Fractured - Shock Point Book 2: A Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series by DC Layton & Mike Kraus

Author:DC Layton & Mike Kraus [Layton, DC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2022-09-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Eugenia “Jen” McCreedy

Afternoon. Jackrabbit Bluff, AZ

Jen's butt ached with each jolt over the now rippled pavement of the road into the town of Jackrabbit Bluff. The mule excelled over rough terrain, but the thinly padded seat sucked. Robin said nothing. The girl sat tense and tall in her seat, head swiveling every direction as they rode slowly past the first houses on the outskirts of town.

The houses sat far from their neighbors on large, sprawling lots. One small, tidy home had a perfectly manicured lawn. It looked untouched by the quake but for the steeply listing shed at the back of the property. The porch roof of the next house had collapsed. Its lawn bore the worn-out patches and tracks of children at play, with a scatter of colorful toys across the thin grass, half buried under the fallen roof. Further down the road, an old, rusting Ford on four flat tires held court over a weedy, dried-up lawn full of other rusted equipment. The house on that lot was little more than a giant stack of kindling with old bits of raggedy furniture poking out from split and broken planks and one stubborn chimney still standing.

She stopped at a row of downed powerlines. Six poles sprawled across the street at unlikely angles, tossed one way by the quake and pulled another by their connecting lines. Thick, black cables coiled on the pavement before them and stretched in long, wavy lines and tangles between and around the tarred, wooden posts. Nothing sparked. Nothing moved.

“Where is everyone?” Robin whispered. Good question, and Jen was glad of the whisper, as if speaking too loudly might catch the attention of the giant electrical snakes before them.

The houses were eerily still and silent. No one investigated the downed lines. No one had put out warning barriers. There were no fire engines or Arizona Public Service trucks. Jackrabbit Bluff only boasted one fire truck, but it was nowhere in sight. APS would have to come up from Flagstaff. Maybe they were on the way.

Assuming the lines were still live, she backtracked and drove the mule onto an unfenced lawn. She worked her way through neighboring yards. Doors and windows remained blank and unmoving, but at any moment someone might step out and challenge the trespassers. Every turn of the tires made her more of an intruder in someone else's private space. She hunched over the wheel, hands gripping even tighter than they had going up and over the big hill, they finally came out onto the road on the other side of the lines. Ahead, more poles leaned at dangerous angles, but their cables still swooped between them off the ground.

The town center was just ahead. Beyond that, right on the flank of Humphreys Peak, was the resort area with its fancy hotel, ski shops, seasonal restaurants, and a couple smaller inns. As they approached, the houses grew closer together with smaller yards. One of them was a large duplex painted a cheery blue with white trim.

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