The government leaders who’d come in for the symposium and who had been conducting meetings like this in several major cities, were here to gather advice from local leaders and update them on the state of the economy. So far, all Doug had done today was listen.
“The banking systems lacked sufficient records of their account balances to open the banks a few months ago,” Edward Freelord, Federal Reserve Chairman, said, his voice carrying over the crowd. “When the computers crashed, most of the banks had only a few current hard copies, and those have had to be reproduced by hand. Local banks now have the information they need for their local account holders, so it is feasible for them to open. We’re considering instructing them to give account holders no more than 2 percent per month of their balance, to avoid a run on the banks.”
They’d already established that the law would prohibit foreclosures on property during the Pulses, since no one was able to make payments right now, and the banks would not be allowed to loan money except to those involved in rebuilding the infrastructure and helping the government function.
Several of the audience members weighed in on Freelord’s idea, offering pros and cons that Doug was sure the leaders had already considered. But Doug’s mind was busy calculating the scenario’s direct benefit to his family. He’d had about 15,000 dollars in his checking account at the time of the outage, and another 30,000 dollars in savings. His stocks and bonds and other investments totaled over a million dollars, but those were worthless right now.
He jotted the figures in the margin of his legal pad. With the government’s suggested plan, his family would be entitled to 900 dollars a month. With the new rock-bottom prices, they would be in great shape.
Once again, the world would be separated into the haves and have-nots, and his family would rise to the top. It wouldn’t help his friends in the Sandwood Place Apartments, most of whom hadn’t had any money even before the outage. But maybe it would help them indirectly, as money spent in the economy trickled down to make their lives better.
Would it? That was a pipe dream, he feared. But he’d deal with it later.
Someone tapped on his shoulder, and he glanced up to see Jeff, his sixteen-year-old, standing over him. “What are you doing here?” Doug asked in a whisper.
“Sorry, Dad.” Jeff looked upset, and Doug knew something was wrong. “I have to talk to you.”
Doug got up and followed Jeff back up the aisle, to the front door. They stepped out into the cold. “What is it?”
“Dad, Zach Emory was shot this morning!”
“What? How?”
Jeff told him the little he knew.
“You weren’t with him?”
“No, I was helping Mom set up at the swap meet. They said he was really bad, that he lost a lot of blood. Some people who were there when the ambulance came weren’t even sure he was alive.” His chin trembled, and he settled his misting eyes on Doug. “Dad, I want to go see if he’s all right, but Mom told me to come by and get you first.”
“Of course,” Doug said, glancing through the glass back up at the podium.
“You don’t have to leave,” Jeff said. “I can go by myself. It’s just that Mom thinks I’m a kid who can’t be alone in the city.”
“I can leave now. Don’t worry about it.”
“But what if you miss something important? Like when they’re opening the banks?”
Doug shook his head. “This is just a fact-finding mission. They haven’t made any decisions yet.”
They headed to the bike rack and unchained their bicycles. Getting onto his bike and pumping out into the street, Doug couldn’t imagine what Zach’s parents were going through. He looked over at Jeff as they rode. The boy’s gaze was fixed on the road, but Doug could see the pain behind his eyes. Zach was one of Jeff’s closest friends.
He prayed as they rode, but his prayers were selfish. As much as he wanted Zach to be alive when they got to the hospital, he wanted even more to protect his son from the pain of sudden and unjustified loss.
Only God could control that now.
Last Light
Terri Blackstock,
#1 Bestselling Suspense Author
Today, the world as you know it will end. No need to turn off the lights.
Your car suddenly stalls and won’t restart. You can’t call for help because your cell phone is dead.
Everyone around you is having the same problem . . . and it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Your city is in a blackout. Communication is cut off. Hospital equipment won’t operate. And airplanes are falling from the sky.
Is it a terrorist attack . . . or something far worse?
In the face of a crisis that sweeps an entire high-tech planet back to the age before electricity, your family faces a choice. Will you hoard your possessions to survive — or trust God to provide as you offer your resources and your hearts to others?
Yesterday’s world is gone. Now all you’ve got is your family and community. You stand or fall together. Like never before, you must rely on each other.
But one of you is a killer.
#1 bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock weaves a masterful what-if novel in which global catastrophe reveals the darkness in human hearts — and lights the way to restoration for a self-centered world. Last Light is the first book in an exciting new series.
Softcover: 0-310-25767-0
Audio CD, Unabridged: 0-310-26880-X
Pick up a copy today at your favorite bookstore!
Night Light
Terri Blackstock, #1 Bestselling
Suspense Author
In the face of a crisis that sweeps an entire high-tech planet back to the age before electricity, the Brannings face a choice. Will they hoard their possessions to survive — or trust God to provide as they offer their resources to others?
#1 bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock weaves a masterful what-if series in which global catastrophe reveals the darkness in human hearts — and lights the way to restoration for a selfcentered world.
An era unlike any in modern civilization is descending, one without lights, electronics, running water, or automobiles. As a global blackout lengthens into months, the neighbors of Oak Hollow grapple with a chilling realization: the power may never return.
Survival has become a lifestyle. When two young thieves break into the Brannings’ home and clean out the food in their pantry, Jeff Branning tracks them to a filthy apartment and discovers a family of children living alone, stealing to stay alive. Where is their mother? The search for answers uncovers a trail of desperation and murder . . . and for the Brannings, a powerful new purpose that can transform their entire community — and above all, themselves.
Softcover: 0-310-25768-9 Audio
CD, Unabridged: 0-310-26921-0
Pick up a copy today at your favorite bookstore!
More great books from Terri Blackstock
Sun Coast Chronicles
Pick up a copy today at your favorite bookstore!
Other favorites from Terri Blackstock . . .
Newpointe 911 Series
Pick up a copy today at your favorite bookstore!
Cape Refuge Series
This bestselling series follows the lives of the people of the small seaside community of Cape Refuge, as two sisters struggle to continue the ministry their parents began—helping the troubled souls who come to Hanover House for solace.
Pick up a copy today at your favorite bookstore!
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Terri Blackstock, Ulterior Motives
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