CHAPTER 1
The girls sat in Grace’s Jeep staring at the house. Grace had her 9mm pistol sitting on her lap with the safety on. She didn’t want to have to use the gun again; she had already shot two people in the last twelve hours.
“What if he’s not who he says he is?” Anna asked. Her head was pounding from the blow she had taken to the face the night before. Her left eye and nose seemed to be one black and blue nebula of pain and ugliness.
Grace thought about what Anna said. She had been thinking about it since the instant she had agreed to follow Joshua back to his family’s house.
But what choice do I have? A nuclear bomb went off in Atlanta, an EMP has shut down everything, airplanes are falling from the sky, we lost the map, we lost the radio, I had to shoot two people and we’re lost! I had to shoot people…
Grace shook her head clear. She had to stop thinking that way. If they were going to get back to her mom and survive, then it meant believing in everything her parents taught her and trusting a few people along the way.
“Then we’ll deal with it, okay,” Grace answered Anna.
“Oh, like you dealt with Mr. Miller and…” she regretted saying the words the instant they passed her lips, and she didn’t finish the sentence.
Grace tightened the grip on the steering wheel and the knob of the manual gear shifter.
“I’m so sorry, Grace. I shouldn’t have said that.” She looked at Grace through one half swollen eye and a nose that was double its regular size.
Grace looked back and paused before speaking. “You really look like shit,” she said in complete deadpan. Both girls laughed until the door to the house opened.
Joshua came through the door first, followed closely by an older man and a lady.
“Here we go,” Grace whispered, and she thumbed the safety off on the pistol. The girls opened their doors at the same time and stepped out of the Jeep. Grace, once again, tucked the pistol in the small of her back before stepping around the half door of the Jeep.
“Bob Tiller,” the man said, stepping around Joshua and extending his hand to Grace.
Grace took the hand and shook. “I’m Grace, and this is Anna,” she responded, conveniently leaving off their last names.
“This is my wife Violet,” the man said, with reference to the lady.
“You look terrible, dear,” Violet said, making a beeline towards Anna with her hands ready to cup the girl’s face.
Anna leaned back, but let the lady touch her face.
“It’s okay,” Joshua said. “My Mom’s an ER nurse.”
“Let me help you, dear,” Violet insisted, gently to Anna. “Come inside, I can take a better look at you there.”
Anna looked to Grace for support. Grace nodded curtly. Anna and Violet moved towards the house, Violet had her arm around the girl’s shoulders.
“Josh told me you two were in some trouble last night,” Bob stated, they were still standing in front of the Jeep.
“Yes sir,” Grace answered. “Freakers.”
“Freakers? What are freakers?”
“They’re the ones that lose it right after a catastrophic event.”
“You mean like an atomic bomb going off in Atlanta and Chicago and an EMP over the rest of the country?” Bob said, stopping the girl in mid thought.
“What?” Grace whispered the word in disbelief.
“Honey, we live on a farm. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know things. We’re pretty self supportive out here.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you come on in and have some breakfast. We lost most of our electrical things during the attack, but we can get by, and Violet makes some great pancakes.”
“Yes sir,” she answered, catching the eye of Joshua staring at her before they turned for the house.
Grace fell in behind the father and son and reached under the back of her shirt finding the pistol and thumbed the safety back on.
CHAPTER 2
Leah sat on the floor
The girls sat in Grace’s Jeep staring at the house. Grace had her 9mm pistol sitting on her lap with the safety on. She didn’t want to have to use the gun again; she had already shot two people in the last twelve hours.
“What if he’s not who he says he is?” Anna asked. Her head was pounding from the blow she had taken to the face the night before. Her left eye and nose seemed to be one black and blue nebula of pain and ugliness.
Grace thought about what Anna said. She had been thinking about it since the instant she had agreed to follow Joshua back to his family’s house.
But what choice do I have? A nuclear bomb went off in Atlanta, an EMP has shut down everything, airplanes are falling from the sky, we lost the map, we lost the radio, I had to shoot two people and we’re lost! I had to shoot people…
Grace shook her head clear. She had to stop thinking that way. If they were going to get back to her mom and survive, then it meant believing in everything her parents taught her and trusting a few people along the way.
“Then we’ll deal with it, okay,” Grace answered Anna.
“Oh, like you dealt with Mr. Miller and…” she regretted saying the words the instant they passed her lips, and she didn’t finish the sentence.
Grace tightened the grip on the steering wheel and the knob of the manual gear shifter.
“I’m so sorry, Grace. I shouldn’t have said that.” She looked at Grace through one half swollen eye and a nose that was double its regular size.
Grace looked back and paused before speaking. “You really look like shit,” she said in complete deadpan. Both girls laughed until the door to the house opened.
Joshua came through the door first, followed closely by an older man and a lady.
“Here we go,” Grace whispered, and she thumbed the safety off on the pistol. The girls opened their doors at the same time and stepped out of the Jeep. Grace, once again, tucked the pistol in the small of her back before stepping around the half door of the Jeep.
“Bob Tiller,” the man said, stepping around Joshua and extending his hand to Grace.
Grace took the hand and shook. “I’m Grace, and this is Anna,” she responded, conveniently leaving off their last names.
“This is my wife Violet,” the man said, with reference to the lady.
“You look terrible, dear,” Violet said, making a beeline towards Anna with her hands ready to cup the girl’s face.
Anna leaned back, but let the lady touch her face.
“It’s okay,” Joshua said. “My Mom’s an ER nurse.”
“Let me help you, dear,” Violet insisted, gently to Anna. “Come inside, I can take a better look at you there.”
Anna looked to Grace for support. Grace nodded curtly. Anna and Violet moved towards the house, Violet had her arm around the girl’s shoulders.
“Josh told me you two were in some trouble last night,” Bob stated, they were still standing in front of the Jeep.
“Yes sir,” Grace answered. “Freakers.”
“Freakers? What are freakers?”
“They’re the ones that lose it right after a catastrophic event.”
“You mean like an atomic bomb going off in Atlanta and Chicago and an EMP over the rest of the country?” Bob said, stopping the girl in mid thought.
“What?” Grace whispered the word in disbelief.
“Honey, we live on a farm. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know things. We’re pretty self supportive out here.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you come on in and have some breakfast. We lost most of our electrical things during the attack, but we can get by, and Violet makes some great pancakes.”
“Yes sir,” she answered, catching the eye of Joshua staring at her before they turned for the house.
Grace fell in behind the father and son and reached under the back of her shirt finding the pistol and thumbed the safety back on.
CHAPTER 2
Leah sat on the floor