EMP Catastrophe by Hamilton, Grace (best ebook reader for pc .txt) 📕

to see Kathleen standing next to the window, staring at the property line. Even though it had taken several back-breaking days of hard labor, the hotel was starting to benefit from their attention. It seemed as though the project list was never-ending, but Matthew was determined to tick off as many items as he could.

He looked down at his fence. It was his first attempt, and while some of the boards weren’t straight, they were at least sturdy. He could tell Kathleen that she wouldn’t have to worry about intruders entering their property. Maybe then, she’d start to relax and get some rest.

He picked up his tools and turned to head back toward the hotel. His mouth was dry. He was eager for a bottle of water and a small break in the shade. The sun beat down on the nape of his neck, blistering an already tender sunburn. As he walked, he could feel every muscle cry out with fatigue. His mind already echoed with the empty drone of exhaustion, driving out any other thoughts. He walked up the porch and into the hotel, grabbed a bottle of water and headed back outside. Even though his body cried out for a sit on the porch steps, he figured he needed to inspect what everyone else was doing first. He downed half of the bottle of water. It didn’t refresh him as much as he’d hoped it would.

Allison had opted to help Jade construct a composting toilet. Essentially, they were digging two holes in the ground. One for solids and the other for liquids, but also in case multiple people had to use the facilities at once. Just beyond them, David walked the perimeter of wood planks set into a square. He was inspecting a possible location for their compost bin for their food waste. Yesterday, his father had measured the space and cut the wood, and now he was mulling over the size and placement. Matthew chuckled. He would expect nothing less from his meticulous father.

In one of the holes, he saw the top of Jade’s dark head as she flung dirt up and out of the hole she was digging. Next to her, he noticed the blonde gleam of Allison’s head as she moved her own shovel much slower in a second hole. Jade seemed to share Matthew’s zeal for fortifying the hotel as quickly as possible, but Allison seemed to be struggling with her tasks. He moved closer to her and peered inside the hole, pleased to see it was much deeper than he thought it would be.

Jade had told them they’d need to construct a box over the hole once it was completed that would act as their toilet seat. Then, they could enclose it like an outhouse. Matthew had already begun to take apart the toilet seats from the bathrooms inside the hotel and planned to nail them down to whatever they ended up constructing out here. A melding of the rustic and modern, he thought with another chuckle.

“Looking good,” he said and he waved at Allison, who peered up at him and shaded her eyes. Dirt covered her face. Her blonde hair was tied up high in a ponytail. She stuck her shovel in the dirt and waved back. She looked too thin, Matthew noted.

“Thanks.” Allison swayed back and forth, and she gave him a weak ghost of a smile. He held his hand out to her, which she gratefully accepted. He helped her climb out of the hole.

Her hand trembled in his. He tried to hide his concern for her by offering her the rest of his bottle of water. As she reached for it, her body suddenly seemed to seize up. Then, as if all her strings had been cut, her swaying intensified and she collapsed halfway into his arms. The bottle of water flew out of his hand and landed on the ground, darkening the soil.

“Allison!” Matthew cried out. She was dead weight in his arms. “Honey, can you hear me? Allison, wake up!”

Jade popped her head out of her hole and looked at Allison with horror. David had abandoned his project and sprinted toward them. Jade clambered out and helped Matthew ease his daughter onto the grass. “What happened?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Matthew said, hating that he sounded so panicked. “She just fainted.”

Allison’s eyes fluttered weakly and then rolled up into the back of her head. David knelt beside her. Matthew reached out and put his hand on her forehead, looking for the tell-tale signs of a fever. She felt hot, but it seemed to be more from the sun than anything.

“Sunstroke?” David asked, peering into Matthew’s face.

“It’s got to be,” Matthew said. It had been a hot couple of days, and they’d all been working hard to make the hotel and its surrounding property as safe as possible. He gathered his daughter into his arms. She felt rail thin. Her jawline seemed sharp as a blade. Picking her up, he sprinted as best as he could toward the hotel with David hot on his heels.

“I hope she’s okay!” Jade called out from behind them. “Let me know if I can do anything to help!”

We don’t need you, Matthew thought and buried the wish that Jade had been the one to collapse. The thought was vindictive, but he was just so tired of seeing his family hurt.

Allison had most likely overexerted herself. It sounded like a rationalization, even to him.

Once inside the hotel, Matthew called out for his mother. Ruth bolted into the room. She held a towel and was wiping her hands with it. As soon as she saw Allison limp in Matthew’s arms, her eyes widened with fear and she said, “Oh my goodness, what happened?”

“She fainted,” Matthew said. “I think it’s sunstroke.”

Ruth’s eyes flickered to David. “Put her on the sofa,” Ruth commanded.

Matthew obeyed, laying his daughter gently on the worn couch in the lounge. He propped her feet up on a pillow and brushed stray