Final Light

FINAL LIGHT©2023 DEREK SHUPERTThis book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the authors.Aethon Books supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.Aethon Bookswww.aethonbooks.comeBook formatting by Steve Beaulieu. Cover art provided by Christian Bentulan.Published by Aethon Books, LLC.Aethon Books is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.All rights reserved. CONTENTSPrologueChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapter 35Chapter 36Chapter 37Chapter 38Chapter 39Chapter 40Chapter 41Chapter 42Chapter 43Chapter 44Chapter 45Chapter 46Chapter 47Chapter 48Chapter 49Chapter 50Chapter 51Chapter 52Chapter 53Chapter 54Chapter 55Chapter 56Chapter 57Chapter 58Chapter 59Chapter 60Chapter 61Chapter 62Chapter 63Chapter 64Chapter 65Chapter 66Chapter 67Chapter 68Chapter 69Chapter 70Chapter 71Chapter 72Chapter 73Chapter 74Chapter 75Chapter 76Thank you for reading Final Light! PROLOGUEI t was the perfect storm of catastrophic events. The massive blackout that swept the entire city plunged its citizens into a frenzied panic and provided the cover he needed amidst the chaos.Car horns blared. Sirens howled in the distance. Cracks of gunfire rang out from every corner of the greater Chicago metroplex. It was the best scenario to carry out his mission.He surveyed the streets below from his perch on the building. His steely glare studied the mass of gridlocked vehicles. Pedestrians swarmed the sidewalks, funneling in all directions to get where they had to go.No calls would be made to nine-one-one. Cell service was down and had been since the power crashed earlier that morning. He wouldn’t be rushed and could take his time.Three officers arrived on foot and tried to calm the hysteria. They were sorely outmanned and struggled to provide order to the people pushing past them. Soon, that would be of little concern.Removing the sling from his shoulder, he sat the rifle case on the rooftop and opened it. His nerves were steady and free of hesitation. He was a surgeon in the operating room, ready to work.As he plucked the M24 sniper rifle from its housing, he stood and edged to the lip of the roof in a crouch. After securing plugs in both ears, he lowered and unfolded the bipod legs to stabilize the weapon.The buttstock pressed to his shoulder. He adjusted his grip and peered through ONE JASPERJ asper lounged in his office chair, lost in thought. His fingers thumped the top of the cherry wood desk to try and relieve the stress he felt. A long, lingering gaze was fixed on the computer screens, but he wasn’t paying attention to the sales figures and emails populating either monitor.His heart raced. Pulse spiked. A cold bead of sweat ran from Jasper’s perfectly styled hair and cut down his cheek. He clenched his jaw and ground his teeth, then glanced at the TV mounted in the far corner of his spacious office.The news rolled from the muted television. Closed captioning spit out the news anchor’s report of the latest gang violence and robberies plaguing Chicago.He blinked and sighed. His forefinger and thumb pinched the bride of his nose. Regardless of how hard he fought to ward off the wave of anxiety, it attacked Jasper just the same. Tomorrow wouldn’t be any better.Get it together. You’ve been through worse. Don’t fall apart now.A bout of dizziness swarmed in his head. Jasper leaned forward in his plush, brown leather executive chair and propped his elbows on the desk’s surface.His office phone rang. The din grated his nerves. It annoyed Jasper much more than it should, sending him into a downward spiral of depression and anger.The bottom right desk drawer housed relief from the torment. It called to Jasper, offering to ease his troubled thoughts. His will had been strong, but the pending one-year