LOGINNicole and Zeph raced to the spot where Ivory was captured and found a piece of pork in the snow.She was still hiding food.After Nicole scolded her several times, Ivory simply moved her stashes farther from the house. It kept Nicole from finding them, but it also left Ivory vulnerable to an ambush.A working snowmobile narrowed down the suspects considerably. Alliance Base couldn't beat them in a direct fight, so now, they were taking hostages. Nicole expected nothing less from them.She was frantic, but she forced herself not to give chase. She couldn't outrun a snowmobile, and Poppy and the pups were still at home. Rushing after the kidnappers would only make it easier to lure her into another trap.She stared toward the glacier where Ivory and Cola disappeared. Her chest tightened until breathing hurt, and her hands clenched into fists.She wanted every last one of them dead.Zeph took her ice-cold hand. "They took Ivory to get to us. They won't kill her yet. Let's go h
According to Antoni, animals with smooth skin and no deformities or unusual growths were safe to eat, even if they grew much larger than normal. Anyone worried about contamination just needed to cook the meat thoroughly.Nicole wasn't convinced. "You're sure?""Of course. We've been eating them for years. Back in the northern wilderness, we even ate them raw with a little marinade. If the meat was gonna kill us, we'd be dead by now."The Braventonians took their meat seriously. As far as they were concerned, a lifetime of potatoes wasn't much of a life. They would rather enjoy a decent meal and take their chances.Nicole smiled and kept her opinion to herself. Everyone had their priorities.Antoni came looking for information, but he also wanted to stay on good terms with the Yorwynians. He made sure not to arrive empty-handed."I brought you a little something."His sack held several pounds of crocodile and seal meat.The crocodiles weren't easy to catch. The Braventonians wen
After sunrise, Nicole put on her protective gear and went out to inspect the battlefield.Blood and severed limbs littered the snow. Dozens of bodies lay scattered around the opening, with a bloody trail stretching into the distance.Many crocodiles were dead, too. Bullets riddled their bodies, though most remained in one piece.While Zeph gathered weapons from the fallen soldiers, Nicole crouched beside a crocodile for a closer look.It was roughly twice the size of a normal crocodile, a clear sign of mutation. Its skin, however, was smooth and free of abnormal growths. The ancient virus didn't seem to affect it as badly as some of the other creatures they encountered.It reminded her of Blue. Aside from her temper and her habit of rubbing against things when she itched, she seemed healthy enough.Nature found some remarkable ways to adapt.Still, the thought of the previous night's fighting made Nicole frown.Alliance Base suffered another humiliating defeat. They were hardly
Zeph hated letting anything go to waste. "Wanna dry it out? We could burn it for fuel."Nicole wrinkled her nose. "No, thanks."She had plenty of fuel in her storage space. They weren't desperate enough to burn crocodile poop.Still, something about the attack bothered her. The crocodiles were far too aggressive for animals simply looking for a meal.There were plenty of fish in the ocean. Catching those had to be easier than coming ashore and trying to break into a steel container.Nicole searched around the house again, determined to find an explanation. Sure enough, she uncovered dozens of crocodile eggs buried deep in the snow.She knew exactly who was responsible. Ivory had dragged Cola into another of her little hoarding projects.No wonder the red-eyed crocodiles went berserk. Those two stole their eggs and brought them right to the house.Remembering the danger the night before, Nicole called Ivory over and pointed at her nose."You're new to the family, but that doesn
Zeph immediately fell back with Cola. As soon as they started running, the red glints sped toward them across the snow.Inside, Ivory sensed trouble. She bared her teeth and lunged for the door.Nicole and Poppy grabbed their guns. They reached the entrance with Ivory just as Zeph and Cola came running up."What happened?" Nicole asked.Zeph rushed inside, slammed the door, and threw all three locks. "Crocodiles. A whole swarm."Something hit the door before he finished speaking.One heavy thud followed another, so fast and hard that the entire container shook. The pounding reminded Nicole of the flying fish that swarmed their yacht at sea.The crocodiles came ashore to lay their eggs the night before and left them alone. She couldn't understand why they were attacking now.The blows grew more frantic, hammering the front and sides. Even through the steel walls and thick ice, she could picture the creatures crowding around the container.Gun in hand, she opened an observatio
Nicole only wanted a quiet life, but some people seemed determined to make that impossible.Disasters were only part of surviving the apocalypse. Other people could be just as destructive, and right and wrong no longer counted for much.Back home, Zeph took the night watch as usual. Cola joined him on patrol, while Ivory stayed inside to nurse the pups.The next morning, Nicole was still asleep when Cola burst into the room with an excited bark. He opened his mouth and dropped something on the floor, clearly pleased with his gift.At first, she thought he had sneaked an egg out of her storage space and stashed it somewhere.Then she picked it up. It was much too big for a chicken egg, and even a goose egg would've been smaller by about a third.She held a flashlight against the unusually hard shell. From what she could see inside, the egg appeared to be fertilized."Where did you find this?"Cola wagged his tail, eager to take her out and show her.Just then, Zeph returned fro
Nicole didn't hesitate. She blocked Edward right away.Less than a minute later, her phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.She didn't need to guess; this was Edward's classmate or one of his friends.Given a second chance at life, Nicole had zero interest in being taken for a fool. She w
Nicole never expected the new resident of 1801 to be the same young man who had helped her at the courier station.He looked mildly surprised, too. He nodded once at her, then went back to work.Up close, he was striking in a cold, sharp way. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and clean li
Two miles was nothing. The Hummer reached the entrance to the complex in just a few minutes.Nicole handed the man 400 dollars, thanking him for saving her and for ignoring traffic rules.His voice stayed cool. "No need. I was heading this way, anyway."Seeing he wouldn't take it, she didn't push
Just after midnight, the timer refreshed. One hundred thirty minutes remaining.That meant time could stack.Nicole nearly laughed out loud. Seconds mattered. During crucial moments, even a minute could mean the difference between living and dying.She decided that unless it was absolutely necess







