Grasp Grace: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (The Pulse Book 2)

by Hayden James

  Silence. Then a voice came on, “Whiskey Alpha Charlie Six Tango this is Delta Echo three Sierra, over.”

  “Delta Echo three Sierra… thank you for taking the call. I wanted to know the local shelters in Nashville. Over.”

  “Whiskey Alpha Charlie Six Tang… I have a list of them from a caller last night. Are you ready for them?”

  “Yes, please give them to me,” William replied, excited that he was able to get the information he requested nearly immediately.

  “There are five shelters that FEMA has set up, on the outskirts of the city. Nashville is under a mandatory evacuation because of the fires and the looting. There are shelters at the following towns outside of Nashville, Gladeville, La Vergne, Norene, one south of Nashville, in Peytonsville, and one on the west side, Kingston Springs. Over.”

  “Delta Echo three Sierra, thank you for the information. We will check the shelters. Over and out.”

  “GL. Over and out.”

  William turned to Rachel, Gary, and Vince after setting town the microphone on the HAM radio. “I’m sure he would head east toward Townsend, we my dad lives. Let’s check the Gladeville shelter first. Then we will work our way east.”

  “Great idea,” confirmed Vince. William put the car in drive and headed toward Gladeville.

  Gladeville, TN

  12:28 PM

  “Have you seen a young man, around six-foot two inches, light brownish hair, athletic build?” William asked the check-in clerk of the Gladeville shelter while he put his arm around Rachel.

  “I’m sorry, sir. Nothing comes to mind, but you are welcome to take a look around at the beds,” replied the clerk. William and Rachel went up and down the rows of cots looking for anyone who looked like Liam. The other’s waiting in the van for their return.

  “It doesn’t look like he’s here,” concluded William.

  “No, he’s not here,” replied Rachel.

  “I was hoping. Really was. We need to get him out of here and to my dad’s,” lamented William.

  “We will find him,” said Rachel, hugging William.

  They both returned to the camper van and got into their seats. “No luck guys. We are headed to the next one,” announced William.

  La Vergne, TN

  1:03PM

  “Here’s the second shelter,” announced William as he pulled up to it and put the van in park. He looked in the rearview mirror and said, “Guys, this shelter looks bigger. Let’s all go take a look and see if we can find Liam. If not, we need answers.” Everyone exits the van and head inside the shelter.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” pleaded William. The woman who is working at the shelter’s front desk stopped what she was doing. “I’m looking for my son. Any idea how’d I would find him?”

  “Does he live in Nashville?” asked the front desk clerk.

  “He does,” answered William. “His name is Liam Conner.”

  “We don’t have any records of the residents of our shelter, but please go take a look. Everyone at this shelter is from downtown Nashville. This is the shelter that they were sent to.”

  “Thank you,” replied William while he motioned to his family to go inside the shelter.

  “Maddy, Addy, Vince, and Gary, there is a good chance that Liam is at this shelter. This is where they evacuated everyone who lives in downtown Nashville. This would be the shelter that Liam would have been directed to,” explained William. “Please go cot by cot and see if you see him.”

  Rachel and William started at one end of the shelter, and the twins along with Gary and Vince started at the other. Dr. Tate waiting in the front since she did not know what Liam looked like.

  The time that passed seemed like hours for William. Frantic, he looked at every person who sat or laid on a cot in the face to make sure they were not Liam. He wanted to take his time and be thorough with this shelter since it was their best hope in finding Liam.

  Looking up at Maddy, Addy, Gary, and Vince he became disappointed that they had almost worked their way through their half of the shelter. Only a few more rows before the two search groups would meet in the middle.

  “I’m guessing you guys didn’t see him,” William said with despair in his voice.

  “No, dad. Nothing,” answered Maddy. “There were a few cots that had stuff on them, but no one was there. Maybe Liam is staying here, but is gone right now.”

  “Great idea!” William said, hope returning to his voice. “Let’s wait until nightfall when most of the residents of the shelter are back.”

  As the group stood in the middle of the room, prepared to stay a few more hours, William convinced that they just had to wait a little longer before they would find Liam, a voice came from one cot, “Are you guys looking for Liam?”

  William turned to find where the voice came from. “Yes, yes, we are. Is he here?” William asked, finding the voice came from a young, overweight man who sat on a cot reading a book.

  “My name is Kenny. I’m Liam’s roommate. I recognized your twin daughters from photos Liam would show me of his family. Damn, those are some hot twins you have there,” explained Kenny.

  William, ignoring the comment about his twin daughters sought to get to the bottom of Liam’s whereabouts. “Where’s Liam?” William asked one more time. “Is he here?”

  A grimace came across Kenny’s face. “Oh, no! Please don’t say he didn’t make it out in time,” William said, inferring from the expression on Kenny’s face. He instantly fell to his knees on the ground, his hands covering his face. Emotion had overcome William and the thought that Liam did not make it out of the apartment in time before it burned down was more than he could tolerate.

  “Man, sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out,” said Kenny, leaning toward William and placing a hand on his shoulder.

  William wiped his face with his hands and said, “He made it out of the apartment?”

