“There it is,” Leon said, pointing at the hill that rose up in front of us, shimmering solar lights leading from the base to the peak.

The ocean curved around from where we’d ascended, and was closer now, the waves crashing just beyond, the glittery spray reaching into the fiery sky.

“We’re going to find peace here,” Layne said, squeezing my hand.

“Yes,” I said, mustering a smile. But I feared that I’d never find peace again.

chapter forty-one

Tuck

Day Nineteen

The San Fernando Valley was a wasteland. Everywhere I looked were flattened piles of ash, whole neighborhoods burned to the ground. I drove slowly past what had once been a strip mall and was now nothing more than a heap of blackened bricks. Fear trembled in the back of my throat, and I braced as I rounded the corner of the street the Swansons lived on. A breath I hadn’t realized I’d held gusted from my mouth, a wave of cool relief washing over me when their house came into view.

It’s still standing.

Thank God. Thank God.

I turned off the car I’d located in the back of an auto body shop in Mission Viejo and hot-wired. It’d been a risk to drive through the outskirts of the city, but my risk assessment had changed since I’d said goodbye to Emily. I’d half expected to be blockaded or fired upon, but I’d gotten lucky, and the car had saved me a day of walking. I sat there for a moment, gathering myself. The Swansons’ house was still there, but that didn’t mean they were okay. In fact, now that I looked around, I was spotting clues that something bad had happened here. Bullet holes riddled the side of the burned-out car sitting across from where I was, and what I thought might be old blood was smeared across the street like a profusely bleeding body had been dragged.

I got out of the car and walked slowly across the street. A hawk’s screech echoed through the stillness, and I looked up to see the bird gliding across the clear blue sky. A lizard darted from behind a rock, momentarily startling me before zipping away.

“Tuck?”

I spun around to find a man, outlined by the sun and holding a rifle, causing my heart to jolt. I put my hands up and squinted as my eyes adjusted to the bright light. “Mr. Swanson?”

“Oh, thank the good Lord. It is you. Jena said it was, but I thought she must be mistaken.” He approached quickly and wrapped me in a bear hug. “Damn, it’s good to see you. Are you okay? You look okay.”

“Tuck!” Mrs. Swanson came running out of the house, obviously having been watching from a window while Mr. Swanson exited from the back and came around behind me.