Rise of the Locusts
Page 20
“I would have called, but cell service went out in Charlotte a few days ago.”
“Well, I’m glad you came.”
Gavin smiled. “Pretty good timing on my part, if I do say so myself.”
She put her other hand on his and pulled him closer. “Not just because you saved my life, although I am grateful for that. So, cell service is completely out?”
He squeezed her hands. “I think the government shut it down because it was doing more harm than good. Gangs and hoodlums were using it to organize.”
“What about first responders?”
He shook his head. “They’re all responding to their own personal crisis. Things got pretty rough in Charlotte. I holed up in my apartment for as long as I could. Fortunately, my Jeep didn’t get vandalized. I decided to get out while I still could. I have a cousin in Tennessee; Whiteville, it’s pretty remote. I wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay before I went.”
“Oh.” Kate felt like she’d had the wind knocked out of her. She pulled back one of her hands and looked down at the quilt. “I see. When are you leaving?”
“I’d told Mr. Pritchard that I’d help get things back in order around here. We’ve been at it hard. We’ve got most of it cleaned up, but I’m beat. If you don’t mind, I’d like to crash here, on the couch or something. I need to get some rest before I go. I was thinking of heading out after midnight tomorrow night. Early morning hours seem to be the safest time to travel.”
“Sure, you can sleep here.” She felt despondent.
“Is everything okay? I mean, I know you’ve been through a lot, but you seem upset at me. If you’d rather I not stay…”
“No.” She looked up. “It’s not you, it’s me. I don’t know why, but I had it cooked up in my mind that you’d be staying longer. No reason, just my imagination, I guess.”
He bit his lip. “Why? How long did you think I was going to stay?”
She lifted her shoulders and looked away, her heart began to pound. “I don’t know, a while.”
“What’s a while? A couple days?”
She fiddled with the edge of the quilt. “I don’t know, maybe longer.”
“Do you want me to stay longer?”
She looked up into his eyes and nodded.
“I could hang around for a while.”
“How long is a while?” she asked.
He laughed and pulled her close. “You tell me.”
Despite her fear, her worry, and her grief, a smile began to creep across her face.
Gavin put his hand behind her neck and softly pulled her closer for a kiss.
Seconds later, she pulled away, still smiling and looked away. “So, were you really going to Tennessee, or was that just to make me beg?”
“I hadn’t exactly been invited, so I wasn’t about to impose myself upon you.”
“But it’s the apocalypse. One could assume that one’s company would be welcome.”
“Mmmm…” He tilted his head to the side. “One could, and one might; but personally, I need a formal invitation.”
She sat up straight in the bed and took both of his hands. “Okay, Gavin, will you please come stay with me? I’m a fair maiden in distress, and I could really use a knight in shining armor.”
He grinned. “I don’t know if I’m buying all that fair-maiden bit.”
“Oh? I’m not fair?”
“Fair, indeed, my princess, but in distress? I saw that guy’s face where you shot him—or at least what used to be his face. Nevertheless, I accept your invitation to stay for...”
“A while—a good long while.” She let him kiss her again.
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Thank you for reading
Cyber Armageddon, Book One:
Rise of the Locusts
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Keep watch for Book Two,
Feast of the Locusts
Can’t get enough post-apocalyptic chaos?
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Ava’s Crucible
The Second American Civil War Has Begun!
The deck is stacked against twenty-nine-year-old Ava. She’s a fighter, but she’s got trust issues and doesn’t always make the best decisions. Her personal complications aren’t without merit, but America is on the verge of a second civil war, and Ava must pull it together if she wants to survive.
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Cassandra Parker, Noah’s wife, has diligently followed end-times prophecy and the shifting tide against freedom in America. Noah has tried to avoid the subject, but when charges are filed against him for deviating from the approved curriculum in his school, he quickly understands the seriousness of the situation. The sign
s can no longer be ignored, and Noah is forced to prepare for the cataclysmic period of financial and political upheaval ahead.
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Behold, Darkness, and Sorrow
Danny and Alisa's lives are turned upside down when Danny begins having prophetic dreams about the judgment coming upon America. Through one of Danny’s dreams, they learn about the imminent threat of an EMP attack which will wipe out America’s electric grid, sending the country into a technological dark age.
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Dealing with the challenges of being downsized during a period of surging inflation, Matt and Karen Bair face the economic realities of Main Street. Government borrowing and monetary creation have reached their limits and America is on the cusp of financial annihilation. When funds are no longer available for government programs, widespread civil unrest erupts across the country. Matt and Karen are forced to move to a more remote location, and their level of preparedness is revealed as being much less adequate than they believed prior to the crisis. Civil instability erupts into civil war, and Americans are forced to choose a side. Don’t miss this action-packed, post-apocalyptic tale about survival after the total collapse of America.
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