The Eruption

by E S Richards

  At this point Riley paused again, looking around the room to make sure everyone was paying proper attention to her. It was obvious from the look on her face that she was loving the power and control she held over the group as she gave her little demonstration. It was nice that even with everything that was going on, they were still able to have a bit of fun and share a few laughs.

  “The second filter should be affixed directly below your mouth, making sure that you always breathe through it. This filter is of a higher standard and, thanks to the elasticized strap, will attach to your face with ease and relative comfort.”

  Chase narrowed his eyes and looked closer at what Riley was holding, inspecting the object carefully. It looked like the filter they used in their water jug, filtering the water from the tap and making it suitable for drinking. In a way, Chase supposed that would technically work and due to the way Riley and his grandma had attached everything together, it did look like it could be worn over the face pretty easily. All in all, they’d done a pretty good job.

  “Can I try it?”

  Riley looked at her brother nervously, holding her precious Re-Breather 3000 in her hands. “Okay,” she eventually replied, clearly not very happy about having to hand it over. It had been made for this purpose though, and they all needed to be certain it worked. “Just be careful!”

  “I will be,” Chase laughed as he reached across the table, holding his hand out for Riley to pass him the Re-Breather. “Come on,” he urged his sister. “I’m not going to break it.”

  Eventually, Chase had the finished product in his hands and he turned it over a few times to inspect it. Surprisingly, it was actually very well made. It didn’t feel too heavy or uncomfortable and layers of foam had been added to the hard plastic filter in order for it to sit comfortably over his face. It wasn’t something he would choose to wear all the time, but for its purpose it seemed perfect. Affixing it over his mouth and nose, Chase took several deep breaths, checking whether the Re-Breather 3000 was as functional as it appeared.

  “Wow,” he mumbled in between breaths. “This actually kind of works.”

  “Kind of?” Riley retorted immediately, jumping to her feet from the seat she had taken. “It works perfectly! You must not be using it right!”

  “I’m kidding, Riley,” Chase replied more clearly, removing the Re-Breather 3000 from his face and placing it on the table. “It does work. It’s great. Well done.”

  Riley beamed, ignoring the fact that her brother had managed to quickly push a few of her buttons with his teasing. The main thing was that it worked and using the Re-Breather would allow them to go outside without putting their lives in danger. Jerry’s cough was getting worse and worse every hour—that was no secret—hopefully with the use of the filtered breathing device, his health would stop deteriorating.

  “Excellent,” Grandma Linda smiled, reaching over and giving Riley a congratulatory squeeze on the shoulder. “Now we just need to make a couple more and we’re all set.”

  “That’s great,” Pop smiled, pleased with the effort that everyone was putting in. At the rate things were going, his family would be ready to bug out and embrace the disaster in no time. He had known it from the start: the Clarkes were prepared for anything. It was something he’d prided himself on for many years. He was always ahead of the game, always had one foot in the door and one ear to the ground so he was never caught off guard. That was something he’d tried to instill in his family as well and he was so pleased all his years of hard work had paid off. Even if he lost himself to his illness, he had confidence that he could still rely on his family.

  Across the small kitchen table, Chase was having very similar thoughts. He was impressed with the breathing device, but as he looked outside, a part of him still doubted whether it would be enough. The weather was not letting up. The wind and rain were both relentless, banding together and howling through the farmhouse with an unforgiving scream.

  The ash cloud also hung menacingly above them, like a dark blanket that couldn’t be thrown from the bed. There was no escaping it. Chase knew it was there to stay for the foreseeable future. Definitely several more days, probably a few long weeks, and maybe even for months. He couldn’t put a timeline on anything; he just knew things were going to be different for a long time to come. In reality, it could be forever.

  Escaping Darkness Book 2

  Available Here!

  Other Post-Apocalyptic Books from Mike Kraus

  Final Dawn: The Complete Original Series Box Set

  Clocking in at nearly 300,000 words with over 250,000 copies sold, this is the complete collection of the original bestselling post-apocalyptic Final Dawn series. If you enjoy gripping, thrilling post-apocalyptic action with compelling and well-written characters you’ll love Final Dawn.

  Final Dawn: Arkhangelsk: The Complete Trilogy Box Set

  The Arkhangelsk Trilogy is the first follow-up series set in the bestselling Final Dawn universe and delivers more thrills, fun and just a few scares. The crew of the Russian Typhoon submarine Arkhangelsk travel to a foreign shore in search of survivors, but what the find threatens their fragile rebuilding efforts in the post-apocalyptic world.

  No Sanctuary

  A nationwide terrorist attack has left the country in shambles and the country's transportation capabilities are crippled beyond repair. Frank Richards barely escapes with his life when he watches his truck explode in front of his eyes. As chaos descends across the country, Frank's home-grown survival and preparedness training and the help of a mysterious stranger he meets are the only things he can rely on to see him safely across the thousand miles separating him and his loved ones.

  Surviving the Fall

  Surviving the Fall is an episodic post-apocalyptic series that follows Rick and Dianne Waters as they struggle to survive after a devastating and mysterious worldwide attack. Trapped on the opposite side of the country from his family, Rick must fight to get home while his wife and children struggle to survive as danger lurks around every corner.

  Prip’Yat: The Beast of Chernobyl

  Two teens and two Spetsnaz officers travel to the town of Prip’Yat set just outside the remains of the Chernobyl power plant. The teens are there for a night of exploration. The special forces are there to pursue a creature that shouldn’t exist. This short thriller set around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster will keep your heart racing right through to the very end.

  Other Fantasy Books from Mike Kraus

  The Makeshift Wizard: Death Magic

  The Makeshift Wizard series is a new action-packed urban fantasy series from bestselling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus writing as MJ Kraus.

  My job was supposed to be easy. Investigate a bleed farm, find the a-hole vamps who've been kidnapping Normals and bring down some street justice. Now I've got a relic in my hands that was created with the blood and death magic of an elder Vampire and a whole lot more questions than answers.