They could sleep in the rear of the building, and if the front were breached, they could fight from the back rooms of the structure. John would work out all the details after he defeated this tiny mechanical locking device that at the present time was getting the better of him.
John lay staring at the sky in the late afternoon sun for a full ten minutes before sitting upright and staring at the door lock. Picking locks was fine as long as you had time and no one’s life depended on a speedy entry. This was exactly why the Special Missions Unit used explosive breaching charges on nearly every single obstacle they came across. They’d blown doors, walls, vehicles, planes—you name it, they’d blown holes in it.
John sighed as he leaned back on the palms of his hands, staring at the lock. He wouldn’t have used explosives today even if he’d had them. He wanted to sleep here tonight, and things that went boom usually were followed by people interested in what the boom was. He didn’t want any additional problems, especially after what they’d all just been through. Slowly John pushed himself back up onto his knees and got back to work.
John inserted the tension tool, applied a bit of pressure, then chose a rake he hadn’t used yet. On the first pass over the pins, he felt the lock give slightly. He wasn’t sure how many pins this lock had, but several of them had reached the shearline and crossed over, the tension tool holding them from returning to their former stubborn positions. John eased off the pressure on the tension tool ever so lightly and gave the pins another gentle rake. The lock turned, allowing the tension tool to be used like a key. Another half second and the door was open.
As John swept all the lock-picking gear to the side, Jared moved toward him, motioning Barry to his previous position since the side Barry was on posed far less of a threat than Jared’s side did. Once Barry was in place, John entered the building, rifle up as he moved like a large cat into the structure. Jared followed, searching whatever John wasn’t. Solar Green’s floor plan consisted of a large warehouse-type area, which the two cleared in less than a minute since it consisted of mostly an open floor plan.
There was a door leading toward the front of the business, and both men moved through it, finding themselves in a hallway with several offices on either side. They cleared five cramped offices in total, three on one side and two on the opposite side. The hallway then opened into the front area of the business, which was home to Solar Green’s showroom. Jared and John danced about the solar panel displays as they cleared all the areas they couldn’t readily see from the hallway door.
Jared was elated to see a sign that read Authorized Tesla Powerwall Dealer as he moved through the showroom. When they were finished securing the showroom, Jared thrust his rifle in the direction of the sign. John looked at the sign for a moment, then smiled.
“Fucking jackpot, bro.”
Jared pumped his head. “I hope.”
“Don’t piss in my Cheerios, motherfucker,” John growled as he moved past Jared back through the hallway.
Outside, Barry, Devon and the two women waited. Stephani didn’t think she could bear the sound of gunfire if something happened inside with John and Jared. After seeing Dwight dead earlier that day, she’d retreated into her own thoughts. Being kidnapped was by far the worst thing to ever befall her, but Dwight’s death somehow impacted her in its own terrible way. Now she was with John and Jared, who seemed like guys more than capable of protecting themselves as well as their friends, and still Dwight had been murdered.
Stephani’s feelings of protection had been shattered, with Dwight’s death threatening to replace the kidnapping as her worst experience to date. She had taken enough college psychology courses to understand the human mind was the most dangerous yet fragile thing in the world. At what point would her mind fail her, leaving her lying on the ground, unable to go on in this relentlessly hostile world? She didn’t have the answer to this, but needed to talk to someone about it, only there was no one to talk to.
Stephani felt a pang of guilt as she looked at Claire. The poor girl’s hair was matted and her face was streaked as though she’d been crying. Stephani couldn’t remember the girl crying and wondered if she had been so self-absorbed in her own misery, she’d failed to notice Claire going through her own hell. More for herself than Claire, Stephani reached out and laid a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Claire looked up, eyes wide with fright, wondering what evil Stephani was about to warn her of. Stephani smiled at the terrified girl, squeezing her shoulder before releasing her with a wink.
Stephani didn’t know why she’d winked, but it made her feel invigorated. Maybe it was the leadership phenomenon she once read about. A person in a leadership position would deal with the same hardships as their subordinates with far less adverse effects. Maybe she needed to take more of an initiative within this group instead of allowing John and Jared to do all the decision-making along with all the activities deemed too dangerous for women and teens.
She drew a deep breath, vowing to be more involved if it meant keeping her mental state in order. Her thoughts were interrupted as Jared and John exited the rear door.
“Everyone inside,” John ordered, keeping his voice low.
Barry peeled off the corner of the building and nearly ran to meet the rest of the party at the rear door. Once inside, the four newcomers stared about the warehouse as John closed and locked the back door.
“Make sure those glass doors are locked,” John instructed, looking directly at Jared.
Jared lurched forward, disappearing into the hallway, moving to the front of the business, where he paused long enough to ensure no one was out front who would see him. Only after seeing no sign of danger through the glass storefront, Jared checked on the front doors, tugging on them, and to his delight, they didn’t budge an inch. After ensuring the doors were locked, Jared thought briefly about dropping the shades over the glass window, completely blocking off anyone’s view inside the business.
