Firestorm — N.C. Reed

Bandits. Forest fires. Cannibals. Material shortages. Family problems.Why had Clayton Sanders expected these issues to be absent from life at the end of the modern world? His plan had been simple; dig in, hunker down, and wait it out. He knew that society would go through a 'reset' period before things settled down and he also knew he couldn't stop it but he could try and keep his family and closest friends safe. And then his family had gotten involved. First, his parents insisted they show everyone they had working vehicles and extra food by taking supplies to the church in Jordan to 'donate'. This had resulted in a fight for that same vehicle and a near battle just to get away. Then his niece had gone charging into Peabody to 'rescue' her friend, only to be caught herself and necessitate a rescue mission that cost the life of Clay's best friend. Then Clay's irascible grandfather decided they needed to build a town of sorts and gather good people with skills they needed to occupy it. Now, the people Leon brought are beginning to want to do things differently. His parents have yet to learn their lesson about letting other people know that they were better prepared than average for the disaster that had beset the Earth, and on top of everything else who shows up? Tax collectors. Maybe things haven't changed so much after all.