by Harley Tate
She looked away.
“Every time I hesitate, every time I’m weak, you’re there rushing in. I’m glad you didn’t kill that man.”
“You are?” She pinned him with a skeptical eyebrow.
“I am. You aren’t a murderer. Not like that.” Danny pulled her closer and wrapped Midge up in a tight hug. “We can keep those kids safe. I know we can.”
“I hope so. I just told them we were starring in our very own movie.”
Danny pulled back. “There are a few sad ones. Remember Old Yeller?” He shivered.
Midge cracked a smile. “As long as we don’t adopt a stray dog, I think we can avoid how that one turned out.”
As she twisted away, Danny caught her. “If you didn’t kill him, what was the gunshot?”
Midge screwed up her face. “I shot him in the kneecap. You know, like the Terminator?”
Danny shook his head. “Don’t you ever read?”
“If things ever calm down, I won’t have a choice.” She sobered as she faced the bed. “What should we do?”
Danny swallowed. “With Henry still alive, we can’t take the time to bury her. What if he wakes up?”
Midge nodded. “I thought the same thing.” She walked over to the bed and pulled the blanket up to cover the dead woman’s face. She bent her head and Danny did the same, taking a moment to say a few words for a woman he only spoke to for moments, but whose children were now in his care.
It hardly seemed real.
Danny took a deep breath. “We should search the kitchen. Whatever food they still have, we should take it.”
Midge nodded. “You check on the kids. I’ll start collecting anything of value.”
Danny watched her walk away, even more thankful they had stuck together.
Chapter Twenty-Two
MIDGE
Thursday, 4:00 pm CST
St. Joseph, Michigan
The carved wood sign welcoming them to St. Joseph, Michigan, Population 8,865, perched on the side of the road and Midge sagged against the carriage in relief. It had taken a day and a half, but they had finally made it.
Jack leaned across the seat back. “Head on past the signs for downtown. We’re on the water on the north side. It’ll be easier to go around.”
Danny nodded.
Ginny and Graham sprawled across the far seat, spindly legs and arms tangled up together as they slept away the horror of losing their mother and leaving their home behind. Jack and Cassandra sat on the seat backing up to Danny and Midge, intermittently pointing out spots of interest as they neared their home.
Thanks to the rural route, the horses stayed fed and they had managed to avoid any run-ins with strangers. Every few hours, April had fussed and Cassandra fed or changed her. They’d eaten the food scavenged from Ginny and Graham’s kitchen and drank the warm sodas Midge found in their fridge. The contrast between this portion of the trip and the prior couldn’t be more stark. If it weren’t for Midge’s laptop bag and the cell phones that still had battery power, they could have been a family from the 1800s on a vacation to the lake.
She snorted at herself. Except they weren’t a family. They were strangers thrown together by bad luck and unfortunate circumstances. She glanced behind her once more. Their strange little crew reminded her of an animal shelter with all the leftovers no one wanted to adopt. Cast-offs of one form or another.
She turned back to face the front as Jack pointed them at a road.
“Turn left up ahead. We’re the modern house at the end.”
Danny did as instructed, guiding the horses down a narrow road of beach cottages. As they neared the water, an all-white modern two-story with floor-to-ceiling windows rose out of the lush grass. Midge swallowed. Twice the size of the house she grew up in, the Grande’s vacation home was straight out of one of those magazines sitting in a doctor’s office.
“Pull up out front. We can unhitch the horses and let them roam the backyard. It’s fully fenced and mostly grass.”
Danny slowed the carriage to a stop outside the metal and glass front door.
Midge reached for her gun. “We should clear it first. It’s been a few days. Someone might have broken in.”
Jack hopped down from the carriage as the kids stretched. “No. It’s secure. We’ve got twenty-four-hour security.”
“But the power’s out.”
Jack smiled. “Not here.” He pointed up at the roof where a bank of solar panels gobbled up the sun’s rays. “We’re fully self-sufficient three seasons out of the year. Solar for electric and a well for water. If it weren’t for the Michigan winters, we wouldn’t even need to be on the grid.”
Midge’s mouth fell open. “You have electricity?”
“And running water and satellite internet.” Cassandra smiled at her husband as he helped her down. “I only wish we’d set up a nursery here and not just back home.”
Midge reeled. All this time, she’d thought of the Grandes as a temporary nuisance. A necessary evil that she could trade for a means to get across the lake as soon as she could ditch them. But they turned out to be so much more than that. They were a lifeline. They would give her a chance to connect with the outside. Maybe with TX. Lainey.
Emotion clogged Midge’s throat and she coughed to cover it up. “Can we—I mean would it be all right if we—”
Cassandra laughed. “Everyone is welcome.”
Ginny and Graham climbed out of the carriage and stood in the lush grass in front of the house. Ginny wiped at the dirt and snot on her face as she stared up at the house. After a moment, she turned and rushed to Midge. “You were right.” She wrapped her arms around Midge’s waist and hot tears dampened Midge’s shirt. “It’s just like the movies.”
Midge jerked her head up to find Cassandra staring at Ginny. The new mother’s hand covered her mouth and her eyes filled with unshed tears.
