are welcome to stay.”
Colt nodded. “Thank you.”
“As soon as you start patrols, we can help.” Larkin glanced at Colt. “We’ve done our fair share of that sort of thing.”
“I was hoping so.” Mr. Clifton launched into a discussion on the best way to defend the property with Madison’s father, Colt, and Larkin all contributing.
Hearing the four of them talk, Madison was thankful for the new additions to the group. They had skills and knowledge Madison, Peyton, and her mom didn’t possess.
“What about supplies?” Colt turned to Brianna’s mom. “Are you good or do you need more?”
“We always need more. And if we’re setting up a defense, cameras would be a good option. We’ve got the solar capacity.”
“When we were on the way here we had to leave a tremendous amount behind.” Madison’s father nodded at Colt. “Thanks to his shoveling skills, we buried it all about twenty miles from here.”
Peyton spoke up. “Brianna and I can go get it if you can show us the way.”
Madison’s father nodded.
“Hiking here, I got to thinking about warehouse delivery and how most big box stores have massive distribution centers.” Colt ran a hand over his chin. “Most of them don’t look like much from the outside.”
Brianna’s father leaned back. “I’m listening.”
“We could organize a group and hit one. They’ll have everything from toilet paper to macaroni to car batteries.”
“You really think there are any left that haven’t been ransacked?”
Colt shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”
Brianna’s father thought it over. “We’ve been too small to take on that kind of risk, but it’s a solid idea. There’s a big warehouse district on the edge of Truckee. We could start there.”
“What about Cunningham’s group? They’re all over that side of town.”
“There’s got to be factions all over.”
Colt spoke up. “I know the risks and Larkin and I are pretty good at urban survival.” He grinned at the man. “Besides, we’re a bit more expendable.”
“Speak for yourself, air marshal. I tend to like breathing.”
The room broke into laughter and the meeting was over. They had gained three new members, one of whom wouldn’t be moving off her bed in the bunk house for a while.
As Madison braced to stand an orange ball of fluff sprang up into her lap. Fireball meowed and bumped his head against her hand. “Hey there, little man.” Madison rubbed behind his ears as the cat settled in.
“Looks like he wants you to stay.”
“I guess so.”
As Anne opened the door to head outside a little streak of brown and gray tore into the room. It scampered across the wood floor and stopped at Madison’s feet, yipping and barking and spinning in circles.
Her mom laughed. “Someone is a bit jealous.” She bent down and scooped up Lottie into her arms. The Yorkie turned around on her mom’s lap and plopped down, nose a few inches from Fireball.
“I thought she didn’t like you?”
“Turns out she can’t resist duck jerky. One bite was all it took.”
Brianna leaned over. “I thought Yorkies hated cats.”
Madison shrugged. “Guess she likes being here more.”
Lottie and Fireball eyed each other, neither hissing nor barking. Colt walked over shaking his head. “So, a few hours here and you’ve found a new person, huh? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m not very good with pets.”
Madison’s mom smiled as Lottie jumped down to sniff Colt’s feet. “Don’t be so sure about that. You’re still her favorite.”
Colt’s sunny expression faltered. “No. I’m just a stand-in. Her favorite died not that long ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
He waved her off. “Don’t be. We’ve all lost people.” Colt bent down and scooped up the little dog. “Haven’t we, Lottie?”
As he walked off, Madison leaned against her mom. “Do you think we’ll be safe here?”
Her mom wrapped an arm back around Madison and squeezed. “We can hope.”
Day Forty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Nine
DANI
Clifton Compound
10:00 a.m.
Dani blinked her way out of a dream and turned her head. The dirt and leaves and stink of animal were gone, replaced by soft lantern light and a blanket. She turned her head.
Colt sat beside her, head resting on his hand. He stared out at nothing. She opened her mouth to speak when his voice filled the silence.
“I know that you need to sleep, but if you could just wake up for a little while, I’ve got news.”
She tried to say something, but he kept going.
“We’ve made it to the Cliftons’ place and it’s everything we could ask for. They’ve got a deep well and a garden and pigs and chickens. They’ve even rigged up a composting toilet.” He snorted. “They’re turning shit into fertilizer.”
Dani smiled through the clearing fog.
