n Arlena's hand. It was

ve panel showed a simple progress bar. With a mental shrug, she swung the axe. It connected with the

he cleared the remaining trees in minutes. As t

Level 1 Shelt

d from thin air, weaving themselves together into a small, sturdy-

d up. Primary Sto

, Arlena exite

sweet air; the next, she was back in the dusty, dark study. The completed pu

. The screen was a constellation of missed calls and notification

nt Sherry. Her mother's sister. A woman who lived three states

better of her. She

th sanctimonious disappointment. "Your grandmother is beside herself. Poor Br

the

ptiness. Brandi had been pregnant? It didn't matter. It was just another tool t

mily drama felt distant now, like

ew, unknown number. She answered, her f

randi had a miscarriage! At the hospital! The doctors said it was from

er ear, her expression placid. Sh

gged breath, she spoke, her voice a

precision. "It's often caused by genetic abnormalities in the fetus. Perhaps you

g up th

o her settings and

. Dale was probably smashing his phone against a wall in the hospita

ather's old, clunky laptop. It took forever

pathetic. A few hundred dollars. Not

cked it. There were two files inside. One for this house. The other for

in, Cletus, was current

the guise of "just for a little while, until we get on our fee

s thinned. T

ld be a hot zone. Riots, looting, fires. The Sterling Grand would be a ver

oday, it was wor

ors, for water filters, for solar

worked days at a car dealership. He wouldn't be h

Sterling City." A name popped up again and again in reviews: Ms. F

to sell it immediately. I am prepared to list it at 15% below market value for a ca

hit

hen. She needed to get out of the hospita

. She pictured the cool, clear water of the well. W

he kitchen. But in her hand, she was ho

hes, the emotional exhaustion-it all washed away. The Sprin

ed. A reply fr

. See yo

mall, cold smile. The firs