Yes, I had surgery... and right before the Apocalypse struck!

Health Update (so this could be really boring for some)!

On March 12th (of this year) I had open heart, double bypass surgery. Yes, me; a 60-year-old, fairly healthy person who walks on average six miles a day, goes to the gym four times a week and eats pretty damned healthy.

One artery (the LAD, known as the widowmaker) was 70% blocked. Not good I was told. Worse yet another artery on the right side was 100% blocked. That meant, I was told, somewhere in the recent past I suffered a heart attack.

I never had a symptom with either blockage. No shortness of breath, no unusual sweats, no dizziness, no chest pain, no nothing. But the damage was done and I was scheduled for surgery six days after my second angiogram. If the professionals say you need heart surgery, then so be it. Who am I to argue.

(I don't look like I'm suffering too badly)

That was four weeks ago, my friends. I've worked hard at focusing on my recovery and, as such, I've made a lot of progress in those four weeks. I was home only four days after surgery, so my decent recovery began in the hospital.

The day I came home the stuff got real with the Corona Virus. That was March 16th. Since then... well, we all know what's gone down.

Yes, it has been slightly reminiscent of the opening episodes of The Walking Dead. If I had a sheriff outfit, I'd be ready. But alas, all I can do is watch and smile like most in my position are doing (I warned you something like this could happen. I warned you!).

(Me without the mask... maybe)

So, I'm well on my way to full recovery and all around me the world has come to a screeching halt. Welcome to the new normal, people. And after this, there will be another new normal followed by another and another. Things will change from how they were prior to March of 2020. And a lot of the changes will be permanent.

Okay, so what caused my health issues some will ask. My answer will be blunt and to the point:

1. Forty years of smoking
2. Type II Diabetic
3. I've always dealt with stress badly

I'm not going to lecture on any of the above. I knew smoking was bad for me and would eventually catch up (we all know that). I got diabetes when I lost 70 pounds. And I'm just crappy when it comes to dealing with stress and anxiety (and I always have).

I'm lucky, this could have ended really really really bad if it hadn't been caught (quite by accident back on January 16th). My best advice is to take care of your body. It's the only one you get.

So, I'm back to writing and creating more fodder for my family, friends, and readers. This has caused a set back in the timing for the release of book five in the No Where Apocalypse. But don't worry; I'll still get that published before fall. 

Until then, everyone take care!

e a lake

You too can survive the apocalypse...

Here something, thanks to Hillary Dixler, that may help many people survive TEOTWAWKI!

Survive the Apocalypse in Five Easy Steps

Eater combed through FEMA, CDC, and prepper blog survival intel so you don't have to. Now get packing:

1. Stock Up on Clean Water
It's hard to overstate just how important access to clean drinking water will be to your post-apocalyptic survival chances — and you'll need about a gallon per person per day, which is a lot. Have water at your home or wherever you plan to hunker down. Have water in your vehicle. Study up on where to find safe water (drained water from an undamaged water heater = safe, water from the toilet's bowl and flush tank = unsafe). Do some practice rounds of boiling and oxygenating water.

2. Create a Pantry
Canned and freeze-dried foods are your new favorites. So are properly-stored whole wheat cereals, nuts, dry pasta, corn, and various other dry edibles. To further build out your pantry, focus on high-energy options like peanut butter, jelly, granola bars, and trail mix. Get some powdered milk, powdered potatoes, and other powdered foods onto the shelf. Whenever possible, stock up on foods that are low in salt, so as to avoid getting unnecessarily thirsty and wasting your precious water. And stock up on canning supplies so that when you encounter fresh fruits and vegetables, you can make them last.

3. Don't Forget a Manual Can Opener
You might even want to stock a few of these because, let's face it, canned food is now a major part of your life. Do not lose them, or entrust them to someone you think might lose them.

4. Break Out the OverallsSomeday, your stockpile will run out, so get farming. Plant a diverse survival vegetable garden, and make it as huge as possible. Do be warned your vegetables might be an attractive nuisance, so consider camouflaging it as a "food forest." Raise chickens. Chickens are pretty easy to take care of and will provide you with a valuable source of protein via eggs. Also, raise rabbits if you are down to do butchering and slaughtering.