Jared left the shades in the up position, figuring if someone couldn’t see in, they might be more motivated to break through the glass in order to see what was inside. Instead, he moved slowly back to the hallway where the door leading into the hallway was propped open. The door had a small square window roughly at face level, so when it was closed, people could see if they were about to fling the door into a co-worker.
Closer inspection on Jared’s part revealed the door also had a deadbolt lock, but lacked a doorknob. Jared kicked the doorstop out of the way, allowing the door to swing into the shut position. He flipped the deadbolt into the locked position, then peered through the small window.
He had a great view of the showroom and a decent view of the front parking lot area. Jared smiled to himself and was about to go ask John if what he had done was okay, but stopped himself. He turned back, evaluating the setup one last time before deciding to tell John what he’d done instead of asking if what he’d done was okay.
At first Jared was disappointed when John merely grunted his approval; then it hit him. John was beginning to expect more from him. John expected Jared to make decisions for the group like the one Jared made at the front of the business. The reason John didn’t jump up and down with joy was because Jared had begun to evolve into a worthy partner whom John relied on. This brought an internal smile although he maintained a stoic face.
“Why don’t we get set up for the night, eat something, and, Barry, you can take a look around, see if what we need is here,” Jared announced as he slipped his left shoulder out of his pack strap, allowing the heavy ruck to fall on the ground.
“We can keep watch from inside this warehouse; no need having eyes up front. Someone blows through those glass doors and the neighborhood will know it,” John added.
“Teams of two,” Jared said. “Claire and I will take the last watch; Barry and Devon, you take the first; and John, you and Stephani can take the middle.”
When no one argued, Jared unpacked his little stove and set it up. He heated water and poured it over a packet o
f freeze-dried stew, stirred and closed the packet. It would take ten minutes for the stew to be ready for consumption, but in the meantime, he would ready his sleeping bag and have a look around the warehouse.
When his meal was ready, he beckoned Claire over and offered her the first go at the meal. The meal was designed to feed two backpackers. Claire took the meal and inhaled half of the packet’s contents before sheepishly handing the packet back to Jared, who only smiled, trying to put the girl’s nerves at ease.
Chapter 28
After Barry and Devon’s shift ended, John sat on a crate next to Stephani. They could both hear the rhythmic breathing of the two off-going guards within less than a minute, signaling just how exhausted they all were. If there was a positive thing to be taken from the new world, it was no one tossed and turned at night. By each day’s end, people left alive were so utterly sapped, they would have slept through a heavy metal concert.
John swallowed hard and glanced over at Stephani, who was staring directly at him. He was about to start explaining himself for no reason, when she spoke.
“Claire and I need tampons,” she stated as if she were pointing out the need for more water.
John’s face reddened as he tried to speak, but was unable. He had no sisters and had never been subjected in any way to his mother’s menstrual cycle. John was acutely aware this happened to women, but had never been in a situation forcing him to deal with it.
Stephani smiled wryly. “Yeah, we need tampons, and I know all you tough guys with your guns and all probably don’t want to deal with this, but the alternative is far worse. I need them now, and I’m sure Claire will soon.”
“It’s here?” was all John could think to ask, like the it was some added threat he would have to overcome.
“No, but it will be and soon,” Stephani replied.
“You can tell when it’s coming?” John said, burying himself deeper.
Stephani leaned in with brows raised, giving John a look that screamed duh without uttering the word. “Do you tough guys know when you need to leave a shit?” she asked sarcastically.
John sat quietly in the dark, unwilling to participate in the conversation any longer. He knew he’d upset the woman, but he wasn’t sure why. John found in his life, when he tangled with something so complex, he couldn’t understand it, he usually left it alone. Deep down, he knew this was different, he was going to be spending a lot of time with Stephani, and so far, they had not got off to a great start. John only felt in control when they were facing imminent danger; otherwise he felt like he was walking around her in shoes five sizes too large.
The following morning Jared and the rest of the party woke, ate, and packed their gear. Barry took Jared and continued his search of the warehouse for everything they would need to power the ranch house. Barry explained he’d talked briefly with Devon and found Solar Green sold different packages for solar power. A couple of the packages included everything needed to take a normal residence off grid.
Unfortunately, Devon’s high school paper was more of an overview and not a down and dirty how-to paper. Barry told Jared he’d talked extensively with Dwight during their trek back to San Jose, and Dwight had imparted some knowledge about some of the nuances of different off-grid equipment Barry hadn’t been aware of. Barry and Jared searched the entire showroom and office area, collecting manuals and other documents they deemed necessary for the completion of the mission.
Jared followed the man around for an hour before realizing Barry was almost identical in his approach to work as Jared had once been. The man Jared was following muttered to himself and not once acknowledged Jared’s presence. After an hour and a half, Jared left Barry to his work and returned to the warehouse, where he found John standing near the hallway, looking through the window leading to the showroom from the warehouse.
“I don’t think he needs my help.” Jared chuckled, shaking his head as he rubbed his index knuckle against his upper lip.
