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  “Nick Tanner,” Nick said curtly, reciprocating the handshake. Now that he was free of danger, Cosmo seemed like an entirely different man, and yet Nick was not quick to trust. Not after what had happened to him.

  “That was really something in there. I can't believe how you got in, or how you got me to do that. I never would have thought of that on my own. You're, like, bloody Schwarzenegger or something!”

  The corners of Nick's lips curled into a quick grin. “I'd love to chat, but I need to keep moving,” he said, looking over his shoulder. His skin crawled, as though he was being watched. That paranoid feeling hadn't left him ever since this hellish world had begun.

  “I see,” Cosmo said, following his gaze. The trees rose around them and they were vulnerable out in the open. The remains of the watermill still smoldered.

  “Well, I don't have any reason to go anywhere else. Who are you running from?” he asked, an inquisitive look in his eyes.

  Nick looked at him inscrutably and was about to tell him the ordeal he'd suffered when there was a sudden ruckus coming from behind. It was them. They'd found him. They'd caught up to him.

  “We have to get out of here now,” Nick said. He and Cosmo ran as fast as they could into the cover of the woods, hoping to find some sanctuary in the forest.

  Chapter Two

  “Hey Nick, have you seen this?” John said, gesturing to the message board. Nick put down his bag and walked up to the board. It was a vacancy down in Texas for a squad leader. Nick arched an eyebrow.

  “I know you've been hankering for a promotion, seems as though this could be the best way to go about it,” John said, “and if you don't go for it I just might.”

  Nick smiled. He and John had joined at the same time. They'd gone through training together and were as close as brothers. In fact, most people mistook them for twins. They both were locked in the same career path, and both were frustrated at how the senior members didn't seem inclined to move on. Nick was thirty-seven and his career was stalling. He'd been wanting to work his way up the ladder for a long time, but it was a difficult process, and opportunities for advancement were scarce. His hopes were dashed when he saw how far away the job was. Deflated, he shook his head and sighed.

  “You're welcome to it,” he said, “too far for me.”

  John shrugged and ripped the contact info off the board, walking to the changing room. Nick picked up his bag and walked to his car. Revving the engine, he drove home and thought about the possibility of having to leave for the sake of his career. He didn't like the idea of it because this was his home, and there was something special about defending his local area. He wasn't sure he could replicate that feeling anywhere else. Then again, it wasn't as though there was anything but nostalgia holding him there. It had been his dream as a boy to be the fire marshal of his hometown, ever since his folks had taken him to a display at the station. His heart instantly was captured by the gleaming red firetrucks and the yellow helmets. In that moment he knew there was nothing else he wanted to be. Every decision he had made in his life had been made with the goal of getting him closer to that dream.

  It looked as though he would have to stick it out a little while longer and wait for someone to retire.

  The town was small but busy, although it didn't take him too long to get back to his two-story house. Nick pulled the car into the driveway and picked up the paper as he walked up the yard. Glancing at the headlines, he saw there were weather warnings, but he didn't pay much attention to them. Flinging open the door, he instantly was greeted by the pitter-patter of footsteps against the floor. Nick barely had time to react before he was attacked, a slobbering tongue flicking out at him and leaving him drenched.

  “Backdraft, buddy, you can't have missed me that much,” he said, laughing as he tried calming down the dog. He knelt and rubbed the dog's sleek black fur. Backdraft rolled onto his back, showing his lean belly to Nick. Nick fell onto the Labrador, which barked as Nick rubbed its belly.

  “Come on, pal,” Nick said, slapping his thigh.

  Backdraft found his feet and scampered along after Nick as he moved into the living room. Nick crashed onto the couch and let out a long, satisfied moan as Backdraft leaped up onto the couch beside him and nestled his head into his lap. Nick's hand fell down to Backdraft's head, his fingers scratched Backdraft's ears. The dog murmured with contentment and Nick closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

  After he'd settled in, Nick grabbed the remote and turned on his wide-screen television. The screen flashed on in an instant and bathed the wide walls in a calming glow. A ticker at the bottom showed the latest news stories, which were mostly about celebrities or some war in a far-off land. Nick grunted and shook his head. Nature was the biggest enemy, and they should have been finding ways to fight that, not waste time and energy fighting among themselves. People just didn't have their priorities straight.

  One of the news stories was about a solar flare. Nick had a passing interest in this, and they'd been warned at work that one of the potential side effects was the atmospheric temperature could increase and make wild fires more likely. He didn't think it was that serious, though. If it was a bigger deal they would have been made more aware of it. It would have been the top story on the news, rather than yet another opinion piece on what the President was doing wrong. Nick didn't have any opinion on the matter, really. As far as he was concerned, everyone always would find something to complain about. As long as he could do his job and collect a check at the end of the month he knew the country was in good health. Not that he did much with his money. Looking around, he sometimes grew depressed when he thought how big the house was for just him and Backdraft.

  A few hours later, after he'd showered and made dinner, he was relaxing with a beer in his hand and the television on in the background when his cellphone rang. It was John.

  “What's up, buddy?” Nick said.

  “I just got off shift. You wanna grab some brewskis and try and meet the loves of our lives?” John asked.

