Chapter 4

FOUR

Emma clutched the shotgun for the second time this week. Its cold metal dug into her trembling palm. The sounds of shouts and screams were never good, but certainly not when they mixed with the riled screams of her animals.

Screams that could get her killed if anyone heard them.

Her father had sound proofed the basement days after they'd gone to hiding there, but that didn't mean someone couldn't hear something if there was enough of a ruckus.

"Ranger," she hissed, not bothering to look over at her dog. "Go hush them up."

Her lab whined softly before trotting over to the chicken coop cages and the cow in the pen that deserved better than she had. A low growl was the only thing Ranger needed to do.

They'd long ago learned to respect the farm dog before they'd ushered down into the shelter. His growl was all the warning they needed, even if they didn't understand what could come next.

The quiet in the basement made it slightly easier for her ears to pick up on the terrifying events outside. Someone had come back to the small house that used to be her grandmother's, just three or four hundred yards behind the main house.

She knew the older man who lived there. He'd moved in without warning a few months ago. They'd met in a flurry of fear and had agreed that he could stay if he didn't bother her.

He never had.

And now he never will.

Her heart sank as the noise stopped outside. Then it stopped beating, as if stilling could prevent anyone from checking the main house.

Emma held her breath as she heard footsteps approaching the main house. She knew she couldn't stay hidden forever, and eventually, they would come for her. But she wasn't going down without a fight.

She gripped the shotgun tighter, trying to calm her nerves. Ranger had finished hushing up the animals and now lay at her feet, sensing her tension and mirroring it with his paws covering over her shoes.

With trembling hands, Emma cocked the shotgun. She'd done it a handful of times, and it never grew easier. The sound echoed in the basement, but luckily it went unnoticed by whoever was approaching. Her stomach swirled with unease as vomit threatened to overtake her.

Emma squared her shoulders and aimed the shotgun toward the ceiling, ready to defend herself and her sanctuary with everything she had. Even if she knew whoever found her was more likely to assault her than kill her, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

She stood, frozen in place with her arms riddled with tension for what felt like hours. There was no telling the time of day in the shrouded basement, but she couldn't help but believe whoever attacked the squatter had left.

Her house wasn't huge, and it made sense they'd check there if someone was in the smaller house, but they never came. It was only when her arm began to tremble with fatigue that she lowered the shotgun but didn't pull out the round.

"They're going to find us one day, Ranger." Emma wasn't certain who they were, but her luck was running low.

She longed for the days when the world first exploded. When people hadn't turned to villains just yet. If only she'd been brave enough to choose her peers, maybe she wouldn't be alone and safe.

"You can leave." She whispered to herself

Emma knew from early news reports and the occasional meet up with someone she once knew that the world still attempted to repopulate. Women of childbearing age were welcomed to a safe haven where they would have their ovaries retrieved. If fertile, she'd be treated like a queen, but have a horrific job.

"And if you're infertile?" Emma didn't know what happened to the women who didn't make sense to keep around. It was why she'd never tried to leave.

Sitting on the floor, Emma stroked Ranger's head as he climbed into her lap. Everything was going to hell, but when he snuggled next to her and covered her in sloppy kisses, she couldn't hate everything.

"Should we go? Should we find a place for the animals, and you three pups come with me?" She glanced at Bo and Shadow with a smile.

The dilemma tore at her. Should she risk exposing herself, painting a target on her back for all to see? She knew what they wanted, what they all wanted from a girl her age. Her body was a commodity in this desolate world, a means to repopulate and rebuild a shattered humanity or a tool for twisted experiments in some hidden laboratory. But it was also her only bargaining chip, her one chance at survival in a world that had forsaken everyone.

She couldn't really go out on her own, she knew that. But did she have to be alone ?

The CB Radio on the dusty table called to her like a beacon of hope in the tempestuous sea of despair. Its antennae were crooked but still intact. She'd seen it in the old movies, people able to communicate for miles with just their voices and static. Emma eyed it warily, her grip on the shotgun loosening just a fraction.

Would it be worth the risk?

To cast her voice out into the void and pray that the answer she received was deliverance and not doom?

She knew she couldn't go on alone forever, not indefinitely. Her meager supplies were running low, and her knowledge of survival was based on trial and error, a hodgepodge of memories from a world long gone. What if she pressed the button, uttered a hushed prayer, and help came?

"Are we going to do this?"

Ranger looked up at her and cocked his head to the side, his chocolate eyes trusting her far too much.

Her decision made, Emma breathed a shaky breath and scooted Ranger out of her lap to stand. Slowly, as though the mere act of moving would bring the world crashing down around her, she crept toward the radio. She brushed the dust off the top and hesitated, her fingers hovering over the aged plastic.

Emma keyed the mic, her voice shaking as she sent their distress call into the ether, her words a mixture of hope and desperation. "Mayday, mayday. I'm all alone, and I need... I need help."

