Firestorm: Walking in the Rain Book 5

by M. C. Allen

  Without the internet or cell phone technology, all we had were our stories. New people were always a source of information, but they were all starting to sound similar. Starve, fight, run away, or hide were common themes. Our story had different twists, but we were not unique.

  We rumbled along the now dirt road for miles before hitting another lane, which was really just one lane with our wide vehicle. I checked the map again and knew we were close. The bodies and deserted cars were getting thicker as we rolled closer to the four-lane highway. I turned right and started weaving around more cars and trucks.

  I tried to avoid the bodies, but sometimes I hit someone lying on the asphalt. We shuddered each time and said a silent prayer for their souls. I’m not that religious, but I still felt that we had spirits that left our bodies after death.

  The bridge ahead was my landmark. To the right was an overgrown driveway going north up the side of the embankment. It wasn’t a steep rise, but it was enough for me to recall this was the spot we were looking for. I turned the wheel and left the highway behind. Branches scraped along both sides of the wide vehicle, and Kofi had to duck under low-hanging limbs. The path looked undisturbed as far as we could tell. We had dragged the trail several times to obscure our tire marks after we pulled the truck in.

  My grandfather’s old truck was hidden deep in a stand of trees and thorns. I couldn’t see it yet, so either it had been stolen or it was well hidden still. I stopped and turned off the engine.

  “Kofi, keep watch on our back trail. Light up anyone following us. This may take a while. Alex and Regina, take the sides, please. Dale and Melanie will be coming with me to get it running and backed out of there.” I waited for them to get into position. I grabbed a small bag of tools from the rear compartment, along with a shovel. The battery and distributor cap were hidden in one place. The gear from the back of the truck was hidden in another spot. This was going to suck because I had intentionally driven it into the thicket of thorns, and only then did I take out the battery and distributor cap. If anyone had found the truck, it would have been worthless without those parts.

  Good luck finding 1967 Ford F-100 parts out here in the middle of nowhere. It was hard enough before the pulse wiped out the power grid and everything that had a complex computer chip. Grandpa had taken care of this truck, and I had worked for years getting it restored. I never did get around to the paint, so I didn’t cry when I used a spray can to camouflage it before we had to flee my home. I kept it in the garage and loaded it up when things started to get really bad. Some of the items were too heavy to move by packs. I left them with the truck with the idea that when I found a safe haven, we could come back for it. I also needed some of my goodies for what was coming.

  I located the tailgate of the truck behind a layer of cut and now dried limbs. Well, the wheels were still there; time for the juice. Taking the shovel, I found the right tree and started to dig. Dale and Melanie turned away and watched out for me while I worked. Melanie could have done the digging, but I wanted it done today. Maybe I’d send Dale to install the battery. Nah, that would just be too mean. I hit the metal box and called out to Dale.

  “Your turn, bubba. Can you get the box for me?”

  Dale let out a long-suffering sigh. “What? Did you hurt something? I think we found a back brace at one of the houses where an old man and his wife once lived before going into the pot for the cannibals.”

  Melanie cast a horrified look at Dale. “Are you joking?”

  Dale shrugged. “Nope. They really were eaten by the cannibals, and we did find a back brace for Mr. Metcalf.”

  I shook my head at Dale. “I was trying to get you more involved in the process, Dale. You can climb into the flesh-shredding thorns and put the battery back in for us since I’m such a worn out old man.”

  Dale pointed back at the Hummer. “Why don’t we just hook up the chain and pull it out so we can work on it?” I palmed my forehead with a smack, and I added a slap to the back of my own neck for not thinking of that. I had left it in neutral and without the parking brake set.

  Melanie laughed at us at that point. “You were going to climb into that mess?”

  I swear, I’m such a dumbass sometimes. “Yes, that was my plan. That’s how I did it before and got cut all to hell doing it.”

  Melanie thought for a second. “Why didn’t you drive into the heavy brush, back out, pull the battery, and then just push it in by hand? You could have avoided a lot of pain.”

  I tried to think of a response, but all I could do was look at my scuffed and battered boots and proclaim my stupidity.

  Dale just laughed harder and clapped Melanie on the arm. “The only one hurt was Mr. Metcalf.”

