Age of Winter Read online

  AGE OF

  WINTER

  The Long Fall Series

  Book 9

  By

  Logan Keys & Mike Kraus

  © 2018 Muonic Press, Inc.

  www.muonic.com

  [email protected]

  www.logansfiction.com

  www.MikeKrausBooks.com

  [email protected]

  www.facebook.com/MikeKrausBooks

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Authors’ Notes November 22, 2018

  Want to get in touch with Logan? Just click here!

  Stay updated on Mike’s books by signing up for the Mike Kraus Reading List.

  Just click right here.

  You’ll be added to my reading list and I’ll also send you a copy of some of my other books to say thank you!

  (I hate spam with the burning passion of a thousand suns, and I promise that I’ll never spam you.)

  The Long Fall Book 10:

  New World

  Special Thanks

  Many thanks to the awesome beta reading team, including Claudia, Glenda, James, Jonathan, Karen, Lynnette, Marlys, Robin, Sarah, Scarlett & Shari. You all rock. :)

  Prologue

  After the Fall

  They spoke all night. Until the sun painted the desert sky in pinks and oranges---a thing not seen since the fall. In the wide-open spaces of the desert, the sunrise was a masterpiece, a painted canvas reaching on forever east to west. The two strangers who sat across from Brittany remained in a quiet shock that she felt with equal strength.

  How small was the world for them to both be entangled with the same woman?

  Even more importantly, how small was it that that a singular woman brought down the planet with only a few people to help her along the way?

  “Reese Leeward,” Bob said, shaking his head. “You had her children. You were their nanny. What are the odds?”

  “And she really caused all of this?” Brittany asked, choking on the words. How impossible it all seemed. “Her children are kind, sweet…were. I promise they are nothing like her.” She went on to tell them more of everything that had occurred.

  Brittany had ended with: “And then I lost them.” She waited for them to blame her. Point fingers. To shout at her in outrage. Someone should. But Bob merely glanced at her, realizing her inner turmoil, and gave a soft and understanding smile. It was a tiny gesture of faith in a world long since dead of such things. Tears squeezed out—just a few.

  “We have all lost someone,” Michelle said, placing a hand on Brittany’s shoulder. “Some more than others. You can’t blame yourself. And truth be known, Reese must have felt you were trying as hard as you could have, or she would never have asked you. She trusted you.”

  A sound broke from Brittany’s mouth at the words. Kind they might be, but they had stung. She composed herself and said, “I only had one job. One. To keep them safe. What else is there now?”

  Bob sighed. “But they could still be alive, right?”

  Brittany wouldn’t let herself think about it. She’d been in the accident, and before that, was a blur mostly. She had tried every day to figure it out, but the only conclusion she could come to was that they must be gone and the pain of it had been felt so deeply, that she’d tried to forget.

  Michelle seemed as though she had something to say, and Brittany said it for her. “You’re leaving.”

  “Yes.”

  “Where to?” she asked.

  “Further south,” Michelle answered. “The earthquakes pushed everyone out of California, we found out. Bob’s family would have kept going south as far as they could to stay alive.

  Brittany nodded as Chuck came over.

  He glanced at them all, obviously guessing what they were discussing. “I’d like to go with you.”

  Brittany was surprised. “What about the people?”

  Chuck shrugged. “They have everything they need. And we….” His eyes got that distant look, the same one he held whenever he thought about Paige, she supposed. “We need something different, I think.”

  Brittany stood. “I’m in.”

  Michelle and Bob smiled.

  “We go south, then,” Bob said.

  Chapter One

  Nogales, Arizona

  Colton felt himself drifting off.

  “Don’t fall asleep,” Benton whispered right next to his ear.

  "I won't," Colton answered. He opened his eyes and yawned wide enough to crack his jaw. The rain had stopped, and the storm was gone, but Rufus was still out. His breathing was shallow, and Colton wished he knew what to do for the man.

  Colton watched the empty highway, waiting for a miracle. One that would show up and save Rufus from the dark place that held on to the older man. The closest place was a ghost town full of the dead. Some sort of electrical current had wiped them all out. It was the only answer he could surmise for the baked bodies.

  Were they still in danger, even this far away? If the next storm came, then what? They could be fried next time around or worse. Yes, there was always worse these days. He pictured being half dead with festering wounds, the children crying out for help from their burns while he could do nothing to ease their suffering. Colton shuddered and pulled himself from such thoughts.

  Rufus stirred, and it made Colton jump. The man's eyes flew open and he was disoriented, trying to sit up. Colton leaned over him. "Hey, slow down. Wait a second. You fainted, Rufus. Give yourself a minute."

  He pressed Rufus down, whose gaze darted around with confusion. "What...what happened? The kids!" Rufus fought to sit up again, and Colton shushed him.

  "Right here. They’re fine. Relax. Everything’s okay."

  Rufus nodded, relenting. "It's my blood pressure. I don't have my medicine."

