Dangerous world, p.25
Dangerous World, page 25
But even as the thought entered her mind, she pushed it away. Leaving wasn’t an option. She’d made a promise to serve, and that was what she was going to do. She was fighting for a greater cause, one she would not—could not—abandon, no matter what the cost.
END OF DANGEROUS WORLD
EMP AFTERMATH BOOK THREE
Broken World, July 13, 2022
Chaotic World, August 10, 2022
Dangerous World, September 14, 2022
Divided World, May 10, 2023
PS: Do you enjoy prepper fiction? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts from Divided World, No Rescue, and Crumbling World.
THANK YOU
Thank you for purchasing ‘Dangerous World’
(EMP Aftermath Book Three)
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ABOUT GRACE HAMILTON
Grace Hamilton is the prepper pen-name for a bad-ass, survivalist momma-bear of four kids, and wife to a wonderful husband. After being stuck in a mountain cabin for six days following a flash flood, she decided she never wanted to feel so powerless or have to send her kids to bed hungry again. Now she lives the prepper lifestyle and knows that if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens, she’ll be ready to help protect and provide for her family.
Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"
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BLURB
They went looking for their daughter. They found a civil war…
Laurel and her husband Bear are finally reunited. But South Minneha Hospital is no longer the haven it once was. Together, they take on a new quest: leaving the hospital behind, and setting off to find their daughter, Mae.
Accompanied by Trent and Jess, Laurel and Bear leave the safety of Minneha and begin their search, knowing only that Private Mae Petersen was serving in the US Army when the EMP hit. The Internet is just a memory, and phones are now quaint relics. Finding out where one private was stationed—and where she might be now—will take a miracle.
Laurel is up for the challenge, but the world changed while she was fighting to save Minneha. Roving bands of gunmen have given way to organized paramilitary groups. The land she and her companions must cross is contested by two factions, the Militia and the Freemen. Tensions are rising, lines are being drawn, and one fact is painfully clear…
If Laurel and Bear are to reunite their family, they’re going to have to fight.
Get your copy of Divided World
Available May 10, 2023
(Available for pre-order now)
www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com
EXCERPT
Chapter One
Laurel
“All set?” Laurel crouched down and tucked the blanket a little closer around her mom’s legs.
“Stop fussing, darling.” Her mom smiled and tweaked her index finger beneath Laurel’s chin. She was wearing her customary bright red lipstick and a splash of mascara, but her complexion was paler than normal.
“It won’t hurt to wait until it’s a little warmer out.” Laurel glanced at the large glass windows that enclosed the hospital foyer. Still only March, while it was sunny outside, it was also bitterly cold. Especially when the wind blew.
For a long moment, Laurel’s mother looked at her. Her eyes softened, as if she was feeling sorry about something. But then she said, “Nonsense, come on. I need some air. I’ve been stuck inside for weeks.”
Standing up, Laurel moved to the back of her mom’s wheelchair and flexed her fingers on the handles. Since her return to South Minneha, no one had ventured outside unless it was for hunting, scavenging, or one of their weekly trips to look for townsfolk who might need medical help; it had been too cold for leisurely walks. But the last snow fell more than a week ago now, and the ground was starting to thaw. So, Laurel had promised her mother a short outing. Looking at her mom’s diminutive frame, however, she was beginning to wonder whether it was a good idea.
That morning, once the sun was up, and the snow a little softer, Bear and Henry had cleared something of a path around the building using Henry’s special salt mixture and two large shovels. Laurel intended to start at the front, exiting from the foyer, and loop around until they were back where they’d started. She had packed a thermos of coffee and some cookies for them to enjoy when they reached the bench that looked out at the forest. If her mom was doing okay.
Over the past few weeks, she’d been quieter than normal. When she caught Laurel watching her, she made an effort to smile and pretend to be upbeat. But Laurel knew she was hiding the true extent of her discomfort. As Bear pulled open the doors for them, she made a mental note to discuss her mother’s meds with Hannah later. The new combination they’d started her on was never going to have the same effect as the trial meds had, but Laurel would have expected to see at least some improvement.
“See you soon.” Laurel allowed her hand to graze Bear’s as she walked past him. He smiled at her and nodded. Once he was out of earshot, Laurel’s mom reached up and patted Laurel’s hand. “Things seem to be going well between the two of you?”
Pulling her scarf tighter around her neck, Laurel laughed. “Well, that took all of thirty seconds.”
“What did?” Her mom folded her arms around her middle.
“Asking about me and Bear. We’ve been out of the building less than a minute.”
