Dark New World (Book 2): EMP Exodus Read Online Free PDF

back and looked around. Muzzle flashes could be seen to either side as the people in those buildings fired, mostly at her. Where the fuck was Michael? Oh God, he must have been hit. There was no other explanation for why he wasn’t returning fire from his position in the trees.
    Cassy realized with sudden calm and clarity that she was about to die. Even firing in the dusk light, they would eventually hit her and then it would all be over. She couldn’t crawl because of her shoulder, and if she tried to get up to run they would only have a better target. She lay back and waited with eyes closed, resigned to her fate, and prayed once again to thank whatever god existed that her children had already made it to the far trees. At least she had the foresight to tell Frank how to get to her homestead. The clan would make it. Her children would make it home.
    A bright light shone through her closed eyelids. Confused, she opened her eyes to look around. To the south, where the garage had been, there was now only a mushroom cloud of fire and smoke. She heard screams in the distance, but within seconds, they stopped. The muzzle flashes from the northern house petered out and then stopped altogether.
    Thank you, God… Fighting the pain, Cassy rose to her feet still gasping for air and stumbled toward the tree line and safety. It was slow going with the wind still knocked out of her, but she pushed herself as hard as she could.
    There was a sound to her left. Cassy fearfully turned her head to look but realized with a start that the noise came from Michael, who was sprinting toward her. He skidded to a stop when he reached her and without a word grabbed her around the waist with his left arm. He half helped, half dragged her toward the trees.
    Moving as fast as she was able, they quickly reached the tree line but kept going until they were some fifty yards into the woods. The rest of the clan followed along in silence until Michael stopped to gently help Cassy to the leaf-littered ground.

    * * *

    2115 HOURS - ZERO DAY +6

    Frank took stock of the situation. Michael had used only half a dozen rounds and was the only one who had fired. That irritated Frank on principle, but he reminded himself that those were Michael’s instructions. Well, Michael knew how to do this stuff better than anyone else, but it still left a sour taste that he’d been unable to really contribute during the riskiest parts. He was sure he could have helped.
    But his initial irritation was overshadowed by the fact that no one following Michael’s plan had been seriously hurt. Jed had fallen into the tree line when a bullet grazed his leg and had a bruised knee that made him limp slightly, but the graze itself was easily bandaged. Cassy’s ankle wasn’t sprained, thankfully—she’d suffered enough lately without that, and they didn’t need her moving any slower than she already did. Nor had her shoulder opened up again when she fell. All good. Most of the kids had started to cry out of fear when they got to the safety of the trees, but none had frozen in place out in the open when the shooting started. Again, all good.
    Michael finished his check of everyone in the group and sat next to Frank with a grunt.
    “Well, your plan worked, Michael. We owe you our lives. Those assholes opened fire without so much as a warning. I hope you killed them all.” Frank’s jaw clenched, and he wished he could go back and kill every damn last one of those bastards again, plus any Michael had missed.
    Michael frowned, and his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Frank. “No, Frank, I did not. I killed who I had to, and no more. Fact is, we all made it only because the garage had a huge propane tank at the back of the building. Must have been grandfathered in or done without permits, because it sure wasn’t to code. I blew the shit out of that fucker, but propane burns in a flash without so much heat. Even people in the blast could have survived if they weren’t shredded