EMP Catastrophe , Hamilton, Grace [phonics readers txt] 📗

want Colin’s men coming up the mountain and aggravating anyone else. It seems he’s done enough damage already.”

“Thank you,” Kathleen said. “You’re a good man with a good heart. Please, all of you be safe.”

Wyatt tipped his head as if her praise made him shy. He turned and walked down the porch. Jade followed.

Kathleen embraced David without a word, but she held onto him tightly. When she pulled away, David gave her a kiss on the cheek and then descended the porch steps to follow Wyatt and Jade, giving Matthew a moment of privacy with his wife.

At long last, Kathleen turned to Matthew. She felt fragile in his arms and he held onto her tightly, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other. “For luck,” she whispered and kissed him hard. Matthew couldn’t help but feel his heart soar. Despite everything they had gone through, he felt bonded with Kathleen, as if they had connected on a completely new level. When he broke the kiss, he said, “I love you.”

Kathleen smiled and kissed him a second time on the cheek. “And I you. Be safe.”

Matthew squeezed her and then left her to join the others waiting for him. He turned around one last time before they rounded the corner heading down the mountain. Kathleen still stood on the porch, showing as only a sliver of darkness against the side of the building. Her arm lifted high in the air to wave goodbye, and Matthew knew she would have tears in her eyes as she watched them depart. A new kind of resolve strengthened within him. He would come back to make his family whole or die trying.

As he walked down the mountain and the hotel passed from sight, Matthew studied the sun, watching it lower into midafternoon with a sense of trepidation. Even though he knew they were heading straight into a gun fight—and Matthew wasn’t any kind of fighter—he still didn’t know why he felt so steady. Maybe it was because he was learning to trust again. He was glad to have David, Jade, and Wyatt all on one side for once without having to worry about fighting or clashing ideas between them. He felt as though they were a united front, on the same side. The overwhelming fear about people—and what they could do to him and his loved ones—took a back seat. Even though they had been through some tough times, he realized he could finally trust these people. That realization lifted a weight from his shoulders.

As he breathed in the fresh air, he become acutely aware of his surroundings. The light cut through the tree boughs in shafts of yellow and white. Green pine needles from the trees rustled in the wind and the small yellow leaves of the aspens fluttered wildly. Some broke off and floated down to the dappled road. He hated to think that this beautiful early summer day might end in bloodshed.

Matthew realized that there was a very good chance he might kill someone today. That he himself might die this very day. He expected the notion to send fear and worry roiling inside of him, but instead, that fear bashed itself against that strong pillar of calm and resolve. Yes, he might have to do violent things, but it would be to protect his son. Patton had been taken by this thug, Colin, and now it was up to Matthew to save him. Once, he might have called the police and felt helpless as the situation spiraled out of his control, but now, he was the one who had to take charge. He had to defend his people and family from those who meant them harm.

What Kathleen had gone through strayed into the forefront of his mind. If he did have to kill someone in self-defense, would he experience the same kind of guilt that she had? He knew she’d been torn up about it, that it had shaken the foundation of who she was. Even though they had talked about the event and what had transpired, he knew Kathleen still saw herself as a monster in some ways. A person who had taken the life of another, no matter how terrible that person might have been. Matthew considered what it would be like if he came back to Kathleen in such a state. Would she understand what he was going through, and thus be able to help him? Or would it sever what they had re-built together?

He brushed such thoughts away and tried to focus on the task at hand.

They continued down the mountain in a companionable silence and at a rapid pace. Usually, Matthew would try to find something to talk about or attempt to find common ground, but he realized that in this situation, he didn’t have to. Instead, he focused on keeping his head clear and rejoiced in the exercise that also seemed to help clear his mind and intentions. He trusted Wyatt and Jade to help him do what needed to be done. He hoped his father’s strength would hold out. For the first time in a long time, he felt as though he was part of something bigger than himself. Maybe, when this was all over, they could all help each other survive the nightmare world they had ended up in.

Soon the mountain road started to level out and the trees parted to show the main road through Galena. The edge of the welcome sign came into sight, not far from the turn in the road they were walking on. The edge of the gas station appeared as well—one of those fuel pumps with pleasant open signs and tidy paint. Wyatt started to slow and held out a hand, indicating that the rest of them should come to a stop. Wyatt motioned them to come together in a circle, and when they were close enough, he said in a hushed tone, “We don’t want to alert Colin that we are coming. I