State of Chaos (Collapse Series) (22 page)

I stare, openmouthed, only able to form a single word:

“Dad?”

I reach out to him just as the world around me starts to spin.

Everything goes black.

Epilogue

War sucks. Sure, it’s kind of necessary right now, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Last year, the only thing I would have known about warfare is what I’d seen in the movies or watched on the news. It was something imaginary. Something that didn’t really exist because I’d never personally experienced it.

The EMP changed everything.

How did I jump from being a struggling high school graduate to a guerilla warfighter in a turf war against an invading army? How did I end up falling in love with Chris? How did I end up surviving the EMP? How did I survive the first wave of Omega’s invasion forces when millions of other people died? How? Why? What? Where? When?

I feel like my life is nothing but a bunch of question marks. There’s so much we
don’t
know about Omega, but does it matter? They’re bad, and we’re good. The Freedom Fighters are doing the job that nobody else can or will do. We’re fighting back against tyranny. We’re taking a
stand. This is our home. Nobody can take it away from us without a fight.

When I first met Chris last year, I told him that if he tried to hurt me, I’d shoot him right between the eyes. But I didn’t mean it. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was a scared teenager trying to survive a terrifying attack on Los Angeles. I’d never been in a fight in my life. I never would have been able to defend myself.

Now I can.

So I guess the question is, what’s next? We can’t fight Omega forever…can we? I mean, how long can guerilla forces hide out in the foothills and attack Omega? Would we be better off just giving up and assimilating into Omega’s new society? Or should we keep fighting…even if the odds are against us?

I know what Chris’s answer would be. The same as mine.

We can’t give up. We have something worth fighting
for
. Our families, our homes, our freedom. Normalcy. Those things are precious. Priceless. I never realized how great my life was until everything got taken away. I guess that’ll
teach me to take things for granted. Living as a nomad in the wilderness puts things in perspective real fast.

So we’ll keep fighting anyway. Not because it’s fun. Not because it’s easy. Because it’s the right thing to do. And really, that’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it? Doing the right thing.

I won’t give up hope, because that’s all we have left. Hope keeps us going. Believing in something bigger than ourselves. To give up would be suicidal, and personally, I’m not crazy about the idea of dying. Not yet. I’ve still got some fight left in me. We all do.

Omega’s about to find out the hard way.

To Be Continued

Acknowledgements

DONE.

I feel like I just finished an epic 500-mile marathon. I can’t believe I’m finally done writing
State of Chaos
, and what a glorious feeling it is to finish editing the final page. So much work went into this installment of the
Collapse Series
, and I have a lot of people to thank. Pardon me while I take a breath…

Okay. Here we go.

First and foremost, I want to thank my dad, who was integral in helping this book get written. You are hands down the best editor and technical supervisor in the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’re awesome. There would be no
State of Chaos
without you! Thank you mom, for being supportive, encouraging and always knowing exactly what to say when I’m having a hard day. I love you so much! Thank you Rocklin, for your sense of humor, and for pushing me to do things I would have been too scared to do on my own. You were right. (Don’t let it go to your head.)

Thank you grandma and grandpa, for all of your love and generosity. Thank you to the wonderful ladies (and gentlemen) of NA Alley: Carrie Butler, Juliana Haygert, L.G. Kelso, Diana Long, Lynn Rush, Victoria Smith, E.J. Wesley and Jaycee DeLorenzo. I enjoy working with all of you so much – what a ride we’ve been on this last year! Thanks to the Revolutionary War Veterans Association. Cassidy Hart learned a lot from your Project Appleseed event, and so did I. Thank you Scott Brandt and Joseph Krahn for introducing me to the RWVA and Project Appleseed in the first place. You guys are the best! And thanks for being such a patient teacher, Scott.

To every blogger and reviewer out there: THANK YOU.
State of Emergency
became a national bestseller because of people like you, and I will always have an extra special place in my heart for the blogosphere. And thank
you
, readers! I wouldn’t be an author if nobody read my books, and what a special audience I’ve been blessed with. Thank you for picking up
State of Emergency
and
State of Chaos
. Thanks for listening to Cassidy’s story. You’re amazing.

Last (but certainly not least!), I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom I wouldn’t be a writer at all. This past year has been unbelievable. Busy, difficult, fun, heartbreaking, silly, and wonderful. I’m happy to be home at last.

God is good.

John 8:12

About the Author

Summer Lane is the author of the national bestselling YA/NA Romantic Adventure,
State of Emergency
, the first installment in the
Collapse Series
.
State of Chaos
is the second. Summer is also a freelance writer, publicist, and creative writing teacher. She penned the how-to book,
Snappy Social Networking: How to Dominate the Blogosphere & Everything in Between
. Summer is the creator of
Writing Belle
, an online magazine dedicated to the art of storytelling, in addition to being a contributor at NA Alley, an informational hub for enthusiasts of the New Adult category.

Summer began writing when she was 13 years old, due to the fact that the long afternoons after school were somewhat boring, and writing stories seemed to make the time pass a little quicker. Since then she has written many books about jungle cats, secret agents, princesses and spaceships. She is also a non-fiction writer, but her debut novels,
State of Emergency
and
State of Chaos,
are her favorite books yet.

Connect with Summer:

Website:

http://summerlaneauthor.com/

Writing Belle:

http://writingbelle.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/SummerEllenLane

Facebook for the Collapse Series:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/State-of-Emergency-Collapse-Series/178664608947815?ref=hl

Facebook for Writing Belle:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Writing-Belle/175588832545192?ref=hl

Contact Summer directly – she loves hearing from her readers!

[email protected]

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Collapse Series!