As Darkness Falls: A Post-Nuclear Survival Series (Desolation Book 4) by David Lucin

Author:David Lucin [Lucin, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Highway 3 Publishing
Published: 2021-02-08T16:00:00+00:00

12

Dear Daddy, the handwritten letter from Debbie read.

Alone, Liam sat at his desk in the command tent. Since all communications between the roadblock and the home front—as Liam had begun to think of Flagstaff—occurred via messenger, soldiers and their families had revived the age-old practice of exchanging letters. Every forty-eight hours or so, a bagful of mail would arrive at the FOB, and another would be taken home. Mail days were Liam’s favorite; without fail, there was always a letter from his girls.

Living at Uncle Mikey’s house is fun, the letter continued. The day before Liam left for Sunset Point, Erin and Debbie moved in with Mikey, his sister, and their parents. Debbie, it seemed, had forgotten her earlier objections. He showed me how to make a fire. I’m not aloud—Erin obviously helped Debbie compose these letters, but Liam loved how she didn’t correct every single spelling mistake—to play with it by myself. I promise I’m really safe. It snowed yesterday and me and Mom made a snowman.

That gave Liam the chills. Yesterday was only October 8. He’d tried explaining to Debbie that winter this year would be different, but he’d stopped short of stressing how it would also be dangerous. How was an eight-year-old supposed to understand the concept of nuclear winter?

I miss you and I’m proud of you. Come home soon. Love, Debbie.

He blinked frantically, trying in vain to keep his eyes dry. After stowing the letter safely in his top drawer with all the others from Debbie and Erin, he fetched a pad of paper and a pen to compose a reply.

Dear Debs—

The radio on his desk crackled, interrupting him. “Lieutenant Townsend for Commander Kipling. We need you in operations right away.”

An edge of fear sharpened her words. It sent Liam’s heart racing, and he shot out of his chair. Leaving his letter unfinished, he darted outside, headed for the operations tent. On his way, he checked toward the roadblock, where he half expected a horde of refugees to be scaling the barricades, but all appeared to be in order. What was wrong? Townsend was normally so cool and composed, and in most circumstances, she would simply come speak with him in person, not contact him via radio. What was so urgent?

“What do we got?” he asked as he stormed into the tent, where Terrence Nielsen and Townsend hunched over the fold-out table.

Townsend said, “Sir, on their way to lookout positions on the interstate, a fire team from First Squad of First Flagstaff Platoon was ambushed. After a brief firefight, five of our troops, including the squad’s leader, were taken and loaded into pickup trucks. Currently, they’re being driven south along Route 59. We have ATVs pursuing, and I’ve ordered both recon drones into the air.”

Liam was overcome with a sense of vertigo. That was Jenn’s squad. Although he tried to maintain a professional distance with his subordinates, particularly those below his platoon leaders, he couldn’t deny his fondness for Jenn. She was like a second daughter

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