William Johnstone - The Doomsday Bunker

Larkin had sent the service elevator back down once everyone was here, so he was a little surprised when he heard its door open. He turned around and saw Jim Huddleston standing there. Huddleston’s face was set in grim lines.

“Decide to come with us, Jim?” Larkin asked.

“You know better than that. I just wanted to tell you… some of the people in the group staying behind have been talking about organizing and electing a new leader. Beth wants the job.” Huddleston took a breath. “And you and I both know, when Beth wants something…”

“She usually finds a way to get it.” Larkin shrugged. “If that’s what she wants, I wish her luck. She may wind up regretting it, though.”

“I just thought you should know that if she’s running things down in the project, you and your people… well, you won’t be welcome back here. If you try to come back, there’s liable to be trouble.”

“Jim, if there’s one thing I can promise you, it’s that nobody’s going to want to come back here, unless it’s to help you folks out. You’re going to have to move back to the surface eventually. If we can, we’d be glad to give you a helping hand.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see when and if that day comes. Until then…”

Huddleston stuck his hand out.

Larkin hesitated; he couldn’t deny that. He didn’t like Huddleston, had very little respect for the man. But there was no point in being a jerk, either. He gripped Huddleston’s hand hard for a second and meant it when he said, “Good luck.”

Huddleston nodded and went back into the elevator. The door slid closed. For the brave souls here in the basement, the Hercules Project was over. They were moving on to something they hoped would be better.

As they left, they would walk past two graves. Larkin hadn’t wanted to put Graham and Deb Moultrie into the incinerator. He and some of the others had dug the graves, fashioned markers for them. Moultrie and Deb rested on a hilltop, looking out over the project. Someday, grass and flowers would grow again on that hill, Larkin hoped. He would probably never see it, but that day would come.

He looked around again. Susan was there, summoning up a smile. Jill, still looking a little pale from the wound she had suffered, but strong and determined anyway. Trevor and the kids, setting off into what was a vast unknown for them, but unshakable in their family bond. The widow, daughter, and son-in-law of Larkin’s old friend Adam Threadgill, reminding Larkin that he wished Adam was here to see this day. It might never have come without him, because he was the one who had told Larkin about the Hercules Project in the first place. Wade, Rodriguez, Adams, and the other men who had gone with Larkin on that first mission to the surface were here, too. Like him, they knew they could make it up there. And Earl Crandall, who would show them the way on his motorcycle, a new friend, but one of them now.

“Patrick,” Susan said. “Look at the sky.”

Larkin tipped his head back and gazed up through the ruined building at the thick gray clouds overhead. At first, he didn’t see what Susan was talking about, but then…

There was the smallest of gaps, a tiny crack in the overcast, really, but behind it for a second, maybe two, Larkin saw a sliver of blue sky before the clouds came together again.

That was enough to tell him it was still there. Hope was still there.

Larkin stepped out to lead the way up the ramp into the light.

Though known largely for their westerns, New York Times bestsellers, WILLIAM W. JOHNSTONE and J. A. JOHNSTONE are the authors of some of the most explosive and timely thrillers of the last decade, including the nationally bestselling Tyranny , a ripped-from-the-headlines story of citizens’ rights and government wrongs, and Stand Your Ground , a chilling depiction of terrorism on American soil.

The Johnstones know that freedom is never free. They fully support our military and regularly donate books to our troops. You can learn more about this as well as upcoming releases and special promotions by visiting williamjohnstone.net, or kensingtonbooks.com

Look for these heart pounding thrillers by William W. Johnstone, writing with J. A. Johnstone, available whenever books are sold

BLACK FRIDAY

TYRANNY

STAND YOUR GROUND

SUICIDE MISSION

THE BLEEDING EDGE

THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTS

HOME INVASION

JACKKNIFE

REMEMBER THE ALAMO

INVASION USA

INVASION USA: BDRDER WAR

VENGEANCE IS MINE

PHOENIX RISING

PHOENIX RISING: FIREBASE FREEDOM

PHOENIX RISING: DAY OF JUDGMENT

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Copyright © 2017 J. A. Johnstone

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Following the death of William W. Johnstone, the Johnstone family is working with a carefully selected writer to organize and complete Mr. Johnstone’s outlines and many unfinished manuscripts to create additional novels in all of his series like The Last Gunfighter, Mountain Man, and Eagles, among others. This novel was inspired by Mr. Johnstone’s superb storytelling.

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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ISBN: 978-0-7860-3605-9

First electronic edition: October 2017

ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-3606-6

ISBN-10: 0-7860-3606-0