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

It wasn’t like him. But maybe the thought of losing another family member had turned him soft.

Derek shook his head before returning his attention to the map. He found the large lake and the former ranger station the COB had turned into their headquarters. He had to admit, the one thing the cult had gotten right was to plant their headquarters right next to a source of fresh water.

The large glade surrounding the cabin and lake also made for an inadvertently good defense. It would be hard to get close to the main compound without being seen, even at night. Even if these amateurs didn’t know how to rotate a sentry shift properly, he’d still be at risk if he left the forest’s protection and ventured into the open.

No matter what, the fight could get ugly. Despite his bravado, Derek had to admit that Luke wasn’t wrong about being outnumbered. Even an amateur who was panicking and shitting his pants could pick you off. They’d just have to spray and pray. If he took only one bullet through his thigh, he’d bleed out long before help could arrive.

The utter chaos of a battlefield didn’t make him nervous, but the lack of any good approaches to the compound did. If he chose to assault the Children of the Bomb, it would take a combination of wit and stealth. The best bet would be to pick off a large number of them at once to help even up the odds.

They had grenades, but the radial yield on the Cold War-era relics wasn’t great. Twenty feet at best. Certainly not enough to take out dozens of cultists at once. Again, he thought of waging a guerilla war but decided against it because it would take too much time. Winter was coming. They didn’t have time to waste while picking people off. They could still forage and hunt whatever was left before the darkness truly set in.

Derek shuffled through the maps, searching for an alternative approach to the compound, but he didn’t find one. There was simply no way to go about it except to attack at night and hope to get as close as possible to the main structure without being seen.

If the Children of the Bomb were holed up in that thick, stone-walled building, then it would be even more defensible. Laying siege to it would require more manpower and resources than Derek and the others could lay their hands on.

But what if he could pick off their leader? If he could get inside the main building and take out the guy holding the whole thing together, then they’d have a chance of destroying the group for good. Sowing as much discord and confusion as possible would be key.

However, they couldn’t make the same mistake they’d made last time. Everyone had to die. He just had to think it through a bit more. Maybe Luke was right after all. Going in guns blazing would only get them killed. They needed a better plan.

He’d figure something out, even if he had to do it by himself.

23

Liz’s footsteps echoed off the concrete walls of the shelter as she searched for her husband. Luke wasn’t in his workout room or their quarters. She found him in one of the side rooms, sitting on a wooden crate, cleaning one of the pistols. She stepped into the room and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Hi, honey.” Luke started to go back to cleaning his weapons but paused to examine her more closely. “Is something wrong?”

“There are a lot of things wrong, but I’m mostly worried about Derek.” She leaned a hip against his worktable.

“What about him?”

“I’m afraid he’s going to attack the Children of the Bomb before we’re ready. If he’s not careful, he’ll lead them right back to us. We’re safe here. They have no idea where to find us. Can’t we just wait out the winter here?”

“You know our water supply won’t last. We’ll have to go out eventually.”

“I just don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

“I get it.” He set the gun aside and stood to pull her into his arms. She sighed against his chest. “I’ll go on recon tonight. Derek and I already talked about this earlier. He’s not going to leave without me. I told him if he did, I wouldn’t let him back in the shelter.”

“You did?” She looked up at him.

“Absolutely. I want the COB gone, but I’m not going to put our family at risk. Patience is prudent in this situation.”

“Thank you. I guess I just needed to hear that.”

“Don’t worry, honey. After tonight, we’ll know how to proceed.”

“Okay.” She stepped back.

“I’ve got to finish cleaning these guns. We’re taking extra with us tonight in case we need it.” He held up his hands. “We’re not planning on using them, but it’s better to bring more than we need.”

“Be careful.”

“I promise.” Luke gave her a soft kiss.

She took one last look at him before heading out into the hall. She had the beginnings of a tension headache. Aspirin would help.

Liz headed into the main room, and the smell of boiled black tea reached Liz’s nostrils. Sandy sat on a crate with her back to the door. She turned as Liz approached.

“Hello, dear.” Sandy’s smile faded when she saw Liz’s pained expression. “What’s wrong?”

“My head feels like a nuke went off in it.” Liz rubbed her temples. “I need headache meds.”

“We should try to preserve the medication for as long as possible. How about some tea instead?”

“I don’t want tea,” Liz grumbled.

“Hush now, sit down and have some tea.” Sandy gently but firmly settled Liz into one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs and poured her a steaming cup of the brew. “Some people get all snooty about only drinking Earl Grey, but I’ve always preferred a simple English breakfast tea.”

“I don’t want to talk about tea right now.”

“Drink up, and you’ll feel better in no time.”

Liz sighed and sipped the tea. It was still a bit too hot, so