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  “We’ll probably never know, I guess.”

  “Probably.” It’s unlikely that news from Hawaii will reach us any time soon.

  “I wonder if Rachel made it.” Rachel is—was?—my sister’s best friend. “Last time I talked to her she was planning to fly home from Denver.”

  “I haven’t heard.” We both know that, statistically speaking, Rachel is probably dead. We also know the importance of hope. Just because Rachel didn’t make it home yet doesn’t necessarily mean she’s dead.

  “Once in a while Roy talks to people on his old ham radio,” I tell her. “Those of us in rural areas are much better off.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh, watch out for Helen McIntire. She’s taken Severny as a harbinger of the apocalypse.”

  “She could be right.”

  I’ve never been one for much religion and consider myself more or less agnostic, but I have to admit that if I believed in God I’d assume he was angry. “She’s expecting Christ to return any day.”

  “We met a few itinerant preachers,” Lily says, reaching down to pet Sadie. “Some crazier than others. It’s hard to take a guy seriously when he has sticks matted in his hair.”

  I chuckle at the mental image. “Understandable.”

  Sadie’s enjoying her own bliss as Lils scratches behind her ears. I’m not the only one pleased to have my sister home.

  ****

  Nate’s awake and drinking apple juice when I get back from my morning chores. “Good morning,” he says.

  “Morning. Scrambled eggs?”

  “Sure. Want any help?”

  “I’m good, thanks.” I scramble fresh eggs with a splash of goat milk. We used to keep a few goats around partly for milk but mostly because children loved them. It made parents bring the whole family to pick berries and pumpkins. I’ve gained a new appreciation for goat milk and plan to increase my herd.

  I bring out some strawberries as well. “I can’t thank you enough for keeping my sister safe.”

  “I’m glad I could,” he replies in a tone which suggests there were moments he didn’t know if he’d be able to. “I wanted to get out of the city anyway, and she reminds me a little of my sister. Or how I imagine my sister might have been in a few years.”

  He said his family was dead, and I don’t really know what to say. Sorry seems so inadequate when his sister is dead and mine is alive. “I don’t know what your plans are, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  “I might take you up on that. Seems like a peaceful enough place here, and there’s enough land. Once I get the hang of it, I could even get my own farm.”

  “When Sleeping Beauty wakes up we’ll give you a tour.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Sadie gives a happy little yip when she hears the eggs hit the pan. That dog is such a chow hound. “Don’t let her fool you, I feed her plenty. And she’s probably not going to care about you when I’m cooking.”

  Nate pats her, but she only has eyes for the frying pan. “I won’t take the rejection personally. So, Lily said you’re the farmer of her brothers.”

  “Yep. I’m a proud second-generation farmer. Our parents decided to go the back-to-the-land route and I never wanted to do anything else.”

  “Good thing, now.”

  “How bad are things out there?” I’ve been curious, but didn’t want to push a topic Lily clearly didn’t want to discuss. She’ll talk about it when she’s good and ready.

  “Depends where you are. The Midwest was worse in some ways because when we drove through there were still some areas Severny hadn’t hit yet. They were in complete panic mode, shooting at cars that tried to drive through. We had to take detours because of that. Cities are being taken over by gangs.”

  “Preexisting gangs or new?”

  “Some of each, plus fusions. It’s not pretty. Also, some of the passes over the Rockies are controlled by thugs. It’s probably only a matter of time until they all are. One group was demanding women pay for safe passage with sex, and they weren’t taking no for an answer. There’s no arguing with a grenade once the pin’s been pulled, though. That’s how we got through.”

  “Shit.” I’m angry just thinking of my sister in that situation.

  “My recommendation? Don’t leave this area, but prepare to defend it.”

  “I’m good at growing food, not defending it.”

  “I guess that’s where I come in.”

  “We’re lucky to have you then.”

  Nate looks out the window. “You know the situation here. Do you think the neighbors will want to work together, or will it be every man for himself?”

  “Together. We’ve all been helping each other out since there are so few of us left.”

  “Good. From what I’ve seen, this is bringing out the best and the worse of humanity. I wanted to end up in a place where it tended to emphasize the best. Is it mostly farms around here?”

  “Not entirely. We had plenty of commuters.” I divide the eggs between two plates and drop a couple spoonfuls on the kibbles in Sadie’s dish. She won’t take her eyes off that dish while I let the eggs cool. “Besides me, there’s Ray Woodham, my nearest neighbor, and his granddaughter; six people trying their best to make it on the Perez’s farm; the Rayner’s alpaca farm, and Nora Yarrow brought a few people to her uncle’s farm. That one is mostly orchards.”

  “Five farms. And the town?”

  “Twenty-seven people are still in town. We were always a small town, and the death rate here was closer to ninety-five percent.”

  “How are the town residents planning to survive?” he asks. Probably considering them as a potential threat.

  “I think eventually we’ll all be farmers.”

  “Farmers or thieves,” agrees Nate. “What do they think?”

  “Some hunting and gathering. I’ve been letting people come pick vegetables and giving away some eggs. Gave away most of my goat kids, too. I know three people who are already trying to set themselves up with a small farm; I’ve promised them seeds. A good half of the town is still in shock and surviving day-to-day.”

  Nate frowns. “Now is the most important time to plan.”

  “I know that.” The last few weeks I’ve had way too much time by myself with nothing to do but plan. I’ve always been a planner, which is a good trait in a farmer.

  With Lily home I’m feeling considerably more optimistic about the future, and Nate seems like he’ll be useful to have around as well if things get really bad. It’s going to be a whistling day.

  End of sample chapter

  http://www.evernightpublishing.com/survivors-by-jessie-pinkham

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