by Mark Goodwin
Ava decided to simply spoon the biscuits out on a sheet pan rather than rolling them out. “I bet it’s Shane Lawrence. He’ll be hard to get to.”
“Yeah. But anyone can be gotten to. Besides that, Chip knows all about the flow of weapons and supplies to the Social Justice Legion. If the Alliance States can disrupt Markovich’s logistics network, that information will really make a difference.”
“But you won’t get involved in the actual fighting, right?” She finished spooning the dough onto the pan.
“I told you, Ava. I’m not going to leave your side; not ever again.”
She took comfort in her father’s words. Ava slid the pan into the oven. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out. “Seems like that text forwarder you set up for me is working. I just got a message on my burner phone from my old number.”
“Even though we’re out of enemy territory, they could still track us down with your old phone. Who’s the message from?”
Ava opened the text. “Raquel.”
“What does it say?”
She read it aloud. “Seems like we got our boyfriends mixed up. Wanna trade?” She looked up at her father with hopeful eyes.
He shook his head slowly. “Don’t fall into her trap, Ava. Ask her for proof that he’s alive.”
Ava shot a message back via an encrypted email-to-text app over Orfox, the mobile Tor browser on her phone. She stared anxiously at the screen and waited. Seconds later, she showed her father the picture of Foley tied to a chair, but very much alive. Joy sprung up from inside her, overflowing through tears of jubilation.
Ulysses smiled as he hugged her. “Congratulations, sweetie. Looks like I’m going to have to get to work on Chip. We may not have him for as long as I thought.”
Ava’s sorrow and the torment of her soul faded. Where only despair had been, hope flourished. She knew getting Foley back wouldn’t be easy, but with the help of her earthly father and her Heavenly Father, all things were possible.
Her days of worry were far from over. But if she could hold Foley in her arms for just one more day, it was an amicable compromise. The flicker of hope from that remote possibility was the best Christmas present she could ask for.
Don’t Panic!
Inevitably, books like this will wake folks up to the need to be prepared. Or, they cause those of us who are already prepared to take inventory of our preparations. New preppers can find the task of getting prepared for an economic collapse, EMP, or societal breakdown to be a source of great anxiety. It shouldn’t be. By following an organized plan and setting a goal of getting a little more prepared each day, you can do it.
I always try to include a few prepper tips in my novels, but they’re fiction and not a comprehensive plan. Now that you’re motivated to start prepping, the last thing I want to do is leave you frustrated, not knowing what to do next. So, I’d like to offer you a free PDF copy of The Seven Step Survival Plan.
For the new prepper, The Seven Step Survival Plan provides a blueprint that prioritizes the different aspects of preparedness and breaks them down into achievable goals. For seasoned preppers who often get overweight in one particular area of preparedness, The Seven Step Survival Plan provides basic guidelines to help keep their plan in balance and ensures they’re not missing any critical segments of a well-adjusted survival strategy.
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Thank you for reading
Ava’s Crucible, Book Two:
Embers of Empire
If you liked the book, please take a moment to leave a review. It helps more than you can imagine.
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Stay tuned to PrepperRecon.com for the latest news about my upcoming books, and great interviews on the Prepper Recon Podcast.
Continue the adventure with
Ava’s Crucible, Book Three: United We Stand
If you’ve enjoyed Ava’s Crucible, you’ll love my post-apocalyptic, end-times thriller series,
The Days of Noah
Tennessee public school teacher, Noah Parker, like many in the United States, has been asleep at the wheel. During his complacency, the founding precepts of America have been slowly, systematically destroyed by a conspiracy that dates back hundreds of years.
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 signs can no longer be ignored, and Noah is forced to prepare for the cataclysmic period of financial and political upheaval ahead.
Meanwhile, in an off-site CIA facility outside of Langley, rookie analyst Everett Carroll discovers he’s not being told the whole truth. He’s instructed to disregard troubling information uncovered by his research. Everett ignores his directive and keeps digging. What he finds goes against everything he’s been taught to believe. Unfortunately, his curiosity doesn’t escape the attention of his superiors, and it may cost him his life.
Watch through the eyes of Noah Parker and Everett Carroll as the world descends into chaos, a global empire takes shape, ancient writings are fulfilled, and the last days fall upon the once-great United States of America.
And check out my EMP survival series Seven Cows Ugly and Gaunt
starting with book one,
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.
Living in a nation where life-sustaining systems of support are completely dependent on electricity and computers, the odds for survival are dismal. Municipal water services, retail food distribution, police, fire, EMS and emergency services will come to a screeching halt.
If they want to live through the most catastrophic period in American history, Danny and Alisa will have to race against time to get prepared, before the lights go out.
You’ll also enjoy reading my first series,
The Economic Collapse Chronicles
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.
CLICK HERE to be notified when new books by Mark Goodwin are released!
