Edge of Fear: An EMP Post-Apocalyptic Survival Prepper Series (American Fallout Book 3) Alex Gunwick (free reads .txt) 📖

scared. Please, please, please. Please let me go. I can keep a secret. I promise I won’t tell anyone. Don’t leave me here. I don’t want to be here alone in this creepy place.” Tears streamed down her face and her breath came in ragged sobs as she pleaded with him.

Derek sighed, exasperated. “Relax. I told you, nothing bad is going to happen to you. You’re way too immature to be trusted with information this important. You know, none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t followed me here. You only have yourself to blame.”

“Please.” She strained to look back at him but could barely make out his silhouette.

“Enough! Sit here and be quiet until I get back. I’ll bring you some food and water later.”

She screamed as loud as she could and stamped her feet on the ground in pure rage as he turned to leave. “Fuck you, you fucking asshole. My dad is totally going to fucking kill you when he finds out what you did to me. I hope he cuts off your tiny fucking penis and shoves it down your stupid throat.”

The sound of Derek’s footsteps paused momentarily, then he continued deeper into the bunker.

Sierra screamed again and strained as hard as she could against the rope, but it was too tight and strong. It made no sense to struggle. She slumped her head forward and let the tears flow freely.

She wondered briefly if the bunker might have somewhere to charge her phone and regretted not being nicer so she could ask Derek if he could maybe look for her. Being trapped in here wouldn’t be that bad if she could scroll through her phone.

But the sound of Derek’s footsteps faded away and left her completely alone in the silent, dimly lit bunker.

6

Two days earlier …

The next morning, Liz paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.

“She was out there alone all night. We have to go look for her.” Liz was consumed with worry for her daughter. Sierra wasn’t exactly the rugged type, and to survive in these mountains for very long was tough for anyone. She could have frozen to death last night. Or she could have been captured by the cult. Or killed by a mountain lion.

The early morning sun shone in through the cabin windows and illuminated the steam rising from the cups of coffee in her and her husband’s hands. It did nothing to warm her frozen heart.

“I know.” Luke gave her a comforting look. “She’ll be okay. We’ll find her.”

“How can you know that? It was cold last night, and those damn cult people are out there. What if they got her?” Liz fought back tears. She didn’t want to cry in front of her son. These days, it seemed like she could barely hold it together.

Her husband put a reassuring hand on top of hers. “Nobody’s got her. I don’t know where she got off to, but I’m sure she’s fine. Maybe she went over to the Wrights’ cabin or something.”

“Why the hell would she do that?”

“I don’t know.” Luke raised his eyebrows. “Maybe she needed some space from us? You know how teenagers can be.”

Liz scowled. “Yeah, especially Sierra. You know, I hate to say this, but I have to point out that I haven’t seen Derek around since last night, either.”

Luke scowled as color rushed to his cheeks. “You don’t think?”

Now Liz raised her eyebrows. “He’s handsome, and there isn’t exactly an overabundance of things to do out here. Besides, we were about that age when we started, you know.”

Luke turned away, visibly uncomfortable, and held up his hand to silence her. “Please stop.” He glanced toward Kyle to make sure the boy hadn’t heard that and then back to Liz, his voice a hushed whisper. “You think? But he’s so much older. He’s been in the service. He’s so mature, and Sierra’s so, uh—”

“Not?” Liz cut in with a mischievous smile.

“Yeah.” They exchanged contemplative smiles but quickly regained their somber composure as their worry returned.

“I don’t know. It’s possible, but we don’t know for sure if she’s with him. Either way, we should still go look for her. I’m really worried. Even if she is out there with Derek, those religious nuts are in the woods, too. It makes me nervous.” Liz shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of her dread.

“I agree. You stay here with Kyle, and I’ll go look for her.”

Luke gave her a look of pure determination, but Liz shook her head.

“No, there’s too much ground to cover. You go check along the trail to the river and around the property. Kyle and I will head toward the Wrights’. We’ll look for her along the way,” she said.

Luke regarded her doubtfully.

“Listen, our daughter’s been gone all night, and I’ve been cooped up in this cabin way too long. I’m not going to do any good stuck here worrying myself to death. I’ll take the .22, and Kyle can bring his hatchet along,” she said.

Luke seemed unsure, but she continued before he could object.

“We can handle it. We fended for ourselves the whole time you were gone.” She put her hand on his and confidently looked him square in the eyes. “We’ve learned to survive. We’ll be fine.”

“All right. But we both take walkies. Promise me, if there’s any sign of trouble, you guys run and find somewhere to hide and radio me for help. Okay?” he asked as he opened the front door.

“I promise we’ll be safe. I’ll radio if anything happens.”

“Good. Stay safe.” He closed the door behind him.

As she turned away, her mind drifted back to the memory of the cult leader’s lifeless body lying on the ground. She’d killed before, and she’d do it again.

The gun barrel shook in her hands.

If someone had her daughter, God help them, because she was ready to shoot them on sight.

“Kyle, I know you heard all that,” she called.

“I’ll get my stuff.”

A few minutes later, they walked along the