How could Midge tell the kids that they weren’t staying? The Grandes had a newborn to care for; they couldn’t possibly be expected to take in two orphaned children, too. She swallowed hard and pried Ginny off her before crouching down to the child’s level. She tried to smile. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay? I think the first thing will be a shower and a change of clothes. If that’s all right with Mrs. Grande.”
“Of course it is.” Cassandra wiped at her eyes and motioned for Ginny and Graham to join her. “Come with me and I’ll give you the tour.”
Midge held back as the Grandes and the children walked up to the front door. Jack tapped a code into a panel beneath the door handle and the door unlocked.
“What are you thinking?” Danny stopped beside her, watching everyone disappear inside.
“That I promised these kids a fairy tale, but I never expected it would come true.” She turned to Danny. “How are we going to break it to them when we leave?”
“Maybe we won’t have to.”
Midge blinked. “You—You want to stay?”
He reached for her hand. “No. I want to help you find your mom.”
Relief coursed through Midge and she didn’t stop to question it. Danny had become her closest friend. She couldn’t imagine struggling through this new reality without him. “But?”
“Maybe the kids won’t have to come with us.”
She frowned. “We can’t ask Cassandra and Jack to take them in.”
Danny nodded toward the house. “Look.”
Midge turned in time to see Ginny and Graham racing up the stairs and throwing open a bedroom door. Cassandra stood beside her husband, arm wrapped around his back and head on his shoulder. If Midge didn’t know any better, she’d swear those kids were hers. “It’s a lot to accept.”
“I think they already have.” He tugged her toward the horses. “Help me get them unhitched and into the yard. Then we can figure out if their internet really does work.”
Midge grinned. “How’d you know that’s the first thing I would do?”
“Because I know you.” He dropped her hand
and turned toward the horses and Midge stared at his back while he worked. He was right. They did know each other—the bad and the good.
Danny hoisted the heavy carriage harness off Beatrice and grunted with the effort. “Are you going to help me or stand there gawking?”
Midge reached for the bridle with a grin. “Thought I’d let you do the heavy lifting.”
They ribbed each other back and forth while they walked the horses to the fence and let them into the yard. Green grass stretched across a flat expanse of yard all the way to the edge of a short cliff face. A fence kept anyone from falling down the rocky outcropping and a small gate led to a series of stairs and the lake beyond. Midge stood at the railing and stared out across the water.
If it weren’t for the lack of waves, she’d have sworn it was the ocean.
Danny called her name and Midge spun around. He held her laptop bag aloft by the rear door. “Let’s see what you can find out.”
Midge ran across the grass and snatched the bag from his hands before ducking through the open door. The sight inside stopped her still. Cassandra stood at a sleek modern counter smearing peanut butter and jam on bread for Ginny and Graham. They had already showered and Midge almost didn’t recognize them.
Cleaned of dirt and grime and the tragedy of their prior existence, they were adorable. Ginny’s hair shone strawberry-blonde under the lights and freckles dotted Graham’s nose. Cassandra looked up with a smile. “Hungry?”
“Maybe later.” Midge held up her laptop as an excuse and hurried to the table. She opened it up and the current world disappeared. All she could think about was finding her sister and figuring out where TX had gone. A sanctuary was exactly what they needed.
She found the Grande family’s Wi-Fi and connected before pulling up a Tor browser. She hit the news sites first. Nothing would load. Come on. Midge’s leg bounced up and down. Every page she tried timed out. She glanced up at the sky. Too many people bogging down the satellite connections.
She’d have to do it the hard way. Midge navigated to the chat room TX liked to frequent. She sent out the request.
MFly: Olly olly oxen free.
The waiting almost killed her.
TX3482: At least this time you’re not compromised.
Thank God.
MFly: Where are you?
TX3482: Sending deets.
Midge waited as TX sent an encrypted file her way. She opened it and tried to make sense of what she saw. A map with a cluster of lakes and names she’d never heard of. A grid with dots in a specific pattern sat beside one town: Meadow Lake. Midge grinned. The symbol was a glider from the Game of Life. Perfect.
She zoomed out and her mouth fell open. Canada? She had to make it all the way to Canada?
MFly: Still accessible?
TX3482: Getting crowded. Come the back way. We’ll save you a spot.
Midge wanted to say so much more but she couldn’t risk it. Instead, she shut the chat room down and tried again to find out anything about what happened. There wasn’t much. Various chatter about the bombs. Confirmation of the hit to DC and the West Coast. Chaos everywhere.
She scrolled past the theories about the perpetrators. That was something her sister would be knee-deep in if she were still alive. Midge didn’t care. All she wanted was to find her mother, tell her sister where to meet, and get the heck out of the United States.
Never did she think Canada would be her future, but nuclear bombs changed everything. After she found her mom, she would head north, find TX, and finally have a chance to breathe.
Chapter Twenty-Three
MIDGE
Friday, 9:00 am CST
Grande Residence
St. Joseph, Michigan
Midge woke from a nightmare with a start. She’d been in the middle of downtown Chicago, trapped among all the buildings when the bomb detonated. As soon as the heat seared her skin, she sat bolt upright. There were no flames or horrific winds or flying debris.
