Escaping Darkness (Book 5): Debris

by Richards, E. S.

  Chase was much the same, and he could tell how his sister was feeling. They still had to maintain their strength though, not forgetting how much there was to do once they reached the farmhouse. He could only guess how much worse the roof had become since they left. The days had blurred together but it had been well over a fortnight since he last saw the house and his grandparents. Chase could only hope it—and they—were still holding together.

  “Uh, couple cans of chicken noodle, one can of corn, some chili tomatoes, and…ooh,” Chase paused, looking up at his sister and grinning before pulling out the last item. “One can of clam chowder.”

  “Seriously?” Riley wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Who packed clam chowder?”

  Chase laughed, knowing how much his younger sister hated the stuff. “You don’t have to eat it,” he smiled. “Who’d have thought you’d still be such a picky eater even when we’re living through the apocalypse?”

  “Shut up,” Riley replied with a smile, enjoying the banter she and her brother were having. It felt like a lifetime since the two of them had laughed together. Despite being reunited for some days now, they still hadn’t been able to snap out of the serious mood that hung over the city of Houston. Now that they were so close to the end of their journey, both of the siblings felt the weight lessening on their shoulders and allowed themselves to relax just a little bit. Joking around was something they hadn’t done since being back at the farmhouse and it sure felt nice to be able to smile again.

  “You guys making fun of my chowder?”

  Both Chase and Riley couldn’t help but burst into laughter as Blake walked over to them and voiced his question. Their laughs were infections and pretty soon everyone had a smile on their face, the mood in the truck much lighter than it ever had been. The door was secured as best they could and there was little left for them to do except sit down and start cooking. Riley stayed as far away as possible from the pot of clam chowder that Blake so cherished.

  “You know what I’m looking forward to having again?” Chase mused some twenty minutes later as they all sat in the circle in the back of the truck, wolfing down their dinner. “A real bed.”

  “Aw yeah, man,” Leo agreed immediately, both of their backs groaning from the almost-concrete beds they’d been forced to sleep on in the pit. “Fresh sheets. Pillows.”

  “We’ll be living like kings,” Chase declared, excited to show everyone his grandparents’ farmhouse. “Once the roof is fixed up, of course.”

  “That sounds like it’ll be a simple job, my friend,” Vic nodded, Chase having told him and Blake what the issue was during their drive that day. “We can stick around and help you get it patched up again.”

  “Oh yeah,” Blake agreed. “With the five of us working on it, it won’t take more than a day or two, I reckon.”

  “Thanks guys,” Chase replied in acknowledgment, grateful for the help he was being offered. “You’re both really saving our butts these days.”

  Blake laughed, shaking his head as a way to shrug off the gratitude. “Don’t mention it,” he smiled. “We’re happy to help out.”

  Riley listened and nodded along to the conversation, offering a smile to both Blake and Vic whenever either one of them looked at her. She was still a little suspicious about the pair of them though, and couldn’t decide how she felt about having them stick around the farmhouse for a few days. It was impossible to deny how much they had helped them so far, but certain things they said and the occasional looks they gave one another made her feel uneasy about what was going on. Hopefully she was wrong, though Riley knew that until things were back to just being her and her family, she wouldn’t ever feel completely relaxed again. The things she had seen and done had changed her in the weeks away from home. She had wanted to be treated like a grown-up and now she felt like one more than ever.

  The pleasant conversation continued between the group as they ate, the food being consumed quickly and the limited drinking water they’d brought with them passed around the circle. Chase worried that they hadn’t brought enough with them, knowing how limited supplies would be at the farmhouse. They had the well that he had gotten working again before leaving at least; that pump should keep the family supplied with water until the world started to recover.

  No one could even guess at how far away that was. For the time being, things seemed to be getting worse before they got better, the freezing temperatures and icy winds bringing a new problem to the world. If a long and perilous winter struck, how long would it be before crops were able to grow again? Never mind the poisons and toxins lacing the soil—if they couldn’t even dig it up due to the ground being so frozen, how could anyone even begin to figure out a way to fix things?

  “Do you think Mia will be home yet?” Chase murmured to Riley as the two of them lay side by side in their sleeping bags later that night, huddled closely together for warmth at the far end of the truck bed.

  “I hope so,” Riley whispered back into the darkness. “She’s been away for so long.”

  “She’ll know what to do about the crops and everything,” Chase told himself, his mind still focused on the lingering question of whether they had enough to survive. “She can figure it all out for us.”

  “Yeah,” Riley smiled. “She’s good at all of that.”

  “The best,” Chase agreed, letting his eyes drift shut as he thought of Mia. Even though she was technically his aunt and no one could ever replace his mother and father, he thought of her like a second mother now. Through everything they had endured following the loss of Brogan and Lauren, Mia had been there for them without even a shadow of doubt. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Mia had lost her brother in the crash, her sole focus seeming to be on making sure Chase and Riley recovered and managed to continue with their lives like normal children. She had adopted them fully, and it was more than just a piece of paper and a signature. It was a family and Chase felt like they truly belonged to each other. He missed his mom and dad every day; having Mia made being without them just a tiny bit easier. The pain would never go away, but with her around it was at least numbed and that was the best that anyone could ask for.

  Thoughts of his family swam through Chase’s dreams through the night, causing him to toss and turn in the truck bed and not permitting him more than a few hours of comfortable sleep. The lure of the next day was too powerful for him to rest long, the teenager waking before anyone else did and feeling ready to start the day and get moving. By the time everyone else was awake, he was practically bouncing with energy, knowing that his family was waiting only a few hours away.

  “Ready to get back on the road, my friend?”

  “You bet,” Chase nodded in response. “Today’s the day.”

  Other than Riley, no one else could understand how Chase was feeling. He just wanted to get the drive over and done with. He wanted to know what was waiting for him at the end of the road rather than being forced to hold out any longer. He hadn’t said a proper goodbye to either of his grandparents when he left to go and get supplies from the hardware store and he had regretted that every single day since. Now he was going to make up for it and he didn’t plan on saying goodbye to either of them again for a very long time.

  This time the drive seemed to take forever. Chase sat in between Vic and Blake in the cab once more, calling out things that he recognized as they passed them on the highway. He varied between being unable to keep his mouth shut and stone-cold silence as Vic drove, the Ukrainian man only asking for directions when absolutely needed. Before long they took an exit off of the main road and began to navigate much smaller tracks, heading away from highways and trucking down dirt roads and country lanes. Chase recognized these much clearer than anything else, knowing that the farmhouse was practically just around the next bend.

  Without realizing it, he shuffled forward on his seat, edging closer to the dashboard and peering out down the road with his eyes narrowed into slits. As always, the light never increased above twilight, but Chas
e found himself seeing through it much easier than he ever had before. He knew the surroundings; he knew what he was looking for.

  They were so close now. There couldn’t be more than a hundred yards left. Squinting even further, Chase silently begged the haze to lift and the outline of his beloved farmhouse to appear.

  “There it is!” he shouted, his voice filled with elation and delight. He couldn’t believe it. After all this time, they were finally home. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Chase turned and saw Riley’s head poking through the small window to the back of the truck.

  “We made it,” she whispered as she smiled down at her brother, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “We’re home.”

  Escaping Darkness Book 6

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