EMP Post-Apocalyptic Survival by Hunt, James (acx book reading .TXT) 📗

remember when she was little and how Rachel had always looked so glamorous and fabulous, like a movie star. Rachel was a stark contrast to her mother, who was fun but not as flamboyant.

And right on cue, Rachel hooked her arm through Sarah’s and pulled her close. “I know, and there has been so much happening to talk about. The first thing I’d like to discuss with you is the fact that I haven’t had a decent glass of wine in the months. I’d like to speak with the hotel sommelier about broadening the options here at the resort.”

Sarah laughed, and it felt good to be talking with her aunt again. It was good just to be laughing. It made her feel normal again. And these days, normal was in short supply.

“And you just found them in the woods?” Liz asked, studying the chickens pecking the ground in the makeshift pen they had created for the animals.

Jane Percy placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. She was a wiry, petite woman, but much stronger than she looked with a mouth that didn’t hold back. “Look, Liz, it wasn’t like I stole them from a store. They were wandering around in the woods, and I know that we’re looking to become more sustainable with our food stores. It was a no-brainer to gather them up and bring them here. Is that so hard to believe?”

Liz didn’t immediately answer, and she knew that Jane took the moment of silence as a slight against her. The Percy and the Riker families had gotten off to a rocky start, but everything had been fairly peaceful for the past few weeks. Liz wanted to keep it that way.

“No,” Liz answered. “We could really use fresh eggs once they start laying. I managed to pull some grain from one of the food stores that survived the fires. The chickens won’t need much to survive. And you even managed to find a rooster.”

“You need both if you want eggs,” Jane said. “Or is that talk too vulgar for someone like you?”

Liz dismissed the comment. “If you and your family would like to handle the maintenance of the chickens, I think that would be very helpful, and of course—”

“Liz!” Her name was barked from across the compound and with a level of anger and resentment that caused everyone in the vicinity to spin around.

Marty Schwartz marched toward Liz and Jane, arms rigid at his side. It was clear he was angry and even more clear about where that anger was directed.

“Marty—” Liz started but was cut short when Marty shoved a long, meaty finger in her face.

“I don’t want your daughter, or anyone else for that matter, coming around my portable and checking on my kids,” Marty said, still shouting even though he was standing directly in front of Liz now. “I don’t need any advice from your family on how to raise my children. Is that clear?”

Liz didn’t know what Sarah had said, but whatever it had been was clearly taken out of context. “Marty, no one is trying to tell you how to raise your children.”

“No?” Marty asked. “Then why the hell is your daughter telling my kids they need to go outside? They don’t want to go outside. They want their mother back, and this fucking memorial isn’t going to make that happen!”

Spittle flew from Marty’s mouth as he shouted, and some of it landed on Liz’s shirt, the rest dribbling down Marty’s chin. He looked like a rabid dog that had been taken off the leash.

Liz took a moment to compose herself before she replied. The last thing she wanted to do was escalate an already volatile situation. “You are right,” Liz said. “And I’m sorry for the presumptions we made in doing all this. The first thing I should’ve done was come to you and discussed the matter with you personally and privately. Your family’s business is your own. And I never meant to step over the line. I’m sorry.”

For a moment, Marty looked like he was about to calm down. But the moment passed quickly as his anger overrode any sense of rationality.

“If you, or Ben, or anyone else in your family comes near my daughters again, I promise you it will be the last time.” Marty lingered, making sure the threat marinated for Liz before he turned and marched away.

Liz couldn’t imagine the grief he was feeling. She had been close with Ali, and she had been a wonderful woman. She was also a fantastic mother, and the girls obviously missed her terribly.

But Liz also knew that Ali was the rock on which the foundation of the Schwartz family had been built. Marty was a good man, but he wasn’t someone who could always keep things together. Ali was the binding thread of their family, and now that she was gone, the fabric of their unity was unraveling.

“Someone’s not the popular girl anymore,” Jane said.

Liz turned around, forgetting that Jane was still nearby. Jane was the last person Liz wanted to witness that interaction. “I was never the popular girl, Jane,” Liz said.

“That’s what popular girls always say,” Jane said.

Her patience eroding, Liz wrapped things up with the chickens. “Just make sure they start laying eggs, or we’ll have a fried chicken dinner.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” Jane said.

Liz flinched but then turned away. She knew Jane and the rest of the Percy family resented Ben and Liz for taking charge of the facility. But it was what the people of the community were most comfortable with, and Liz would let hell freeze over before she allowed the Percy family to control the fate of her own family.

4

Jane Percy had her mind working overtime after the conversation she had with Liz Riker. She had been looking for an opportunity to strike against the Riker family, and she was disappointed in herself that she hadn’t seen this sooner.

For as long as Jane could