Landfall: Islands in the Aftermath (The Pulse Series Book 4) (31 page)

The few short weeks since she and Kimberly and David had arrived here at the farm were really the only time since the lights went out that she’d not felt like she was living with the constant threat of another attack. Most of the time it felt safe here, especially when Mitch was at home, but she knew the others added to their security too. Like Mitch, Benny and Tommy were competent woodsmen before the collapse, and Jason was learning fast, as was his cousin, Cory, who had arrived long before April with his girlfriend, Samantha. Lisa and Stacy, Mitch and Jason’s little sisters, could do their share too, even if they
were
only fourteen. If there was anyone in their group they couldn’t really count on for much, it was David Greene, April’s former fiancé and father of her child.

April had been done with him as a partner even before their journey down Black Creek to seek out Mitch, but she couldn’t abandon him entirely, for Kimberly’s sake. The attack on the sandbar where he was left for dead had in some ways made her life easier, because David no longer knew who he was, let alone April. The sad part of that though was that he didn’t remember his child either. Little Kimberly still called him “daddy,” and he went along with it, believing that she had lost her real daddy and mistakenly thought he was her father. When he’d questioned April about this, she’d agreed, saying that must be it, because he looked a lot like her father. It was a lie, but it satisfied him and solved the problem of further confusing their child. April didn’t know if David would eventually regain his memory and recognize the two of them or not, but she would deal with that when the time came, if it ever did. But at least he was alive, and lucky to be so, thanks to Mitch. She had to admit he was making himself more useful now that he didn’t know who he was. It was good to see he seemed to have forgotten his former obnoxious, self-entitled attitude that had made it so difficult for him to adapt in those first months after the blackout. Now, with his new personality, living entirely in the present moment, he was showing some interest in learning how to survive in this harsh new reality, and was cooperating and at least trying to do his share. Maybe there was hope for him after all…

April stepped off the porch walked around to the backyard to the shed attached to the barn, where she knew Samantha was busy scraping deer hides.

“Did those shots sound to you like they came from out by the road?”
 

“I think so,” Samantha said. “I figured it was Tommy shooting at something. I didn’t hear anything else.”

“You haven’t seen Benny and the girls?”

“No. They must not have found a tree yet. I figured they would come back when it started raining.”

“I’m sure Benny would have, but knowing Lisa and Stacy, they probably won’t let him turn around until they get the tree they want.”

“Probably not. I sure hope Corey and the guys got lucky and can come back tonight. I’d hate for them to have to camp in weather like this.”

“Knowing Mitch, he’s probably gotten them far enough from home that they’ll have to. It’s all part of the fun for him, and his way of testing Jason and Corey.”

“I know, right? Guys are so weird. We already know they’re badass. They don’t have anything to prove at this point, but they’ll keep doing it anyway.”

“No doubt about that! Well, hopefully Tommy and David will be back soon. I’m curious to know what that shooting was about. I’m going back in to make sure Kimberly is still asleep. If you hear anything else usual, come get me.”

Preview and purchase at Amazon

More by Scott B. Williams

T
HE
FOLLOWING
LINKS
WILL
take you to the Amazon Kindle versions of some of my most popular books that are available now. New books are coming all the time so stay up to date by signing up for my book alerts via my
newsletter
.

The Pulse Series:

The Pulse: A Novel of Surviving the Collapse of the Grid
(Book I)

Refuge After the Collapse
(Book II)

Voyage After the Collapse
(Book III)

Landfall: Islands in the Aftermath
(Book IV)

The Darkness After Series:

The Darkness After
(Book I)

Into the River Lands
(Book II)

The Forge of Darkness
(Book III)

Standalone Novels:

Sailing the Apocalypse: A Misadventure at Sea

Nonfiction:

On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean

Getting Out Alive

Paddling the Pascagoula

Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late

Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters

About the Author

S
COTT
B. W
ILLIAMS
HAS
been writing about his adventures for more than twenty-five years. His published work includes dozens of magazine articles and sixteen books, with more projects currently underway. His interest in backpacking, sea kayaking and sailing small boats to remote places led him to pursue the wilderness survival skills that he has written about in his popular survival nonfiction books such as
Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late.
He has also authored travel narratives such as
On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean
, an account of his two-year solo kayaking journey through the islands. With the release of
The Pulse
in 2012, Scott moved into writing fiction and has written several more novels with many more in the works. To learn more about his upcoming books or to contact Scott, visit his website:
www.scottbwilliams.com