Mandy had filled him in on the details after he’d woken up a day later. She’d grabbed a medical field guide that Georgia had with her. She’d learned on the spot how to remove a bullet from a body, and apparently she’d done a good enough job because Max was still alive, and he was sure that his leg was healing nicely.
“How you feeling?” said Mandy, poking her head into the room.
“Good,” said Max, grinning at her. “Thanks to you.”
She blushed. “You keep going on about the impromptu surgery,” she said. “But it’s nothing you wouldn’t have done for me.”
“I just don’t think I would have been able to pull it off successfully,” said Max.
Mandy laughed. “Who knows,” she said. “Hopefully we won’t have to do any more surgeries on the dining room table.”
“How’s the day looking?” said Max.
“Good,” said Mandy. “Chad’s been up since before dawn organizing the food.”
“How’s it looking?”
Mandy seemed to force a grin. “We’ve got about a month left,” she said. “And now that the well is bringing water through the pipes, we’ve got enough water for…”
“For a while, hopefully,” said Max.
“Yeah,” said Mandy. “I don’t know anything about wells, and was hoping you did.”
“Sorry,” said Max, shrugging. “I don’t. I guess to be safe, we should find a nearby stream or something.”
“We need to check the water filters,” said Mandy. But she looked at Max, and seemed to see that he was just as worried as she was about all these things. “But don’t worry about that now, Max. You just need to get your strength back. We’re getting on fine without you.”
Max knew that Mandy knew he wanted to be up and active, helping out. That was just his nature.
But Max also knew that he wouldn’t be much good to anyone if he didn’t let his leg properly heal.
“No sign of any more convicts?” said Max.
“No,” said Mandy, shaking her head.
“It’s only a matter of time,” said Max.
“We’ll be prepared,” said Mandy, a look of determination on her face. “Chad, James, and Sadie have been working on digging a trench.”
“Good,” said Max.
“Let’s see how that leg’s doing,” said Mandy, approaching the bed.
She pulled the sheet back and studied Max’s leg.
“Looking good,” she said. “No black spots or anything.”
“Dr. Mandy approves?” said Max.
She nodded and smiled at him.
She leaned down, and Max reached up and pulled her closer to him. His mouth met hers, and they shared a deep, passionate kiss.
“Well,” said Mandy, blushing as she pulled away, straightening up. “I’d better get back to see how Georgia’s doing in the kitchen. I’ll bring your breakfast soon.”
Max just smiled at her as she left the room. He reached for a book that had been lying on the bedside table. He’d been reading it all yesterday. It was a field guide to edible plants native to their area of Pennsylvania.
Max’s eyes sank into the words as he absorbed them. He knew that this book might hold the key to surviving the coming winter.
There were many obstacles that they faced—hunger, escaped convicts, the hordes leaving the cities.
Max had always possessed that grim determination that had served him well so far. But for the first time since the EMP, Max actually felt optimistic about their chances.
About Ryan Westfield
Ryan Westfield is an author of post-apocalyptic survival thrillers. He’s always had an interest in “being prepared,” and spends time wondering what that really means. When he’s not writing and reading, he enjoys being outdoors.
Contact Ryan at ryanwestfieldauthor@gmail.com
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Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by Ryan Westfield
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Any resemblance to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and events are products of the author’s imagination.
This book is intended for adults over the age of 18.