John cocked his head, looking at Jared. “We got another problem.”
Jared waited for John to tell him what this new problem was, wondering how they could possibly deal with any more issues.
“Girls need—ah, they’re getting their periods, I guess,” John stammered in a low tone as he made a furtive glance in the women’s direction, making sure they couldn’t hear him.
“They told you that?” Jared gasped in disbelief.
“Stephani told me and then got all upset. We sat for four hours and didn’t say a fucking word to each other.”
“What did you say to her?” Jared pressed, wanting to know out of curiosity as well as for self-preservation.
“She said it was coming, and I asked how she knew, and she got all pissy.” John shrugged.
“I’ll take her out,” Jared stated.
“Take her out? You can’t take her with you,” John said incredulously.
Jared was already partially turned to leave, but turned back with a questioning look on his face. “You know what size they wear?”
John’s jaw dropped, causing his mouth to gape as his mind searched for words he never found.
“Yeah, neither do I. If they give me a description and the stores have been ransacked, they just might have to make changes to their shopping list that I don’t feel comfortable making for them,” Jared finished before turning and walking over to Stephani.
Jared walked up to both Claire and Stephani, who were sitting on a stack of wood pallets in a far corner of the warehouse. He looked at their bare feet and was thankful they had only needed to walk on sidewalks and paved roads the day before. Jared made a mental note to get both women shoes and socks as soon as possible.
“Hey, Stephani, John said you need to go out and get some things from the store,” Jared started.
Stephani turned, her chin held high. “Is that what he told you?” she asked with just a touch of incredulity in her tone.
“Well, yeah, he said you both need feminine products—in so many words, that’s what he told me,” Jared countered, trying to maintain at least some semblance of control over his portion of the conversation.
“We do and we need them sooner than later,” Stephani replied without a shred of hostility in her voice.
Jared nodded his head, licking his dry lips. “You and me can go, maybe get some Chapstick and a couple of pairs of shoes for you girls while we’re out there. You guys talk it over and make a list of what you need. I did a lot of this scavenging stuff after all this happened. I doubt there’ll be as much to choose from now, but it seemed like people didn’t really go after much more than food and alcohol when I was out there, so maybe we’ll get lucky.”
At the mention of shoes, Claire perked up. “Yeah, I need shoes—and socks,” Claire blurted out before shrinking back onto the pallets.
Jared smiled. “Make a list, and when Stephani and I go out, we’ll try to get as much as we can.”
“You want me to go with you?” Stephani questioned curiously.
Jared bobbed his head. “I think me out there shopping for you girls will result in a lot of disappointment when I get back,” Jared answered, smiling grimly. “You may have to choose an alternate substitute for certain things we can’t find. We passed a pretty big shopping center on our way in. I think there was a Target and, if I remember correctly, a Smart and Final.”
Thirty minutes later, Stephani had her rifle, Dwight’s gun belt and pistol along with Dwight’s pack with some food and water. Jared was loaded out nearly identically. Jared made sure the body of each pack was left empty for carrying back whatever they were able to scavenge. Barry walked into the warehouse from the office area, talking to himself while reading a manual, but stopped short, sensing something was up. He looked at both Stephani and Jared, who were at the rear door, readying to leave.
“Where are you going?” Barry inquired.
“Out to pick up—ah, some shoes and things for the ladies,” Jared said, almost opening the can of worms John had wrestled with
the evening before.
Stephani looked at Jared and gave him a tiny smile of appreciation. Before the event it was far easier for people to maintain their dignity when it came to private matters. Nowadays everyone’s life was on front street. The group lived, ate and slept within feet of each other, with no privacy other than when they would scuttle a few feet away to do their business.
Jared remembered a meme he’d seen and not fully understood before the event. It was a picture of a bathroom with toilets on one wall and showers on the opposite wall, all occupied by young men. There had been no stalls nor dividers of any kind, and the caption read Now you know why the Marines are such a tight-knit group of warriors. At the time, Jared hadn’t fully understood what the meme meant, but the sight of the toilets and showers sans privacy barriers stuck with him, and now in the aftermath of all that had taken place, he finally understood.
John broke from his post at the hallway and came close to Jared, grabbing him by the shoulder and pressing his face close to Jared’s ear. “Get shit paper, bro.”
Jared chuckled, then turned to Barry. “What’s your timetable here?”
Barry scrunched his mouth to the side in thought. “I’d say maybe midday tomorrow.”
Jared nodded in acknowledgment and ducked out into the morning sunlight, Stephani close behind him, her rifle pointing directly at Jared’s back. John reached out and grabbed Stephani’s rifle, directing it away from Jared’s back.
“And remember, keep your finger off that trigger. You shoot him and you’re all by your lonesome out there,” John ended with a pleasant, crooked smile.
Stephani looked at him for a moment, then lurched after Jared to the ominous sound of the door slamming closed and locking behind them. They were officially on their own.
The Jared Chronicles | Book 2 | Tears of Chaos Page 22
