Duck for Cover (Nuclear Survival: Northern Exposure Book 2) Read online

  Duck for Cover

  Nuclear Survival: Northern Exposure Book Two

  Harley Tate

  Copyright © 2019 by Harley Tate. Cover and internal design © by Harley Tate. Cover image copyright © Deposit Photos and Neo-Stock, 2019.

  All rights reserved.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  The use of stock photo images in this e-book in no way imply that the models depicted personally endorse, condone, or engage in the fictional conduct depicted herein, expressly or by implication. The person(s) depicted are models and are used for illustrative purposes only.

  Contents

  Duck for Cover

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Acknowledgments

  About Harley Tate

  Duck for Cover

  Nuclear Survival: Northern Exposure Book Two

  A nuclear bomb rips the city apart.

  A hacker and a pre-med college student make the unlikeliest pair, but beggars can’t be choosers in a nuclear apocalypse. Midge and Danny might have escaped the blast of a nuclear bomb, but they’re anything but safe.

  It’s a life and death race against the clock.

  With radiation rushing their way in the form of nuclear fallout, two horses and an antiquated carriage are their only means of escape. If they don’t find cover soon, they’ll suffer a slow and agonizing death no medicine can cure.

  Could you drop everything to save yourself?

  Miles from home and without any friends or family nearby, Midge and Danny will have to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive. If they don’t choose their friends carefully, they might not live long enough to find Midge’s mother or determine if her sister survived.

  The attack is only the beginning.

  Duck for Cover is book two in Nuclear Survival: Northern Exposure, a post-apocalyptic thriller series following ordinary people struggling to survive after a nuclear attack on the Unites States plunges the nation into chaos.

  Subscribe to Harley’s newsletter and receive First Strike, the prequel to the Nuclear Survival saga, absolutely free.

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  Chapter One

  MIDGE

  Saturday, 4:45 pm CST

  Nature Preserve

  Southeast of Chicago, IL

  A rainbow echoed across Midge’s eyelids as she squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding light.

  It’s all real.

  The past day and a half hit her with the force of the nuclear blast fading on the horizon. The skyscrapers crowding around the Chicago River were nothing more than heaps of irradiated rubble. Millions of people dead in an instant. Millions more about to suffer agonizing deaths from the toxic radiation now pluming into the sky.

  Everything Baker found online at the Friday morning Hack-A-Thon swam inside her head. Routes of cargo shipments measured in kilotons. Hushed dark web chatter and speculation. Silence from the government. It all boiled down to the same undeniable truth: the United States would never be the same. Assuming every bomb detonated, twenty-five American cities now smoked and smoldered from the force of nuclear blasts.

  A tremor rocked Midge’s body as a hand slipped around hers. She blinked away the last of the afterglow and focused on her companion.

  Danny stood still, hair stuck up in all directions, boyish charm replaced with a furrowed brow. No amount of college classes or programming skills could help them now. They were racing against an unknown window of time. Would they find shelter before the fallout reached them?

  He tightened his grip on her hand and jerked his chin toward the carriage. “We need to go.”

  Midge nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak. Thanks to an old man they happened upon while trying to flee downtown, Midge and Danny were now the caretakers of two horses, Bethel and Beatrice, and the proud owners of a carriage reminiscent of the Disney movies Midge’s sister loved when they were kids.

  Watching princesses become orphans in every film turned Midge against fairy tales and anything girly. She’d shunned her sister’s attempts to play dress-up, opting for black jeans and combat boots over makeup and fancy clothes. Midge clutched at her middle. What she would give to be back in the past with her mother and sister safe and accounted for. Her father still alive.

  She pulled away from Danny with a jerk and approached the horses. They were tired from the unexpected escape from the city and the shootout that claimed the life of the only owner they ever knew.

  Midge reached for Bethel and she shied away, nostrils flaring. “Shh, it’s okay.” Midge reached out a flat palm the way Max had done, before sliding it down Bethel’s neck. “I know you’re tired, but we’ve got to go.”

  The horse pawed at the ground and Midge managed a sad smile. “Complain all you want, but we don’t have a choice.” She glanced at the horizon. “We’re too close to stay outside. You won’t want to die from radiation poisoning.” With her words, the horse calmed enough for Midge to unhook the bridle from the tree.

  She led Bethel back to the carriage and Danny did the same with Beatrice. Within minutes, they were climbing inside, ready to hit the road. Midge turned in the seat, squinting to make out the gentle rise of Max’s grave. At eighty-five years old, Max had survived more than his share of chaotic events only to lose his life in a shootout over a horse-drawn carriage. It hardly seemed fair. Midge swallowed. She hoped he appreciated the spot they chose beneath a gnarled tree on the edge of the prairie. Even if the fallout came their way, Max would still have a beautiful view.

