Spirits of the Earth: The Complete Series: (A Post-Apocalyptic Series Box Set: Books 1-3) by Milo Fowler (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Like always, I refuse to admit a hint of weakness. The next thing I know, he has one arm around me and the other aimed for the sky. I've got a pretty good hunch where this is headed, so I grab onto him. A split-second later, we're hurtling through the air faster than the speed of sound, and my stomach is lodged in my throat.

This is nothing like riding that massive dust devil on the way to Eden. This is piercing the sky faster than a jet. I close my eyes and grit my teeth, waiting for it to be over.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, my flight ends. Milton touches down on an outcropping of rock near the cave mouth of the Homeplace. Down below, Luther's people are working in pairs to carry the dead to their final resting places: a row of fresh graves dug along the foothills. Granger, Sinclair, and Harris are not among the bodies. They'll either be returned to Eurasia or incinerated to avoid contaminating the Domes. Their families deserve better.

Margo's Hummer is parked down there like it never left. It looks as beat up as I feel, inside and out.

"Thanks," I tell Milton as we let go of each other. I give him a solid pat on the back. "Let's not do that again."

He laughs. "I'll let Luther know you're here," he says as he turns toward the cave.

Good to see you again, Sergeant.

Margo steps out of the shadows as they envelop Milton.

"Miss me?" I approach her.

"I'm sorry...for your loss," she says. If she's read my mind, and I assume she has, then she already knows the situation with my family.

"Guess I'm one of you now. We get to wait and see if I sprout any horns."

She almost smiles, beckoning me inside. "Let's find you something more comfortable to wear."

I follow her into the cave where glowsticks are mounted along the earthen walls at regular intervals. We pass a small group of pregnant young women and a cluster of elderly people who talk quietly among themselves.

Cain's only survivors, Margo explains telepathically. Milton and I brought them from the coast.

Somehow, they managed to escape the shelling unharmed. That's a miracle. We enter a spacious cavern with rocks arranged in rows like seats in an indoor amphitheater.

"Any sign of Cain?"

She shakes her head. "You saw what happened to him and his warriors."

I did. They were toast. But he was riding inside that other Hummer—

You intended to kill him. She's not judging. Just projecting a fact into my mind.

I nod. But I suppose being roasted alive was as good a way as any for him to go out. Justice, after killing my team the way he did. "So now what?"

"Now?" She glances over her shoulder at me. "We live. Those who remain. We set aside our differences and survive."

"Eden would be a good place to do that." I gesture at the rock walls surrounding us. "Not that these caves are without their charm. But those women about to give birth would be a whole lot more comfortable with electricity, air conditioning, and running water. Not to mention the rest of us."

Us. She holds my gaze. "We already put it to a vote. Luther sided with the majority: thirty-five to ten. We avoid further bloodshed by leaving Eden alone."

"How'd you vote?"

You already know.

I suppose I do. She said she'd never go back there. "But with Willard dead—"

"It was because of his murder that Perch so easily regained control of the Eden Guard and turned them against Luther and his people."

"Yeah, I heard Perch was in charge." Eden traded one lunatic leader for another.

We've reached what looks like a communal alcove where goods and supplies are stored. Among the hydropacks and standard rations are a couple stacks of loose-fitting, sand-colored clothing.

"I'll leave you to it," she says. "Feel free to take whatever you need. You may place your suit on that shelf. I'm sure we'll find a use for it." She turns away.

I'm glad you're here, Sergeant. She disappears down the earthen corridor.

I don't know what to say to that. I would rather be home with my family. But since that's not an option, I guess I'll be glad, too. Or something close to it. This beats wandering through the Wastes, at any rate.

I stare at the clothing, unsure where to begin. First things first: I peel myself out of the protective suit and fold it up. Then I pull off my bodysuit, leaving only my briefs in place—just in case one of the locals stumbles upon me. Not sure how body-shy these people are, but I don't plan on offending anybody my first day.

Breaking open one of the hydropacks, I take a long swig and pour the rest over my face and chest, smearing around the H2O substitute in an attempt at quasi-cleanliness. Then I pull on a baggy, one-size-fits-all pair of trousers and matching tunic, keeping my own boots. I look almost ready to fit in.

"Sergeant." Luther finds me just as I step out into the corridor. He takes my hand in a firm shake.

"Just James." I shrug. "No longer a UW Marine."

"James." His piercing blue eyes burn with intensity. He looks more alive than he did the last time I saw him. Energized. "I heard about your situation."

"Yeah…" There's nothing I can do about it. Part of me wants to move beyond it. Then I feel guilty, as if I've betrayed my family just by thinking that.

"We are not giving up on our children. Whether it takes us five years or ten, even twenty—we will find them." He grips my shoulder and nods, holding my gaze. Something stirs within me in the face of his confidence. Could it be hope? "That includes your wife, your daughter, and your son. You will see them again, James. I give you my word on that."

7 Daiyna5 Years After All-Clear

By all appearances, Stack itself isn't a raging inferno. Just