Badlands Trilogy (Book 3): Out of the Badlands (39 page)

Ed shrugged. “What about Hawaii?”

“What about it?”

“Well, the safe haven.”

“What if this is our safe haven?”

Ed watched the group and considered Trish’s suggestion. For the first time he saw them all not as transitory nomads, but as a community.

“Look at them out there,” Trish said, pointing to Zach and Jeremy. “They’re happy, wouldn’t you agree?”

Ed nodded. “I would.”

“And isn’t that what you wanted for them all along? Isn’t that what the safe haven was supposed to be?”

“Yeah, it was.”

“So I ask again, what if this is our safe haven? What if this is the place we wanted, but didn’t plan for? Hawaii offers us no guarantee on anything. Sure, things could go bad here, but we also have a chance. We’re a strong group. The carriers are gone, most of the people along with them.”

“What if Jasper’s right? What if there’s a phase three coming?” Ed asked.

Trish smiled. “Then it comes. Nothing we can do about that. But for the foreseeable future, we have this.”

Ed turned to her and smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. You know that.”

“I do.”

“Then let’s stay.”

Ed considered all the years spent living for tomorrow and not expecting to survive the day. To be able to live in the here and now, to stop and watch his kids grow up, that had always been what he wanted. Zach and Jeremy were happy here. He was happy. Jasper and Emily, the children, they all had a look of hope in their eyes they hadn’t had before.

“We’d need to get a group vote,” Ed said.

“They’re on board.”

“How do you know.”

Trish shrugged. “I’ve been floating the idea for a while now. Informally.”

Ed grinned. “You never stop amazing me.”

Trish smiled wide. “I do what I can.”

“If we’re going to stay then this place needs a name.”

“Fair enough. “Got any ideas?”

“I do,” Ed said. “Let’s call it
Haven
.”

About the Author

Brian J. Jarrett is a computer programmer by day and a horror/thriller writer by night. He grew up in West Virginia and now resides in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and children.

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Also by Brian J. Jarrett

NOVELS & NOVELLAS

Into the Badlands (Badlands Trilogy #1)

Beyond the Badlands (Badlands Trilogy #2)

Out of the Badlands (Badlands Trilogy #3)

The Desolate

The Crossover Gene

It Came From the Mountain

The Saint, the Sinner and the Coward

Muster Drill

Yesterday In Black

COLLECTIONS & SHORT STORIES

Walking At Night

Wishes and Desires

Dine In

Cycle

Afterword

And now with book three in the trilogy, I bring this story to a close.

Ending this series is bittersweet for me.
Into the Badlands
was the first novel I wrote when I returned to writing back in 2011 after a long hiatus. What started out as an experiment in indie publishing went on to sell thousands of copies and continues to be one of my best sellers to this day.

I get bored with writing in the same world without a break in between, so I’ve written a lot of other books while finishing this series
.
As a result,
Out of the Badlands
has been a long time in the making, but here it is, five years after the release of the first book. I hope it was worth it.

Will there be another book in this series? Kinda sorta. A fourth novel exists, written in the same universe
,
but outside the trilogy itself. Maybe that’ll make its way into the light of day sooner than later. I think a short story starring Pastor Dan might materialize as well.

The ending…you might like it or you might hate it. I can’t claim to understand how these stories come to me, but this is the ending that felt appropriate. What caused the virus? What exactly were the white carriers? Why did they die off? Is something worse coming on their heels?

Honestly, I don’t know the answer to those questions.

I feel like maybe there’s more story here, but for now it eludes me. Maybe down the road the Badlands world will call to me again, telling me more of Ed and his sons’ lives. Maybe not. Either way, their journey thus far is complete and, well, we’ll always have that, won’t we?

If you stuck with me through my countless distractions and finished reading this series I thank you for your patience and dedication. These characters must mean something to you, as they do to me, and I’m privileged to have been able to tell you their story.

But for now, there are other worlds to explore and my time to do so is limited. Surely you’ll understand why I must get going.

Brian J. Jarrett

January 28, 2016

St. Louis, MO

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank my editor, Sandi Powell for her many corrections and improvements to this story.

I’d also like to thank you for your support. Without you, these stories make no sound. If you enjoyed this book please consider leaving a review at the store where you purchased it. Reviews really help me and other potential readers. Thanks!

And a final thank you to Allyson Robben Dowell, who passed away before this book went to publication. Allyson proofread all my books; she had a sharp eye and an abundance of good ideas. She went before her time and her death is a heavy reminder to appreciate every minute we have on this planet.