  And my pride I guessed. The Hummer pulled the splotched-painted Ford out of the briar patch, and I reinstalled the battery and cap. I unlocked the doors with my set of keys and took my seat. The ignition switch turned to accessory mode. I checked the fuel level and saw the tank was still full. I crossed my fingers and the truck fired up in just a few seconds.

  I had worried that the fuel in the carburetor would attract moisture and the engine might not start, but the dry dusty days had ensured that was not a problem. I let the engine idle for a minute and checked the gauges. Everything looked fine. Even the tires were still inflated properly. I brought a gauge to check them because the truck was going to be loaded heavy. Very heavy. The air ride system grandpa had installed years ago to stiffen the suspension worked like a charm. I checked the pressure at the inflation point above the license plate. The system was still pressurized, so the air pump we brought wasn’t needed. Next was the loading phase.

  It took several hours of sweating and grunting to get the truck loaded. The more “sensitive” items went inside of the Hummer. I didn’t want the primers and powder to ride together in the back of the truck like it had when we escaped. At the time, we didn’t have a second truck. The hairs on my arm stood up at the memory of that day.

  We had come close several times to getting cut off and surrounded. The front bumper of the truck still had dents, and blood stained the hood in two places. Holes dotted the windshield on the passenger side and the seat back was perforated in the same pattern. Regina had ridden out of Arlington stuffed into the floorboard area until we had gotten clear. She suffered through the hot brass raining down on her from us trying to shoot our way out. The tiny little pixie didn’t even whimper during the carnage. I wanted to go back and get some more payback on those assholes, but I had someone else in my crosshairs.

  I found the ammo can labeled “black powder parts” and pulled it aside to check. I had dabbled in building kit guns I had picked up over time. My favorite was a simple single-shot pistol that was small enough to carry in my boot. The barrel could be unscrewed from the action for cleaning, and the grip was a simple, curved piece of walnut. I wasn’t that good at woodworking, so I started off with easy builds that were cheap.

  I had some more advanced kits, but I never got around to even starting them. I needed the actions, percussion caps, and the powder. I had a plan that involved death and destruction. I danced a little with the metal can. I get nervous before a fight, but working with explosives makes me happy.

  Now … where is the drill and tap kit?

  The Army taught me some of the basics in sapper school, but I didn’t have any C4 or blasting caps. Heck, I didn’t even have any fuse. That’s fine though because I had spent years doing research on alternative devices. Somebody should have known better than to screw with the wrong scientist. I just needed to find my stump dissolver and nitric acid.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FIVE

  The loading of the truck and the trip back was uneventful. Melanie helped, but she was too weak to do much more than provide light assistance. We did stop and leave little orange markers along the road to mark our escape route. If someone else was leading the convoy out, the markers were placed to denote where to turn if placed at an intersection. At night, the markers cou
ld be seen with the headlights. Screw light discipline. If we got attacked, the leading truck would haul ass with lights on, the rest following like little ducks. I marked the map clearly so I could show Joseph. It wasn’t a matter of if we get attacked, it was when they come for us. I really wanted to know the identity of our foe, and what their goals were besides killing everyone they thought was a threat.

  This side trip was necessary for all of our survival. I waved at Alex on the .50 in front of me and pointed to the side of the road. I had filled Melanie in on my story and why we had to have the gear from the truck. She didn’t say much, but I didn’t think she would truly believe me until we got back to the rest of the group. I wanted to stop and change things up a bit. I told Melanie to go to the ditch and cover that side of the road. We could see all around for several hundred yards, but it was a force of habit. It was flat, open fields here, baking in the sun. The crops were dried and stunted from lack of irrigation. We might be able to salvage the corn back at our farms, now that we had water running. It depended on if we could stay until it was ready to harvest. We would need to do it by hand until we found better equipment.

  I walked up to the Hummer and slid in behind Kofi’s seat. Dale was in the ditch, watching for bad guys.

  “Kofi, I want you to ride shotgun. Alex, you are going to drive us back. I want you all to train on how to operate this thing. Kofi, you are the vehicle commander at this point, so teach her what you know.”

  Alex crouched down and asked, “Is Dale or Regina taking over on the machine gun?”