5. Quit Stalling
If you really want to survive, start working on your game plan before the world goes totally to shit. Things like tilling a garden, stocking up on food, and learning how to properly can all take time to get right. Might as well get a head start while the power grid still works. Good luck.
— Hillary Dixler

To me, number five is really important. Many, many people I meet say they know they should be even the slightest bit prepared, but then admit they've done nothing. Even in today's climate.



Stay prepared friends,

e a lake

What Will You Eat When the World Ends?

This post and the next three to follow are taken from an article I found online with the same name as the "Subject Line". They were written by Tove Danovich and posted on 9/16/15. The entire original post can be found here: http://bit.ly/2T8oqu0


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It could happen at any time. Maybe an asteroid will hurtle toward Earth or a storm will cover the world in ice. A bite from a particularly angry monkey could start a viral zombie plague. The Internet could even shut off. Things could go to hell because of monsters or uncomfortably sentient robots, nuclear war or a terrorist attack. The question you should ask yourself is: What will you eat and drink when the world ends?

The people answering this question aren't scientists, the military, or NASA (though maybe there's a secret apocalypse science division in the government). They're known as "preppers" and are usually everyday folks with normal jobs — teachers or bankers or candlestick makers. The only difference between you and them is that they want to be ready when, in prepper jargon, SHTF because it's TEOTWAWKI ("the end of the world as we know it"). While FEMA's guide advocates for having a disaster kit consisting of a 72-hour supply of food, water, and clothing packed and ready to go, that's just a baby step for preppers. Come back when you've stored up enough to last you a week, a month, or a year.

"Hurricane Katrina proved to a lot of people that everything you have can be wiped out very quickly," says Pat Henry, founding editor of the Prepper Journal. He explains that everyone has to focus on four categories of survival — food, water, security, and shelter. Since 2008, Henry has been slowly stockpiling backup supplies. He's used rain barrels, water filtration, and bottled water to amass "hundreds of gallons" of H2O. "It sounds hokey, but I had a gut feeling that I needed to take steps to protect my family," he says. While one Daily Mail UK article estimates "there are three million preppers in the U.S. alone," no one knows who estimated that number, and it's unlikely that there are actually solid statistics on the subject — thanks to an inherent secrecy within the prepper community.

But despite prepping's mysterious exterior, everyone seems to agree on the basic principles of planning, buying, and storing food, water, and cooking utensils one needs to survive a disaster. According to the experts, there are three rules that will help you prepare for the end of the world.

Until next time,

e a lake

Rule One: Keep Your Groceries Hidden

This post and the other in this series are taken from an article I found online with the same name as the "Subject Line". They were written by Tove Danovich and posted on 9/16/15. The entire original post can be found here: http://bit.ly/2T8oqu0

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Though preppers are very active behind screen names on the Internet — on groups like the American Preppers Network or websites like the Survival Blog — they stay under the radar in real life. It's not because they think their hobby is strange, but because when the end of the world comes, they don't want the entire starving neighborhood to know that their house is the one full of potable water, heat, and enough food to last a full calendar year. "The first rule of prep club is you don't talk about prep club," says Lisa Bedford, a mother of two teenagers and a prepper also known as the Survival Mom. As a result, there's not much in the way of hands-on education. "The community is online because people want to be very careful and cautious about who they talk to," Bedford explains. Bedford says that she has cultivated a small group of neighboring preppers who she could rely on if SHTF ("shit hits the fan," naturally). "But I have no idea how much they actually have."

Overall it seems like the secrecy is directed toward non-preppers: No one wants to get themselves into an ant-and-grasshopper situation where they're sharing supplies with the non-prepared deadweights of the neighborhood. Within the prepper community, however, there are websites like Prepper Dating and Survivalist Singles (just because it's the end of the world doesn't mean you have to be alone). Other forums facilitate people who want to either connect with neighbors or actually gather enough strangers to fill a home with like-minded survivalists.

Survivalists come in all shapes and sizes. Like any subculture, the people involved fit somewhere on a spectrum of intensity. On the one hand, you might have someone like Bedford, who began prepping as a backup plan if her family lost their primary source of income. On the other end are the types of people who build underground bunkers and whose security plans look like a mini National Guard.

