The New West

PROLOGUE

Adam Lambert exhaled a weary sigh as he tossed the monkey wrench to the dirt, followed closely by the car jack. “I knew something like this would happen,” he muttered as the spare tire thudded against the ground.

“Come on, Adam. This is all part of the experience,” Connie said through the open window of their Honda, her tone light despite the sweltering heat.

“It’s hot as fresh dog shit, Mom. Turn the engine back on,” Marcie grumbled from the back seat.

“Marcie, watch your mouth,” Adam shot back, unable to suppress a short laugh.

“It’s true, though,” Marcie sighed, leaning her head against the seat in exasperation.

“Just hang tight. We’ll be out of here soon.” Adam positioned the jack under the car and started cranking it up, sweat dripping down his temple in the unforgiving New Mexico sun.

“Adam, maybe it’s the heat, but I don’t feel very good,” Connie said, her voice tight and strained. Adam barely registered her words; a strange sensation had begun to gnaw at him too.

Within moments, he had the car lifted, and the blown tire was off. When he threw it aside, he blinked in surprise it flew much farther than expected. He reached for the spare and slid it into place, pausing as he half-tightened the first bolt. His eyes flicked back to the old tire that by his estimation was thirty feet from the car, a smirk forming. Impressive, he thought.

As he twisted the second bolt with the wrench, a sudden, loud crack shattered the air. The bolt exploded, and Adam fell backward onto his ass, momentarily startled.

“What was that?” Connie’s voice reached him, sounding distorted, like a radio signal breaking up.

“I don’t know... The bolt just burst,” Adam replied, staring at the damaged spare in disbelief. A hole gaped in the rim where the wrench had torn through.

Marcie leaned out the window, eyes wide with confusion.

Pushing himself up, Adam rushed to the driver’s side, expecting to see Connie’s shared shock. But when he looked at her, the world seemed to tilt. Her skin was slipping, melting like candle wax.

“Connie!” he shouted, panic tightening his chest. He dashed around the car, dust flying as he skidded to her side. His breath caught in his chest, her arm, once draped out the window, now lay limp on the dirt, stretched and warped like warm taffy.

Marcie’s eyes darted to her father, reading the horror in his face. A shiver of dread passed through her. She glanced at her hands, where tiny, flickering flames danced across her fingertips. Her scream pierced the thick air, and in an instant, her body erupted into a searing blaze.

Adam watched, frozen, as Marcie stumbled away from the car before collapsing, rolling in futile attempts to douse the flames. Her screams faded, replaced by a silence that echoed in his ears.

Connie’s voice, a feeble, desperate whisper, reached him. “Help... me...”

How? The question circled in his mind, paralyzing him. With a roar of frustration, he slammed his palm against the hood, leaving a crater-like dent. His eyes locked on Marcie’s lifeless, smoldering form. He moved toward her and dropped to his knees, the heat inexplicably absent as he cradled her head against his chest. As the flames licked his shirt, he felt nothing, only the hollow ache of a world upended.

IN 2028 THE FRACKSTONE GROUP BROKE GROUND IN TIERRA AMARILLO, NEW MEXICO.

IN 2033 THEY FOUND THE UNEXPECTED.

IN 2037 THE WALL BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES BECOMES AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

WITH THE INABILITY TO STABILIZE THE HOT ZONE THE GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO QUARANTINE THE AREA.

THEY ARE UNSUCCESSFUL.

WITH DETERORATION OF THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAW IN TIERRA AMARILLO, THE CITY IS REFERRED TO AS THE NEW WEST.

THE POLITICAL GOAL SHIFTS AS THE FEDERAL ARMY NOW FOCUSES ON RESTRICTING ANYONE FROM ENTERING. AND GOD FORBID SOMETHING SHOULD MAKE IT OUT...

Chapter 1

The black checker was lifted and moved to the opposite side of the board, neatly capturing the last red piece. Patricia King had just beaten her grandfather for the sixth game in a row. She glanced at her watch—half past nine. The sun had set hours ago, and the weariness of the day settled heavily on her.

“Well, I think that about wraps it up for today,” she said, her voice soft as she looked into her grandfather’s misty eyes.

“Hold on, Missy. What’s the score? Who’s ahead?” His voice was raspy but carried a sweetness that had always been difficult for her to describe.

Patricia met his gaze, the familiar pang of guilt rising in her chest. She had spoken this lie to him many times in recent months. “It’s tied up,” she said, the words slipping out easily.

For a moment, her grandfather studied her with a look that suggested he knew the truth. Then, a sly smile crept across his lips. “I think we ought to play one more, don’t ya think? Can't rest on a tie.”

Another glance at her watch told her it was getting late. She had a long day ahead of her, but the gentle pleading in his eyes made it impossible to refuse. Sighing, she reset the board.

Chapter 2

As she drove home, Patricia’s thoughts lingered on her grandfather’s condition. Alzheimer’s was taking him from her piece by piece, and the slow, inevitable mental decline of the only family she had left haunted her.

He had been a strong man in his youth, but life had not been kind. His mother had died giving birth, and his father had taken his own life soon after. His first marriage had ended in heartbreak. After being drafted into World War II, he came home to find his wife gone, unable to withstand the loneliness. The second marriage to Amelia had been no better, though not for lack of love. Darnell Wilson, the local drunk, had recklessly stolen their happiness when he ran a red light, taking Amelia’s life in an instant.

Then there was Patricia, his only granddaughter, a product of rape and raised by a mother who had never stood a chance after the attack. After Patricia’s birth, her mother had been committed, eventually overdosing on painkillers in a desperate end to her own suffering.

Angel’s Arms Convalescence Home had done its best for her grandfather, but Patricia had made a promise to herself: if things didn’t work out with her job in the coming year, she would sacrifice her career, leave it behind and bring him back to her home to care for him, no matter what it cost.