  “Yeah!” Kenny answered. “He got out before I did. He told me to get my stuff together and evacuate, but instead I decided to get high. Wish I listened, I could have gotten a ride with my cousins to my uncle’s who has homestead in Alabama, but instead, I’m here.”

  “Liam is alive?” William asked, seeking confirmation.

  “The last time I saw him. He said he was going to head to Dwight’s place. I think that’s his grandpa’s house, right?” Kenny explained.

  “That’s fantastic news,” muttered William, his emotional stability taking a toll with the conversation he was having with Kenny.

  “Oh, hey, guys. Can I have a ride?” Kenny asked.

  “We are headed to Townsend, is where you’re heading on the way?” William asked.

  “Oh, yeah, it’s on the way,” replied Kenny.

  “Well come on, we are leaving now,” William said to Kenny. Kenny grabbed his bag and followed William. William turned to the rest and said, “Hey, guys! Let’s go. Liam headed to Townsend days ago.”

  The group moved quick to rush and get into the van; they did not have a moment to spare. Kenny sat in the passenger seat, and Rachel sat in the back. William peeled out of the parking lot, driving as fast as he could safely.

  “So, where am I dropping you off at? Your families’ place?” William asked as he steered the vehicle, preparing to get back on the highway.

  Kenny looked out the window. He said, “Drop me off right here?”

  “Right here?” William asked. “There’s nothing here. Where does your family live?”

  “They’re in Alabama and Georgia. Just pull over right here. That liquor store we just passed looks like they are open and are taking cash,” explained Kenny.

  “Are you sure?” William asked, not believing that Kenny only wanted a ride to the liquor store.

  “Yeah, thanks, man. I’ll walk back to the shelter after I load up on some booze. Should make the night go by faster,” said Kenny as he jumped out of the camper van that had pulled up to the curb.

  “All right, Kenny. Thanks for your help,” said William as Kenny shut t
he door. William continued heading to the highway, on his way to Townsend.

  Waterston, TN

  2:28 PM

  “Look Rach, the Guard is in this town,” announced William as he saw barricades set up after exiting the I-40.

  “The Guard?” Rachel asked, seeming confused.

  “Right, they have several barricades set up,” explained William.

  Finally, Rachel looked up, moving her way back up to the passenger side seat. “Maybe we can get some answers from them,” she concluded.

  “Great minds think alike,” replied William who already had that idea.

  William pulled up to the barricade and rolled down the window. “Excuse me Sir, I’m looking for my son. I believe he may have passed through her,” explained William to the Guardsman manning the barricade.

  “What is his name,” asked the Guardsman.

  “Liam Conner,” replied William.

  The Guardsman looked at his list, muttering “Conner, Conner, Conner. Conner, Liam. Yes, I found him. He and another traveler were going together to Tucker Hollow. Her name is Prue Dint.”

  “How long ago did they come through here,” asked William.

  “They passed through here a couple of days ago.”

  “Thank Heaven!” Rachel shouted from the passenger seat. “He’s all right and most likely at Dwight’s. This is the best news I’ve heard.”

  William replied to Rachel, “I’m so relieved that he is OK. I don’t know what I would do without him.” William went through the barricade after the Guardsman allowed him through, heading full speed ahead to Tucker Hollow.

  Day Ten

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rachel Conner

  Knoxville, Tennessee

  9:45 PM

  “Will, stop driving so fast,” yelled Rachel as she sat int the passenger seat.

  “I’m anxious to get to Tucker Hollow and see Liam,” argued William, clearly defending the speed.

  Moments later, what sounded like an explosion erupted from beneath the van and the passengers in back were violently tossed together. The girls all screamed, from the loud noise and the swerving vehicle. The blown tire made the van off-balance and William steered frantically.

  Rachel turned around to find that Vince had a stream of blood coming down his face. “Vince! What happened?” Rachel shouted.

  “He hit his head on the window,” answered Gary. “He’s going to need stitches.”

  Rachel turned back around to face the front. “Will! We are heading off the road!” Rachel shouted.

  “I’m trying Rachel!” William shouted back. Just as the vehicle was about to head off of the road at the turn, William steered the van and kept it on the road.

  “Oh, thank God,” whispered Rachel under her breath. Shortly after the near fatal turn, William handled the van and pulled to a stop.

  “Dad, what was that?” Addison shouted.

  “We blew a tire, honey,” answered William.

  Rachel rushed to the back of the van to tend to Vince. “Here, allow me,” Dr. Tate said to Gary, allowing him to release his hand from where he held the gaping wound on Vince’s forehead.

  “Thanks,” Gary said, handing off the task of preventing blood to stream from the gash on Vince’s head. “I’ll see if I can help with changing the tire,” continued Gary as he left the side door of the van.

  Rachel followed Gary outside to assess the damage. “Do we have a spare?” Rachel asked William and Gary.

  “We do, but it’s small. It’s questionable if it will last long enough to cover the last fifty miles,” answered William.

  “Perhaps, we can put it on, and then scavenge for a tire in the next town. We could even take a tire form a stalled vehicle,” suggested Gary.

