by T. L. Payne
“Stay down, Emma.”
“What is going on?” Emma whined.
“I’m not sure. It could be nothing. Cooper is barking and went running down the driveway. It could be just a cat or something. Uncle Ryan went to check it out.”
She placed her left arm around Emma’s shoulder and squeezed her tightly to herself. While setting her right arm on the bed, she aimed the pistol at the door. She heard voices. Male voices. She could not make out their words, but their tone wasn’t angry or harsh.
“It could be a neighbor,” she said, looking down at Emma.
Emma looked up at her, tears filling her eyes. Maddie returned her gaze to the door. As frightening as all this was for Maddie, she imagined it was terrifying for Emma. Maddie had trained for things like this with Ryan and her dad.
How powerless and small Emma must feel.
Maddie resolved to teach Emma everything her dad had taught her. She was sure that Ryan and the others, when they arrived, would be glad to teach her things too. If the lights did not come back on, Emma would have to learn those things. Better sooner than later. It could mean the difference between death and survival.
Maddie heard the screen door squeak and footsteps on the hardwood floor of the living room. She stood and held the gun in the ready position. She ran over to the door and closed it slowly. Just before it shut all the way she heard a familiar voice.
“Maddie? Where are you, Maddie?”
Her eyes widened. Throwing open the door, Maddie ran down the hall and launched herself into her brother’s arms.
Cooper ran through the open door, nosed his way between them, and put his head under Zach’s right arm. Zach patted his head as he looked at his sister.
“Sis, no offense, but you look like shit,” Zach said.
Before You Go…
Thank you for purchasing Turbulent: Book One in the Days of Want series. If you enjoyed it, I’d like to hear from you and hope that you could take a moment and post an honest review on Amazon. Your support and feedback will help this author improve for future projects. Without the support of readers like yourself, self-publishing would not be possible.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Before You Go…
Join T. L. Payne on social media
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Turbulent
Book One in The Days of Want Series
Copyright © T. L. Payne 2019
All Rights Reserved
Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design
Developmental edit by Shaky Rock Publishing
Copy edit by Josiah Davis
Proofreading by Kristin Masbaum
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.
www.tlpayne.com
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Created with Vellum
To J.D., my rock and shelter in every storm.
To Melissa, Laura, Haley, Nathan, Colton, Jamaar, Jay’vion, Caleb, and Emilee for making my life full of beauty.
To Gizmo for keeping my lap warm.
To Mandy for her encouragement and keeping me sane,
without which this dream would never come true.
Acknowledgments
Many people have had a hand in the creation of this story. I am deeply appreciative for all their help and support. I would especially like to thank my beta readers, Damon Brogdon, Chris Reid, Carol Rickets, Julie Snyder, Kathy Cornetto, Cathy Northup, Joshua Boiling, Tom Bailey, Henry Thomas, and Rebecka Perks, all of whom have provided valuable feedback on this novel. Also, a tremendous thank you to my editor and proofreaders.
I would also like to thank you, the reader, for coming on this journey with me.
Although the people, places and events depicted in this book are fictional, the threat posed by an electromagnetic pulse or EMP is real. In January 2019, the declassified report, written by EMP expert Peter Vincent Pry, was released to the public. In it he revealed EMP war plans drawn up by Iran, Russian, China, and North Korea. In “Nuclear EMP Attack Scenarios and Combined-Arms Cyber Warfare,” Pry said that “Super-EMP” weapons, as they are termed by the Russians, are specifically designed to generate an extraordinarily powerful EMP with a peak E-1 EMP field of 200,000 volts per meter which would be 100,000 volts at the margins. The U.S. has no Super-EMP weapons in its nuclear deterrent. He describes a sequencing of EMP attacks, combined with Cyber attacks aimed at crippling the nation and weakening our ability to defend the nation in such an event. His report paints a grim picture in the event of an EMP and combined-arms cyber warfare attack.
The following story is a scenario where the characters must adapt quickly to the challenging new world after such attacks. Let’s all hope that this story remains fiction.
I hope you enjoy reading it. Feel free to reach out to me on social media if you have comments or questions. Join my spam free newsletter to say informed of new releases, giveaways, and special offers. I will not spam your inbox, I promise.
Best wishes,
T.L. Payne
About the Author
T. L. Payne is the author of the fast-paced post apocalyptic survival series, Days of Want. T.L. writes full time from her farm in the beautiful Mark Twain National Forest in South Central Missouri.
When not writing or doing research for her next book, she enjoys hiking, camping and searching for treasure with her metal detector. You may occasionally see her chasing down wayward sheep in her pajamas and muck boots. If you do, don’t laugh. Well, maybe a little.