“Well,” her mom chuckled, “I don’t get any other chance to ask you. Lately, it seems that wherever you are, he’s only a few steps behind you.” She looked over her shoulder and gave Laurel a knowing glance. “So…?”
“So, nothing.” Laurel pushed the chair over a difficult patch of ground and winced at the twinge in her ankle. Although the injury had healed, she was still experiencing discomfort and it was starting to irritate her. She was not used to being unable to shake something when she wanted to. Several times, Bear had offered to give her some PT but she’d refused, telling him it would sort itself out soon. Now, however, she was beginning to wonder whether she should give in and allow him to help.
“Not nothing.” Her mom’s tone had become sharper, the way it was when she was about to tell Laurel off about something. “Laurel, the world crumbled around our ears. Bear came all the way here from Thunder Bay to find you. You were the first thing he thought of. You. That has to mean something.”
Laurel pressed her lips together and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose; the cold was making them slip. “Maybe, but do we need to figure it out right now?”
She expected her mom to answer right away, but instead there was a long pause. She watched her mother’s shoulders gently rise and fall as she took several deep breaths. “I’d like you to figure it out before—”
“Coffee,” Laurel interrupted. She knew what her mother was about to say and, not for the first time, stopped her from saying it. She couldn’t hear talk like that. Not now. Not ever. Not after such a long, hard journey to get back here. “I brought coffee and cookies. We’re nearly at the bench. Do you feel up to stopping for a snack break?”
After a short, sharp sigh, her mom replied, “When have I ever turned down cookies?” then laced her gloved fingers together in her lap and remained quiet while they made their way around the side of the hospital building toward the picturesque lawn and forest out back.
“I have to say,” Laurel spoke up — feeling the need to fill the silence with words — “You know I’m not Robert Sullivan’s biggest fan, but it was a good idea to keep this area open. Part of the hospital grounds. It’s good for the soul to be close to nature.”
“Is that a scientific opinion?” her mom asked, slightly sharp .
“Yes, actually.” They were almost at the bench. Bear and Henry had cleared a path directly to it. On the brow of the dip that led down toward the trees, it gave a perfect view of the forest and the sky beyond. “There was a study. I remember reading about it—”
Mid-sentence, Laurel stopped.
“Did you hear that?” She stepped sideways, so she was standing next to her mom, and strained her ears. “I swear I heard something.” She looked down at her mother. She too was listening intently but shook her head.
“No, dear. I can’t hear anything.”
“I’m sure…” Laurel peered down the slope at the trees. The spaces between them were dark and uninviting. She’d ventured in there a couple of times with Bear and Trent on their hunting expeditions, but on the whole, had left food gathering to them; they were better at it and Trent seemed to revel in the alone time with Bear. He hadn’t said anything, he was too sweet a kid for that, but Laurel could tell he was finding it hard to adjust to sharing Bear’s attention with someone else.
She was shaking her head, about to take out the coffee, when something moved in the periphery of her vision. She stepped forward, watching the tree line.
“Is someone there?” Her mother asked, following Laurel’s gaze.
“I’m not sure.” She turned and flicked the brakes on her mom’s chair. “Mom, can you wait here a moment?”
“I can’t exactly make a run for it,” her mother quipped.
Striding away from the path Bear cleared for her, Laurel inched through the thinning snow until she was a few feet away from the bench. There. Something was definitely moving.
Reaching for her gun with one hand, she waved the other and called, “Hello? If there’s somebody there, I’m a doctor. This is a hospital. Do you need help?”
For a moment, nothing moved. A cold breeze whipped across Laurel’s face. Then a voice carried forward on the wind. “Help! Help! My sister-in-law. She needs help!”
As Laurel took another step forward, a figure emerged from the trees. A woman. Waving frantically, she called again, “My sister-in-law needs help. Please!”
“Mom,” Laurel turned to her mother. “I’ll be right back. Wait there.”
Then she charged down the slope in the direction of the trees.
By the time Laurel reached her, the woman was no longer alone. She’d been joined by another, who was clutching her stomach and seemed barely able to stand. When she looked up and moved her arm, Laurel realized why.
“You’re pregnant…” Laurel rushed forward and took the woman’s other arm. In answer, she simply groaned and clutched her stomach harder.
“Her name’s Tory. She’s thirty-six weeks. I’m Kate. She’s my brother’s wife.” The woman who’d shouted at Laurel from the trees adjusted her friend’s weight on her shoulder and winced.
“Okay, Kate. We’re not far from the hospital. Let’s get Tory inside. Is your brother—” Laurel glanced back at the trees, but Kate replied with a solemn shake of the head. Laurel nodded in understanding, then motioned for them to start moving. Slowly, they began to help Tory up the slope.
