EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6

by Hamilton, Grace

  “Mom! Are you ready to eat?” Caitlin called out, running towards her. “Rosie and Willow made a big potato soup with lots of bread. I'm starving! Hurry up!”

  Megan smiled. Seeing her daughter healthy and happy was exactly what she needed.

  “I'm coming, sweetie.”

  She slowed her walk and took in the view. She loved the lodge. It was beautiful and it always made her feel so safe. Now that the threat of the dam had been taken care of, they could rest easy—for now.

  Misty ran up to her, waiting to be have her neck rubbed. Megan reached down and gave the goat what she wanted rubbing up and down and scratching between her horns. The goat didn't move a muscle. She loved these rubdowns and always stayed perfectly still.

  “Okay, Misty. I need to go get my dinner. Go play!”

  She walked in the back door and was instantly taken back by the sight before her. The room was warm. There was a soft glow of candles and the aroma of freshly baked bread surrounded her. Everyone was seated at the table with a few at the breakfast bar.

  Evan and Tara were huddled together at one end of the table. She looked at him and gave a knowing smile. He was struggling with Garrett's death, but was putting on a brave face. He seemed to be doing much better than when she saw him last. He too had taken a bath to wash away the blood and there was color in his cheeks.

  “Saved you a seat,” Wyatt said, patting the chair next to him at the table.

  “Great, let me put this stuff away and I'll be right back.”

  She quickly deposited her dirty clothes in the bedroom and headed for the table. Rosie was dishing up soup into bread bowls. The thick chowder smelled delicious. Megan was ready for a hot meal that would leave them all satisfied.

  It was comfort food. Even in the middle of a major disaster, comfort food was important. It had become their best coping mechanism. After a devastating loss or a trying time, they would all sit down to a big hearty meal. It helped restore their strength and served to bond them closer together. They could talk things out and simply enjoy being in the company of people who had been through a horrible experience together.

  “Feel better?” Wyatt asked close to her ear.

  She smiled leaning her head against his shoulder. “Yes. Even though my little jaunt across the river left me chilled to the bone, I needed a bath, cold water or not.”

  “I could have gotten you a hot bath,” he reminded her.

  “I know. I needed to be alone for a few minutes and a quick dip in the stream always makes me feel better.”

  He nodded. He knew her well and hadn't argued when she requested to take her bath alone. It was something they often shared.

  “Your arms look a little better. Are you sure, you don't want my mom to make up a salve or something? Some of those cuts look deep,” he asked her.

  She looked down at her arms and shook her head. The pain from the cuts had kept her alive by giving her something to focus her energy on rather than the pain that still lingered in the back of her mind.

  “I'll be fine. They'll heal in no time. My legs, though. I probably won't be doing any hiking in the next few days. They feel like rubber.”

  He laughed. “Sounds good. I will wait on you hand and foot.”

  “Oh, I like the sound of that,” she told him giving him a light kiss.

  “Let's eat!” Albert said once everyone was served.

  Brenda had been pulled in off guard duty. They had decided everyone needed to be together, even if it was for a short while. They had to pull together and work through yet another tragedy.

  The conversation centered on plans for the garden. Hunting was brought up, which inadvertently reminded everyone of Garrett. A quiet settled over the room. No one ate.

  Wyatt stood. “Every one of us is going to miss Garrett. We will remember him and honor his sacrifice by moving on. He gave his life so we could all be here. Garrett was far too young to go, but we will always be grateful for what he did.”

  Albert stood, grabbed his cup of water and raised it. “To Garrett,” he said.

  Everyone stood, raising their cups and repeated the words, “To Garrett.”

  Wyatt sat down and everyone followed suit.

  “Are we gonna have a funeral for him?” Ryland asked.

  Willow looked to Wyatt. “Of course. We'll put together a cross for him and have a small service. It's the right thing to do,” he answered.

  They returned to eating and eventually the conversation picked up again.

  “I don't think I can eat another bite,” Megan said, leaning back in her chair. “The soup was delicious, Rosie.”

  Rosie beamed. “Thank you. Willow helped as well, even though I told her she needed to get off her feet.”

  Megan looked around at all the smiling, tired faces. This is what she would dwell on when images of Emma flashed in her mind. She had sacrificed Emma to save the others. It was three lives for fourteen. She knew it made her sound cold and callous, but she accepted it. Sometimes, she was going to have to let others down for the greater good. It was a harsh reality she would have to live with.

  “Before everyone heads off to bed, I would like to say something.” Wyatt stood.

  Megan turned to look at him, wondering what he had up his sleeve.

  “Garrett and I had been working on a very special project over the past week or so. The kid is, was, a man of many talents. One of those talents was metalworking. I wasn't even aware of how talented he was until yesterday when he presented me with the finished product.”

  Everyone watched as Wyatt dug into his pocket and pulled something out, but hid it in his closed hand.

  He used his free hand to push his chair back from the table. Then he dropped to one knee in front of Megan's chair.

  Her mouth fell open.

  “Wyatt?” she breathed.

  There were gasps all around the room.

  Wyatt opened his hand to reveal a shiny metal band. He picked it up with his fingers and held it up for Megan to inspect, before grabbing her left hand.