But while outsiders familiar with prepping have a tendency to think survivalists have a streak of insanity, it's actually not all that different from the practice of homesteading. "They call it something different and do it a different way, but the end goal is the same," says Henry. He specifically references the local food movement where many people have taken to knowing their farmer or growing their own produce because they don't feel like they can rely on the government, big food corporations, or other overseers to adequately check the quality of what they're eating. "A large part of both movements is the concept of control," Bedford says. This is one reason why interest in prepping seems to increase after natural disasters, economic crises, or another traumatic event. It allows people to feel like, at least next time, they'll be prepared.


Until we meet again,

e a lake

Rule Two: Don't Store What You Can't Eat

This post and the other in this series are taken from an article I found online with the same name as the "Subject Line". They were written by Tove Danovich and posted on 9/16/15. The entire original post can be found here: http://bit.ly/2T8oqu0

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Though tents and bunkers might suffice for backup shelter, storing food and water is a much more involved process. It's not quite as easy as running to the local grocery store the day before a storm and buying up all of the bread and kale left on the shelves. People who are getting into prepping often treat food and water storage as the true first step. While water can be stocked in the form of water bottles or rainwater-capture systems, food is not as easy as following a pre-made grocery list off the Internet.

When Bedford began preparing for the possibility of economic disaster in 2008, she quickly fell on food storage as a place to focus. She says that a lot of people do their own food storage — particularly homesteaders or people who live so far from the grocery store that it's inconvenient to go more than once a month — but that as a "typical suburban stay-at-home mom" she initially felt out of her depth. "It was a whole new world," she says.

The main issue is that stored food is only as useful as your willingness to eat it. "Food fatigue is a real thing," Bedford explains. If all that's in the pantry is rice and beans, the monotony of the diet would eventually make anyone lose their desire to eat.

To get a varied diet, Bedford advocates a three-layer approach to stocking the pantry. The first layer takes place at the grocery store — specifically in the canned food aisles. "The reason canned food is so important is that its shelf stable," Bedford says. That said, don't just purchase whatever is on sale. "Focus on things you'll eat and your family members will eat," she adds. And don't forget the spices: Adding new flavors to the same base ingredients is an easy way to combat food fatigue while sticking to a few pantry staples.


Next are the bulk foods which Bedford believes are where most of a prepper's time and money should be spent. Opening a can of ravioli might get you a meal, but there's not much in the way of choice. With freeze-dried meat, shrimp, yogurt, and cheese (almost every food seems to have been freeze-dried) and a healthy stockpile of various pastas, dried beans, and grain, "you can make hundreds of recipes," according to Bedford. For people who don't feel up to DIY recipe development, there are a number of resources to turn to. Many preppers blog and post individual recipes and tips on their websites. 

Prepping is also a (small) cookbook genre with titles like The Survivalist Cookbook or The Prepper's Cookbook that speak directly to their intended audience. Plenty of other cookbooks focus on things like canned soup, jerky, or campfire recipes.

Finally, a good prepper wants to invest in some ready-to-eat meals. They're not all that different from the field rations given to soldiers and, as a result, are not something the average person wants to survive on entirely. "You'll get tired of them pretty quickly," Bedford says. She recommends that the RTE meals comprise no more than 20 percent of total food supplies.

But it's important to remember that even long-lasting foods can go bad. Henry doesn't just stock a pantry and forget about it, but rotates through the food during normal, non-emergency meals. "You don't want to find out when the power's out and the grocery store is closed that all your food expired five years ago," he says. "That's another reason why buying things you eat all the time is important." It also would ease the culinary transition into end-of-the-world dining if the family is still eating mom's beef stroganoff but with freeze-dried beef, powdered sour cream, and dehydrated mushrooms.


Bedford stresses that food storage does not have a one-size-fits-all approach. A city dweller simply doesn't have room to store a year's worth of food and water. Others can't afford to buy extra bulk and freeze-dried food — much less expensive gadgets or survival cooking gear. Even if someone could have a flock of goats and chickens doesn't mean they can take on that responsibility. "Not everyone can live that lifestyle and a lot of them don't want to," Bedford says.


One more to go friends,

e a lake

Rule Three: Get Out of the Pantry

This post and the other in this series are taken from an article I found online with the same name as the "Subject Line". They were written by Tove Danovich and posted on 9/16/15. The entire original post can be found here: http://bit.ly/2T8oqu0

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Unfortunately, even the best-stocked food supply doesn't last forever. Bedford points out that food storage doesn't exist in a vacuum. "You'll open that can of beans and then what?" she says. "The purpose of stored food is to buy you time." In her family's case, the year or so their supply could carry them for would be enough time to connect with other families, work together, barter, and so on. "Right now if there was a massive power grid failure, millions of households would only have a couple weeks of food," she explains. "They have no margin."

