The Line of Departure: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series Book 4) by G. Michael Hopf Read Free Book Online Page B

making sure I got everything out that was useful,” Gordon commented as he pointed at the Humvee he had taken on that trip.
    “Sorry, Van Zandt, I swear I ordered it to be in there.”
    “It’s all right; I know you can’t control everything.”
    “Here,” Gunny said, handing him the phone. “The coverage can be spotty; we lost some of the communication satellites in the EMP attacks.”
    Gordon took the phone, reached in his pocket, and pulled out a small green notepad. He flipped through the pages till he reached the one where Cruz had written down his number. Gordon didn’t know where the number went, but Cruz told him that if he ever needed anything to call him. He carefully entered the nine-digit number and placed the phone to his ear. The first few seconds was dead air, then a series of clicks followed by a ring tone that sounded distant. He raised his eyebrows and winked at Gunny when the connection was made. Knowing that was a cue to leave, Gunny patted Gordon on the shoulder and walked back into the house.
    By the eighth ring, Gordon was growing skeptical that anyone would even answer. The initial excitement when he heard the connection and ring was vanishing quickly. By the twelfth ring, he became weary. He was pacing the gravel driveway, kicking rocks. He imagined a phone in some far-off corner office ringing with not a soul around to answer. In frustration, he hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. His mind contemplated what move, if he had any, he should make. How on earth could he find out if Brittany and Tyler were safe? The only solution that came to mind was driving the three-plus hours to Mountain Home Air Force base; there he knew he’d be able to reach Cruz. But he couldn’t think of any rational explanation to tell Samantha. He could send someone in his stead but even then, what would be the justification for risking someone’s life on a trip that long? With no answers apparent except to try again later, he headed back toward the house.
    As he did, a car horn blared in the distance. Gordon walked down the long drive to see an old Dodge truck with Michael Rutledge behind the wheel, a load of wood in the truck bed. He unlocked the metal gate and swung it open.
    As Michael drove inside, Gordon saw that he was accompanied by his young son, Austin, who was just seven months older than Haley. He and Haley had grown fond of each other, and their time together was enjoyable to watch. Austin paid close attention to Haley and made sure she never was hurt, while Haley would dote on him. The two were inseparable, and for Gordon it was nice to see Haley so happy after all she had been through.
    Michael Rutledge was a few years younger than Gordon. He was tall and lean, standing at six feet, with a full head of dark black hair. Michael wasn’t a native Idahoan, but had relocated to the area six years prior, just after Austin was born. He had run a successful dental practice in Lowell, Massachusetts, but fortunes aligned for him and Tiffany when a practice became available in McCall. They both wanted out of Massachusetts for many reasons, one being the quality of life. They had always dreamed of raising their children in a small mountain town, and Idaho had been a part of their lives in the past as they were both avid skiers. With the purchase of the practice in McCall and the quick sale of his practice in Lowell, their dreams became reality when they finalized the move to McCall in 2009.
    Michael wasn’t shy about sharing his libertarian political views with anyone, especially his controversial belief that the United States was ripe for separation. Many years before the attacks, he had predicted that the country wouldn’t hold together if a major event occurred. To date, his predication had come true. He often would comment that it seemed impossible for a large central government thousands of miles away to tell someone living in the mountains of Idaho how to live. He looked at how the country was