SpaceMan: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (The SpaceMan Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Her home was fine, unlike the ones across the street. Even though she didn’t have a generator, the house was comfortable. Together they had plenty of food, water, and there was still hot water for showers.

  She wasn’t sure what to think of the woman named Nikki or the other camper named Mumphrey. They were polite enough, but she couldn’t get a read on either of them.

  Rick was Rick. She was grateful to him for getting Chris home so quickly, but she wasn’t thrilled to have him in the house at the same time she was sheltering Karen. The tension was thicker than thick. It would thankfully be short-lived. Rick, Nikki, and Mumphrey would be gone in the morning.

  Karen and Kenny were staying. Jackie had insisted. Chris would need a distraction, which Kenny could provide, and she didn’t like the idea of Karen being home alone.

  Reggie had gently and privately protested the idea of adding two more mouths to feed. He worried what that would do to their food and water supply.

  “We’re talking about adding a twenty-five percent burden to our resources,” he’d reasoned. “From eight people—including Chris, who’s now home—to ten. That’s a sizable strain for an indefinite future.”

  “I understand you contributed to those resources,” Jackie had said through her teeth. “But this is my house. What makes Karen and Kenny any more or less of a burden than you and Lana? Or Betty and Brian?”

  Reggie’s face had flushed. He’d stuttered a nonsensical answer before relenting. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”

  Betty seemed to have calmed from the initial shock of losing her home. However, Brian was agitated at the irregularity of his schedule. While Jackie was hopeful he’d adjust to a new routine, she wasn’t optimistic.

  Candace had proven to be a valuable asset in a short time. Despite her unspeakable loss only twenty-four hours earlier, she was levelheaded and smart.

  Jackie was housing thirteen people including herself. Thirteen. Not a lucky number. She wasn’t prone to superstition, but she didn’t like it. She rationalized that there were twelve people staying with her. That was more reasonable. Her eyes scanned the sky and she took in a deep breath through her nostrils, blowing it out through puffed cheeks.

  “One day at a time,” she said to the stars. “One hour at a time. One minute at a time. We’ll be okay, Clayton. But you have got to get home.”

  THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES EARLY 2017…

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks always begin with my crew: Courtney, Sam, and Luke. I could not burn the candle on one end or both without your guidance, love, and support.

  A large, Jupiter-sized shout to my editor, Felicia A. Sullivan, who does incredible work and always finds a way to make my work better than it was before she got it.

  Thanks also to Pauline Nolet for her expert eye and proofing talent and to Stef McDaid for giving the book a professional look I could not manage on my own.

  A huge debt of gratitude goes to my friend from across the ocean, cover artist Hristo Kovatliev. He takes a very vague direction and turns it into a brilliant, stunning piece of art. Thank you.

  I also must give thanks to the men and women who helped make sense of the science in this book. Astronaut Clayton Anderson answered endless questions, sent photographs, and spent his time explaining what it was like living on the ISS. Dr. Loren Acton, also a NASA astronaut and brilliant professor, read a very rough draft and gave expert instruction about what was missing and what was wrong. Ben Honey, NASA engineer, was also incredibly adept at answering questions, telling me what was and wasn’t plausible. He was a great resource. Also, Gina Sunseri, producer at ABC News and resident space expert, was a Rolodex of information. Steve Kremer provided excellent help with the HAM radio sequences and was an outstanding sounding board. Tim Heller, a guy who knows a little bit about weather, was a critical early reader of the rough manuscript. And to Steven Konkoly, Russell Blake, Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Patricia Wilson, Sabrina Jean, Cathy Northup, and Lynn Blake – the trusted beta readers who gave me their input, a sky-high thank you. Lastly, I thank my parents, Sanders and Jeanne, my siblings, Penny and Steven, and my mother-in-law, Linda Eaker, for their viral marketing efforts. And to my father-in-law, Don Eaker, I know you’re reading this somewhere among the stars. You always believed in me.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES EARLY 2017…

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS