Then amid the anticipation that recovery may be around the corner, word trickled in through ham radio that what was being referred to as the die-off had begun. People around the country were dying at a rapidly accelerating pace. Pantries were depleted, illnesses from untreated water was everywhere, and diarrhea was suddenly a leading cause of death again. Violence was escalating. There was no shortage of ways to die.
As the days got colder and shorter, Pete and Charlie became close friends. They were around the same age and were both adapting easily to this new way of life. They began to pull long hours at Pete’s observation post every day. Whatever sense of purpose Pete had found there, Charlie was finding it too. Whatever about this new world had made Pete into a man was doing the same for Charlie.
Watching them walk off to the observation post each morning, Jim had to admit that this was not the world he wanted. As much as he prayed for a reset and as much as he idealized off-grid life, it was hard to care for a family here. It was hard to keep people safe. The old world was his world and he wanted it back.
This was Charlie and Pete’s world though. The way in which it molded them was not something he could undo. The things in them that it fixed, he would not be able to unfix. Even if the lights came back on tomorrow, would those two ever be able to fit back into the space they’d occupied before? Would they be able to put down their guns and just go back to school as if none of this had ever happened?
Somehow Jim doubted it.
About the Author
Franklin Horton lives and writes in the mountains of southwestern Virginia. In his spare time he pursues outdoor adventures with his family. His first published novel, The Borrowed World, was published in May of 2015 and became an Amazon bestseller. Since that time he’s continued the series with Ashes of the Unspeakable , Legion of Despair and No Time For Mourning. In 2016 he also released Locker Nine, a novel taking place within the same fictional world as The Borrowed World Series.
To find out more about Franklin Horton and his books, please visit:
Website: www.franklinhorton.com
Facebook page : facebook.com/theborrowedworld
Twitter: @jfranklinhorton
Amazon: amazon.com/Franklin-Horton/e/B00JTXX6BE
Table of Contents
Preface
CHAPTER ONEAlice
CHAPTER TWOAlice
CHAPTER THREEAlice
CHAPTER FOURAlice
CHAPTER FIVEAlice
CHAPTER SIXAlice
CHAPTER SEVENAlice
CHAPTER EIGHTAlice
CHAPTER NINEAlice
CHAPTER TENAlice
CHAPTER ELEVENThe Valley
CHAPTER TWELVERandi
CHAPTER THIRTEENPop’s House
CHAPTER FOURTEENPop’s House
CHAPTER FIFTEENTown
CHAPTER SIXTEENTown
CHAPTER SEVENTEENThe Valley
CHAPTER EIGHTEENThe Valley
CHAPTER NINETEENAlice
CHAPTER TWENTYAlice
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONEAlice
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOAlice
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREEThe Valley
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURThe Valley
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVEAlice
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXThe Valley
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENJim
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTJim
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEBarnes
CHAPTER THIRTYAlice
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONERandi
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWOThe Valley
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREERandi
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURThe Valley
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVERandi
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIXThe Valley
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENAlice
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTRandi
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINEThe Valley
CHAPTER FORTYJim
CHAPTER FORTY-ONEThe Valley
CHAPTER FORTY-TWOThe Valley
CHAPTER FORTY-THREEThe Shopping Center
CHAPTER FORTY-FOURThe Shopping Center
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVEThe Superstore
CHAPTER FORTY-SIXHugh
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVENPete
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHTJim
CHAPTER FORTY-NINEThe Valley
CHAPTER FIFTYThe Valley
Valley of Vengeance: Book Five in The Borrowed World Series Page 23