  Nick smiled. “I'd love to, but right now I'm kinda busy.”

  “Let me guess, you're sitting there with your dog and a beer in your hand.”

  “Exactly, like I said, I'm busy.”

  “Look, I need you to be my wingman. Do you really want me to drag Warren out there? What good is he going to do?! I need you, and you always flake out on me when it comes to this. Some of the guys are thinking that you don't want to get laid anymore.”

  “Just not tonight. I promise I'll come next time.”

  “That's what you always say. Look, I know you're still messed up by her, but you can't let her ruin your life. She's a thousand miles away now, and I bet she's not wasting a moment thinking about you. We're in the prime of our lives and we have to make the most of it!”

  Nick laughed. “I get what you're saying, and I appreciate it, but I promise I'm not letting her ruin my life. Tonight, I'd like to chill, but I promise that soon we'll go grab a drink and I'll look forward to seeing you make a fool of yourself.”

  “You won't have many opportunities. I've decided to go for that promotion.”

  “Really? Even though it's all the way down in Texas?”

  “Sometimes you gotta move down to move forward. It's time I got my life started. It's going nowhere here,” John said.

  Nick sighed as he ended the call. He tilted his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose. The last thing he wanted was another night thinking about Samantha. He could almost hear her lilting laughter echo through the house. It had been doomed from the start in many ways, but there had been a time when he was hopeful it would last a long time. He even had made plans to have her officially move in. That all changed when she received a job offer from a prestigious newspaper in New York. A journalist had to go where the stories were, she'd told him, and she wasn't going to win a Pulitzer reporting on small town news. It still stung like a bitch, though, even though a few months had passed.

 
; With the phone still in his hand he thought about calling her, asking her how things were going in the big city. As though reading his thoughts, Backdraft lifted his head and growled.

  “You're probably right, it won't do any good,” Nick said, and exhaled deeply.

  Seemed like everyone wanted to leave except him. Was he a fool for sticking around for too long? He'd always been told there was a bigger world out there, but the world never had held an allure for him. He was quite content at home. He just needed to find someone who wasn't going to run away.

  At that moment a flash of white light lit up the sky. It was only there for an instant, but it caused Nick to wince. Backdraft whimpered as he too had to shield his eyes. Nick furrowed his brow as he walked to the window. Outside a car alarm wailed, but aside from that he was struck by how dark it was. When he regained his senses, he realized all the electronic equipment in his house had shut off. Everything fizzled and sparked, and thanks to his honed reactions, he was able to drop to the floor as every piece of electrical equipment in his home burst apart, sending debris flying everywhere.

  Backdraft fell in line with Nick's arms, and Nick held his dog close. He heard the windows shatter as debris hurtled through the air. Once it was over he looked up, tentatively examining the equipment that now was dead. It seemed that everything in his house had just quit working. From the look of it, the whole town had been affected, as everything was dark outside. Nick went to the fuse box and tried flipping switches, but nothing happened. Backdraft looked up at him with inquiring eyes.

  “Looks like we're in trouble,” Nick said, and knew he had to make his way to the station. During power outages there was always a greater chance of fire in the homes, as people were prone to using candles and they were easy to knock over.

  He stepped out into the cool night air and heard voices. There were people on the street whose cars had stalled. They were trying in vain to figure out what was wrong. Nothing was working, and they were mystified. As Nick went over to look at them he saw there were others who had poured out of their houses, some looking more scared than others. Some of them had their kids in tow, looking confused.

  “What the hell was that?” one of them asked. Nick didn't have an answer for them since he hadn't seen anything that could have caused such a bright, flashing light. However, one of his neighbors was a science teacher and he had a hypothesis.

  “I think it might have to do with the recent solar activity. You know, NASA has been sending out those warnings, and we had those solar flares recently?” he said.

  Nobody really had paid attention to them, though. Maybe they should have. Maybe this was all due to their own ignorance. Nick wondered what it meant for the future. Was this just a temporary setback? The science teacher seemed to be in a glum mood, and although the parents were trying to calm their children, it was clear that everyone was anxious. Nick looked down at Backdraft and petted him on the head. These were going to be strange times indeed. Over the horizon darkness began setting in, casting an ominous shroud over the town.

  Chapter Three

  Nick's breath caught sharply in his throat as he ran full pelt through the forest. His legs pumped, and he felt the blood rushing through his body. He looked back. Cosmo was floundering. Nick pulled back and let Cosmo catch up to him, then tried to help the other man along as best he could. All the while Nick's eyes darted around furtively, trying to see where the noise had come from so he could avoid his pursuers. All he could see were the leaves of the trees and the light slanting through them. Fear coursed through his body, although he tried to not let this show in front of Cosmo. He still didn't know what to make of the man. It wasn't a good idea to trust anyone too easily in this new world. There would be time to think about Cosmo later though.

