Fire And Ashes: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller by Tate Harley

Author:Tate, Harley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CALEB

Outside Oak Ridge, NC

Thursday, May 18th, 8:57 pm EST

Caleb eyed his daughter and her two friends in the truck’s rear-view mirror. He’d wanted Lana to ride in the cab between him and Elizabeth, but after she’d cleaned the blood off her face, she’d insisted on sticking with them. In particular, the girl, Mindy, looked nearly catatonic. “She gets that from you, you know.”

Elizabeth glanced at him, then back through the window to Lana. “Gets what?”

“That mother-hen thing she does. Picking up strays.”

His wife snorted softly. “I don’t know where she gets that, but it isn’t from me.”

It had taken longer than expected, but they managed to escape Greensboro. Jessup had been surprisingly helpful, pointing Caleb toward some of the more open areas where they could dispense with roads and pick their way across driveways and front yards. It had been slow going, but there had been no major trouble. Most of the suburban areas had cleared out, and there was nothing significant to loot.

Now, Lana sat next to the boy, leaning her head on his shoulder while he stared off into nothing. “What do you think of Jessup?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m trying not to judge him on first impressions since you just…”

When she trailed off, Caleb glanced at her, brow furrowed. Since you’d just shot two men in front of him. He’d wanted to do it differently. It’s why he opted to shut off the truck lights and try to diffuse the situation. Killing an enemy combatant thousands of miles away in a dust-covered hellhole was one thing. Shooting a man because he threatened his daughter was another. He ran a hand over his face. Was this the new reality?

If so…

Elizabeth reached for his hand and pulled it away from his jaw. “You didn’t have a choice.”

“I don’t know. I—”

She cut him off. “I’m certain.”

If only he shared her confidence. At the time, he’d seen it as an either or: the man holding his daughter hostage or Lana. One had to die. Now, though? He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “If there had been another way that I knew wouldn’t get Lana hurt, I—“

“There wasn’t.” Elizabeth’s face was pale, but her expression conveyed no doubt. “Don’t apologize for keeping her safe. If I’m worried about anything, it’s how many more times something like that might happen.”

“We’ll stay away from urban areas,” he promised. “And if this place pans out—this Army installation Jessup seems so sure of—then we’ll be safe for a good long while.”

She let his hand go and turned toward the window to stare out into the dark. Did she doubt Jessup’s ability to find the facility or the safety of an Army outpost? Caleb had no idea, and he didn’t ask.

When they climbed back into the truck, Elizabeth shoved the revolver into the opening beneath the radio instead of back in the dash. Easier to reach in an emergency. Always visible.

Caleb knew that need. One of the first lessons of boot camp was to treat his rifle like another arm.

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