State of Rebellion

They attack the enemy positions.

Too little too late.

We’ve already lost so much.

I want to wait at the end of the tu

Harry Lydell. He knew this would happen. He must have known they’d been planted a long time ago. How else would he be so confident that we would suffer? Why else could he get away with being so infuriatingly smug?

I climb onto the freeway, knowing that I’m far enough down the road that there are no more landmines here. Rivera’s forces have pulled back. They’re not even here. I’m alone. We’ve been left here…again.

Fury burns through my veins, coupled with the hollow sadness of Jeff’s death and leaving Chris behind.

He will come. He will come. They won’t kill him. He’s too valuable to kill.

Harry knows that. Right?

I have to keep moving.

The low stutter of an engine echoes off the side of the hills, audible to me only because I’m familiar with it. “Ma

He can’t hear me. I know that. But yelling it feels good.

The outline of his old biplane appears in the sky, coasting towards me, using the freeway as an open runway.

“Sundog, this is Yankee,” I yell into my radio. “I’m right under you.”

“Copy that, Yankee,” he replies. “Show me some light.”

I flash my flashlight a few times, marking my position. The direction of his plane changes and he dips down, making a quick, emergency landing on the interstate.

“GET IN!” he shouts.

“I’m waiting for Chris!”

“THERE IS NO TIME.”

“I won’t leave until I know he’s alive!”

“Just get in the cockpit, Cassidy!”

I hesitate, guilt and fear twisting my gut. If I stay here any longer, I’ll die. Chris could have escaped another way. He’ll meet up with me. He always does. Sophia and Max and Derek and Uriah… they’ll meet up with me, too. I know they will.

I have to believe that.

I climb onto the wing and throw my legs over the side of the cockpit, hitting the seat with a thud. “What about everybody else?” I yell.

“I’ve got one passenger seat and you’re in it!”

Ma

Chris is down there. Chris is down there. Oh, God, what if they kill him?

I open my eyes, the freezing rain tears at my skin, making the situation just that much more unbearable. This is wrong. This is so, so wrong.

The plane rumbles on, and I’m numb to our surroundings and the time I spend in the air. At some point Ma

“Get out of the cockpit, Cassidy,” Ma

No. This can’t be happening.

Loss grips my chest. Raw, painful. Real.

I slowly stand, bitter realization setting in.

Why can’t I just wake up from this nightmare? I wonder.

Because this is no dream. This is the new reality. This is the new world.

This is the begi

Epilogue

A collapse. That’s what they’re calling it now. They won’t say what it really is. A takeover. An invasion. A systematic extermination. But I know. We know. Anybody that’s seen what Omega has done or suffered because of them knows the truth. This is no collapse. This is a war. A war that was designed to begin from the inside. Our society collapsed on itself because of our dependence on technology and that made us weak. And now here we are. Fighting to survive.

I don’t know why this had to happen. I don’t understand how one man — or a group of people — could be evil enough to inflict this kind of suffering on the world. But that’s human nature, isn’t it? If you let it run loose long enough, doesn’t it always come back to this? Fighting and tragedy and bloodshed. It’s happened all throughout history. Why should this be any different?

Regardless of what the outcome will be, I will not go quietly. I’ve lost too much. My father was right. Fighting with the National Guard is unlike anything I’ve ever done. It’s a different environment. It’s more brutal. And at times, terribly unfair. Yet I still have hope. This is not the end. This is the begi

I will find Chris. I will lead the militia right into Omega’s open arms if I have to. Nothing will stop me from being with him again. He came for me when I was imprisoned in a labor camp. This time, I’m coming for him. Harry Lydell stands no chance. Omega stands no chance.

I will find them.

Ready or not, here I come.

More titles from WB Publishing:

The Collapse Series by Summer Lane:

State of Emergency (Book #1)

State of Chaos (Book #2)

State of Rebellion (Book #3)

Book 4 (To release 2014!)

Writing Belle Publishing — also known simply as WB Publishing — is a digital publishing company dedicated to releasing only the most exciting and engaging fictional stories within the dystopian, survivalist and post-apocalyptic realms. Writing Belle is always looking for new and upcoming talent. If you’ve written a story you think would be perfect for us, visit our website and submit your manuscript to us:

http://writingbellepublishing.com/

We’re always looking for the next bestselling novel!

Acknowledgements

Writing a book is one thing. Writing a series is another. Pe

All books have a backstory, and The Collapse Series has one, too. I would like to thank my dad, for his technical expertise and tips that helped make the Freedom Fighters as effective as they were. This series would not exist without you. It is so important to me that my readers know this. Cassidy and Chris owe him a lot!

To my mom, thanks for being positive when I’m not! Even on the worst days, you always have a kind word to offer, and I’m so grateful. Thank you, Rocklin, for being Batman.

I mean… thanks for being a great brother, of course.

A special thanks to the ladies and gentlemen of NA Alley: Victoria Smith, Jaycee DeLorenzo, Carrie Butler, L.G. Kelso, Diana Long, Ly