  All that mattered in that moment was escaping the clutches of his pursuers. He already had escaped them once before, but they were ruthless predators and didn't take kindly to slights against their pride. They'd chased him this far, after all. He wondered how long they would chase him. Would they pursue him to the ends of the Earth? All he needed was a brief respite to collect himself and come up with a plan so he could go back and rescue Backdraft and then take vengeance. Right now, there were too many of them, and they were too strong. He didn't stand a chance, and although his entire body burned with a festering anger, he was not going to fall victim to his emotions. He had to plan their punishment properly.

  “Looks like I've come out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Cosmo said, “or is it the other way around?”

  “Sorry for getting you mixed up in this, but we need a place to hide. If they find us--”

  “Oh, I'm sure it'll be very gruesome. You can't trust anyone these days. That's why I was alone. Guess it's probably why you're alone, too.”

  Nick winced and tried not to look down at his side. For so long Backdraft had been his companion, but Nick had to walk alone. He still wasn't used to it.

  “What's the deal with these guys then?” Cosmo asked through panting breaths. He stuck as close to Nick as he could. Nick could smell the salty aroma of sweat coming from the man and tried not to gag. Not that he could say he was much better. The world as it was didn't provide many opportunities to maintain hygiene.

  “They're the meanest sons of bitches I've ever come across,” Nick said. Cosmo raised his eyebrows. He stumbled. Nick reached out to grab him. Cosmo nodded in thanks. “And they don't take no for an answer,” Nick added.

  As soon as Cosmo rose to his feet Nick tried pulling him along. The branches whipped by and their feet thudded against the ground. He knew they were being loud and he knew the others could hear them. If they didn't find some cover, it only would be a matter of time before they found him. They had the numbers, too. Nick could put up a fight, although from what he remembered of them, he'd only put up a losing one. Cosmo on the other hand...Nick was afraid that all he'd done by saving Cosmo from the watermill fire was prolong his suffering. He dared not tell Cosmo the truth either. Not yet. He still wasn't ready to speak about it. In truth he didn't know if he ever would be.

  Nick was overcome with paranoia no matter in which direction he looked. There seemed to be vague shapes in the dark green trees, but they could well have been figments of his own imagination. He didn't know if he ever would recover fully from everything those men had put him through, but he would get his payback, just not yet.

  “Here,” Nick said, pointing to an opening. The trees parted, and a gruesome stench greeted them. Both men gagged. Cosmo turned around and doubled over, holding his hand over his mouth.

  “You can't be serious,” he moaned.

  “I am,” Nick said, “and we have to hurry.”

  He jerked his head back behind him, straining to pinpoint his pursuers. Before him was a sewage lake. The water was a sickening green-brown shade. The water bubbled at the surface and the air was heavy. A few strange things floated on the surface, and Nick was sure that worse things waited for them at the bottom, but he saw no choice. It was either this, or eventually be captured. He glanced at Cosmo, who was edging back toward the forest. Nick walked up to him and grabbed his arms.

  “I know you don't know me, but you have to trust me. Those men will kill you if they get their hands on you. If they don’t now, they won't stop looking. I wish there was another way, but this is it. If you want to keep living you have to jump in here with me.” Cosmo gulped.

  Nick saw fear in the man's eyes and he wished he could give him a better guarantee. He pitied the man. It felt as though some people just had been caught up in his life and were irrevocably damaged by it. Eventually, Cosmo nodded, although he already was looking nauseous at the prospect of leaping into the lake. Nick walked to the edge and took in a deep breath before he jumped in and felt the sludge envelop him.

  The water was thick and there were chunks of something best left unidentified floating all around them. Nick opened his eyes and moved toward Cosmo, making sure to hold him close. He couldn't risk Cosmo breaking
through the surface before they were ready. Nick looked up. They had been just in time as the ripples just were fading on the surface of the lake as Nick looked up. There were a few dark, shadowy figures Nick could make out looking down into the murky water. Their voices were muffled, but he could make out laughter. Yet, they quickly turned away.

  Nick was glad. His lungs were burning. He could see panic in Cosmo's eyes. After a few moments Nick nodded. He and Cosmo surfaced, and Cosmo gasped, breathing in deeply. Nick was a little more controlled, knowing it was best to try keeping a steady breathing rhythm. Cosmo looked disgusted, with some sticky things that clung to his arms, and he quickly made his way to the edge of the lake. Nick followed suit, not exactly happy with his condition either. However, he knew it was better to be grimy and stink and have something strange in his hair than be captured by those men. He hoped his pursuers had moved on and were looking elsewhere.

  “Well, I didn't think this world could get much worse, but I guess there's always a new low point. Better than being burned, I guess, but I really hope I never have to do that again. It's not like I can just go and get some new clothes either. God, how am I going to walk around like this?” Cosmo asked. Nick didn't bother answering. He was too busy with his own problems. Seething with anger, he looked in the direction of the men.

  “You look like you're contemplating something very stupid,” Cosmo said. Nick turned to face him. Stupid it may have been, but he couldn't deny the rage that was burning inside him and the longing he had for revenge.

  “You don't know what they've done. Maybe it's time the hunted becomes the hunter.”

  “That's the kind of talk that gets men killed. I don't know about you, but I don't have a death wish, and right now my safety seems like it's linked to yours. So, if you're going to go off on a suicide run at least give me a chance to escape in the other direction.”