  Danny flicked the reins and Midge spun back around. The horses didn’t budge. Danny flicked the leather again. Beatrice whinnied and stamped the ground.

  “Come on, we need to go.” Frustration laced Danny’s voice and his hands gripped the reins so hard his knuckles paled. At last, Bethel took the lead, pulling Beatrice toward the dirt road. Danny’s shoulders sagged in relief. “That’s it. Nice and easy.” He leaned back in the seat as the horses settled into a slow trot. They wouldn’t win a race at their speed, but it beat walking.

  Midge tucked a foot beneath her and squinted to see past the trees and field to the road beyond. All she could think about was her family. Did her mom make it out of Chicago and all the way to Suttons Bay? Did her sister listen and get out of Los Angeles while she had a chance?

  If Midge didn’t find a safe place soon, she might never know. The radiation would kill her before she ever reached Michigan. She glanced back at Danny. Was he thinking about his family, too? From everything he said, Midge gathered they weren’t close, but even so… He had to wonder if his father heeded his advice and left Manhattan. After a few moments, she finally voiced the question in her head. “Do you think your dad heard your message?”

  Danny cut her a glance. �
��I don’t know.” His shoulders tensed, saying more than any words. As the horses ambled onto the road, he deflected the conversation back to Midge. “What about your family?”

  “Lainey lives in the heart of LA, right by the TV studio. If she didn’t listen to me, then she’s probably dead.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Once the radiation clears, we can head toward Suttons Bay. Hopefully meet my mom.”

  Danny snuffed back a hint of emotion. “Not the way I’d envisioned meeting a girl’s family, I can tell you that.”

  Midge jabbed him in the arm. “Don’t go getting ideas now, Mr. Pre-med. You try anything and I’ll punch you for real.”

  “Believe me, I know.” Danny grinned and some of the fear and tension clenched around Midge’s heart eased. For all that Danny’s steadfast need to help others drove Midge crazy, she couldn’t imagine making it this far without him. Thanks to him and Raymond, she escaped Big G. And without Danny’s knowledge about nuclear bombs, she wouldn’t know how best to hide from the fallout.

  She thought about Jessica and Raymond and their little guy, Caden. Midge hoped they made it to the hospital and were safely waiting out the fallout in the basement. As she swallowed down the what-ifs, she turned to Danny. “Thanks for sticking with me. I know I’m not the easiest person to get along with.”

  Danny raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Two heads are better than one, aren’t they?”

  Midge never thought so, but that was before the world changed. She opened her mouth to agree when Danny snapped the reins.

  “Look! There’s a sign for Gary. How far is it?”

  Midge peered into the distance. “I can’t read it.”

  Danny spurred the horses on, pushing them into a full-on trot.

  The sign cleared. “Three miles!” Midge turned in excitement, the endless worry momentarily pushed aside. “We should be able to find shelter in plenty of time then, right?”

  Danny didn’t share her relief. “It’s longer than I thought.” Danny flicked the reins again, encouraging Bethel and Beatrice to go even faster. “We might not make it.” With every snap of the leather, the horses sped up, racing down the road while the carriage rocked back and forth in time to their hooves.

  Midge gripped the side and leaned toward Danny. He was going to tire them out too soon. “They’re too tired for this.” She reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist. “You have to slow them down. We don’t have any more feed or water. They’re still exhausted. If we don’t take it easy—”

  “No,” Danny snapped. “We have to find shelter before the wind reaches us. If we don’t…”

  “We can’t run them into the ground, Danny. Max would never forgive us.”

  At the mention of Max’s name, Danny’s grip on the reins eased. Bethel and Beatrice immediately slowed.

  “Thanks.” Midge tried to smile, but Danny didn’t even look her way.

  He nodded ahead. “I think we’re in Gary.”

  The trees and fields gave way to the beginnings of a neighborhood and Midge turned to face the front. She’d been so focused on Danny and the horses, she hadn’t noticed the change. A bright blue house hugged the street, paint peeling from rotting soffits and loose siding. A window air conditioner sagged from a half-boarded-up window. The house beside it fared no better.

  Midge swallowed. This wasn’t the part of town she’d hoped to enter. “How long do we have?”

  Danny licked a finger and stuck it up into the air. “We’re a fair ways from the blast zone, but the winds are heading straight for us. My best guess is a few hours, max.”

  “What if the wind changes?”

  He cut her a glance. “Do you really want to take that chance?”

  Midge shook her head. Danny was right; they needed shelter and they needed it now. “What are we looking for?”

  “Concrete or brick, solid construction, no windows, few doors. A bomb shelter would be ideal. If we can’t find that, then a basement or a cellar. Anything below ground.”

