The Razor's Edge: A Postapocalytic Novel (The New World Book 6) Read Online Free PDF

arms.
    Cruz did the same thing and raised his arms in surrender.
    “Come with us,” one of the unknown soldiers ordered as he jabbed the barrel of his M16 into Gordon’s back.
    “Who are you?” Gordon asked.
    “Get on the chopper,” the soldier ordered.
    Cruz and Gordon did as he said and stepped on.
    When the last soldier sat down, the chopper lifted off.
    Gordon looked down to see John and Cruz’s men racing towards the post office from opposite directions.
    The two smaller helicopters split up, with each engaging the vehicles.
    The Black Hawk banked hard to the right, giving Gordon a better view. To the east several Humvees that were coming to assist Cruz were hit; thick black smoke poured out of them. When he looked west he saw John had been hit too. The Humvee was sitting motionless and smoldering in the middle of the highway.
    Anger brewed up in Gordon.
    A soldier motioned with his hands for Cruz and Gordon to put on headsets.
    They did as he said.
    “Welcome, gentlemen,” a familiar voice said.
    Gordon looked into the cockpit and got a glimpse of the man speaking but he couldn’t tell who it was.
    “I have to say how pleasantly shocked I was when I heard about this little secret meeting. I just couldn’t believe that two powerful men were meeting and without any real protection, so I had to take advantage of this.”
    Gordon recognized the raspy voice. “Jacques?”
    “Yes, Gordon, it’s Jacques, and again thank you for setting up this meeting.”

    Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States

    General Baxter slowly walked through the rubble, debris and shattered bodies that lay strewn around the church. It was horrifying to see what one single bomb could do. In an instant these parishioners were dead or severely wounded. One second they were praying and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the next they were gone.
    EMS darted all around, running past him, frantically looking for survivors.
    No one could find Cruz, and the last any had heard was he was scheduled to attend mass here. Thoughts of how they’d transfer power swiftly came to mind. With no vice president yet chosen, the responsibility of the presidency would fall on Edward Williams, the secretary of state. He'd replaced Wilbur upon her death, and Cruz felt it necessary to keep everyone in place who had been there before. He liked Williams and thought he could work with him as long as he remained the calm and deliberate man he’d gotten to know over the past few months. Williams wasn’t brash or opinionated like Wilbur and seemed laid back, to put it simply. He also found him easily persuadable, something he liked most of all.
    The moans and cries of the wounded echoed off the charred and crumbling walls.
    It pained him to see the carnage, but the scenes were becoming all too familiar now. The attacks at first targeted military; now it appeared they had struck at the heart of the government.
    Baxter exited out the front and looked at the mad dash of first responders; no one seemed to notice him. He quite enjoyed being invisible.
    A young officer, his aide, raced up to him and said, “Sir, we’ve just received word that Secretary Williams and Secretary Allen are dead. They were inside the church this morning; their remains were just identified at the base coroner’s office.”
    Shock swept over Baxter.
    “Sir, you don’t look well,” the officer said.
    “I’m fine; I just can’t believe it. This is such a tragedy. We must gather what remains of the cabinet and meet in the executive offices.”
    Several members of Baxter’s protection team approached. The detail leader, a young man named Ferguson, said, “Sir, you have to leave now.”
    “I’m coming,” Baxter said, following them towards his vehicle.
    Ferguson strode beside Baxter and admonished him, “Sir, you can’t abandon your protection team, especially in light of what just happened.”
    They arrived at their vehicle and Baxter took Ferguson by the arm. “I appreciate your