Free 36 Hours: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series by Bobby Akart Page B

took off this week for a vacation around Labor Day.”
    Alex just shook her head. “If that were the case, why wasn’t it empty like this yesterday?” she asked sarcastically.
    “Listen, Alexis, I don’t know the answer to that. I know how you feel about this solar flare and it’s easy to look around for signs to support your thoughts on the subject.”
    “Fine,” she replied and hastily tried to open the door before the truck was stopped. Alex knew something was coming. She could sense it, and not just because it was the topic of conversation in Mr. Stark’s class. She had a strong feeling something was about to happen. Something unpleasant — like a premonition .
    Before Alex opened the door, she turned to her mother. “Mom, I have to turn my phone off while in school. Will you promise to keep the news on? Promise me that you’ll install the solar flare app we talked about yesterday. Please?”
    Madison reached for her and they hugged. Maybe she was a little too overanxious. Alex wasn’t paranoid, just hyperaware. She needed her mom to believe in her.
    “I promise, Alex,” said Madison, looking into Alex’s eyes. “I have some errands to run today. I’ll keep monitoring news reports, and I will install that FlareAware app as soon as you’re inside.”
    “You remembered the name?” asked Alex, who was trying not to become an emotional twit .
    “Yes, honey, of course I did. Moms do listen, you know.”
    “Not always.” Alex started to laugh and wiped a tear from her cheek. She felt better.
    “That’s true; guilty as charged. But this time, I am listening , and I want you to know that you can always count on your daddy and me, okay?”
    “Okay. I love you, Mom.” Alex hugged her mom and scooted out of the truck, grabbing her backpack from the rear seat as she went. She bounded up the sidewalk toward the double door entry. She gave her mom one last smile and then turned her phone back on and set it to vibrate. Just in case .
     

Chapter 16
    12 Hours
    11:20 a.m., September 8
    Dallas Cowboys Training Facilities
    Ford Center at The Star
    Frisco, Texas
     
    Jerry Jones spared no expense when it came to his beloved Dallas Cowboys franchise. But the axiom it takes money to make money clearly applied in his approach to business. Football was a game for the fans, but it was big business to the NFL and its owners.
    When the Cowboys’ latest revolutionary project opened in Frisco, located north of Dallas, the move was hailed as shifting the model for NFL training facilities from a place to hang your cleats and shoulder pads to a complete fan experience.
    Not only was The Star the home of the Cowboys’ offices, but it included two outdoor practice fields, a twelve-thousand-seat indoor stadium, a retail shopping venue, and a sixteen-story Omni hotel and convention center.
    Then there was the exclusive Cowboys Club, where today’s meeting and follow-up luncheon was being held. Jones was the consummate entertainer, and the opportunity to showcase his new high end dining facility overlooking the field was too good to pass up.
    Colton’s mind wandered as the Super Bowl Halftime negotiations continued between his legal team and negotiators for the NFL. He felt guilty for dismissing Alex’s concerns over this solar flare situation. While the day-to-day burden of raising their daughter rested on Madison’s shoulders, Colton strived to be a good father who showed not only love for his only child but to also be the type of parent who really listened to his kid.
    He recognized that times had changed in the twenty-some years since he went through his teens. All of the pressures and dangers facing teens twenty years ago were happening at an even younger age. The temptations of sex, gambling, drinking, and drugs were more prevalent than in his youth. The media and pop culture seemed to celebrate these things rather than discourage them. While he and Madison understood they couldn’t raise their daughter in a bubble,