by Payne, T. L.
“Maybe they’re not on a farm. Maybe they’re in town,” Kendra said. “We rode through the city, but we didn’t look in any of the backyards in the residential areas.”
“It seemed pointless. Perryville looked deserted,” Jason said.
“Let’s send a team back and have them search again for signs of life,” Will said.
“Can we spare people for a house-to-house search? We’ll need to clear each house. That will take experience—and time,” Jason said, looking to Tank.
“Not really,” Tank said.
Will and Savanah’s cousin, Tank, had been put in charge of security. He and Troy were training people as fast as they could.
“If there is more livestock alive out there, we need to find them,” Savanah said.
Tank nodded. “I’ll round up a team and head into town first thing in the morning. Will that work?”
Everyone knew how stubborn Savanah could be. They would be searching for that momma cow until they found it.
“I’ll lead a team southwest of town and do a search farther out. I’m not sure how far these animals could have traveled from home,” Jason said.
“What the hell is that?” a familiar voice called from behind Will.
He turned to find Rank and Aims heading across the field toward them.
“Hey there!” Will called back. “That there is a calf. Cayden found it near Perryville.”
“Where’s his mom?” Aims asked as they drew closer.
“We were just talking about going to go out to look for her,” Cayden said, a broad grin spreading across his face.
“Well that would be some score if you find her. Might even be a bull somewhere out there,” Aims said.
Wouldn’t that be something?” Savanah said, running her hand down the calf’s side. “He looks to be in great shape. He wasn’t alone out there long.”
“Good, I don’t want to have to chase his mom halfway across the county,” Jason said. He and Tank set off across the field toward the cabin to plan their mission while the others returned to their duties chopping wood and tilling the soil for a fall garden.
“What are you two doing all the way out here?” Will asked.
“We’re heading to Branson to meet up with Lugnut and some folks. We’re going to spend some time being lazy by the lake before Stephens ships us off on our next mission.”
“I guess Sharp got that gold delivered to the Brazilians?” Will asked.
Rank smiled. “They did. Stephens said she nearly cried when Sharp described the ship leaving port after they had loaded all the gold onto it.”
“How long before they return with the weapons?”
“At least a month.”
“Does that mean we’ll have some downtime before we get deployed again?” Will asked.
Savanah’s head shot up, her gaze turning to Rank.
“Maybe,” Rank said.
His gaze dropped to his feet. He was holding something back. Will liked the big man. He walked with an air of confidence that was rare these days. The world had beaten most people down a lot in the eleven months since the lights went out. Rank, however, still looked like he was ready to take on the world. The black T-shirt with the white skull printed on it he always wore looked like it had seen better days. Will imagined that it and the non-army-regulation, long-black beard would have to go when Colonel Sharp returned.
“Any word on Brad Smith?” Will asked.
“He’s still in a coma from what I hear. The doctors down in Austin don’t hold out much hope that he’ll come out of it. If he does, they say he’ll likely not be able to tell them anything useful about his interrogation anyway.”
Will guessed that, in the end, Brad Smith had received what he’d deserved. He’d gotten a lot of good soldiers killed because of his “pillow talk” with Dempsey’s spy, Simone Perez. There was no telling the far reaching damage he’d done with the information he divulged to her.
“Isabella's inside. You two want to keep her company while Cayden and I go find a place for this calf? We have a stew cooking over the fire. It should be ready by the time we get done. You’re staying, right?” Will asked.
“Stew? Does a bear sh…” Rank turned toward the children playing a few feet away. “…poop in the woods? Of course we're staying.”
“Thank you,” Aims said.
Will was glad the two men where staying. He had questions. He wanted to hear all about the community they’d come from up in Missouri. For the time being, Williams Junction seemed to be a good place to settle, but it was good to know there were options—even way up in Missouri—if that changed.
While eating supper around the campfire, Will, Jason, Walker, and the others filled Rank and Aims in on what they knew of the new government and the recovery efforts down in Texas that Stephens and the general might not have shared with them. There were a few eyebrows raised at some of the freedoms that had been taken in the name of restoring law and order, but the progress being made to the infrastructure and manufacturing seemed to please the two men.
“I heard that they even have ice cream parlors in Houston,” Jack said, smiling as he rubbed his knees. Will wondered how well equipped the hospitals were down there. Maybe there was something they could do to repair Jack’s injured legs.
“I wonder if our house is still there,” Cayden said.
The image of his deceased wife, Melanie, bent over her flower garden pricked his heart. Will tried hard not to think too much about their old life back in Houston. It was just too painful. “I don’t know, son. That storm was mighty strong.”
“Maybe we could go by and check if we ever visit there.”
“Sure. We could do that,” Will said.
Will doubted he’d be taking any vacations anytime soon. With trouble still on the west coast and rumors of General Dempsey’s plan to push his control farther south, that could only mean more fighting in their future.
“You know, with our own milk cow, we might can make ice cream too,” Savanah said.