Henry supports the idea of keeping chickens both for meat and eggs as well as investing in the time to learn about technology like aquaponics or even hydroponics, which can both create comparatively large amounts of food in small spaces. Surprisingly, he doesn't advocate relying too much on hunting. "If you're out there looking for food and things are that bad, chances are hundreds and thousands of other people are doing the same thing." There are only so many deer and pheasants to go around. That's why in the process of increasing their food supplies, many preppers also teach themselves how they could grow more.

Prepping is just as much about creating a sustainable source of food as squirreling it away. Because the end of the world doesn't just last a week or month or even a year — it's forever. And we all have to eat to survive.


Hope you enjoyed the series,

e a lake

The Separation of the USA -- Left and Right

Unless you live in a cave -- and a very deep one at that -- you know that our two-party system in the United States isn't working so well right now. Heck, it hasn't been working well in a while.

This group hates Trump and Ryan; that group despises Pelosi and Obama. The Clintons are immoral. Nixon was a terrible crook.

The left is for the people, all the people. The right stands only for the rich, the uber-rich.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah!

There's a problem here, people. Want to know who has a worse approval rating than our current President? All of Congress, that's who.

And I haven't gotten to the worst part yet. The problem is deepening. Even though everyone in politics -- as well as the rest of us -- know there is a huge issue here, what are they doing? Are they playing nice and working on coming back to the table and seeing eye to eye?

Hell no! They're digging in their heels and widening the gap between themselves!

We are at an impasse, my friends. Plain and simple. The tipping point is nearing. And that means trouble for us in the United States, big trouble...for every one of us.

Here's what I think (and many agree with me). Our next Civil War will not be over resources, or states rights, or oppression. No, it will be Left vs. Right. Liberals vs. Conservatives. And this will be a war that will rip us apart.

I feel this way so strongly that my next series focuses on it. To discover more about those novels click here. I think you'll find it an interesting read.

I don't have a timeframe in mind and I pray such a war never comes. But as I watch the news each morning I can't help but see the writing on the wall. Forboding words that shake me to my core: This 200+ year experiment is no longer working!

That's all for now,

e a lake

When are you an adult? 18 or 21? Make up you mind, America!

Just so we're straight on this, I'm 58. None of what I'm about to spew out applies to me. But it does matter to me and gives me a pause with concern.

Right now, today, if a young person is 18 they are considered an adult...sort of.

They can: drive a car, vote, get married, have a child in or out of wedlock, enter into a legally binding contract and so on and so on and so on. Okay, got it?

They can also join one of our armed forces and serve (and potentially die) for their country. Kind of a biggie in my mind.

Now, they cannot legally buy or consume alcohol (though they can die for their country...kind of odd, but okay)! They still drink (some/most of them) and they still drive cars so I can see where you'd want them a little more mature before you give them access to liquor stores...sort of.

They cannot buy handguns and soon (if some people have their way) they will not be able to purchase certain other weapons until the age of 21. Some stores have already "self" implemented these policies.

But we still allow them to vote? Huh!

What is the age of majority in this country of ours (the USA)? Can someone please explain to me this sliding scale in a way that makes any sense?

Teens and 3,000# vehicles have always been a bad mix. Teens and alcohol can lead to trouble in a lot of settings. We all know what happens when angry or depressed teens get their hands on guns. And let's face it, most 18 year-olds understand as much about legal contracts as I do about using Pinterest (and that ain't much)!

However, the problem should be obvious to all: If an 18-year-old is an adult, then they're an adult. If you want them to be 21 before they have access to all these great things that we adults get to have, then make it 21. But this odd mixture has to go!

If they can enter the military then these people deserve to drink, and the right to buy whatever firearms are legal for the rest of us to purchase. I do not believe it's fair to give them some rights, but not all rights.

I believe our legislators need our help in solving this issue. Our children deserve a clean, uncluttered path to adulthood. Quite frankly I don't care what age is chosen (my youngest is 30 and served 8 years in the USMC). Just give them everything they deserve and don't keep certain parts of adulthood hidden from them behind "curtain #3" until they turn some other magical age.

