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

inside them but didn’t want to anger Derek again. She figured it was best to go along with whatever he said. He hadn’t done anything too horrible to her yet, except for tying her up, of course. In terms of how men had treated her recently, that wasn’t so bad. God, what a depressing thought.

Even so, she could only guess what he had planned for her. Why keep her tied up at all? Was he worried her family would find out about this place? If it was only that, maybe she could convince him she could be trusted not to run off and tell them. But would he actually believe her? How long did he plan to keep her trapped here?

So far, he hadn’t hurt her, but that didn’t reduce her desire to escape. It seemed like a long shot, given the confined space so deep underground, but she vowed to remain alert. She’d find a way out of this mess. And in the meantime, she would try to convince Derek he could trust her. Maybe he would at least let her sleep somewhere moderately comfortable. Anywhere but tied to that wretched metal chair.

“All right, in there.” Derek gestured to a door at the end of the hall. “Make it fast.”

“Yes, your highness, of course. Wouldn’t want me plotting anything with all that unsupervised time on the toilet.” She rolled her eyes as she brushed past him into the tiny bathroom. She tried to slide the door closed, but he wedged his foot in the way.

“Ah-ah. Keep it open.” He gave her a cold look as she stared at him open-mouthed.

“Ew. Pervert. I’m not peeing with the door open so you can watch, freak.” She scowled at him in disgust.

“I’m not going to look, princess. I’ll face the other way. I’m taking precautions.

“What do you think I’m going to do, make a shiv out of toilet paper?”

He laughed in surprise. “A shiv? How do you even know what that is?”

“God, I’m not that innocent. I’ve watched Locked Up.”

“Okay, look, you can close it most of the way. Leave it open a crack, so I know you’re not up to anything sketchy.”

“Ugh, no way, gross. You’ll hear everything.”

“Then run the water, genius. It’s a closed system, so it’ll all get recycled, anyway.”

“Ugh, fine. Go stand over there or something.” She shot him a dirty look and tried to put him out of her mind.

A few minutes later, she stepped back into the narrow hall to see him waiting for her with a condescending smirk.

“Were the accommodations to your liking?” He gestured for her to walk ahead of him, back toward the large central hub.

“Screw you.” She stepped past him and then turned to face him. “The accommodations suck. How much longer are you going to keep me here, anyway?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss that.” He scowled.

“Well, then I’m not at liberty to move anywhere.” She crossed her arms and stared him down defiantly.

“Go on. Keep walking.”

“No. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what you plan to do with me.”

He sighed. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll have to keep you here. I need to look over a couple of things, make sure everything’s in order around here. I wish I could trust you enough to let you go free, but I can’t take that chance. You have your family and your cabin. But for me, everything depends on this place.”

“I promise I won’t run anywhere or tell anyone. Don’t tie me up again, please.”

He gave her a sad look. “I’m sorry. This is the way it has to be.”

She again considered running for it. But there was no way around it. She was completely at his mercy for now. She hung her head and shuffled down the corridor, grimacing at the idea of being tied to the metal chair again.

8

Two days earlier …

A full day of snowfall blanketed the rugged forest terrain to create a stark landscape of bright white, dark grays, and greens outside the fallout shelter. Derek left Sierra to stew inside while he checked for additional entrances. His ankle wasn’t bothering him anymore, which was a huge relief. He had a lot to accomplish today.

Underground, Derek had come across several locked doors he couldn’t budge. He surmised they might be more ways to get in and out of the concrete bunker. Finding and securing those entrances on the outside would be paramount to maintain security.

He paused and scanned the terrain. He had to squint due to the bright sunlight that reflected off the snow. The yellow orb overhead provided no warmth and seemed a muted, sickly color rather than a cheerful light. Its only effect at the moment was to sting Derek’s eyes and make them water.

He turned away from the direct sunlight and circled what he believed to be the circumference of the fallout shelter below his feet. Despite his military training in land navigation, he found it next to impossible to judge exactly where he stepped. It didn’t even help to try to keep a mental picture of the shelter.

Still, he believed that if additional entrances were to be had, he would find them eventually, as long as he was persistent and thorough.

He slogged through ankle-deep snow. Mentally, he calculated how long his boots would last. A season, to be sure, but after that, he might have to go on a supply run for more foot protection. It would be dangerous to go anywhere near the city, but at some point, he’d have to take that risk.

His thoughts returned to Sierra. Had taking her captive been the right move? She was a flighty, privileged, and completely spoiled teen, but she was Luke’s daughter. While Derek didn’t entirely trust Luke, he at least appreciated the older man’s practicality and sense of duty and honor. Had he passed those merits on to his eldest child, or was Sierra completely untrustworthy?

Derek was no fool. He knew Sierra was attracted to him and, truth be