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

“Sandy, run and get some first aid supplies,” Liz said.

As Sandy hurried into the bunker, Liz latched the door closed behind them.

Liz and Derek eased Luke into a chair in the large central room. She positioned the harsh light of a desk lamp directly onto her husband. An arrow was buried in his right shoulder. Blood seeped from the wound, soaking through his clothes. His shirt was torn and bloody near his stomach.

“Oh, babe. Are you okay?” She grimaced as she lifted his shirt to inspect the wound on his midsection. It was ugly, but luckily, it didn’t seem too deep.

“Never better.” Luke winced as he smiled.

Derek slumped down in a chair next to them. He had a bloody piece of cloth tied around his thigh. He was holding his side and cringing, but it was difficult to tell if the blood on his shirt was his or not.

“You guys are a mess,” Liz said.

“Bah.” Derek waved his hand at her dismissively, his smile contorted by pain. “Just a couple of scratches. We’ve seen worse, right?”

Luke nodded in agreement, but his face was pale and he looked tired.

Sandy came rushing into the room carrying a box full of bandages and other supplies. She set about patching the men up.

“Liz, I need you to do something.” Luke looked at her intensely, grimacing as Sandy dabbed at his stomach with an alcohol-soaked pad.

“Tell me what you need,” Liz said.

“Derek and I weren’t exactly stealthy on our way back here. But we’re too banged up to check the perimeter. It kills me to think of you out there; it really does. I wouldn’t dream of it if we had any other options. But we can’t afford to let the cult find this place. Do you think you can handle a quick patrol?”

“If you’re okay with me going out there, I can get it done.” She gave him a determined look, then turned to Sandy. “Can you handle fixing these two up on your own?”

“If they’re as tough as they say they are, it should be no problem. I’ve patched up my fair share of wounds. Edwin used to get himself in a fair bit of trouble back in the day. Before he quit his drinking.”

Liz raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really? I wouldn’t have pegged him for a troublemaker. I’ll like to hear those stories one of these days.” She patted Sandy on the shoulder. “All right then, I’ll be back soon. Nobody die until I get back, promise?”

“Not planning on it,” Luke said through gritted teeth.

“It’ll take more than those losers to put me six feet under,” Derek said.

Liz smiled at her husband and Derek. She pushed aside her trepidation about heading out alone into the night. She’d faced the cult members before, and she’d won. She could do it again, especially after they’d hurt another one of her family members. They wouldn’t get away with it this time.

After slipping out the door, she made her way through the ravine. She carried her rifle at the ready. Derek had shown her a decent path up to the ridge above the bunker. She used her flashlight to find the cairns he’d used to mark the trail. She veered left past the pile of rocks.

When she reached the top of the ridge, she spotted the glow of several large bonfires in a clearing below. She flattened onto her stomach before peering down at the fires through her binoculars. It was too far and too dark to make out any details, but she could see about a dozen shadowy figures gathered around each fire.

She wanted a better look at the people around the fires but decided it was too risky to go alone. She hadn’t realized there were so many cult members left. They must have picked up recruits from other people hiding in the forest. This wasn’t good. Instead of fighting a handful of people, they’d have to take on several dozen. It changed the odds once more, putting them squarely in favor of the cult. However, she and her group had an advantage. Now they knew where they could find the cult. Liz and her crew could use stealth to pick them off one by one. It might take some time, but as long as the cult couldn’t find the bunker, her family would be safe.

After watching the group for several more minutes, she slid back from the edge. She carefully picked her way down the trail back toward the bunker. She couldn’t wait to tell the others.

19

Luke sat at the long table in the central room of the bunker with his left hand curled around a steaming mug of instant coffee. Sandy stood behind him, wrapping a fresh bandage in place over the wound on his shoulder. When she and Edwin had pulled out the arrow the previous night, he’d screamed in excruciating pain. But at least he was still alive.

Derek sat across the table from him, prodding at the stitches in the knife wound on his side.

“Stop fiddling with that,” Sandy snapped. She continued rewrapping Luke’s wound. “You’ll ruin my hard work.”

“I can’t help it. It’s itchy.” He frowned as he clenched his fists.

“Sit on your hands if you have to. I’m not stitching you up again. You howled like a baby last night,” Sandy snapped.

Derek’s face went red. “Have you ever gotten stitches without anesthetic? It hurts like a son of a bitch.”

“Oh, please. I’ve given birth, so don’t talk to me about pain. Besides, you didn’t see Luke here carrying on like that when I was sewing up his stomach, did you?”

“Guess they just don’t make ‘em like they used to, right?” Luke gloated, grinning at Derek. Luke shared a short laugh with Sandy before the pain in his shoulder and abdomen made him wince. He immediately reconsidered the wisdom of making jokes in his current condition.

“Give me a break. You basically passed out when they pulled that arrow out of