What do you think? I want to hear from you on this! Please comment below.


Until next time,

e a lake

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Big Brother 2

This example of Big Brother meddling in your lives borders on stupidity! And the worst part is that people are doing it willingly.

The other day my wife was buying a bottle of wine at the liquor store. The clerk told her that as of January 1, 2018 they had to scan ID's on all liquor sales. Okay, seemed reasonable. I mean it's an easy solution to the store's liability in underage sales to minors. I get it.

But wait -- the punchline is coming.

I asked the clerk how fast the database they were creating got transferred to the State of Minnesota. She shrugged it away and made some kind of comment about why would the State want to look at their database. As far as she knew it went into some great void that was never touched again.

Really?

Really?

REALLY?!

Let's not be stupid, people. If they've said ID's need to be collected on all liquor sales you can be darn sure the State has interest in that information. I mean, why else would they be collecting it?

Maybe liquor is the first of many steps. I can envision some time in the future going to buy a box of shells for my deer rifle and being asked for my ID so it can be scanned. Such a thing would help create a database of all of my weapons, submitted willingly by me each time I buy a different box of ammunition.

Starting to see the problem? Yeah!

Gun registration has its pitfalls. I can always buy a gun from a neighbor willing to part with one. I can inherit them from my family. And what about people who might steal my guns? None of these examples fall under the current gun registration laws.

You register your vehicles, your boats, your cell phones, your internet and now your alcohol purchases. Your pets are registered; even your children and yourself are all in some humungous government database.

And you've done it all willingly; never batting an eye or raising any concern as you did so. Thus, when they start asking for your ID to buy ammunition, don't be surprised. Just be a good sheeple and hand them your government issued ID. They'll thank you for your cooperation -- one way or another.

Do you have thoughts on this subject? If so, please comment on this post. I love hearing from free thinking people.


Until next time,

e a lake

Have you heard??? I'm at it again!

I'll make this short and sweet; I've written another series. And while only two of the three books have been released at this point, I wanted to fill you in on this one.

It's called "The Indiana Apocalypse" and it takes place in... you guessed it, Indiana (the southern part to be precise).

But that's not the best part. No, the best part is the angle I've approached this one from.

Here's part of the hook:

What could be worse than coming to with no memory of your past?

Quinn Reynolds regains consciousness on a couch surrounded by four strange women. He wonders where he is, what he's doing, and most importantly who he is. When he finds out the world is in its sixth year of darkness, his mind is totally blown.


Here's the cover for the first book:

It's available on Amazon right now. You can get your copy by either clicking right here or by clicking on the picture above. Your choice! And remember, if you're a Kindle Unlimited reader you can get it for FREE!

I hope you enjoy the story and if you do I hope you'll consider purchasing Book Two Found.

That's all for this time. Until March, have fun and thanks for reading!

e a lake

Big Brother 1

Here's a sign I saw in the Twin Cities a few days ago. It made me shake my head.

Was the State of Minnesota really telling me when to put gas in my car? And were they saying this so poor, old, stupid me wouldn't be out in the smog that I could clearly see? Or were they saying it because it was best for the environment? Or was there some other reason at play?

I appreciate the government worrying about my health (though it really is none of their business). I also appreciate them helping to remind citizens that the air was bad that day.

However, the role of government is not -- and never has been -- to tell me when I can and can't put gas in my car... or go outside ... or drive... or anything else that infringes on my personal liberties.

It's like the signs you see sometimes on the side of the road reminding you not to text. You know the ones; they usually have some clever slogan on them.

"Don't drive distracted."
"Drop the phone because I said so - Mom."
And my favorite...
"Texting and driving... It can wait!"

All they really need to say is something like what I saw in Wisconsin this past summer.

"Texting while driving is a $300 fine."

There, isn't that nice and to the point? Don't waste your time on snappy slogans ("this is your brain on drugs" was a huge failure); just give it to us straight. Trust me, we can handle the truth.

What are your feelings on the subject? I'd really like to hear from you. Am I over-reacting? Or am I simply pointing out another case of the government acting like Orwell's Big Brother? 

You all know where I stand!


