Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
“They’re at the hospital. It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation there. Not only do they have the regular patients, many of whom are dependent on machines, to deal with, but there were burn victims from the fires that broke out, and some serious injuries from falling infrastructure. From what I’ve been told by those who’ve tried to seek help and been turned away, staff is being asked to sleep there for now and take shifts. So medical professionals who live in town haven’t been home in days. And unfortunately, that leaves anyone contending with what’s considered a minor injury out in the cold, literally and figuratively. I’m hoping that changes in the days ahead, but for now…” He sighed. “Anyway, we’ve got my boy in a sling, but he’s in pain and all we can do is dose him up on Tylenol for now.”
“Shit,” I said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Shit, shit, shit!” Charlie swore, picking his phone up from the ground. It appeared mostly undamaged. “You’re telling me there’s no form of communication in the entire world?”
Apparently, the pacing and muttering hadn’t helped much.
“I never said that,” the sheriff said. “Highway traffic was a mess in both directions, but I only managed to talk to people who were traveling from the east. Several I tried to wave down didn’t stop—people are less than reasonable when they’re trying to get to loved ones. Can’t blame ’em. What it did make clear was that we need to set up a patrol at the borders of our town. That starts this evening. You three were the last unchecked visitors here. We simply don’t know what’s coming and can’t be complacent.”
My head was reeling. I was having a hard time grasping this. But the sheriff was right. There was no room for complacency in a situation where the scope might be…too colossal to imagine. He was right to protect his town in whatever way he could.
“How are we going to get a ride out of here?” Charlie asked. “Do you have a vintage car we can use? I’ll purchase it from you.” He dug around in his pants, pulling out his wallet, and holding up a credit card. “You can write down the number and charge it once the power’s back up.”
The sheriff’s gaze held on him a beat. “Sorry, son, I don’t have a vintage car and anyone in town who does is gonna want to hold on to it. You can understand that, I’m sure.”
Son. Under other circumstances, Charlie’s offended expression would have made me want to laugh. But I couldn’t muster so much as a chuckle at Charlie’s expense. And hadn’t he just heard what the sheriff said about dwindling fuel and the main highway at a standstill? Even if we could find a car like Leonard’s, we’d be out of gas after a couple of hours. Not to mention that it’d been made clear to us that a vehicle was in high demand and quickly becoming a dangerous possession. My thoughts halted and then sped, moving in every direction randomly.
Emily’s gaze darted from Charlie to me, hanging there as she blew out a huff of breath. We could ask the sheriff if we could stay here. The town seemed like it was making do and banding together in the ways they were able. Maybe they’d allow us to stay, especially if we had something to offer. I was strong and fit and suddenly realized that all the workouts I’d done in prison to keep myself occupied could be put to a greater use. A small trickle of purpose made me straighten my spine. A disaster. This was a clear disaster, perhaps of epic proportions. Sharp minds were necessary to figure out how to get by until normalcy was restored. Able bodies would be needed. I could barter with my physical and mental assets.
But…the idea of staying put, staying safe, also meant that Emily’s parents would be left to wonder where she was and what had happened to her—a torturous prospect for any parent. I understood why even the people the sheriff had mentioned who owned a home and a business here in this town had left it to get to their daughter. Even before I’d understood the scope of this, I’d planned to get Emily home safely. And as for me personally, safety had never been a strong motivation. I craved purpose.
I held my gaze to Emily’s and paused as I brought my bottom lip between my teeth. She seemed to be waiting for me to say something, as though she knew that I was making a decision about our next move. “Your parents will be panicked when they don’t hear from you, Emily. I bet they’re already panicking.”
She blinked. Nodded. “Yes, my mom is probably climbing the walls.” Her throat moved as she swallowed.