by Tate, Harley
“It won’t be easy.” Harvey shook his head with doubt. “He’ll be expecting us next time.”
Larkin nodded. “Not just that. You saw how many soldiers there are. It’s not a hundred boot privates with no training and hunger in their bellies. This is an organized base with supplies and food and a colonel who rules with an iron fist. Even if we planned for months, I don’t know that we could take him out. There simply aren’t that many of us.”
He smirked at Colt. “And only one of us used to be a SEAL.”
“But we can’t just leave! We have to stop him!” Will bounced in his seat and almost pitched Lottie off his lap.
Each person made a good point. Colt didn’t know which was the right answer, but at the moment, he didn’t care. They were safe with injuries that would heal in time. After a few days of rest, they could talk about it again and come up with a plan.
To think he’d been ready to pack up his things and head off with only Dani by his side a few days ago. Now Colt couldn’t conceive of leaving anyone behind. These people were his friends. His family. Together they could survive in this new world. It wouldn’t be easy, but they had already shown their grit. They were survivors, every last one of them.
Whatever happened next, they would take it as it came, eyes wide open. No holding back.
He leaned against the faded cushion and motioned at the sky. “Sunrise should be soon. Who wants to stay up for it?”
Melody and Doug twisted around to stare at the horizon. Gloria and Harvey did the same.
Colt closed his eyes and draped an arm over Dani. A few minute's rest and he would be as good as new. As the first lulls of sleep dragged him under, shouts erupted from the balcony.
“What the hell!”
“It can’t be!”
“How is it possible?”
Colt blinked his eyes open with a start as Dani sat up beside him. She rubbed at her face. “What’s going on?”
Melody stood at the railing, staring into the distance. She waved them over without turning around. “Come look.”
Colt pulled Dani up to stand and together they walked over to the balcony’s edge. A faint glow shone in the distance and at first Colt thought it was the sun. Then he blinked and leaned forward. “Hand me my binoculars.”
Dani plucked them off the table and Colt brought them up to his eyes and adjusted the focus. Off in the distance a series of lights glowed.
Colt swallowed and cursed himself. I should have taken the shot when I had the chance.
“What is it?”
He glanced down at Dani’s wide, confused eyes. “It’s the University of Oregon stadium. Jarvis did it. He’s turned on the power.”
Thank you for reading book five in the After the EMP series!
Book Six will be coming to Amazon soon!
Looking for more After the EMP right now? You can find the rest of the series on Amazon.
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If you were hundreds of miles from home when the world ended, how would you protect your family?
Walter started his day like any other by boarding a commercial jet, ready to fly the first leg of his international journey. Halfway to Seattle, he witnesses the unthinkable: the total loss of power as far as he can see.
Hundreds of miles from home, he’ll do whatever it takes to get back to his wife and teenage daughter. Landing the plane is only the beginning.
Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading Chaos Gains, book five in the After the EMP saga. Colt and Dani have found new friends and survived another harrowing adventure. I’ll be back with book six (and more of their story!) soon.
Writing this series has been an amazing, humbling experience for me as an author. I can’t thank my readers enough. Your continued words of encouragement inspire me every day.
If you enjoyed this book and have a moment, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Every one helps new readers discover my work and helps me keep writing the stories you want to read.
Until next time,
Harley
About Harley Tate
When the world as we know it falls apart, how far will you go to survive?
Harley Tate writes edge-of-your-seat post-apocalyptic fiction exploring what happens when ordinary people are faced with impossible choices.
Harley’s first series, After the EMP, follows ordinary people attempting to survive in a world without power. When the nation’s power grid is wrecked, it doesn’t take long for society to fall apart. The end of life as we know it brings out the best and worst in all of us.
The apocalypse is only the beginning.
Contact Harley directly at:
www.harleytate.com
[email protected]