  Colton sighed out all the fear and anxiety he’d been feeling. "I thought you had a heart attack. Do you think if we went back, we could get what you need? That store has to have the pills."

  Rufus focused on him, his thick brows in a frown. "Did it?"

  Colton wiped his face with frustration. "Yeah. It was ransacked but a lot was left. How do you feel?"

  Rufus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine now. Somewhat. But if it's acting up like this it won't be long before it gets too high again. I get weak. Then, if it’s left unmedicated, I can fall out like I did."

  “You sure?” Colton asked but Rufus merely shot him a dark look. “Got it. Okay, I’ll have to go back and try to find it. Give me the name and I'll leave you here with the kids.”

  Colton propped Rufus up next to the highway and placed the kids close to him. “You okay?” Colton asked as Rufus got settled.

  Colton gave Rufus the gun. The only one they had. “How are you feeling? Can you stay awake?”

  “Yeah, I’m good," Rufus said, his color returned. But he looked like he could pass out again at any minute.

  “I should be able to make it back in an hour or so. Benton, I want you to watch out for Rufus, okay? If something happens and he passes out again, you and Lily hide, you got it? Until I come back, if he’s not awake, you stay out of sight."

  Lily shook her head profusely. "I don’t want you to go," she cried. "What if those people come back and try to steal us again?”

  "You will be fine," Colton told her. “Hid
e with your brother if he tells you to. He’s the boss, all right?"

  She nodded, and Colton got to his feet. He was already weak, exhausted, but he had to do this. Rufus held up a hand.

  “Boy,” he said quietly. “Why don’t you just leave me, huh? Go on home to your family.”

  Colton sniffed and pulled his jacket high enough to hide half his face. It had turned much colder, and the sky was green. “What about your family?”

  **

  Colton headed for town, eyeing the sky’s unnatural color as he went. The storm was gone but the sky threatened worse. He was at a run, slow because his feet were sore with blisters that he could feel had bled by the warm patches through his socks. He had no choice but to press on. There was no question about it.

  By the time he reached his destination, darkness had fallen. His re-entry to the ghost town was twice as creepy this round. He knew he had limited time because the weather was indeed turning, the wind lifting, and the rain began just as he stepped foot onto the main drag. Before he got to the store, it turned into sleet and then hail. Large balls of ice rained down, growing in size until he was forced under overhanging storefronts.

  He knew where the place was; it was at the end of the block, but he had nothing to light his way. Stumbling and fumbling through, he found the door and pushed it open. Mixed with moisture in the air, the stench struck him anew, forcing him to cover his nose with his jacket.

  Inside, the pitch blackness pushed his imagination wild. He figured he'd search and see if they had any flashlights first, feeling along the aisles, knocking over goods. Perhaps it was in vain since that was the type of thing people quickly stocked up on during disaster.

  The store still hosted all of the dead people even though he could not see them. And now that Colton was inside, the storm was less loud, and the quiet was unsettling. Thick, empty gloom and the dead made him think of every zombie movie he'd ever seen, bringing goosebumps along his skin. He’d brought no gun to protect himself. Why would he need it in a dead town?

  Now, he regretted that decision.

  He felt along the counter and luckily found a tiny book of matches near the register. He lit one and it was marginally better. The flickering speck of light lit the dark forms laying on the ground enough to help Colton avoid stepping on them.

  Walking down the aisle, he knew he wouldn’t find anything in the over-the-counter medicinal areas, probably ransacked shortly after the fall, but the store had a pharmacy in back that should have been locked up as long as possible. After he made sure there was nothing of use in the regular section, he worked his way back, stepping over a couple who laid side by side, their goods still tucked in their arms. "It had to be electricity," Colton said to himself, and he froze as her though he heard a sound in reaction to his voice.

  Colton held his breath. He was certain there had been some sort of noise, but now it had ended. “Hello?” he called.

  Nothing answered.

  He gave a nervous laugh. "Man, just get the stuff and get out. You are really losing it."

  Colton got to the counter at the pharmacy and he jokingly rang the bell before hopping over the side. It was all in alphabetical order. Lots of it had been taken but when he got to the name Rufus had given him, he breathed a sigh of relief. There was plenty of the life-saving stuff. Colton just shoved it all into a bag and lit another match.

  He was almost to the front door when he forgot to put out the match and it burned his fingers causing him to drop his loot. This time, he was certain he heard something move when he bent to retrieve his items. “Hello,” he said again, but more firmly than before, more warily.

  With his stuff in hand, he moved for the door, all while looking over his shoulder. The shadows were an impenetrable denseness made creepier by the storm masking all sound now that he was closer to the door. If someone was there, he couldn’t hear anything beyond the rain to know if he was about to be attacked.

  He turned to leave and stepped right into someone who latched onto his arm. Even when he fell backwards with a startled yell, they held on, gripping him with cold hands, breathing heavy and uneven.

