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  Naomi narrowed her eyes at him, just a little.

  “Nope.”

  Jack saw a sly smile creep across Brent’s face. It was the same smile Brent used when he tried to butter up the young female employees at work.

  “Come on,” Brent cooed, turning on the charm. “How does a pretty girl like you not have a boyfriend?”

  “You do know I was just attacked, right?” Naomi asked. “Now’s not the time to flirt with me.”

  Brent swallowed. “Of course not. I wasn’t flirting, just making conversation,” he stammered.

  “Right,” Naomi said, rolling her eyes.

  Now it was Jack’s turn to hide the smile appearing on his own face.

  They turned down a side street headed southeast so they could once again continue parallel with the highway.

  At least, I hope this is parallel.

  “Look!” Naomi said, pointing across the street. “It’s a convenience store.”

  “It looks like it’s already been looted,” Jack said.

  The windows had been smashed. Glass lay broken on the sidewalk. A few trampled packages of food lay scattered on the street where someone had dropped them.

  “Let’s see if we can get something to drink in there,” Brent said.

  Jack gave him a look. “So now you want to steal something?”

  “No, I’d pay of course,” Brent said indignantly.

  “Well, I hope you have cash,” Jack said. “Something tells me their credit card machine will be down. If they have anything left at all, that is.”

  Brent frowned. They crossed the street.

  The front door had been propped open. Jack pulled it open all the way and walked inside.

  Naomi, who entered behind him, gasped.

  “Oh, my…” she said.

  Their eyes fell on a woman lying in a pool of blood at their feet and immediately to their right.

  A case of bottled water lay next to her.

  “She must have been stealing that,” Brent said.

  “And then he shot her,” Jack said.

  They turned to see a man slumped over the checkout counter. He had been shot in the chest, and blood was on the wall behind him.

  “He must have been the store owner,” Naomi said.

  A sound emerged from the woman lying on the floor. Their heads turned in unison toward her as she made a gurgling sound.

  “She’s still alive!” Naomi said, kneeling beside her.

  Jack looked the woman over. She had been shot in the belly. Her eyes moved slowly. She made a groaning sound that sent a chill down his spine.

  “We have to try to save her,” Naomi said, rising to her feet.

  She moved quickly through the store’s aisles, picking up a few items. She returned to the woman as she tore open a roll of paper towels.

  Naomi wound a wad of paper towels around her hand, then pressed it into the woman’s wound.

  “I’ve got to see if I can stop this bleeding,” Naomi said frantically.

  She looked up helplessly at Jack and Brent. “Help me.”

  Jack sprang into action. He grabbed another roll of paper towels and tossed it across the store to Brent. He searched the shelves for medical supplies, then returned to Naomi’s side with gauze, bandages, and rubbing alcohol.

  “This is all I could find,” he said.

  The small sampling of first aid supplies looked ridiculous at the scene of such a traumatic injury.

  Jack doubted that they could save the woman.

  But he understood Naomi’s desire to help. They had to at least try.

  Jack and Brent worked with Naomi to try to stop the bleeding. They pressed on the wound with the paper towels, and Brent found a package of cleaning cloths that they used as well.

  But the wound was deep, and the blood kept gushing out.

  She needs surgical care for an injury like that.

  Jack looked in the woman’s eyes. He could see the life slowly draining out of them until there was nothing left.

  She’s gone.

  He stopped handing Naomi the supplies. She looked up at him, frustrated.

  “She’s stopped breathing, Naomi,” Jack said. “We did all we could.”

  Naomi looked at the woman’s vacant eyes. She let the bandage in her hand drop at her side.

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t save you,” she said quietly to the lifeless form on the floor. Naomi let out a long, defeated sigh.

  “It was good of you to try so hard,” Brent said gently.

  Naomi rose to her feet and turned away.

  Something had changed once they entered the convenience store. The seriousness of the situation was truly sinking in for them all.

  Seeing death up close and personal tended to have that effect.

  The EMP was more than people getting stranded on the highway. It was more than just an inconvenience.

  It was much, much more than that.

  Something seemed to click for Naomi. Suddenly, she seemed to wake up and jump to action. She started to move quickly through the store. Heading straight for the dead man slumped over the counter, she reached around him to grab a handful of empty plastic bags.

  “Let’s fill some bags with food and water,” she said.

  Brent stood there watching her for a moment. Finally, he slowly stood up. She handed him some bags, and he began to fill a plastic bag with dried fruit and nuts.

  Jack stood up and looked around the shop. There was no gun near the woman.

  There must have been a third person.

  First the store owner had shot the woman for trying to steal water. Then the third person had shot the store owner and left with his own weapon.

  Which meant the store owner’s gun might still be in the store.

  He approached the dead man, who lay face down over the counter. One arm was sprawled lifelessly across the counter. The other hung at his side.

  Jack walked around, looking for a way to get behind the counter. There was a small gate that was locked. He jumped over it.