Only fluffy pillows and crisp white sheets and her clothes washed and folded in a pile on the armchair. She exhaled. Jack and Cassandra’s lake house had everything a family of ten could need and then some. Her bed wasn’t even that comfy back home.
After using the bathroom, she pulled on her clothes and stood in front of the mirror. Bruises and cuts covered her skin, and without all the dirt, blood, and smeared makeup, she looked like the terrified twenty-year-old she was on the inside. She tugged her hoodie over her head and wished for some eyeliner. At least her clothes were clean.
In the hall, only Danny’s door stood open. She ducked her head inside but his bed was empty. She found him a minute later in the kitchen pouring two mugs of coffee. Showered and clean-shaven with combed-back hair and a borrowed T-shirt, he looked as young and unsure of the future as she felt. Had they really survived so much together?
He pushed a mug across the counter and Midge inhaled. “That smells like heaven.” She blew across the top before taking a sip. “Couldn’t sleep?”
He shook his head. “I kept waking up, convinced Randy was chasing me.”
Midge sighed. “Explosions and radiation all night for me.”
“Do you ever think we’ll go back to normal?”
Midge looked around her. The Grandes’ home was as close to life before as it could get, but felt more like they were trapped in the twilight zone than anything. “No.” She sipped the coffee again as Cassandra padded into the room in a flowing nightgown and bare feet.
Danny motioned toward the coffee, but she shook her head. “No caffeine for me, I’m afraid.”
“Where are the kids?”
“Still sleeping. They’re so worn out from everything they’ve been through, they might sleep for days.”
Midge wrapped her hands around her mug and focused on the coffee inside. They hadn’t discussed anything past making it to the lake house. What would the Grandes think of leaving for Canada? The children? Midge thought about the horses and how there would be no way to take them via boat.
Cassandra pulled out a stool and sat down, a glass of water in her hand. “So Jack and I talked last night.”
Midge didn’t move.
“And you are welcome to stay here with us if you’d like.”
Danny leaned back. “We couldn’t impose like that. This is your vacation home, and now—” He ran a hand through his still-wet hair. “We’d be too much of a burden.”
Midge agreed. “I need to find my mom and my sister and—” She glanced up at Danny. “There’s a sanctuary that friends of mine started. It’s in Canada.”
Danny blinked.
“If we can make it across the border before it’s too crowded or shut down, then we can regroup and figure out our next steps. It will be safe, I can guarantee that.” Midge took a sip of coffee to bolster her courage. “If we’re smart, I bet we could take the horses and make it up there. We could all go.”
Cassandra smiled. “I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I think St. Joseph will be our home for the foreseeable future. April’s so tiny and I’m still recovering and the children—” She turned her glass around on the counter. “Ginny and Graham need a stable home life. Somewhere they can feel safe and grieve for their mother.”
Midge swallowed. “Are you saying you’ll keep Ginny and Graham, even if we leave?”
“I am. Jack and I talked it over and we agreed. This will be a good place for them to grow up.”
“What about the catamaran?” Danny asked the question before Midge had a chance. “If you are staying here then we should leave it.”
“Not a chance.” Jack strode into the kitchen in a pair of pajama pants and T-shirt. He kissed his wife on the cheek. “That thing is made for sailing and drinking and a couple without kids. I meant what I said the other day. You can have it.”
Midge tucked her hair behind her ear. “After we find my mom, we can come back for the horses.”
“Nonsense.” Jack poured a cup of coffee as he spoke. “They can stay. Gin
ny and Graham love them and we have plenty of grass here for them to eat.”
“They appear to adore the thyme and oregano in the garden, too.” Cassandra smiled. “I never thought I’d end up with livestock and three children, but here we are.” She reached out and squeezed her husband’s hand. “We’re excited, to tell you the truth.”
“It’ll be good to trade in the day job and the commute and the stress for living on the water. Maybe when the country gets back on its feet we’ll go back to the city, but for now, we’re committed to staying right here.”
Midge didn’t say any more. She should be thankful that the Grandes were so willing to take care of Ginny and Graham and Bethel and Beatrice, but leaving them all behind twisted her insides. She knew the children were better off, but the horses? Midge didn’t want to admit it, but she loved Bethel and Beatrice more than she ever expected she would.
Jack fished a key attached to a floating keychain out of the drawer beside him and slid it across the counter to Danny. “That’s for the catamaran. After breakfast I’ll show you the basics.”
Danny pocketed the key and looked up at Midge. “Are you ready?”
“You’re welcome to take some food and water.” Cassandra eased off the stool. “I can help you pack.”
Midge swallowed down the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “Don’t give us much. We should make it to Suttons Bay in a day, right?”
“Depends on the winds and how much diesel you want to burn, but I would think so.” Jack slid off the stool. “If Cassandra can handle breakfast, I can give you a tour.”
Midge stood up in a rush. Leaving the claustrophobic kitchen with the smells and sights of a happy home was exactly what she needed. “I’m ready.”
Cassandra laughed. “All right. Guess that answers that.”
Danny turned to the new mother. “Do you need some help?”