  Colton panicked, rushing backwards with no other thought but to get away. Together he and his monster took out the shelf behind them, their bodies tumbling together hard against the thin metal. The sound of the shelves falling were a gunshot in the dark. A young voice called through his hysteria. “Don’t be frightened!” But it was too late, Colton elbowed himself free, rolling to his feet, and was already rushing in the opposite direction.

  “W-wait!” she called and that slowed his steps.

  A girl? Here? Alive?

  Colton turned, his breathing ragged, his heart pounding. He said the first thing that came to his mind. “I thought you were a zombie.”

  And she answered seriously. “I th-though you were wah-one too.”

  **

  Out in the storm he could see her better. But it was a sad sight. Maybe thirteen, or a small fifteen, but she was probably thinner than she would have been had the world not ended. Her pretty eyes had deep pockets where softness should have formed, and her gaze was haunted.

  "I wah-was just outside of town when it struck. Just far enough away. I-I rushed in, but it was t-too late, everyone was already dead."

  She said the last in a rush as if she were used to forcing the words out so as not to stutter. Colton glanced around. "Was it the lightning?"

  She nodded. "A st-storm. Just like this one."

  Kandace was her name and somehow it didn’t fit. Colton was sure they called her something else, but it would be strange to ask a nickname of a stranger so quickly.

  “I’m sorry about your town. Was your family here?”

  “Yeah. N-not my dad.” She glanced away and scuffed her toe. “My mom. B-but I can’t do it. I mean. Not that I don’t want to, I d-do, but my she’s overweight…”

  Colton’s breath hitched. She couldn’t bury her mother, she was too heavy for her to move.

  “Where is your father?”

  Kandace shrugged. “I’m not really s-sure. He’s crazy. A conspiracy theorist. I h-haven’t seen him for a l-long time.”

  “Look,” Colton said. “I would help you…with your mother, but you see, my friend’s in trouble out by the highway. I can’t risk it. Plus, the kids…”

  Her eyes lit up when Colton said kids. That made sense, he thought, that she’d be more trusting of a stranger who had kids with them than a scruffy, dirty looking man who did not. It made him sad to think that even then, even with kids, some were probably taking advantage of girls like this. Wild girls, with no one to stick up for them.

  "I’m Colton" he held out a hand, and she carefully took it, moving closer.

  Funny, that. She’d been latching onto him like a cat out of water before. But now it seemed she realized beyond her desperation that he could be a monster.

  “You aren’t a psycho are you, Colton?” She eyed him carefully and he grinned.

  Colton shook his head. "Good question. I’m a stranger, after all. But look, Kandace, I have someone waiting for this stuff. I have to run. And it looks like this storm is gearing up to do another round of shocks. You should get out of here, too."

  She stared at him, obviously debating something.

  He thought for a moment and sighed. "You could come with us.” He wasn’t sure she’d trust him and he couldn’t blame her. “We’re headed to my parents’ house not far from here. You won’t be alone, there are two other kids with us.”

  “I’m not a k-kid,” she said sullenly before lifting her chin. "But I’ll go with you."

  As she got more comfortable with him, her stutter lessened. Colton glanced around. “Anyone with you?”

  She shook here head then put her fingers to her lips and whistled. “Just my dog.”

  **

  When Rex came bounding down the road, Colton couldn’t believe his eyes. He bent down, and the dog leapt up on his hind legs licking Colton’s face until he had to push him
away, albeit with head scratches and back pats. “What are you doing here!” Colton said with the first happiness he’d felt in days. “Oh, look at you, you even look like you ate. Benton and Lily will be so excited to see you.”

  Kandace watched the exchange with a mixed expression of amusement and wariness. “If he’s your dog how come you left him?”

  Colton stood. “Blunt. I like it. We lost him. Or maybe…” Colton thought about it. “Could be ole Rex here knew you were in the town. Maybe he didn’t want to leave you here. He’s funny like that.”

  Kandace patted the dog. It was obvious the two had already grown attached.

  Colton lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. “I’m not gonna take him from you if you’re coming with us. The kids will want to see him, though. And I can’t deny them that.”

  “I’ll g-go,” she said quietly. “I said I’d go.”

  But Colton could tell she was reluctant to leave, and he understood it. All around her was her life and dreams, now empty.

  “Good. This way.” Colton hoped she could keep up. He started running and he didn’t look back, hoping she would just try to match his pace. She was old enough, right?

  Rex barked excitedly and kept up with Colton, racing forward to show off, seeming excited that his friends were together with him, or maybe eager to see the children again.

  Colton realized Kandace wasn’t right next to him, but he pressed on anyway. But then he felt guilty, maybe she was hurt? Starved? He could be pushing her too hard. He slowed and glanced back.

  “W-we are never going to beat this storm if you keep going so slow!” Kandace shouted, racing past him.

  He smiled, picking up the pace. It was nice having someone with him in the dark town full of dead strangers. Kandace’s ponytail bounced ahead through the shadows like a beacon to follow.