Later people,

e a lake

WWIV - The Last Great War

The first novel I ever published was WWIV - In The Beginning. That was more than three years and 120 reviews ago. Since then I've added three more novels to the series:

WWIV - Hope in the Darkness

WWIV - Basiin of Secrets

WWIV - The Last Finders

Here are the covers for all of them (just in case you've never read the series).

Each book is a standalone novel. New characters and new surroundings are found throughout. In the Beginning starts in St. Paul, MN and works its way into western Wisconsin. Hope in the Darkness takes place just outside of Portage (WI). Basin of Secrets is set in Salt Lake City. And The Last Finders is near Eau Claire (WI).

Book one features Bill and Brit. Book two focuses on Hunter and Sister Thersa. Book three zeros in on Cara, Betsy and a man named Willem Tarlisch (my favorite antagonist to date). Book four deals with four friends (Wilson, Tiny, Judy, and Sharon). It also has a great antagonist that goes by the name of Captain Wayne.

So, WWIV is a series but not a serial. I know that some readers prefer it that way. If you haven't dipped your toe into the WWIV water, maybe now is a good time to start. They are all available on Amazon and Book One is always free.


Until next time - Read Like There's No Tomorrow (because if WWIV does come, there won't be one).

e a lake

The No Where Apocalypse

Alone and drunk, Bob Reiniger awakens in a remote cabin in northern Michigan. He's on a break from his stressful life and job. A week of drinking, followed by another week of sobering up, is just what he needs. At least that's his plan.

Little does he know that he'll never again return to his life and his young wife in Joilett, IL. The end of the world as we know it has arrived while he slept.  And it traps him in the absolute center of NO WHERE!

With limited supplies and zero knowledge of how to survive on his own, Bob is forced to seek help from others. Even if that means meeting a strange cast of northern characters that each lives miles away from his grandfather's musty old cabin. Miles that must be traveled on foot. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Wolves, road bandits, and weather become his new adversaries. Even getting water from his well with a hand pump proves difficult. He worries that winter will kill him. If he only knew that several men would try to end his life before that, his worries could have been saved.

Come meet Bob. Come meet his neighbors: Dizzy, Lettie, Frank, Marge, Nate, and Violet. New people will enter his life. Some will be good and kind: Daisy, Libbie, Jean, Thaddeus Wilson and his sons. Others will be the scum of the Earth, looking to take all that is his.

In the end, Bob must either survive and protect his possessions and his friends, or give in and go the way of the former world!

   

If you are seeking a character driven, post-apocalyptic series for your fall reading -- these are the books for you. With over 300 four and five star ratings many have enjoyed Bob's tales. 

And, if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited you can read them all for free.

Check out book one of The No Where Apocalypse today.

Thank you for being a reader,

e a lake

New Release Announcement

Seasons - A Year in the Apocalypse

I enjoyed writing this novel, though at times I became somewhat depressed with the situations I put the characters through. In the end, I think it's a good post-apocalyptic tale of survival that the reader will enjoy.

So sit back and let me introduce you to Abigail Turner (our main character), Sunshine Jones (Abby's best - and perhaps only - friend), Rickard Hulton (a nearby wealthy rancher who oversees the area), and Jeremy Lasky (Hulton's right-hand man, who is certainly no friend of Abby's).

The apocalypse has been 22 years in the making. Each year has become more and more difficult. The only question that remains is will Abby survive to see a 23rd?

Now available on Amazon. Get your copy today.

Thanks for reading,

e a lake

                      

"Glitched" - Chapters 17 & 18

Click on the chapter numbers below to read prior publishings:

1&2  3&4  5&6  7&8  9&10  11&12  13&14  15&16

Chapter 17

I called Gareth to see if they had started on Lucy. Fortunately, he told me they hadn’t. But 16:00 was drawing nearer and time, as well as her luck, was running out.

“What did Anuk have to say?” Gareth asked. I heard him clicking on his keyboard in the background.

“She wasn’t home, but I ran into a nark who wants me to help her find someone.”

When he didn’t reply, I assumed our call had been cut off. That would be like Gar, dropping my call on purpose. I was using the wrong cell I guess.

“She wants me to find—”

“I’m reading her report right now,” he replied hastily. “Do those people have any clue as to what goes on in the world? Why would she ask a low-level glitch like you for help in finding someone like him? Just how stupid are they?”

His confidence in my abilities was touching. “I’m not that low-level, Frankenstein.”

