“Yes!” she exclaimed, practically shouting. “I’ll go with you!”
“You will?”
She nodded. “Anything is better than being trapped behind these walls, waiting for the next attack, or until some anti-immune protestors get up the courage to attack me again.” She pointed at her wall locker. “I’m already packed and ready to go.”
He nodded appreciatively. “Nice. I like it.”
“I didn’t finish my story about how I ended up here, but I have a helicopter—a Blackhawk. We could take that and—”
He shook his head. “There’s a lot of the story that we need to fill each other in on, but I do know that we can’t take equipment from them. That’s how the platoon ended up in Kansas. The Army guards its equipment jealously and they’ll come after us if we take something like a helicopter.”
Hannah wondered just what the hell Grady’s story was. There were a lot of details that continued to sprinkle out that she’d need to hear over time. For now, she was just content to be with him. Grady Harper. How the hell had the man survived? He was a freaking legend.
“Okay. I’m fine with walking. I did it for a year,” she said. “When do you want to leave?”
“Now,” he replied. “Well, I mean, after we get some food. I’m starving.”
“Okay. The dining facility is serving right now.”
“I know,” he said. “I saw the line outside the door.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet along with him. “After we eat, there are two pretty special people that I need to say goodbye to. They helped me out in New York and I promised them that I’d keep them safe. They’re in the refugee camp now, so I fulfilled my promise to them.”
“Okay,” Hannah replied, not entirely sure of what to say or do next.
Grady pulled her close to him and bent down to kiss her on the lips. His beard tickled. It was wonderful. She hadn’t had any type of intimate contact with anyone in a very long time, but as their kiss deepened, Hannah was convinced that she hadn’t forgotten how to.
Finally, they pulled apart and she took a deep breath. Her cheeks were burning. “So, what are we going to do out in the wild?” she asked, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the base walls.
“Whatever we want,” he replied with a goofy grin. “Seriously, though, I’d like to do as much good in the world as I can, so I’d thought about sort of wandering for a while on the wide open road. I have these skills, so, I don’t know, maybe help people clear out the infected in their area and then move on to the next settlement. Kind of like the Wild West or something.”
“A modern day Robin Hood?” she laughed.
“That does sound dumb, doesn’t it?”
“No, totally normal,” she quipped. “And something I’d expect from you.”
He shrugged. “I’m making this all up as I go and I don’t think very well on an empty stomach.”
“Then we better feed you before I end up liking your idea to see the country while we help strangers in need.”
“You like the idea?”
She nodded. “I do. We both signed up to do something good for our country. Cleaning up the infected so people who want to rebuild sounds like a damn good way to contribute to the cause.”
He pulled her close again. “I knew you and I were a match. Remember that cold-assed truck ride in North Korea when we told each other that we’d get together after the mission was over?”
“How could I forget?”
“The mission isn’t over—I don’t think it ever will be—but I’m ready to be with you now.”
“Slow down, Robin Hood,” she laughed. “Food first. Escape next. Then we can talk about our next steps.”
Grady’s eyes flickered to the cot.
“Oh, fine,” she relented, closing and locking the door. “We won’t likely be cleaner than we are right now for a long time.”
Hannah allowed herself to be led to the small cot. It would be uncomfortable as hell with the two of them on there, but she was sure she could make do. They wouldn’t get a better chance than now to be together.
After today, they’d be alone in the wilderness. That crazy idea hadn’t even been on her radar when she’d woken up this morning, but it sounded perfect to her now. They’d make a difference in the world together. She just knew it.
THE END
SIXTH CYCLE
Nuclear war has destroyed human civilization.
Captain Jake Phillips wakes into a dangerous new world, where he finds the remaining fragments of the population living in a series of strongholds, connected across the country. Uneasy alliances have maintained their safety, but things are about to change. -- Discovery leads to danger. -- Skye Reed, a tracker from the Omega stronghold, uncovers a threat that could spell the end for their fragile society. With friends and enemies revealing truths about the past, she will need to decide who to trust. -- Sixth Cycle is a gritty post-apocalyptic story of survival and adventure.
Darren Wearmouth ~ Carl Sinclair
The Invasion Trilogy
Aliens have planned against us for centuries... And now the attack is ready.
Charlie Jackson's archaeological team find advanced technology in an undisturbed 16th Century graves. While investigating the discovery, giant sinkholes appear across planet, marking the start of Earth's colonization and the descent of civilization.
Charlie and the rest of humanity will have to fight for survival, sacrificing the life they’ve known to protect themselves from an ancient and previously dormant enemy. Even that might not be enough as aliens exact a plan that will change the course of history.
Darren Wearmouth