“And the best part is that they’ve asked us to stay. We can have a life here, Dani. I know it’s not what you wanted and we’re back with strangers, but I think you’ll like it here. God knows we need the break. We can’t keep running. We need a chance to breathe.” He pressed his fingers into his eyes. “But it would be great if you would wake up.”
“Why is it we only get to sleep in a bed when someone almost dies?”
Colt spun around with a start. “You’re awake!”
She nodded.
“For how long?”
“Long enough to know I’m not dead and stuck with you in the afterlife.”
He grinned. “We made it.”
“Is Larkin here?”
Colt nodded. “And Lottie, too.”
Dani tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness threw her back. “She’s alive?”
“She’s got a chewed-up ear and some scratches, but that dog’s a trouper.”
Dani closed her eyes in relief. “I thought the bear killed her.”
“It almost killed you.”
“That, too.” So many thoughts and emotions swirled inside Dani’s head. She managed to put voice to one of them. “Thanks for saving me. Again.”
“Any time.”
“How about we take a few days in between.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Colt leaned back in his chair and exhaled. “It’ll be hard work living here. Everything they have they work hard to produce.”
“Good. That means we’ll have something to do.”
“I’ve agreed to lead some raids into town to hunt for more supplies.”
Dani swallowed. “I’ll go, too.”
“Not until you’re one hundred percent.”
“Fair enough.” She chewed on her lip. “We can’t screw this one up, Colt. These people can’t die because of us.”
“We won’t. Not this time.”
Dani nodded as the door to the room opened. A girl with blonde curls and a red bandana stuck her head inside. “Walter’s about to broadcast. Didn’t know if you wanted to listen.”
“Thanks.”
As the girl was about to leave, she caught sight of Dani. “You’re awake.”
Dani nodded.
“Welcome. It’s good to have you.”
The door shut behind her and Colt stood up. “That’s Brianna. She’s the daughter of the people who built this place.”
“How old is she?”
“Twenty, I think. And there’s two other kids about her age, too.”
Dani didn’t know what to say. She’d gotten so used to hanging out with Colt that seeing someone closer to her age never crossed her mind. Maybe staying there wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
“Did she say Walter’s broadcasting?”
Colt nodded. “He’s got this crazy setup here with a ham radio and massive antennas. Said sometimes when they’re listening they can pick up people across the country.”
“No way.”
“Want to listen?”
Dani nodded and let Colt help her off the cot. She wobbled, but managed to stand with his support. Together they hobbled out of the cabin and into an open area. She stopped to process it all.
Three cabins, a barn, pasture, and fruit trees. It was a mini working farm carved out of the forest. She couldn’t believe it.
Colt helped her over to where Walter sat in front of an electronics setup fit for a radio station.
He smiled when he saw her. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks.”
“I can only broadcast for a couple minutes. It’s too much of a drain on the solar.” He turned back around and moved some dials and hit some buttons. “Good morning. The time is 10:30 a.m., Pacific Standard Time, and this is Walter Sloane.
Dani eased down to the ground with Colt’s help and leaned against him while Walter spoke. She thought back to that night in the Wilkins family’s basement and how they all gathered around the radio to listen to his broadcast.
She never thought she would be sitting behind the same man, watching him as he spoke words of hope and encouragement to people all over. As she sat there, she caught sight of Lottie running through grass almost as tall as she was, her little pointed ears sticking up above the green.
Could they really be happy here? Could they really stay?
She turned to see two women side by side also listening. From the resemblance, Dani put it together: Walter’s wife and daughter. Dani swallowed. This wouldn’t be the same as Eugene. She wouldn’t let it.
They would work together to survive out here, away from cities and towns and the threat of outsiders. She would contribute as much as she was able.
Walter cleared his throat as he wrapped up. “Every day you wake up is another day to celebrate. You’re alive. You’re breathing. Make the most of it. Take the opportunity you’ve been given and run with it. Even in the darkest moments hope still lingers like an unlit match. All it needs is a spark to light. Until next time, this is Walter Sloane. Good luck.”
He clicked off the radio and his wife walked forward. She bent down and kissed the side of his head.
The daughter made her way over to Dani and crouched with an outstretched hand. “Hi. I’m Madison.”
Dani took her hand and shook it. “Danielle, but everyone calls me Dani.”