  “Megan, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

  She couldn't speak. She could only watch as he slid the ring onto her finger.

  He looked at her.

  She nodded; still not sure she could say the words the man was so desperate to hear.

  “Say it!” Caitlin shouted.

  Everyone burst into laughter.

  “Yes, Wyatt. I will marry you,” she said, pulling him towards her.

  He leaned in and they embraced. When he pulled back, Megan pulled her hand up closer so she could inspect the ring.

  It was stunning. It wasn't like a traditional engagement ring with a big fat diamond or some other precious stone in the center. This ring was simple, but elegant.

  “He engraved it,” Wyatt told her.

  She pulled it off her finger and held it up to the candlelight to see it better.

  “Forever and always,” she read aloud.

  She heard a small sob and looked up to see Rosie fighting back tears. Willow had lost the battle and was openly sobbing.

  Megan grinned. “Pregnancy hormones are vicious, huh?”

  Willow giggled through her sobs. “Yes, they are. I'm so happy for you both.”

  Caitlin started to jump up and down. “I want to be the flower girl.”

  “Me too,” Amy chimed in.

  Before Megan knew what was happening, the group started to plan her wedding. Everyone made their way over to congratulate them on the upcoming nuptials. Megan knew the marriage would be in name only and wouldn't be an actual legal marriage, but in this world, that was all she needed.

  She had always wondered if she would ever marry again. She could have never imagined meeting the man of her dreams in an apocalyptic situation, but here she was. The world had gone to hell and she had found happiness.

  Wyatt was sitting beside her at the table, his hand on her leg. Every once in a while, he would squeeze it and smile at her. They had remained quiet for the mos
t part while everyone else talked about the upcoming wedding. It was like having ten wedding planners. She wouldn't have to lift a finger.

  “Oh!” Willow gasped. “Oh! Oh, ow!”

  Rosie rushed to her side. “What is it?”

  Willow didn't answer immediately.

  “Nothing,” she finally said. “It was a sharp pain. I'm fine.”

  Rosie eyed her carefully. “Are you sure?”

  Willow started to nod her head, and then stopped. Her eyes widened as big as saucers.

  “Ow! Wyatt, you may be right, this might be a boy the way he’s kicking up a fuss.”

  “Girls can be great kickers too,” Megan chimed in. “In fact, if the baby is kicking with any accuracy, then you know it’s definitely a girl.”

  Willow laughed before wincing again. “Boy or girl, I don’t care so long as he or she stops kicking me in the ribs. Ow!”

  “I vote for a girl,” Caitlin chimed in.

  “Me too,” Amy replied.

  “No, a boy,” Frankie called out and then ducked Brenda.

  “What about you, Ryland? Do you want a brother or a sister?” Megan asked.

  Ryland appeared to contemplate his answer. “So long as I’m the big brother, it doesn’t matter because the baby will be able to do everything when they grow up because I’m going to teach them.”

  Willow hugged Ryland, murmuring something in his ear that no one else could hear.

  As the group finished their dinner, Tara and Rosie got up to clear the table and get the dishes started. Bryan jumped up to help while Brenda went to help Willow up the stairs with Ryland following behind. Evan remained where he was staring off into space.

  Megan watched concerned about how he was doing. He’d been silent through most of dinner and had barely touched his food. He startled when Tara placed her hands on his shoulders before slowly relaxing against her. She said something to him before taking his hand and tugging him to a stand and leading him upstairs. It would be a long while before he was back to his old self, if that ever happened.

  Sitting back watching the activity around her, Megan marveled at how far they’d come. When she’d first met them, she’d been fighting to save her daughter’s life and only today, they fought to save a power station. When she’d first arrived on the mountain, it was her versus the world but in a little more than a year that mentality had grown to include everyone in the lodge. While they might not be related, they were all her family and now more than ever, she knew that when push came to shove, she would do what it takes to keep them safe, even against international espionage.

  She looked down at the ring Wyatt had given her and smiled. A little piece of Garrett would live on in the ring he’d made. Giving it a quick kiss, she whispered her thanks to the young man who didn’t live to see Wyatt give it to her.

  If other countries were looking to make sure that the US didn’t come back from the brink of destruction, she knew they had done the right thing by saving the power station. Who knows? Maybe in a year’s time, they would have electricity back and be well on their way back to civilization. As the room emptied out and everyone headed off to bed, Megan looked around at the darkened room now lit only by the glow of the wood stove. She saw Wyatt walk into the bedroom and stood up to follow. As she crossed the room, she noticed the light switch on the wall and smiled.

  Should they ever get the power back on, Megan knew that she would miss these moments of quiet for it was one thing to wish for a return to modern conveniences and a whole other to accept all the bad that would eventually come with it. That was a thought for another day for tomorrow, there were still chores to be done, gardens to be planted, and they would need to plan a hunting trip in the next couple of days.

  While the world might have gone dark, it didn’t mean that everyone stopped living; there was still too much to live for starting with that man sitting on the side of the bed waiting for her.

  How did she get so lucky?

