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

stared at the crackling fireplace, his mind drifted to dark places. The conversation carried on around him in the den, but he barely paid attention to it. Part of him wondered if he should tell the others about Derek’s involvement, however inadvertent, in Sierra’s death, but Luke realized that would simply be using him as a scapegoat. If he were to punish anyone, it should be himself. Because of his negligence, Sierra was dead. There was no way to rectify his error, no chance of making things right. While the cultists had done the actual deed, ultimately, it was his responsibility to protect his children from outside threats.

The conversation died down. The others seemed lost in their own thoughts. Liz stared at the fire. She sat on the couch, rocking herself slowly. Her lips occasionally moved, but no sound came out.

Edwin sat in a chair next to his wife and held her hand while they spoke softly. They glanced at him but quickly looked away.

Derek, despite his injury, constantly paced. Luke got the impression the man fought to hold himself back from charging down the mountain to attack the cultists. He seemed almost as distraught as everyone else.

Luke felt like he had been gutted with a rusty sewage pipe. Grief came in waves. One minute he was sad and heartbroken, yet functional, and the next, he was an emotional wreck. He struggled to get past his emotions. He needed to think.

He glanced at the bedroom door. He hadn’t heard a peep out of Kyle since he’d locked himself in there well over an hour ago. Luke was concerned about his son. Beyond his obvious sorrow, there’d been a hard glint in his son’s eyes. He needed to talk to Kyle before his soul turned as hard and cold as Luke’s.

Luke stalked across the room without a word. The others stayed silent as he strode up to Kyle’s door and knocked on it lightly.

He waited a moment. When there was no answer, he knocked harder. He pushed the door open a crack and peered inside.

“Are you asleep?” Luke’s eyes landed on the empty bed. He shoved the door open. His gaze darted all around the small chamber, but he quickly determined Kyle wasn’t present.

“What’s wrong?” Liz asked, coming up behind him.

Luke turned to his wife and tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice. “Kyle’s not here.”

“What?” Liz pushed past Luke and walked into the empty room. “Oh, my God.” She ran to the coat rack and started to bundle up to go out into the cold. “We have to find him.”

“I’ll go. You stay in case he comes back. I’ll bring a walkie with me.” Luke put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

“How’d that work out last time?” Liz asked bitterly.

“Maybe he went outside for a walk.” Edwin rose to his feet and stretched. “You know, to clear his head?”

Luke sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’d like to think that, but his rifle is missing.”

“Oh, God.” The color drained from Liz’s face. “You don’t think he’s going after the cult, do you?”

Her question hung in the air for a long moment while Luke donned his jacket.

“I’ll go look for him,” he said.

“I’m coming with you. He’s my son, too.”

Derek picked up his rifle from the wall rack and checked the chamber. “I’m coming as well.”

“No.” Luke shook his head. His lips formed a thin, tight line. “We don’t need three of our fighting adults away from the cabin for any length of time. I’m his father. I taught him how to move and survive in the woods. I have the best chance of finding him because I know how he thinks.”

Liz opened her mouth to protest, but Luke held up his hand.

“Someone needs to stay here.” He took her hands in both of his own and faced her solemnly. “If Kyle comes back, there should be someone here to wait with him until I return. We don’t want him coming back to an empty cabin like Sierra did.”

Liz pursed her lips, then nodded, obviously torn. Derek stepped up to stand beside them.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come along?”

“Yes.” Luke’s voice was full of ice. “I’m dead sure I don’t want you to come along.”

As he walked out into the snow, he bundled himself tightly against the chill. His legs still ached from when he’d had to carry Sierra back to the fallout shelter. But he refused to allow pain to slow him down.

His son was the only child he had left. Fortunately, Luke had a decent idea where the boy was headed—the cabin where he’d spotted the chilling sermon by the new cult leader.

What if Kyle was already dead? What if Luke was too late to save him like he had been with Sierra?

Luke sped up. He didn’t quite break into a run, but he moved far more quickly than the terrain safely allowed. After a few jarring steps where he connected with hidden stones, he begrudgingly slowed his pace a little.

He found the game trail that meandered up the mountainside. Following it, he searched for any sign of Kyle. With every passing second, his anxiety grew. He had to find his son alive, or he may as well never return home. Liz would kill him for failing her a second time.

Eventually, he found shallow footprints in the snow. He placed his foot next to the tracks. They were about Kyle’s size. His heart skipped as he hurried along the trail of small boot prints.

The absolute darkness in the forest hampered his journey. He’d been tempted to use a flashlight, but with a night this black, it would make him far too easy to spot. He was grateful when the clouds parted enough to allow the crescent moon to spill its silvery light across the landscape.

The going was still painfully slow, but he was able to move slightly faster. His training kicked in and kept him calm enough to not descend into utter panic. The analytical