“No offense, buddy. But how do they figure you can help find a guy that no one has ever met? As far as I’m aware no one has, right?”

That was the truth. And that, amongst a myriad of other reasons was why I had no intention of helping sexy Cassie, much less our tyrannical government in the least. Although Cassie was good looking enough to string along for a while. That could be fun, I mused.

It bothered me that Collins had given her my name for help. He knew better than that. I was barely a decent glitch; how in the devil did he expect me to locate someone who’d been on the lamb for years. But, that was the thought process of our country’s best.

The problem with most government employees was that they were generally lazy. Aside from sitting on their computers all day – researching God only knew what – they might leave their desk for meals, or meetings. I had always heard they held plenty of meetings at the various stations throughout the Cities. Both scheduled and impromptu.

But a man like Collins was the classic government type. Jerk someone else’s chain if they needed something done…make that anything done. I wondered if they even signed their own paperwork, or did they have some low-level lackey take care of that for them as well. No need in exerting yourself when there were hundreds of people willing to do your bidding, I supposed.

“Holy shit,” Gareth shouted into the phone. “Holy shit, Trent!”

“What?! What?!”

“I mean holy shit on a sherbet cone, dude.”

What had he discovered? Did the government know where Nithiw was? Was Lucy already dead? Were they sending a kill squad to find me that minute?

“Did you notice what a level 10 hottie Cassandra Lundt was?” Oh, that. Duh.

“I met her in person, you moron,” I replied, starting the walk back to Ma’s place to grab my black phone. “Trust me, it was a little hard to miss. A blind man would have noticed her downright hotness.”

“Wow, she is uber hot,” he continued. “She could come and interrogate me anytime she wanted to. Wowzer, dude.”

Since Gareth’s idea of dating revolved around online anonymous chatrooms, where he hid his identity, I scoffed at his words. “You’d just stutter and stammer until she called in the kill squad, man. She could stand in front of you in her birthday suit and you wouldn’t know what to do.”

The silence told me I had nailed him, right through the heart. I felt a smile grow as I waited on his clever response, the one that didn’t seem to be coming anytime soon.

“You still there, Gar?”

“Yeah,” he moaned. “Just checking security at one. It seems they have an eye on our area right now. But, and this goes without saying, they don’t seem to know what they’re looking for.”

Cassie had already told me that, so it wasn’t news to me. It wasn’t unusual for the State to be focused on one area or another from time to time. I just figured it was hot, in their eyes at least, because of Lucy’s arrest earlier.

“Are you completely dark?” I asked, pausing for a moment on my walk. I needed the break anyway. If I made one more lap of our area, I’d be ready for the marathon by nightfall.

“Two is looking at cyber activity right now,” he replied casually. “They have been all morning. Though the bright ones down there think they’re getting phished by a bunch of hackers from the north side at this moment.”

I knew there were several smaller cells in the north. But I couldn’t recall if they had much hacking capability among the group.

“It’s me,” he admitted, sounding pleased with himself. “So to answer your question, yes, I am completely dark. And just so you know, it’s getting close to 15:00. Clock is ticking for Lucy, bud.”

Sighing first, I glanced at my surroundings. The gray day made the dismal neighborhood between Anuk’s place and Ma’s even more depressing. Besides the dilapidated buildings and roads, there were no signs of life save a single barking dog.

“Where the hell is he?!” I heard shouted from Gareth’s end of the call. “Well?” I thought I recognized the voice.

“Your girlfriend is here,” Gareth chuckled.

“Screw you, brainless,” the feminine voice replied. “If you’re talking to him right now, tell him to get his skinny ass over here. Now!”

Well, Anuk certainly sounded in a good mood. “Tell her I’ll be there in five minutes, Gar. And maybe give her a drink or something. She needs to chill.”

I clicked off before he, or she, could respond.

Now what? I wondered, taking the next right to return to Gareth’s.

Chapter 18

When I walked through Gareth’s front door I found Anuk standing in the middle of the room waiting for me. I expected her to be pissed; she had sounded that way on the phone. Instead I found a smiling young woman, approaching me with open arms. She wanted a hug.

“Hi, sweetie,” she said in a voice I’d never heard from her before. She squeezed me tightly with her arms. “I’m glad you’re here safe and sound.”