  Approaching the dead man, he saw it. It lay on the floor, where it had fallen from the grasp of the store owner.

  A 9mm Sig Sauer.

  This would change everything.

  Jack felt the pressure to get home increasing. If two people had been murdered right here in this little corner store, what else was happening out there? Who knew what danger they would face next?

  What kind of danger was Annie facing, right at that exact moment? Jack shuddered to think that she might be anything other than safe.

  If only I hadn’t left. I should still be in Austin with her.

  The EMP had changed everything. He couldn’t count on anything. Not food delivery, not transportation, not public utilities.

  And he would have to expect that every person he met was dangerous.

  The world had always been unsafe. But now, things had reached a new level. Now, people were willing to kill over bottled water and snack food.

  As he walked toward the gun lying on the floor, he thought about the responsibility of carrying a firearm.

  What if he found himself in the situation like the scene that had played out in the store?

  Would he be able to take someone’s life?

  Jack knew how to handle firearms. He had grown up shooting, and he still went to the firing range from time to time to keep his skills up.

  But he had never had to pull a gun on anyone.

  Much less pull the trigger.

  Shooting at the range was different from shooting a person. How would he be able to live with himself after taking another human being’s life?

  He felt his palms get sweaty as he walked. He wiped them on his pants. The smell of blood and the metallic smell of the rounds that had been fired burned his nostrils.

  Naomi and Brent continued to stock up on food. The store had been ransacked, but there were still some valuable food items to be found.

  With this gun, he would have a better chance at keeping them safe. H
e would have a better chance at getting home to Annie.

  Jack crouched down and reached toward the pistol, which had fallen in the corner of the small area behind the counter.

  His eyes met the vacant stare of the dead man. The glassy eyes almost seemed to accuse, to dare Jack to take his firearm.

  Outside, an abrupt noise made them all look up from their tasks.

  A sudden burst of loud voices was followed by the sound of breaking glass.

  Laughter.

  Brent could see them through the window. He turned pale.

  “I think they’re coming this way,” he said.

  Jack picked up the gun.

  8

  “Well, the good news is that there aren’t any guards down here,” Charlotte said, looking around the forested river bank. “And I don’t see any on the other side of the water, either.”

  “Yeah, that’s good,” Annie said as she scanned their surroundings. “But the bad news is that I don’t see any inner tubes or life jackets around here. I guess that tube rental stand isn’t down here anymore.”

  Charlotte groaned and sat down to rest on a log.

  “Now we’ll never cross this river,” she moaned. “And after we made it all the way past those guards. So close, but so far away.”

  As Annie studied the river’s course, she absent-mindedly tugged at a long, curly red lock. She pulled it straight from her head, then let it snap back.

  An idea was forming in her mind.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t an idea she liked very much. But, she had to admit it had been in the back of her head the whole time. After all, she’d known all along that they might not have access to flotation devices once they got to the water’s edge.

  And Charlotte must have known that, as well. Both women had entered this course of action knowing that they may very well have ended up in this exact predicament.

  “You know, I was a lifeguard for five summers,” Annie began.

  Charlotte snapped her head toward her friend, her blonde hair flying.

  “You don’t mean –”

  Annie drew her shoulders up toward her ears in a shrug. “What else can we do?”

  “So, let me get this straight,” Charlotte said. “You worked as a lifeguard in college – how many years ago?”

  Annie shrugged again. “It’s been a while.”

  “And you think you can somehow swim across this river with me in tow?”

  “Well, I think I can try,” Annie said.

  She thought back to her lifeguard training and the drills she practiced to keep her skills sharp every summer.

  It would just be a matter of a simple sidestroke. One arm to secure Charlotte. The other arm out in front to pull and push water. A strong scissor kick to propel them forward.

  She had practiced the drill countless times. She had even used it a few times to rescue the occasional child who ventured too far into the deep end at the city pool where she worked.

  Of course, she had always used a lifeguard flotation device in her drills and rescues.

  And it’d always been in a nice, easy swimming pool.

  Not a big river with a strong current.

  Charlotte buried her face in her hands.

  Above them, the sound of the crowds on the bridge wafted their way. The people seemed to be growing more and more impatient to get across. Annie heard the voice of one of the guards ordering the people to settle down. The chaos on that bridge seemed to be growing.

  Charlotte looked up at her friend. “Okay, let’s do this. I’d rather drown in the river than be trampled alive by that crowd on the bridge.”

  Annie took a breath. They were going to do it.

  She had to move quickly before she changed her mind.

  “Give me your shoes,” Annie said, removing her own and placing them in her backpack. “You can put them in my bag. I’m going to need your help kicking in the water.”

  Charlotte glanced nervously at the river, then passed her shoes to Annie. Her hands were trembling.

  “Isn’t all of our stuff going to get wet?” Charlotte asked doubtfully.

  “Probably,” Annie said. “You can try holding our bags out of the water. It might be kind of hard, though.”

