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

reconcile, and despite all of the anger he felt toward Mark, he knew he wanted to rekindle that connection.

But it seemed that Mark had no desire to do that.

“You’ve severed every connection?” Ben asked. “What about me, Mark? You had a chance to kill me, to kill my family the last time you were here when you tracked us from Charlotte. But you didn’t. Why?”

Mark’s face twitched, and Ben knew his brother was barely holding it together. Beneath that stoic gaze was a storm of emotion begging to be released.

“I can tell that you don’t believe every single piece of information those people told you,” Ben said. “Come home, Mark. Come back to your real family. Or have you forgotten what your family looks like?”

A single tear fell from Mark and rolled down to the thick scruff of his beard. Ben knew he had only seen his brother cry a few times in his life. Each was a significant moment for both of them.

“You’re not beyond saving,” Ben said. “No matter what kind of things you’ve done or what you are afraid the consequences might be, you are strong enough to come back.”

“There is no coming back from this,” Mark said. “Not after this.”

“What are you talking about?” Ben asked. “There’s still time. Give up this ludicrous fight and come with me. I know you don’t want to do this. I can see it in your eyes, and you must feel it in your heart.”

Mark shook his head. “You’re right that I don’t want to do this. But there is one last connection that I need to sever.”

Ben realized what Mark was trying to say. “Mark, don’t do this.”

“I have to be fully committed,” Mark said. “The night is long. But the dawn is bright.”

Ben couldn’t believe his brother would shoot to kill, not after all of this time. But when he stared a little closer into Mark’s eyes, he knew he wasn’t looking at his brother anymore. It was a stranger in front of him now.

“Mark—”

The gunshot was loud, and then the next thing Ben remembered was looking up at the stars. There was a coldness washing over him, and he became very still and calm. When Mark stepped over him, staring down at Ben, he was convinced this would be the last time he saw his brother. This would be the last time he saw the night sky.

“Goodbye, Ben.” Mark picked up the duffle bag and then walked away.

Ben lay there, unable to move, his mind jumping between different memories. But the last one he landed on before he fell unconscious was before all of this had started. It was the morning of the EMP, and he and the boys, along with Liz, had just video chatted with Sarah. Everyone was smiling and laughing, and it ended with Connor spraying the video screen with whipped cream because Sarah had done the same to hers.

That had been a good morning. That had been a day to remember. The world was right that day, and at that moment, Ben didn’t believe anything could ever ruin it. If that was his last memory, he was thankful to have it.

24

The moment after the Rikers descended into the forest and Gray had finished shooting, Jane hurried up the tower to confront her son. She was so enraged by the time she reached the top that when she saw Gray standing there with his rifle at the side, she already had her own weapon aimed at him with her finger on the trigger.

Jane hated herself for wanting to pull it. She hated herself for even thinking about it. Gray was her own flesh and blood, but he had turned against her.

“Why?” Jane asked. “Why are you doing this to your family?”

She hadn’t meant to sound so distressed, but Jane couldn’t hide the truth in her voice. She had always worn her heart on her sleeve. When people accused her of being too cold, she always thought it was funny because she was just the opposite. She felt everything, and her emotions were difficult to keep in check.

Gray set the rifle down, leaning it up against the railing. He looked at his mother, defiant even now, and tilted his chin up. “I won’t be a pawn in your game. My conscience is clean.”

Jane lowered her rifle and crossed the platform to her son. “Your conscious is clean? Clean from what? From betraying your family? From letting a man who should have been hung for what he did to this world? Exactly what moral high ground are you taking here, Gray?”

It was obvious to Jane that her son had regrets. She could read the signs on his face, even though he was convinced he had none.

“What you did,” Jane said, “will haunt you for the rest of your days.” She turned to leave and made it to the stairs before Gray spoke again.

“The only thing that will haunt me is the fact that you’re my mother,” Gray said.

Jane paused, and she felt her heart crack at her son’s words. But she quickly filled that crack with anger, and she moved on. “We will talk about this later.” She didn’t have time to deal with her son’s righteous cause because she still had a group of people who needed to have their fears quelled.

Lester and Danny were at the bottom of the stairs when she arrived, and she saw that Lester wanted to go up and give the boy a beating, but Jane placed her hand on his chest and shook her head.

“Not now,” Jane said. “We have other things to worry about.”

Jane turned her attention to the crowd of people that had chosen to follow her. From what she had seen, only the Riker’s immediate family followed them out of the place. Ben’s firefighter family had chosen to stay behind. Jane was always amazed at the power modern amenities could offer. They chose shelter and supplies over old friends. They were Jane’s kind of