“Tory, I’m a doctor, can you tell me what happened? When did you start experiencing pain?”
Tory breathed in hard, gritted her teeth, then replied, “This morning. It just started this morning.”
“Are you having contractions?”
“I don’t know.” Tory gripped Laurel’s arm a little harder. “How do I know?”
“Does the pain come in waves? Or is it constant?”
“Constant. All the time. No waves.” Tory winced and wobbled, but Kate steadied her. Then, stopping, she looked up at Laurel. “This is a hospital, so you can help me? Right?” Her voice wavered and moisture sprung to her eyes. “I can’t lose my baby.”
“We can help you, Tory.” Laurel nodded firmly. “We just need to get you inside.”
As they drew closer to the bench, and Laurel’s mom realized what was happening, Laurel saw her push herself gingerly out of her chair and shuffle to the bench itself. “Mom,” she called, “sit back in your chair!”
But when they reached her, her mother simply said, “This young woman needs it more than I do. Take her inside and send someone back for me. I’ll be fine for a few minutes.”
Laurel bit her lower lip. Her mom had already been outside for almost half an hour. But there was no way Tory would make it to the foyer without the chair.
“All right,” she said, lowering Tory into the wheelchair. “But I’ll send someone right away.” She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it firmly around her mom’s shoulders. “Just hang tight, okay?”
Her mother’s answer was drowned out by another pained cry from Tory. “It hurts,” she moaned. “Please. Help me. It hurts.”
“Help her!” Kate grabbed Laurel’s elbow.
“Okay, Tory. Here we go.” Laurel looked briefly at her mom. “I’ll send Henry right back.” Then she nodded, and began pushing.
Get your copy of Divided World
Available May 10, 2023
(Available for pre-order now)
www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com
No Rescue
BLURB
A rising storm. A sudden catastrophe. No hope of rescue…
A storm looms on the horizon as Ruth Garber and her granddaughter Stella travel by helicopter to an offshore drilling rig. Ruth, a world-class geologist, is there to consult on a software upgrade. Stella, a geology student, just wants to prove herself to her legendary grandmother. They don’t know their trip will become a grim struggle to survive…
When the helicopter goes down after dropping them off, they realize they’re in trouble. The platform loses power. Cell phones don’t work. Everything electronic is dead. Stranded with a skeleton crew on a steel platform miles from shore, battered by massive waves, the deadly truth of their predicament slowly sinks in.
Meanwhile, John and his son Curtis are in a fishing boat, suddenly adrift when the engine fails. The waves are getting higher, and the storm has them on a collision course with the rig.
As the castaways on the rig struggle to survive, they discover the back-up generator has been deliberately damaged. When people begin to disappear, they come to a grim realization.
Someone in their tiny group is a saboteur.
Get your copy of No Rescue
Available December 14, 2022
www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com
BLURB
Family comes first—and he’ll do whatever it takes to protect his from the looming storm.
Even before becoming a husband and father, safety had been Shane McDonald’s priority for most of his forty-five years. As a nuclear engineer, it’s his responsibility to keep the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant functioning at optimum levels to avoid what protesters fear most—a meltdown.
But when a coronal mass ejection from the sun wipes out power across the globe, stopping a nuclear chain reaction is no longer his primary concern.
Now Shane must trek across hundreds of miles to ensure the safety of his loved ones in a world rapidly disintegrating into lawlessness. Yet with few functioning automobiles and a blind teenage daughter to protect, it’ll require careful planning to reach his prepper mother-in-law’s and reunite with his family.
His wife has her hands full as well. When her brother’s chemo drip suddenly stops working and her son gets stuck in the hospital elevator, all Jodi McDonald wants is the security of her husband’s steady presence. But with a weakened brother and inexperienced son to look after, Jodi must remain strong amid the chaos and help guide them to her mother’s.
However, even the best laid plans go awry as the miles stretch out between them. Supply thefts run rampant. Those who have necessities prey on those who don’t. Minds broken by hardship kill on sight.
But the fatal mistake comes when thugs threaten the McDonald’s little girl.
Shane must find the strength to do the unthinkable—or watch his family suffer the consequences.
Grab your copy of Crumbling World (Surviving the End Book One) from
www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com
EXCERPT
Chapter One
Violet must have sensed the furious crowd gathered in front of the gate. In the rearview mirror, Shane saw her sit up straighter and cock her head to one side. Ruby, her black lab guide dog, responded to the sudden change in her body language and looked at her with concern. Roughly two dozen people had gathered in a grassy area alongside the entry road to the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, some of them carrying neatly stenciled signs as they marched back and forth. On the other side of the road two police officers stood watching in front of their patrol car.
