Desperate Times (47 page)

Jimmy dared another look over the edge. He
quickly ducked back behind the rocks. “They
lied,
” he spat,
feeling the anger return. “It was all one big lie.

Down below in the sleepy little town of Ely,
the National Guard had returned. A convoy of Greyhound and school
buses lined up and the passengers were being shoved into them at
gunpoint. Dozens of military vehicles lined streets that were
swarming with soldiers. They heard a shot, then another. Jimmy
groaned and reached out and took Julie’s hand. “Come on,” he
whispered. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Think about it,” Jimmy said, furiously.
“Everyone came back of their own free will. You’ve got to hand it
those dirty rat bastards. We can’t trust them, not ever again.”

“I don’t understand it, Jimmy,” Julie said.
“Where will we go?”

“We’re going back to Ken’s,” said Jimmy.
“Where else can we go?”

And they climbed back down in the direction
they’d come. When they reached the forest, they began to run. Jimmy
felt the ice running through his veins. He should’ve known better,
he thought, bitterly. There was no happily ever after, not for
them. He wondered if that would ever change.

The
End

I hope you’ve enjoyed this book and will
continue to read the other two books of the trilogy. Desperate
Times is my first published novel and I wrote it as an independent
author. First, I would like to thank everyone who helped make that
possible. Independently writing a novel is a lot like raising a
child, it really does take a community to nurture it into
something, if it has any chance at all of succeeding in the world.
I feel so fortunate to have the support of a loving family and
truly incredible friends, who have made my dream of becoming a
published author a reality; but also for my faithful readers who
have recommended my books to their friends and family. Thank you
all from the bottom of my heart. If you enjoyed reading Desperate
Times, I do hope you’ll take a moment to review and rate the book.
They really help.

In case anyone is interested, I can be found
on Facebook and I enjoy hearing from people who have read my books.
Thanks again for reading!

Sincerely,

Nick