“Really?” Kylie and Keegan said in unison.
Savanah turned to face them. “You two are supposed to be in bed.”
“But I have to pee,” Keegan said.
“And I need a drink of water,” Kylie replied.
Jason stood slowly. “I’ve got them.”
They were all still banged up and sore from their battle with Dempsey’s army. In addition to the physical scars, Will was finding it hard to cope with the mental ones. Fighting fellow Americans was beyond disturbing, and it was unfathomable to think that before this was all over and the country was restored, they would probably have to kill more of them to bring Dempsey’s reign to an end.
“I know an Amish family that has an ice house,” Rank said. “Aims, remember John David harvesting the ice blocks when the lake froze over last winter?”
“Remember? Jacob and I helped him haul them. It was back-breaking work,” Aims said.
“Life sounds good up there in Missouri,” Savanah said. “Why’d you two want to leave?”
Rank glanced over at Aims. “I’m a Marine. My country needs me.”
Will understood. He knew the drive to make the world a better place for the ones you love. He admired the man for it.
“Don’t you miss your family?” Cayden asked.
“They’re why I’m here. I made an oath to defend this nation against enemies, both foreign and domestic. I’m here to make sure that Maddie, Zach, and their mother, Beth, are protected from those enemies,” Rank said.
“I came for the air conditioning,” Aims chuckled, fanning himself with his hand. “Stephens and Colonel Sharp said there would be warm showers and cold beverages too.”
“Speaking of showers,” Savanah said, pinching her nose with her thumb and index finger. “Some of you need to take a swim in the pond with a bar of soap.”
Will chuckled. He had no doubt his sister would have this compound turned into a sustainable homestead in no time, and regular bathing with her ho
memade and herb infused goat’s milk soap and lotions would be mandatory. It was good to finally see her feeling free to be herself and back in her element. He prayed that trouble didn’t find them there, and his family and friends could finally feel at home.
“Do you know where you’re going from here?” Jason asked Aims, returning from putting the kids back to bed.
“I’ll be heading down to Austin next week. Harding and I have a meeting with the president and his cabinet to discuss the situation up north.”
With Aims and Harding being former FEMA officials, Will was sure they’d have great insight on the resources at Dempsey’s disposal, and the challenges the military would face going up against them.
“Wow—we know someone who rubs elbows with the President of the United States!” Cayden said smiling.
“What about you, Rank,” Savanah asked.
“I’ll likely be heading out west to fight those commie bastards,” he said.
Will hadn’t thought much about the battle for the west coast much. It seemed so far away—almost like another country. He knew the Russians had bombed so much of it that it would be barely recognizable. With their east coast laid waste by the nukes dropped on it in the early days of the war, Will was glad they lived in the heartland.
“I’m heading in to check on Isabella. I’ll see everyone in the morning. We’ll head out tomorrow and see if we can locate where these livestock are coming from,” Will said, standing and stretching.
His back hurt, his legs hurt—everything hurt—but he had to push on. He needed his family to be in the best position possible for when he and the others were called back to military duty. Although he hated to see Isabella in pain, he was glad she wouldn’t be going back to active duty any time soon. Worrying about her in the midst of a battle was too much for him. He was grateful to know that she’d be there for Cayden for a while longer. Maybe, soon, all this fighting would be over and they’d all be together again as one big, happy family. That’s what would keep him going, and what he’d be fighting for in the foreseeable future.
As the cabin’s front door closed behind him, Rank, Aims, and Walker’s satphones all chirped almost simultaneously.
“Isn't it great to be tied to these things again?” Aims said, reaching for his phone.
Inside the cabin, Will slowly made his way through the living room and the kitchen to the bedroom door.
“Are you finally coming to bed?” Isabella said, patting the pillow next to her
Will drew in a breath, let it out slowly, and climbed into bed next to his wife. This was living. This was all worth fighting for. He rolled onto his side and was about to take Isabella into his arms when his satphone chirped on the dresser.
Thank you for purchasing No Man’s Land, book five in the Fall of Houston series. Don’t forget to check out the companion series, Days of Want as the story continues and our survivors head back to Missouri.
Also I’d like to hear from you and hope that you could take a moment and post an honest review on Amazon. Your support and feedback will help this author improve for future projects. Without the support of readers like yourself, self-publishing would not be possible. Don’t forget to sign up for my spam-free newsletter at www.tlpayne.com to be the first to know of new releases, giveaways and special offers.
No Man’s Land has gone through several layers of editing. If you found a typographical, grammatical, or other error which impacted your enjoyment of the book, I offer my apologies and ask that you let me know so I can fix it for future readers. To do so, CLICK HERE. In appreciation, I would like to offer you a free ebook copy of my next book.
Have you read my Days of Want series? If not, please keep reading for a sample of Turbulent, book one in the series or order your copy on Amazon today.
