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Back The Neighborhood Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. Part I Reconnaissance
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Part II Incursion
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Part III Under Siege
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Part IV Course Correction
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Part V Balance of Power
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Chapter Twenty-Four
  30. Chapter Twenty-Five
  31. Chapter Twenty-Six
  32. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  33. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  34. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  35. Part VI Spy versus Spy
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Part VII Winds of War and Flame
  41. Chapter Thirty-Four
  42. Chapter Thirty-Five
  43. Chapter Thirty-Six
  44. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  45. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Part VIII Strong to the Finish
  50. Chapter Forty-Two
  51. Chapter Forty-Three
  52. Part IX Spy Games
  53. Chapter Forty-Four
  54. Chapter Forty-Five
  55. Chapter Forty-Six
  56. Part X What Goes Around
  57. Chapter Forty-Seven
  58. Chapter Forty-Eight
  59. About the Author

As Zack moved, he processed the tactical choices his enemy could make. He didn’t know what else to call a group of armed men who’d just taken over his neighborhood but enemy. He also knew that he and the rest of the residents of Hidden Refuge were on their own, at least until it was over. They’d cut off the community from all outside contact, and he had an idea how, at least on the cell and satellite phone side of it. He figured they must have also cut a fiber optic cable to the internet providers. He’d seen a work van on the side of the road on Thursday just outside the entrance to Hidden Refuge Drive, but like all complacent suburbanites, he’d dismissed it as part of normal, everyday life. Who falls for that, anyways? Come on, Zack. Do better.

Zack crept silently through the woods, the wind masking his movement. He worked his way through the dark mass of trees and underbrush, but as he grew closer to the back of his property, he thought about the force facing him—trained men with weapons and military-grade communications equipment. There was no way he could successfully confront them head-on. As good as he was, there were too many of them. Even bad shooters occasionally get lucky, and he didn’t intend to give them a spin on their wheel of fortune and glory. What he needed was to diminish their numbers to give himself and the rest of his neighbors a fighting chance.

Your old skills are coming back quickly, but are you okay with that? His subconscious taunted him with ghosts of his past. You don’t even know what’s going on, and you’ve already killed four men. Your old boss would be proud. He shook his head as if clearing his nose of a bad smell, although he knew bad thoughts were much worse. Enough. No doubts. He could contemplate his actions and the fate of his soul later. He still needed to level the playing field and figure out what their objective was. That knowledge would dictate his actions, if he could manage to stay alive.

He stopped for a moment and looked at the back of his house, contemplating the best choice. He looked back the way he’d come, through the woods and toward Founder Circle. He knew they’d send men in after him. It was the smart play, especially with the strength in numbers they had. Fortunately, he knew how to counter it.