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geyser was no longer there. Multiple vents had opened up around it and steam camouflaged the cavities until the eruption was like a cannon being fired right inside the room they were standing in. Maxie wasn’t sure the resonating crack had occurred on television or if she’d heard it for herself outside. She reached for the desk behind her and covered one arm over her head in case the roof caved in on them, but the rattling subsided slowly until it was like it had never happened all. But it had. And the television screen was now nothing but static.
    “Are you all right?” Berke must have made his way back when the blast had occurred. His comforting hand was on her lower back as he helped her straighten, but her only thought was that she had to get to Jacob. He had to be so scared and she was the only one who could calm him down. “Maxie?”
    “Yeah,” Maxie replied, doing her best to keep the tremor out of her voice. She tried to prioritize and figured she could make it back to the station in under ten minutes if she left for the courthouse now. No one was going to worry about useless paperwork when they’d just been ordered to evacuate. “Where will you be? I’m going to go get Jacob and then come back here to help organize the groups. I think we should—”
    “Maxie, I’m not going east with the rest of you.” Berke stepped back with what appeared to be a small smile of encouragement. Maxie couldn’t have heard right, so she did her best to stop her mind from spinning with all of the things she needed to do. “But you and the others need to do what the government is suggesting. When you reach the East Coast, locate the first FEMA station and set up camp. And Maxie? Whatever you do, do not relinquish your weapon to anyone for any reason.”

Chapter Four

    B erke closed the gate of his truck after packing all of the reloading equipment that he could fit in the bed, along with a few additional important weapons from the shop. Between the powder he loaded into sealed plastic storage bins and the case of primers he was carrying with him, a stray spark could put him in orbit.
    He cursed at the fact that the eruption had occurred so soon, wishing he’d had extra time to make the trip to Washington without having to fight off the elements that were sure to rain down on him before he was a third of the way there. His truck wouldn’t make it farther than an hour or two once the air filter came in contact with any serious amount of ash. He’d have to stay as far south as he could before traveling up the West Coast to Lost Summit and pray that he could make it with the extra filter he’d gotten for the next maintenance cycle on his truck.
    As for the gun range, nothing would be left of it—of that Berke was certain. There would be people remaining behind, they would be looting anything and everything they could find. He’d witnessed firsthand what happened when fear and panic led to desperation, and this time would be no different. There wasn’t anything he could do about the remaining items, but he’d packed up what he could into the gun safes he carried in the shop and set the combinations to the numbers he’d given to the sheriff. He technically couldn’t afford the time it had taken to do so, but he wasn’t about to leave any type of firepower behind for dangerous marauders to steal.
    The sound of a vehicle pulling into the parking lot surprised him, due to the fact that the majority of the town residents were congregated around Main Street to hear what Sheriff Ross had to say on the state of the coming disaster. It wouldn’t be until later today or early tomorrow after the news reported the mass casualties resulting from the blast when those left would start thinking about making some unwise decisions based on fear and ignorance.
    Berke turned to find Maxie pulling up behind his Ford and parking at an angle where backing up his vehicle would virtually be impossible. She didn’t waste much time as she