From New York Times bestselling author Terri Blackstock comes the second installment in the thrilling Restoration series where a global outage pushes a fractured world further into crisis and forces one family to confront the darkness around them and within themselves. Survival has become a lifestyle, and technology is a thing of the past as the Branning family learns that the power outage is worldwide. Everyone is desperate. 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. But how will they do what's right when so much is going wrong? A gripping blend of suspense, heart, and hope, Night Light deepens the world of the Restoration Series with a powerful story of compassion in crisis and the resilience of faith. Continue the journey with the Restoration Series: Last Light, True Light, and Dawn's Light. Includes a note from the author and discussion questions for book clubs. 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 self-centered 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. Terri Blackstock has sold over seven million books worldwide and is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention , Vicious Cycle , and Downfall , as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series. Visit her website at www.terriblackstock.com; Facebook: tblackstock; Twitter: @terriblackstock. Night Light A Restoration Novel By Terri Blackstock ZONDERVAN Copyright © 2006 Terri Blackstock All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-310-33779-9 CHAPTER 1 Stealing came easy today. Most days, breaking and entering was harder than thisfor the boys, requiring hours of watching and waiting forfamilies to leave their homes so the two of them could slipin and out, arms full of loot, without being noticed. At nine and seven, Aaron and Joey Gatlin knew howto blend in. They had a system. They would case the ritzyneighborhoods while bouncing a basketball or tossing aFrisbee back and forth, looking like any other kids out playingon a summer day. No threat to anyone. The massive power outage that had set technology backover a hundred years, knocking out everything from cars toelectricity, had left millions hungry and desperate. But notAaron's family. He made sure his brothers and sister hadsomething to eat every day. Some of those who lived in this neighborhood called OakHollow had begun plowing up their front yards, and vegetableswere growing there instead of grass. Word around townwas that they were digging a well, which meant they wouldhave fresh water soon. The lake in the middle of the neighborhoodalready made them rich, since they didn't have towalk far to get water, and most of them had fancy barbecuepits in the backyard where they could boil the lake water tosterilize it. "The Br-an-nings." Joey, Aaron's seven-year-old brother,sounded out the name on the mailbox. "They have a bigfamily—they were all working out here in their garden yesterday.Bet they got a lot of food." Aaron remembered seeing them. "Nobody around today.They're all at the lake, just like the message board said." The big wooden message boards were a major source of informationin every neighborhood around town, since there weren'tany newspapers and people couldn't talk on the phone. Accordingto the boards, Oak Hollow was having some kind of big-dealmeeting. The mayor was coming to tell people about something.Most of the neighborhood would be there. There would be bicyclepatrols up and down the streets during the meeting, but it was eas