A crackle of static was her only response and the small bit of hope began to crumble. It was entirely possible there was no one on the other end.

Hours passed. Emma couldn't remember how many times she'd spoken the same mayday into the radio, hoping for more than a crackling radio silence.

Her fingers trembled as she adjusted the CB radio's frequency, desperately trying to find a response, any sign of life. As the hours had passed she'd grown more dependent on finding a way out. Even if it meant belonging to the government for the next ten or so years.

She bit her lip, willing the static to clear.

"Mayday, mayday. I'm all alone, and I need help."

Seconds turned into minutes, but then she thought she heard it. A faint voice—crackling and muffled—but a voice nonetheless.

"... repeat... alone... need... help?" The voice on the other end was deep, gravelly, and laced with concern.

Emma's breath caught in her throat.

It was a miracle, a lifeline she'd prayed for but given up expectations to find. She pressed the transmit button and spoke as loudly as she dared. "Yes, I'm here! I'm alone and in need of assistance."

The voice on the other end responded, "Copy that. What else can you tell me? Radios aren't used often. How do I know I'm speaking to someone trustworthy and actually in need of help?"

Emma glanced toward the animals. How much could she tell this strange man? How could she know he was safe?

"A trade of information. Mine for yours."

There was a pause before the deep voice returned.

"My name is Chris Reeden. I'm pre and post bomb United States Army. I've extended my usual range to search for any survivors as things grow bleaker."

Army! Emma knew the army worked to bring women to safety. If he was telling the truth, she'd have found exactly who she needed.

"I'm Emma Lione. My father passed away about two years ago. The dangers grow closer, and I'm not convinced being on my own is safe."

Her heart damn near tried to crawl out of her chest as she waited for the next transmission. How she missed cell phones.

"Emma, tell me this, do you know what being picked up by us would entail?"

Sucking in a deep breath, she blew it out slowly and blocked all sound from entering her ears as she did so. This was what she expected, she knew.

"Emma, this is something I need to know. I cannot take people unwillingly. It's against what I stand for."

As Emma listened to Chris's voice over the crackling radio, a mixture of emotions collided within her. Relief washed over her, washing away the loneliness and fear that had plagued her for so long. Finally, someone was coming to help her. But as she listened to Chris's reassuring words, another feeling crept in—uncertainty. He was a stranger, after all. He could be just as bad as the monsters that roamed the desolate world outside.

Would he use her for resources or worse? She bit her lower lip nervously and glanced around at the thin layer of dirt littering the floor of their makeshift home.

She couldn't help but wonder if this soldier would be any different from the raiders she'd encountered before—men who would take what they wanted then leave others to fend for themselves.

He sounded different.

Emma took a deep breath and wiped away her tears, trying to calm down. She looked down at her ripped jeans and stained t-shirt, realizing how pathetic she would look to these potential saviors. A soft whine from him snapped her back into focus on why she needed them here so badly.

Chris sounded like he could promise help, but could she trust him ?

But in this desolate world where every breath was a fight for survival, trusting could mean life or death. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. Her heart beat faster as anticipation took hold. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe she'd found someone who would stick around and help her rebuild what was left of her shattered life.

"I'm in my twenties. I've not been tested, but I've been pregnant and beat the statistics before."

The reply back was instant. "Switch channels. Speak until you find me. I need your location."

She stared at the radio in disbelief. While she knew giving out her location would be a deadly choice, she'd have no idea what channel to find him on.

"I've never been so thankful someone had a unique voice before."

In reality, his voice was more than unique. It was sensual. The deep gruff tone seemed to do things to her sense of logic because her fingers touched the dial and twisted. Or maybe it was just the promise of another person.

"Chris?"

Silence for a moment, so she twisted the dial again.

"Chris?"

One, two, three —she twisted.

"Chris?"

"Emma," the almost comforting voice came back. "What is your location?"

She couldn't tell him the truth because if he lied about who he was, she'd need to get away.

"I'm... I'm in an old radio station tower on the outskirts of a town called Fairview," Emma replied, her voice filled with hope and relief. She wasn't far from the main city, she could get to Fairview quickly enough when the sun was high in the sky.

"Fairview? I know where that is. Stay put, we'll get to you as soon as we can," the voice responded. "You'll be just behind the tower door by two in the afternoon. I'll wait no longer than five minutes, and then I'll assume you've turned down my assistance."

Emma couldn't believe it. Help was coming. She leaned back against the wall, tears streaming down her face as she let out a shaky laugh. Ranger barked happily, sensing his owner's change in mood.

"Thank you so much," she managed to choke out.

"Hey, it's what I do. Just hold tight, someone will be there soon," Chris reassured her before signing off.