  End of ‘Dark Destruction’

  EMP Lodge Series Book Four

  Blurb

  In a brutal world, sometimes forgiving yourself is the hardest part of survival…

  Megan Wolford knows surviving this new post-EMP world means facing ever-changing threats. It has been months since Wyatt’s brother Jack was killed, and his newborn son shows signs of an illness no one at the lodge can cure. Megan blames herself for Jack’s death, so when the opportunity to help his son, Jack Jr., arrives in the form of a wounded US soldier guarding a mysterious box, she’ll do anything to redeem herself. The soldier is desperate to deliver the package to the National Recovery Unit, and Megan agrees to take on the mission in exchange for medical care for Jack Jr.

  There’s just one problem: Mark Doyle, a ruthless former special ops soldier who would rather die than see the world return to what it was before the strike. Thriving in chaos, Doyle works for what’s left of the U.S. government to fuel his addiction to pain meds, but the last thing he wants is for the box to reach its destination. Delivery could signal the end of this now broken world.

  Now, the group must battle their way through a ruined city filled with desperate gangs and scarce supplies to reach the NRU headquarters—all with a sick baby. But getting there will be just the beginning… they’ll soon discover the box contains a secret none of them bargained for.

  1

  “Grab it all!” Megan shouted as she swept pill bottles of every shape and size off the shelves and into her own pack. She wasn't picky—liquid, capsules, powders, whatever she found, she took.

  Megan knew she was acting like a mad woman, but they’d stumbled onto what she hoped was the find of the century—a pharmacy. It’d been looted, but it appeared the looters only went after the most obvious stuff like painkillers leaving behind the less intriguing meds, like for heart and blood pressure. Brenda had given them a list of medicines to look for, but they didn't have time to read the tiny labels much less understand what many of the medications were for. They’d grab everything and sort it out later.

  Coming this far and venturing into the city was extremely dangerous. They all knew it, but they were desperate. They couldn't afford to miss even a single bottle of pharmaceuticals. It was better to have everything and need nothing than to need something and not have it.

  “Guys, really, grab everything. I don't care what it is. Every bottle goes in your bags!” she shouted again when she didn't get the response she was looking for.

  Wyatt and Chase exchanged a look before doing what she demanded. The skylights overhead while filthy provided enough light for them to see inside the boarded-up building. Someone had thought the wood over the windows and doors would keep looters out.

  “We don't want to fill our bags with the wrong stuff,” Chase reasoned.

  Megan shot a glare at him. “We don't know what the right stuff is, so grab it all,” she growled.

  Chase looked at Wyatt, who raised his brows, not daring to say a word. She looked at Wyatt, challenging him to say something, but he looked away and started pulling random bottles off the shelf.

  “It doesn't matter if the meds we grab won't work for JJ,” Megan explained. “I’m sure we can use them down the road or use them in trades. If we're here, we may as well take whatever we can.”

  “You're right and we are,” Wyatt said, reading the label on a bottle. “But, some of this stuff; well it seems kind of odd. Like this,” he said holding up a prescription bottle.

  “What is it?” Chase asked.

  Wyatt grinned. “Viagra type stuff.”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “Brenda specifically mentioned that one and said to grab it. If someone has heart problems or something like that, it can help. I think she said pulmonary hypertension. I don't know. Grab it. If you’re too embarrassed to carry it, give it to me,” she said, exasperated.

  Chase laughed, but didn't say anything. Wyatt looked away and got back to work stuffing his bag. She knew there would be a lot of ribbing and joking about it later. They were gro
wn men, but things like this turned them into teenage boys.

  “Shh,” Chase held up his hand.

  Megan froze mid-reach for more pills.

  “Down,” Chase whispered, gesturing for them all to crouch low behind the aisles.

  With the windows and front door boarded, the only entrance was through the now unlocked back door, which faced an alley. They’d come in unnoticed, or so they thought.

  Megan's heart raced when she heard voices. They knew it was risky coming here, but they didn't have a choice. Desperate times called for desperate measures and Jack Junior's life was worth the risk.

  “They're coming in,” Wyatt hissed. “Move to the far end,” he instructed.

  Megan started to duck walk away from the back door towards the far wall of the building. When the newcomers came in, they’d likely go straight to the same area Megan had been in when they heard the noise.

  Chase joined her, crouched behind the aisle that had once been filled with adult diapers and feminine hygiene products. The shelves had been wiped clean. Megan knew those things were probably not at the top of anyone's list in the very beginning, but it wouldn't take long for people to figure out how valuable they were.

  She looked and watched as Wyatt eventually made his way to them. This wasn't the first time they’d been in a difficult situation on one of these trips to town. It was actually more common than she would prefer.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “We wait and see if they take what they want and go. There’s no need to get into a gunfight if we don't have to. I’d rather not give away the fact we’re here at all,” Chase said. He was the one she depended on for the best advice in these situations.

  Megan didn’t have a chance to respond, as the voices grew louder. It sounded like a group of at least three young men. They were laughing and joking, knocking things off the counter.

  “Grab it, dude. Snatch whatever you can,” one of the men said.

  “What are we going to do with this stuff? All the good drugs are probably gone,” another voice said.