In the near future, a deadly flu-like virus decimates the Earth's population. The few who remain struggle to survive without electricity, fresh food, or any other amenities they once took for granted. John “Court” Courtland and his best friend Ronnie Densch are two such survivors. Court has never known a time when Ronnie wasn't in his life. They grew up together. But it's only as they begin to move forward in the post-apocalyptic chaos of Virginia that Court realizes he's in love with Ronnie. Always has been, and always will be, even if he never lets himself admit it out loud. Ronnie is a private, inscrutable man who lets no one close to him except Court. With winter coming on, Ronnie wants to move farther south to warmer weather, and Court follows without question. Along the way, they're joined by other survivors, a ragtag bunch all looking for guidance. As they travel, they hear faint radio signals from Fort Sumter, South Carolina, where a rebuild effort is underway. The world Court once knew has changed, leaving behind a dangerous and lawless landscape. But come whatever storms, he knows he can weather them with Ronnie by his side. Will Sumter turn out to be everything Court hopes for and more? And will he find the courage to tell Ronnie how he really feels before it’s too late?

Come Whatever Storms

Adam blinked at him in surprise. His eyes were huge and owlish without his glasses. Carefully he put the glasses back on, hooking one temple behind an ear, then hooking the other into place. Then Adam squinted at Court, as if trying to figure out if he were just saying stupid shit because he was frustrated—they all were—or if maybe he knew something the rest of them did not.


Finally Adam cleared his throat and propped his hands on his hips. “Well,” he said, but there was nothing to follow it. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned up at the sky. After a long moment, he asked, “Seriously?”


Court sighed. “He said it’ll be overcrowded. He did the math. If one percent of the population survived, and there’s like three billion people in the whole United States—or there werethree billion, or three hundred billion, or something, that’s still a damn lot of people, and if they heard the same transmission we did, then you know they’re all making a beeline for Charleston.”


Chapter 84