There probably, in hindsight, were multiple signals coming from the tiny one that it was all a ploy. She wanted something else. But stupid me didn’t think it through. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her tiny body.

I enjoyed the closeness, the smell of her hair, her fingers massaging my back. Though unusual from Anuk, I had to say I liked it.

Until…

Her knee rose so fast I had no time to react. One minute I was hugging a woman whom I believed was showing me real affection. The next thing I knew I was on the floor in the fetal positions, clutching my aching balls.

“What the—” I managed to moan after a few painful seconds. That’s when the toe of her right boot found my sternum.

“You met Margo Hanks, in public no less?” she screamed. “How many ways of stupid are you?”

A response wasn’t coming anytime soon, not from me at least. I was too busy protecting myself from further attacks to my sensitive areas. That, and the fact I still hadn’t caught my breath from the initial attack.

“What if they have you on tape, you idiot?” Her rant continued, though her foot had let up. “What if they were listening in? We don’t know shit about her. She could be one of them.”

Okay, maybe meeting with Margo wasn’t the best idea I’d had in a while. In my defense, however, I didn’t know who I was meeting until I got there. And, nothing important had been said.

“Ease up, Anuk,” Gareth said, coming to my rescue. “Let him get up so he can defend himself.”

Anuk went behind the couch and began to pace. Seeing I had a good 10 feet of safety zone between us, I rose. When she made a move to come at me again, I shook a finger at her.

“Don’t,” I stammered. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

That brought a grin to her otherwise sour-puss face. The grin was followed by a snort. Gareth joined the fun with laughter.

“You couldn’t hurt anyone, much less me,” Anuk replied. “You’re just lucky Margo didn’t pull a knife out and slit your scrawny throat.”

“She’s not that type.” I had enough breath to finally defend myself, if only in words.

Anuk threw her hands my direction and spun to face Gareth.

“And how in the hell would he know anything about her?” she shrieked. “Did you brief him before this meeting, dimwit? Or did he just walk in dark like he did earlier at the Repository?”

Gareth seemed to take no offense to her rant and found his spot in his special chair. Picking up the keyboard, his attention focused on the monitor on the wall.

“He knew enough,” Gareth replied. Good, at least he was on my side. “And he knew enough to leave her alone. We don’t need any more problems right now, but Trent always plays by his own set of rules.”

“Et tu, dickless?” I shot at my best friend. Someone had to defend me, and who better than me.

“I believe the phrase was leave her alone.” Anuk was back at me. “Which head rules your day, Trent? And don’t bother with an answer; we all know.” Why was she shouting again? I was standing in the same room as her.

I raised my hand in surrender. “Okay, admittedly it wasn’t one of my smartest moves. But she was worried about her friend.”

Anuk charged me. “She’s with the government stupid.” A hard jab reached my sternum, damn her. “She’s one of them!”

I didn’t think so. If anything Margo was one us of or at least a peeb sympathizer. She was far too passionate about getting Lucy out of station one.

“Jury’s still out on that one, Anuk,” I replied, softening my voice and stance. “She’s on our side. That’s what my gut tells me.”

Taking a quick right at my stomach, I easily deflected Anuk’s blow. “You gut is going to get us all killed someday. And soon if you don’t start acting a little more cautiously. I had another email. He wants this thing all sewn up by 18:00. I think he feels that two hours of interrogation and your girlfriend will crack.”

A thought came to me. Closing my eyes, I considered it all the way through.

“Gar, how close do the people in the government check interoffice requests?” I asked.

He opened his arms, signaling he needed a clearer picture of what I was asking.

“If we send a request to the interrogation team to hold off for a couple of hours, say until 18:00, will they think twice about it?”

“If it’s from an anonymous source?” He wasn’t following; I had left out the important part.

“Send a note from Collins to the team,” I continued. “Tell them he’s tracking down a hot lead on Selmo’s whereabouts. Maybe his gang can bring him in so Lucy can ID him. Think they’d check up on it, maybe call Collins himself?”

His grin spoke volumes as his finger flew across the keyboard. “They’re so lazy down there; they don’t check shit.” He made an exaggerated key strike and tossed his tool aside. “Done!”

I looked at Anuk, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. “Okay, we just bought another two hours. I’ve got an idea. Hear me out.”

Her tightened expression told me she was skeptical. But since she remained silent, I had my opening.

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