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

she kept cursing and muttering to herself. He was going to be grounded for sure when they got back. But grounded from what? It’s not like they had a computer or a TV.

When they reached the entrance to the tunnel, he went first. She grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled. He stopped walking.

“Me first,” she whispered. “We don’t know if anyone saw you.”

“Okay.”

She went into the dark hole. When they were twenty feet from the entrance, she flicked on a penlight. She shined it up the walls.

“Crazy,” she said. “Who would have thought all this was hiding in the mountains.”

“I know. It’s so awesome.”

“We’ll talk about this when we get back,” she snapped.

As they continued through the tunnel, he listened intently for any out-of-place sounds. Other than the occasional drip of water, it was totally silent. He was sure no one had seen him leave the tunnel, but at some point, they’d have to camouflage the exit so no one else would find it.

When they got to the vehicle maintenance room, Liz stopped so fast he slammed into the back of her.

“Holy crap,” she said.

“Yeah! Isn’t all this stuff cool! I tried to turn on the truck, but it didn’t start. But maybe dad can fix it later.”

“Maybe.”

“How long before he gets back?”

“I don’t know. Let’s check on the Wrights. And then we’re going to talk about how you’re grounded for the rest of your life.” She turned and dropped her gun and penlight. She pulled him into her arms. “You scared the hell out of me. I almost lost you too.”

“Nah. Those guys couldn’t kill me.”

“Don’t you ever do anything like that again. You hear me?”

“Yes, Mom.” He hugged her back. Normally he’d be grossed out by so much affection, but after the day they’d had, he didn’t mind if she treated him like a kid because he sure as heck felt like one.

28

Liz squinted in the sudden brightness of the overhead light. She threw an arm over her face and rolled over onto her side, grunting in annoyance.

“Luke, turn off the damn light.”

“Wake up, babe. We have a lot to do today.”

“After yesterday, can’t we sleep in just a little bit?”

“I’d love nothing more than to stay in bed with you all day, but we’ve got things to do.”

“Can’t we just take one day off?” She rolled over and pulled their thin blanket over her head.

“Nope. One day off could get us killed. There’s a lot to do, and the sooner we get it done, the better.”

Liz groaned. After what they’d gone through yesterday with the cult, she was ready to sleep for a week. But Luke was right. They did have a lot to do.

A knock sounded on the door to their quarters.

“Come in,” Luke yelled.

“Are you two decent?” Sandy called before opening the door. “Because after the crap you went through yesterday, I wouldn’t be offended if you were rekindling your relationship if you know what I mean.”

“And that’s my cue to go,” Luke said with a chuckle.

“Where are you going?” Liz asked.

“We’re going to check out the vehicles with Kyle and Derek. We’re going to see if we can get any of the ATVs running.”

“Kyle’s grounded forever.”

“You can’t ground the kid in the middle of the apocalypse.” Luke grinned. “Trust me, I wanted to give him a whooping like my dad used to do, but it wouldn’t do any good. No point in dwelling on the past when we still have a lot to accomplish if we’re going to stay alive.”

“Be safe,” she said.

“Always.” He grinned before heading into the hall.

Sandy stepped farther into the room. “If you’re too tired, I could come back later.”

“No. It’s okay.” Liz rolled to her feet and got out of bed. She stretched, feeling every ache and pain created in the last twenty-four hours. “I feel like I got run over by a dump truck.”

“Get dressed, and I’ll get you some tea.”

By the time Liz had changed out of her pajamas, Sandy was back. She carried a steaming mug of tea in each hand. She passed one to Liz.

“Yesterday was a rough day. How are you doing?” Sandy asked.

“Fine.” Liz knew she should be grateful that Sandy was checking up on her, but at the same time, it was annoying. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about what happened at the preacher’s compound.

“Derek told us that everyone from the preacher’s group is dead now,” Sandy said.

“Yeah. It … it just had to happen that way … We had to make sure we were safe.” Liz fought against feelings of guilt. Taking a life was never easy, even if it was becoming a more frequent experience.

“Those men you killed left you no choice. You know that, right?” Sandy asked.

“I know.” Liz sipped the tea. The warmth felt good in her hands. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t keep seeing their faces every time I close my eyes. I can’t help but think about the fact that I took away someone’s son, brother, or even father. They took away my daughter, but does that make what I did right?”

“They left you no choice,” Sandy spoke firmly before sipping her tea. “Don’t waste your sympathy on them. They weren’t innocent by any means.”

“You’re right.” Liz sighed. “I don’t suppose you have anything else to talk about. I’m still processing all of this, and I really don’t want to get into it right now.”

“Of course.” Sandy smiled. “While you were out, I’ve been listening to the radio. Edwin says I might be getting obsessed with it.”

“What else are you going to do, watch something online?”

Both women chuckled.

“On the news, they said we launched intercontinental ballistic missiles at numerous targets in Russia.”

“Wow.” Liz shook her head. Instead of feeling a thirst for vengeance, she wondered how many families in Russia were suffering, just like her own. “So, is it over? The war, I mean.”

Sandy sighed and sipped on her tea in silence. Liz allowed her time to collect her thoughts.

“The