“Nice to meet you, Dani.”
Lottie scampered up between them, yipping and twisting in circles. Both girls laughed.
“I think she likes it here.”
“Seems that way.” Colt reached out and helped her up to stand. “Now it’s time you went back to bed.”
Dani frowned, but didn’t argue. Walking the handful of steps outside had tapped most of her strength. As they made it back inside, she turned to him. “Thanks for not giving up on me.”
He took her by the shoulders. “I’ll never quit on you, Dani. Never. We’re in this together, no matter what happens next.”
HOPE STUMBLES
Six Months Without Power
DAY 190
Prologue
MADISON
Clifton Compound
Near Truckee, CA
11:00 a.m.
“We need another wheelbarrow!” Madison wiped at a bead of sweat before it ran into her eye. They had been harvesting the last of the fall crops since the first glow of sun broke over the tree line. Corn and beans and potatoes. Late-planted carrots and the last of the tomatoes and peppers.
Peyton double-timed it up the row, pushing an empty wheelbarrow over the packed dirt. Sweat soaked his T-shirt like a football player finishing up practice. “We’re going to be canning for days. There’s more food than supermarkets used to have out here.”
Madison nodded. The acre they’d cleared in late spring had yielded a bigger bounty than any of them anticipated. They would have more fruits and vegetables and grains than they needed for the winter. She smiled as Peyton leaned in to help, rooting through the leaves for any stray peppers.
If a solar storm hadn’t brought an electromagnetic pulse and threw the entire country back into the stone age, they would be doing the same thing right now at UC Davis. Fall meant harvest time on a farm or in an agricultural department of a college. She elbowed Peyton in the side.
“It’s like old times, isn’t it?”
She’d expected his usual grin and a funny comeback line. Instead, he stilled and his eyes lost their light. “Yes and no.”
Madison’s face fell. She didn’t mean to dredge up painful memories on a gorgeous fall day. They should be laughing and carrying on before running inside for fresh lemonade and some of her mom’s biscuits.
She risked a question that gnawed at her in somber moments. “Do you ever wonder about your dad?”
Peyton glanced at her with a furrowed brow. “Sometimes. But what can I do? He’s either dead or living it up in some bunker in Los Angeles.”
She reached out and squeezed his arm. Not knowing whether your only family was alive or dead had to be hard. But Peyton’s father hadn’t been a model parent. Every once in a while, Peyton still talked about the day everything changed. His father had cut off his tuition funding. He wouldn’t graduate from UC Davis unless he changed his major.
Madison dropped her hand. If only his father had known agrarian skills would mean the difference between life and death less than a year later.
Peyton blew out a puff of air and leaned back on his heels. “Who knows, maybe the entertainment industry is thriving down there. Music execs always reminded me of cockroaches anyway.”
Madison laug
hed and her spirits lifted.
“What’s so funny?” Brianna appeared, looking every bit the farmer with a pair of dirt-smeared overalls and a bandana holding back her hair.
“Cockroaches.”
Her eyes went wide as she stared at the dirt. “Where? You know I hate those things.”
“Los Angeles, mostly.”
Brianna’s eyebrows shot up, but Peyton waved her off.
“How are the piglets?”
“Almost ready to be on their own.” Brianna grinned. “Betsy’s a trooper. I can’t imagine having eight babies crawling all over me.”
“I still can’t believe you named all the pigs. Don’t you cringe when your dad slaughters one?”
“Not really. They have a good life here.”
Peyton rubbed his belly. “And bacon tastes good.”
Madison elbowed him harder than before. “No tasty pork products unless you help me with the rest of the harvest.” She turned back to the pepper plant in front of her and couldn’t help but smile. They might be in the middle of nowhere and living like pioneers, but they were family.
As long as they stayed together, they could weather anything.
Nine Months Without Power
DAY 280
Chapter One
TRACY
Clifton Compound
Near Truckee, CA
10:00 a.m.
Fat, wet snowflakes landed on Tracy’s lashes, melting into puddles beneath her eyes. Every few paces, she brushed them away and paused to catch her breath, struggling against the weight of snowdrifts and wind.
Two hundred and eighty days ago, the country plunged into darkness. No power. No internet. No cell phones.
