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

match everything from cancer to gout. It’s crazy.”
    “I forgot to tell you, Sebastian is taking her in to see the doc today.”
    “Finally. What’s wrong with him? He should have taken her earlier,” Samantha said. Samantha and her sister-in-law had grown close over the past few months; it didn’t take long for them to click. For Samantha it meant a lot to have a woman that she could call a sister.
    “I don’t think waiting five days is life or death. She probably has some type of virus or something. She’ll be fine,” Gordon said. He walked over and dropped to a knee next to her. Taking her hand he continued, “You’re such a sweet sister-in-law to be so worried, but I really don’t think we should get too upset just yet.”
    Samantha gripped his hand and smiled. “Argh, you’re right. I’m sure she’ll be fine. I just worry. What used to be little things can be big now, that’s all.”
    “I know. So, can I make you something to eat?”
    “I’m not hungry, you go ahead.”
    “Okay,” Gordon said, then stood and left her. He closed the door behind him so she could get some privacy.
    Outside the door, Gordon’s calm demeanor was shaken. His mind again was swimming with worry. He laughed to himself when he thought about all the “worries and concerns” he had before the lights went out. Those distant worries now seemed so petty. When someone was sick, you went to the doctor, got checked out, they did some tests, prescribed some medicine, and you were usually fine within days. Getting sick then was more of an inconvenience, but now it truly was a matter of life and death. He shuddered at the thought and continued his way to the kitchen.
    Coos Bay, Oregon, Pacific States of America
    The intense fighting the previous night had invigorated Barone. It had been a very long time since he had “hooked and jabbed.” At moments it felt as if his men were losing but the tide was turned when reinforcements from the
Makin Island
showed up. Together with his security forces they destroyed the assault and captured dozens of resistance fighters.
    He stood in front of the mirror and looked at his bloodied and bruised face. In all his years as a Marine, he hadn’t fought so hard. So often, commanders never actually fought, they sat back and led their forces; but last night, he was done with sitting back. He wanted to fight man-to-man even if it meant his life.
    He picked up the washcloth from the sink and began the slow and painful process of washing off the blood and grime. With each swipe, his face reappeared, but it wasn’t the same face that he saw yesterday. Something was different about him; his men saw it too. Those that remained loyal knew he was capable of action, but they had never seen a commander get into the middle of the action before. He stood toe-to-toe with the enemy last night and fought alongside his junior enlisted men. After their victory, he had gathered his men and gave a roaring speech. He had now become a true leader like those leaders of old.
    Not one to miss an opportunity to prove a point, he planned on a public trial for those captured, but not until he could get what intelligence he could from them.
    A tap on the closed bathroom door was followed by Simpson stating, “Sir, Mr. Timms is here. He’s in the waiting room outside your office.”
    Barone dried his hands and opened the door to see Simpson standing there, still filthy from the battle. “What’s he doing here? We haven’t seen him in weeks,” Barone commented. “How’re you holding up?”
    “Good, sir, a bit sore. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a fight like that,” Simpson responded with a grin.
    “Good man. You were fierce last night, a true warrior,” Barone said, a smile across his face.
    “Thank you, sir. We’re working hard to get defenses back up. We’re also moving quickly on what intel we’ve gathered so far from the prisoners. We’re moving in on some rebel strongholds now.”
    “Good,