Sample Chapters
Check out the sample chapters from the companion series, Days of Want
Chapter 1
Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Chicago, Illinois
Day of Event
Terminal Three of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was filled with pissed-off passengers. After a four-hour delay, Maddison Langston was feeling cranky herself. Her flight from San Diego had arrived at eleven that morning. By three that afternoon, her connecting flight was still not boarding, even though the plane was at the gate.
When the lights in the terminal cut out and the flight departure screen went blank, Maddie sighed.
Looks like my flight will be delayed. Again.
Sitting in the dim light, Maddie pulled her cell phone from the Silent Pocket Faraday backpack Uncle Ryan had given her. Although she had promised him that she would keep her phone in the bag while she was in the airport, she was having social media withdrawal. She was not as concerned about a thief scanning her RFID chips as he was.
She pulled the charging cord from the pack and started to plug it into an outlet before realizing that it wouldn't charge with the power off. Maddie tapped a social media app on her phone, but it wouldn't load. Her phone did not have a signal. After shutting it down and restarting it half a dozen times, it still wouldn’t connect to her wireless service provider.
To pass the time, she listened to songs from her music library. She usually listened to her favorite music using streaming services. Luckily, she had a few games on her phone.
Maddie looked up to see an angry man in a sport coat and trousers with one knee on the American Airlines service counter. The terrified woman behind the desk had her back pressed against the wall as far from the out-of-control passenger as possible.
Maddie pulled the earbuds from her ears.
Two men had gripped the arms of the angry man, who was yelling obscenities at the woman, as the woman yelled for security.
“Why can’t you tell us what the hell is going on? My flight was supposed to leave three hours ago. Now the lights are out, and it is freaking hot as hell in here,” another passenger yelled at the petite woman.
“I do not have anything to tell you. I am in the dark too,” she said.
“Oh, is that your attempt to lighten the mood? De-stress the situation? Did they teach you that in customer service school?” the man mocked.
“My cell phone isn’t working. I need to use a phone. I have to call my husband. He’ll be expecting us to arrive in Nashville any minute,” a woman called out.
A tall man in a sports jersey and jeans stepped forward. He towered over the other passengers. Holding an arm up, the man said, “Listen up, folks. All this yelling and getting aggressive with customer service isn’t going to get us answers that the woman clearly doesn’t have.”
“Well, someone sure as hell better start explaining pretty damn fast,” the man in the sport coat barked, shaking his arms loose from his captors.
“Look around you. It is a chaotic mess in here. It’s not just American Airlines’ flights that are delayed. No planes have taken off or landed here in over an hour. The power is out to the airport, and something has disrupted the phones, including cell phones.”
Just then, an explosion rattled the windows. The ear-piercing sound of metal on concrete was followed by the cockpit of a jet skidding down the runway. It hadn’t occurred to Maddie that planes might collide mid-air without access to tower control for guidance. People rushed from the shopping area of the terminal, dragging their wheeled bags behind them, and huddled near the window to stare at the burning wreckage of the plane on the tarmac.
Maddie slowly rose to her feet. Grabbing her backpack from its position beside her, she flipped it over her shoulder and reached for the extended handle on her suitcase. The terminal was in darkness, lit only by the windows where a surreal show of flames and black smoke was casting long shadows toward the center of the concourse.
As Maddie stared out the window with her mouth open wide at the flaming, smoking, twisted mass, a second Boeing 737 dropped from the sky in pieces, scattering onto the runway and bursting into flames. The lights were out, there was no cell se
rvice, and planes were colliding in the sky above them.
Maddie came to a startling realization. It had happened. The EMP—the electromagnetic pulse—her dad and Uncle Ryan talked about had really happened. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth. Maddie’s feet would not move, even though her brain said run.
She couldn’t catch her breath. While her fellow travelers stood with eyes peeled to the horrid sight and their mouths wide in shock and terror, Maddie ran.
Her bag’s wheels skipped off the floor of the concourse as Maddie bolted toward a family restroom. Her backpack smacked the wall as she spun around to turn the lock. Maddie dropped her pack and suitcase by the door and slid to the cold tile floor. Hugging her knees to her chest, she sobbed, rocking side to side. Mixed with the crushing fear was a pang of guilt. She had mocked her dad for his paranoia. A wave of grief threatened to crash over her without mercy. As she cried, the years of repressed grief burst to the surface as she recalled the training and warnings her father had tried to communicate to her over the years.
Maddie hadn’t cried this much since the accident. The day her dad died. The day her world changed forever.
As the tears flowed in torrents, Maddie rested her head on her arms. She was startled by loud banging behind her. She jumped to her feet and spun to face the door, her heart pounding against her chest. In the blackness, she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Maddie pulled her phone from her back pocket and activated its flashlight feature. Holding it over her head, she turned and looked around the small room.
I can’t stay in here forever.
How long before a plane came crashing through the terminal? How many were up there circling the airport? How many had diverted from their flight paths to land after they lost their navigation system and contact with the control tower? Pilots would only have line-of-sight to avoid a mid-air collision. How soon would it be before they ran out of fuel? Maddie's thoughts raced.