  “What about the horses?” Midge stared at the two animals who’d saved their lives more than once. “We have to find a place for them, too.”

  Danny didn’t respond and Midge didn’t press the issue. She knew finding a place that would fit the carriage and both horses might be impossible, but they had to try. Midge could harden her heart against grown adults with free will. But animals put to work like Bethel and Beatrice couldn’t make their own choices. They brought the horses into this mess and they needed to find a way to keep them safe.

  As they passed another block, brick bungalows dominated the neighborhood. Little tan squares, one after the other, with broken concrete sidewalks and three steps up to a security screen door. One sat open and a man lounged on the front step. A hand-lettered sign in the front window read Laundry Drop-Off: 7–9 a.m.

  The man pulled a cigarette away from his lips and held it between his thumb and index finger as he stared at Midge. She shivered and focused on the road.

  Three houses down, a sprinkler ran in the front yard, weak jets of water arcing over a patch of more dirt than grass. A handful of children, some dressed in nothing more than diapers, ran underneath the sprinkles, squealing and laughing. Midge stared in horror. If they didn’t get inside, would they die?

  A girl emerged from the water, no older than five or six, and pointed at the carriage. “Look! Look!” She ran down the sidewalk, tripping over the broken patches as she went. “Can we have a ride? Can we pet the horses?”

  Danny loosened up on the reins, but Midge kicked him in the shin. “Don’t.”

  He licked his lips, eyes wide and unfocused. “We have to say something. Find their parents and warn them.”

  A bark caught Midge’s attention and she swiveled in her seat. A black dog lunged at a chain-link fence, teeth bared and snarling. Beatrice whinnied and shied away, almost crashing into Bethel. A screen door slammed open and a man stormed down stained and broken steps, shouting at the dog. As he saw the carriage, he fell silent, eyes tracking Midge and Danny as they passed.

  “Don’t slow down.”

  Danny flicked the reins and the horses sped up. “It’s not right.”

  “Neither is dying because we stopped. We’ve come too far to give up now.” Midge reached back for her bag and Max’s revolver. She pulled out the hunk of cold metal and rested it in her lap. “They had to have seen the blast. They have to know what’s happened.”

  Another door opened and a pair of men stepped out onto a front porch a few houses ahead. Shaved heads. Arms full of tattoos. Both stared at Danny and Midge. One held a baseball bat loose against his side. The other held a hand behind his back. Panic lodged in Midge’s throat. They had to get out of there.

  Chapter Two

  DANNY

  Saturday, 5:00 pm CST

  Gary, Indiana

  Danny glanced at the gun in Midge’s lap. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting ready.” She inched closer to him and lowered her voice. “Two men are following us.”

  He began to turn, but Midge elbowed him in the side. “Don’t look. One’s holding a bat and I think the other has a gun, but I haven’t got a visual.”

  “What do they want with us?”

  “Anything we have, I imagine.”

  Danny’s lips thinned into a line and he urged the horses on. The dog still barked and snarled behind them and Beatrice strained at the harness. Whether she sensed Danny and Midge’s fear or merely reacted to the aggressive animal, Danny didn’t know, but he was thankful all the same. He turned the horses on the next block and let Beatrice lead as fast as she wanted.

  After half a mile, Midge slid back to her side of the carriage. “They didn’t turn the corner. I think we’re okay.”

  Danny almost laughed. Okay? They were so far from okay it was tragically funny. He took the reins by one hand and wiped at the sweat beading across his forehead. Based on what he remembered from school, they didn’t have long to seek shelter. Microscopic particles of fallou
t could descend to the earth within twenty minutes after some blasts, within an hour for even the biggest. As best as he could figure, they were close to thirty miles from the heart of downtown Chicago.

  Far enough away to be free from the immediate effects, but the wind continued to blow down from the north. If it picked up, would the fallout reach them in two hours? Four? Ten? Danny had no idea. The safest bet was to find shelter ASAP and stay there for two days at least. Danny flicked his eyes back and forth. As they rocketed down the road, the houses on either side thinned, growing sparser and sparser the farther they traveled.

  His eyebrows bunched as he focused on the reins. Weren’t they supposed to be entering town? Why did it look like they were leaving it? If he couldn’t find them somewhere to hide…

  A hundred yards ahead, Danny spotted a train crossing sign hugging the edge of the asphalt. Just beyond, a set of tracks broke the road in two. No guard gates. No lights.

  He slowed the horses. The trees grew sparser as they neared the tracks and a single train with a handful of cars came into view. It languished a hundred feet down the track, the final car open and empty.

  The horses walked over the tracks, picking their way amongst the ties. The carriage struggled over the rails, one wheel almost sticking in a rut of soft earth.

  Midge pointed at the parked train. “What about a box car?”