  Charlotte looked down at her leather purse. “I could get rid of a few things here, and put the food bag in my purse. Then we’d only have to carry two bags across instead of three.”

  Annie watched as her friend rifled through her handbag. She selected some cosmetics, a hairbrush, and a scarf to pull out.

  “Someone’s going to hit the jackpot when they find my makeup bag,” Charlotte said, shaking her head sadly. “I’ve hardly even used most of those things.”

  Charlotte set the items on the ground beside a rock. The new space she made in her purse allowed her to stash the bag of food inside.

  The two women stood barefoot on the wet earth beside the river. Charlotte held both her purse and Annie’s backpack.

  “You ready?” Annie asked.

  Charlotte nodded her head, even though she looked anything but ready to cross the river.

  Annie stepped into the water, easing along the tree roots that grew along the edge. The chill of the water was unexpected.

  Charlotte followed her, drawing in breath as she entered the chilly water.

  The water reached their knees, and already Annie could feel the pull of the current. She looked down at the dark water swirling around their legs.

  “Okay, you’re going to face away from me,” Annie said. “I’m going to hold on to you with my arm looped around your shoulder. Try to get as horizontal as you can in the water, face up on your back. Kick your legs as hard as you can like this.”

  Annie demonstrated a flutter kick with her outstretched arms.

  “Got it?”

  “I think so,” Charlotte said uneasily.

  They entered the water further, and Annie got a good grasp around Charlotte’s shoulder. They pushed off the ground and glided into the water.

  Annie began pulling and pushing the water with her free arm while her legs kicked.

  Charlotte glided on her back as Annie pulled her. Charlotte’s legs kicked the water, helping a little to propel them forward. She struggled to keep the two bags out of the water, trying to balance them on her upper torso.

  Once they entered the deeper water, the current became stronger. Annie realized she would have to not only swim the distance across the river, but also work to keep them from being pulled downriver.

  If she let the current carry them just a little, they would be unprotected by the cover of the bridge overhead. Being exposed would risk the guards seeing them.

  Annie quickly realized that the task was much more difficult than the drills she had practiced as a teenager.

  Her muscles screamed. She pulled and pushed the water over and over as the river fought against her progress.

  She struggled to keep her head above water, and at times, she took a big gulp of air and let her head slip below the surface. It was easier than keeping the weight of her head above water, but the risk was that she couldn’t see as well.

  She came to the surface again to hear Charlotte saying something frantically.

  “The current is carrying us!” she said over the sound of the splashing water. “We’ve almost lost the cover of the bridge!”

  Annie strained to look overhead. Sure enough, the river had dragged them off course. They veered dangerously close to being exposed and easily spotted by the people on the bridge above them.

  Annie groaned as she pushed her body to work harder. Her biceps strained as they contracted over and over, pushing against the current. Her shoulder muscles cried out as she forced them to work harder than they ever had before. Her feet snapped together at the end of each scissor kick, sluicing the water away.

  She reached deep down inside herself, searching for any remaining strength and power that she hadn’t yet tapped.

  Charlotte gave up her efforts to keep the bags out of t
he water, shifting them to one hand and freeing up her other hand, which she used to help push the water.

  Finally, they made some traction and were able to get back on course. They were once again fully under the cover of the bridge.

  But they still had the river to cross, and they were only halfway.

  Annie gasped for air, her lungs crying out as she lifted her head above the water. The arm she used to pull Charlotte was aching. The trembling muscles threatened to lose strength and let go of their burden.

  Annie cursed herself silently.

  Why did you think you could do this? This was an insane idea.

  She pushed again and again, breaking through the river’s fastest and deepest area.

  She gasped for air as her eyes focused on the shore. She could begin to see a large cedar tree on the bank.

  That tree was everything. If she could only make it to that tree.

  No. It’s not insane. It’s the only way. And it has to work.

  She pushed all the fear and self-doubt aside. The water, cleansing and brutal, carried it away.

  The wild, angry river stripped her of everything except the will to survive.

  The river was powerful, but it somehow showed her that she was powerful, too.

  Keep going, keep going.

  They had to make it. There was no turning back. There was no other possible outcome but to crawl to safety on the other side of this river.

  She ducked her head underwater and pushed herself harder.

  This time, when she came up for air, the shore was close.

  Just one last push.

  She gave everything she could to push them through the last length of river. And just when she felt she couldn’t swim another stroke, her feet kicked against the ground.

  We made it.

  With shaking muscles, she pulled them the last little bit until they were in the shallows.

  Annie finally let go, and they both stood up on the river floor. Pulling themselves up onto the shore with the help of tree roots, they let themselves fall on the earth in exhaustion.

  Though Annie would have liked to let herself fall into a deep sleep there on the riverbank, she knew they needed to move to the wooded area where they would be out of sight.

  She dragged her weary body up a steep slope with Charlotte following. Hidden from view behind some cedars and oaks, they finally came to a rest.