Emma's racing heart finally slowed as she let out a deep, shuddering sigh of relief. She turned to Ranger, her faithful companion through this harrowing journey, and hugged her arms around him tightly. At that moment, all the fear and uncertainty melted away, replaced by overwhelming gratitude and joy at the realization that they were going to make it through this together.

Chris's heart hammered in his chest with a frantic pace that was usually reserved for missions.

Isn't that what this was now?

Chris slowly turned his head to face his men, his expression a mixture of concern and apprehension. He searched their faces, unsure of what he would see in their reactions. Would they understand the gravity of the situation? Would they be willing to follow him into the unknown? The air hung heavy with tension as they waited for Chris to speak, every breath seeming to echo off the walls of the room.

Liam's eyes shone with anticipation, William's held a determined gleam, and Bash already moved to grab his weapons from the cabinet on the far side of the room.

Alex smirked from his place on the wall, his arms flexing as he leaned. "We gotta go get her. She sounds... special."

"We're all aware she may not be who and what she says she is, correct?" The bark of his tone left no room for any playful comments.

"If she's alone out there and barely younger than us, she's in more danger if we don't go to her." Liam adjusted his glasses. "Anyone could have heard her call. She's a sitting target for those wishing to take repopulation into their own hands." Liam's hands clenched into fists as he spoke, his fury evident.

Chris agreed with Liam, and didn't want to wait until tomorrow afternoon, but they were a unit. He was in charge by rank alone. Each of these men mattered to him more than his own life. He had to set them up for safety and success before he could track down a woman.

"We vote. As we do on everything not mandated." Chris nodded at Liam, looked at Alex, and set his gaze on William. "We know where they stand—fuck, even Bash is already gearing up. You're the last vote, Will. Do we go get her and hope it's not a trap?"

Chris waited with bated breath as William pondered the question. He knew his friend valued caution and strategy above all else, and this decision could potentially put all of their lives in danger. But at the same time, he also knew that William's heart was just as big as his brain, and he would never leave someone in need.

After what felt like an eternity, William nodded decisively. "We go get her," he said firmly.

A sense of relief washed over Chris. He knew they could trust Liam and Alex to watch their backs, while Bash would be a formidable force with his skills in hand-to-hand combat. William's sharpshooting abilities would also come in handy if things went south.

"Then we get ready. She's not far, but I want us to get there before we said we would— scout out the area and make certain she is alone."

Chris would never forgive himself if he led them into an ambush.

As one, their boots thudded against the concrete floor as they rushed to gather their supplies. The scent of leather, sweat, and gun oil filled the air as they strapped on their gear. Bash grabbed his assault rifle, eyes hardening at the thought of another potential ambush. Alex stepped up next, grabbing his pistol and extra ammo with a smirk on his lips—he always enjoyed a good fight. Liam followed suit without so much as a word. William approached last, taking a deep breath before donning his helmet that clanged against the metal lockers they used as makeshift armory doors—he had joined the military after losing family to this same toxin and wanted nothing more than to protect those who still remained.

Chris silently nodded at each man's preparations, his mind racing with plans for their rescue mission.

"Liam, now's a great time to look at that map and see what mission we can take care of for the big guys before swinging over to Emma. Going to be hard to convince them we're not side hustling if no one is here to answer if someone shows up at the door and we're not on a mission."

"Say less." Liam jogged toward the maps table. "I'm certain there's a refueling station near Fairfield. We can easily justify checking it out.

"Hey, Chris?" Alex rubbed the back of his head and looked away despite calling Chris.

Chris merely lifted a brow.

"You didn't mention you were a unit. To this Emma person, you didn't tell her there were five of us coming."

"You think she would've agreed to meet if she thought five Army men were on the way to get her? She'll see us all in person, see we're legit, and we'll be on our way to what comes next. "

"Are we going to tell anyone we're bringing her in?" William dropped a bottle of water into the side of his pack.

"She all but consented. But no. Let's not make it seem like we sought this out. Taking on an unauthorized mission could backfire on us. Let's just show up with humanity's hope and go from there."

"It's a two-hour drive. Do we go now?" Liam lifted a map. "There's a bunker about twenty-minutes west of the radio tower she spoke of."

"I worry if we don't go now, we'll be a bundle of nervous energy and start taking our anxiety out on each other. Gather your stuff and be ready to be booted up in an hour."

Chris turned away from his men, not wanting them to see the unease in his eyes. They'd just discussed wanting something more with their lives, and this woman seemingly fell out of the sky the same week.

Fairfield was still considered ground zero, it was close enough. How had a young woman survived alone for three years so close to the detonation site of the American toxin? He'd heard rumors of people surviving in London where their bomb dropped, but he hadn't believed it.

If this isn't real, I'll have led my boys into one hell of a trap.

Chris clenched his jaw and kept moving toward his room. He'd need to calm his own nerves if they were going to make it until tomorrow.