Free The Exodus Is Over by C. Chase Harwood Page A

Paris.”
      She gave a light chuckle.
      “Sorry I nearly tossed you.”
      “I lost my pistol.”
      “At least you didn’t get bit.”
      “The son-of-a-bitch’s claws felt like a vise grip.”
      “If we stop again, we’ll check the trunk. There’s usually a lot of gear in a cop car. Maybe there’s a vest or something for you. Another gun.”
      “Let’s just not stop.”
      “That’s a good plan too.”
      The air howled through the hole in the windshield and Jon found himself ducking to his right to keep it from hitting him directly in the face.  
      Nikki kept her head turned away from him and he could see her try to shrug off a sob.
      Jon tried to soften his voice. “It’s all right to be freaked. I’ve seen the toughest soldiers cry like babies during this thing. You okay?”
      She turned, wiping snot from her nose with the back of her hand, “Marines aren’t soldiers, we’re Marines. You one of those dumb question reporters?”
      Jon gave her a wry smile and turned back to his driving.
      “That’s the closest call I’ve had.”
      “Welcome to the saliva club.”
      “Thanks. How can I get my membership revoked?”
      Nikki tried the AM and FM radio, but could only find static. As they drove into deeper forest, the carnage thinned out and the countryside became peaceful looking again. A beautiful river flowed past them on the right and they both relaxed a little until they noticed the bodies floating along, others tangled in branches or caught on boulders. That’s when Jon’s hands started shaking. It was just a tremor at first and he shook them out over the steering wheel.
      Nikki hardly took notice, her head buried in the map. “There’s a town coming up when this road comes to a T. The shortest distance is to break left, but it eventually takes us closer to the Interstate and bigger population centers. If we go right, it takes us into Maine. It’s more rural, definitely farther, maybe fewer obstacles though. I vote right.”
      Jon tried slapping one of his hands on the dashboard.
      “What’s wrong?”
      “Not sure. Nervous tick, I guess.”
      “Combat shakes. Happens all the time. Better pull over and let me drive while your nervous system sorts itself out.”
      “Just a moment ago you were having your own mini-meltdown. And what happened to not stopping?”
      “I’m fine now. You’re exhausted. You might stop us with a tree.”
      Jon considered this. He was certainly exhausted. “Maybe I’ll shut my eyes for a few. If I think about it, I haven’t really done anything but run and fight for three months now.”  
      He pulled the car over to the shoulder. “Let’s not open the doors.”
      “Why don’t you climb in back. Lay down. See if you can catch a few Z’s. You can spell me afterwards. The next town is Errols. One street. We’ll be in and out in two minutes. I’ll wake you only if I have to.”
      “Okay. That sounds good. Thanks”
      Jon climbed in back and Nikki slid over. He was halfway out by the time she pushed down on the accelerator.

    AUTHOR’S NOTE
    I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride. Please don’t hesitate to add a review at your favorite retailer. I’ve provided the soil and the seed, reviews are the sun and water to make it grow.  
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    Part 2 of Of Sudden Origin really puts the pedal to the metal. An excerpt from the book follows this page.

    Cheers,
    C. Chase Harwood

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    C. Chase Harwood made a career in Hollywood, decorating sets for film and television before turning his passion for story telling into clicks on a keyboard. While scaling the walls of the screenwriting world, he chose to