Sanctuary: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series)

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Authors: G. Michael Hopf
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this way. “You see, I can’t go back until I have avenged the death of my son. I can’t go back to my family knowing that I’m a failure. It must sound crazy, but I need to go find and kill this man. Only then can I go back and look my wife in the eyes and ask for forgiveness.”
    Brittany nodded. “Okay. So who is this man and how do you know he’s in Oregon?”
    “Is that important for you to know?”
    “Gordon, we’ve been together for weeks. Don’t you trust me? You even said I had a good sense about things. I just want to know what your plan is. I want to help if I can.”
    Gordon smiled at her. He was relieved that she sounded supportive of his plan to go find Rahab. He assumed she’d be wary.
    “You’re right about you having a good sense about things—up until the rest area, that is. Your sixth sense didn’t see that coming?” he joked.
    They both discussed the plan he had for going to speak with the woman in Crescent to see what she knew about Rahab. They went back and forth on contingencies and possible scenarios. She lectured him on his tendency to make hasty decisions, and asked if he’d promise to be more thoughtful. He agreed.
    As he got up to leave she grabbed his hand and held it.
    “You know, I have something to confess too,” she said with a nervous grin.
    “Oh, no, do I want to know?” he joked.
    “This is serious, kinda.”
    “Sorry, go ahead.”
    “I noticed you had a wedding band on the first day we set off on our trip. Being that you never mentioned a wife, I assumed she must have died. I didn’t want to ask because, you know, who wants to talk about that stuff? Life is hard enough without having to relive it all the time in conversation. You see, when you mentioned that you did have a wife and a daughter and they’re alive, I was a bit disappointed.”
    Gordon knew where this was going and it made him feel uncomfortable.
    “I’ve really grown to like you, Gordon, and I, you know, thought that maybe, we . . .”
    “I’m sorry. I should have been honest with you from the beginning.”
    “No, no, it’s okay,” she said like a nervous schoolgirl. “I just think a lot of you and will miss you when you’re gone.”
    “I’ll miss you too, you’re a good partner on the road. You are in good hands here and I will be back. I promised you and Tyler I’d take you to Idaho and that’s just what I’ll do.”
    “Okay. Well, you better go.”
    “You get well and I’ll see you later,” Gordon said, standing up and walking toward the door. He fought the urge to hug her, knowing it might be painful for her.
    As he was opening the door, she blurted out, “Hey, Gordon.”
    “Yeah?”
    “You’re a good man. You really are. You’re not perfect, that’s for sure, but deep down you’re a solid guy. Thank you for everything.”
    Gordon nodded and left. As the door closed, he wondered if he’d ever see her again.
    Sacramento, California
    Pablo looked through the T-72’s scope. The 125-millimeter cannon was pointed directly at the front of the California State Capitol. He was now only feet away from securing the capitol of California. From where his tank sat on Tenth Street and Capitol Mall, he had a clear shot of the front doors. Thick, black smoke billowed and poured out of broken windows and holes that punctured the building. Parts of the dome had collapsed and large craters dotted the grounds all around the building. The heavy artillery and mortar bombardment had been effective, but as most army textbooks teach, the only way to truly take something is to have boots on the ground.
    “Is this loaded?” he asked the gunner sitting behind him.
    “Yes, sir,” the young tank gunner answered.
    “So, I just push this here and it will fire, correct?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    He placed his eye back on the scope and, using the handles, turned the turret so that the gun was pointed directly at the front of the building.
    “What do you say when you set this off?”
    “We say,

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