  “Brilliant idea,” replied Rachel, her trust resuming with the brothers. Their relationship had been strained with their interactions with the twins, but since that cooled down, Rachel was back on their side.

  William interrupted the exchange between Gary and Rachel, “Let’s get the spare on,” he said. Both Gary and William changed the tire while Rachel went back inside to find that Dr. Tate almost had Vince’s forehead sutured.

  “We will be back on the road very soon,” announced Rachel. The twins appeared to be startled, frightened, and exhausted. “But, we will need to stop in the next town for a tire,” further explained Rachel.

  Wildwood, TN

  10:30 PM

  “Looks like the next town is coming up, Wildwood,” said Rachel as she read the road signs. The spare being much smaller than the other three wheels tilted the van.

  “Maybe we can find a tire shop,” suggested William. He drove down the streets of the downtown area.

  “I don’t think we will find one at this hour,” countered Rachel.

  “Be more optimistic, please,” berated William. “I’m tired of all this negativity all the time.”

  “The last thing I would want to do is fight with you,” Rachel said in hopes to diffuse the situation.

  “Look! The bay door on at the repair shop is open. Hopefully, there is a mechanic and we can get a tire,” exclaimed William.

  William pulled into the repair shop where the bay door was open. Rachel seemed suspicious of the situation. “No one is here,” she announced with a disgruntled tone.

  Rachel could hear in William’s tone that he felt vindicated when he said, “No one may be here, but I found the right-sized tire for our van.” Rachel did not like this, it was obvious that no one was here and they were clearly stealing. “Gary, Vince, come help me change the tire. I found the right size that we need,” shouted William.

  Gary and Vince both emerged from the van, ready to help. They took out the wheel wedge, wrench, and jack to change the tire.

  The daughters and Dr. Tate came out of the vehicle to allow the men to change the tire.

  William used the jack to raise the van. Once it was elevated as high that it needed to be, Gary took the wrench and removed the lug nuts to take off the spare tire. Vince and William set the new tire on the van and Gary tightened the lug nuts, securing the tire in place.

  William was just about to release the jack and have the van return to the floor of the garage, when a loud bang of a slamming door echoed throughout the garage.

  “Oh, no! What was that!” William said, appearing to be startled.

  Before Rachel could figure out what the loud noise was three men ran into the garage. One of the men wore a uniform with the same logo as the garage, however, the fit of the uniform on the man appeared to be off.

  The man with the ill-fitting uniform said, “I see you are taking one of our tires. We are going to need payment for that.” One of the other goons who stood behind the uniformed man brandished the handle of a pistol in his waistband.

  “That’s no problem,” replied William. “We would have paid you up front, but we didn’t see anyone here. Let me settle this, how much will the one tire be?” William took out his wallet and counted out his cash.

  “Cash is not good here,” replied the man with the uniform. “What I will take is about an hour with that woman there,” pointing at Rachel, “or one of the two hot blondes. That will certainly buy the tire you just took.”

  Gary, became protective of the twins said, “You will not take one of our women,” he seethed, appearing to be angry at the thought of one of the twins or Rachel spending an hour with him.

  Rachel gave Vince a knowing look, and Vince reached in his back waistband and got his pistol. He fired at the man with the ill-fitting uniform, wounding him in the shoulder. The other two men ran off, dropping a weapon,

  William went over a picked up the weapon. Rachel asked, “What kind of gun was that?”

  Looking upset, William replied, “It’s a pellet pistol.” He then turned to Vince, “Great shot!”

  They left the uniformed man laying on the floor with the shoulder wound, when Rachel said, “Let’s get back underway again. Everyone back in the van.”

  Wi
lliam pulled out of the bay door, heading back for the highway. This time traveling at a slower pace to take it easy on the older, worn tires.

  Day Eleven

  Chapter Seventeen

  Residence of Dwight Conner

  Tucker Hollow, Tennessee

  8:45 AM

  “I can’t believe we are actually here!” Rachel shouted as William pulled into the driveway of Dwight’s house. Tears welled up in Rachel’s eyes even at the notion of seeing her son.

  “Hey look!” Maddy shouted from the backseat. “It’s Liam!”

  “Liam!” Rachel cried. “Will, stop the van, I need to get out and hug him.” Before William could fully stop the car, Rachel jumped out of the slowly rolling van and ran toward her son.

  “Mom!” Liam shouted, holding out his arms as he saw his mother running up the driveway. “It’s so good to see you,” said Liam while he held his mom in an embrace. “I was so worried that I would not see you before I left.”

  “Left?” Rachel screamed. “You are not leaving.”

  “Mom, I have to help my friend Prue find her parents and to make sure that they are all OK. I have to do this,” explained Liam.

  “No, you’re not leaving. Under no circumstance are you leaving your grandpa’s. That is final,” demanded Rachel.

  William parked the van behind the motorcycles and the rest of the family got out of the van and rushed over to Liam.

  “Liam!” Natasha screamed as she made her way down the driveway. She ran up to him and he picked her up, her arms swinging around his neck.

  “Natasha!” Liam shouted. “You’ve gotten so big since the last time I saw you.”

  The twins both came over to Liam, each giving him a hug and kiss, “Good to see you big brother,” said Maddy.