  “Dale for now. He is short enough that he will need to stand on some ammo cans. I want him to get experience doing something besides looking out the window. Regina will move over to this spot and watch this side for the rest of the way back. We will pass the roadblock soon, and our home is only a few miles from there. It’s a risk, but so is everything we do.”

  Alex nodded and started making her way down and out the rear passenger side door. I got out and headed back to my truck. Kofi called everyone back in and took charge. He had a confidence that few kids older than him could muster. He didn’t bark orders at his family like some of my old squad leaders did in the past. He would be a great leader once he got a little more seasoning.

  Alex needed to get used to being around new people and crowds to be as good as Kofi. I pushed her a little bit from time to time, but I knew she was still like wrought iron. She was tough, but brittle.

  “Let’s go, Melanie. Good job watching your sector. You didn’t even notice that I had come back to the truck. Most people would have come back without waiting for me to get in and settled.” She rushed back and fumbled with the door a bit. Her hands were shaking a little.

  “Was that right? You said to always watch my section, but what would keep someone from sneaking up behind me?”

  She had a good point, but I did have an answer. “Alex was watching our rear and the area on my side that I would normally watch when we stopped.” I had gone over that with the kids, and they had listened.

  “David, how did you get these kids to do these things? I mean, they act like trained and disciplined soldiers who had been doing this for years.” She was still a bit hesitant asking me questions.

  “I had to train them. I couldn’t protect them without their participation. Kofi actually saved Alex while he and Regina were escaping from their apartment. They all ended up at my house one day. We have been together ever since. I think we are closer than most families, and I was serious when I told you I would protect them at all costs.” I sighed before I continued, “My wife, Kate, was working at her hospital when a plane dropped on it. In the last few days, a lady I saved has tried to claim me as hers. I’m not ready for that kind of relationship yet, so there may be hurt feelings involved. You need to know these things about me. I’m not going to chain you up and abuse you. I’m going to get you cleaned up and fed, and then I’m going to teach you like my kids. I don’t need sheep, Melanie; I need sheepdogs willing to protect the flock.” We rolled on in silence.

  Melanie scanned her area with her loaned M4 pointing out the window. I kept my M-14 across my lap with the muzzle leaning out the window. It was awkward for me since I was left handed, but I could point and fire quicker that way instead of trying to use my left. I should have ridden shotgun and let Melanie drive, but this was grandpa’s truck. I needed to know her better before she drove it.

  Alex cleared the roadblock ahead of us. Dale swept the barrel from the left side of the road to the right. He was a bit fidgety up there, but once he got more experience, he would settle down. For her part, Alex kept the beast between the ditches and didn’t slam on the touchy brakes. We continued on until we made the turn to our road. Both of our vehicles were stopped by the guard, but we were waved through with only a cursory look. Angel was manning the 240 and Jordan was in the driver’s seat. That caught me by surprise.

  “Does your dad know you’re out here?” I called out.

  “Heck, he was the one who suggested it. He said that I had one job. Run away at the first sign of trouble. Our orders are to get back behind the switchback and set up at the second position.” I nodded along with that.

  “Angel, keep your head down. I have a feeling that the first thing they will do is try to take you out.” Angel smirked. His thin mustache twitched with mirth.

  “David, I’m just a decoy. Don’t look around, but Pam has a sniper’s nest set up in a tree, watching over us. She trades out with Ashley and Danielle.” That was good. Pam must have seen us coming and signaled down here to them.

  “How do you contact each other in case of emergency?” I inquired.

  “Your radios. Two clicks for bad, three clicks for friendly. We don’t transmit anything else, and the batteries get charged now that we have the generators. Joseph has one long-range radio set up to listen in on any transmissions, and we have been looking at that code book you got out of the house.”

  Well, I hoped they got more out of it than I did. My specialty was not radios.

  “Darn, we were only gone one day and already you guys are making plans.” Good, someone was using initiative. We waved goodbye and headed up to the big farmhouse we called our temporary home. Now we needed to really get to work.

  The house was bustling with activity. Several trucks were being loaded up and checked out in front of the metal barn. Joseph was providing direction to the ladies and a few guys who were helping. It looked like one truck was being converted into a camper with plywood sides and a cover. The other truck was being loaded with boxes of supplies. I didn’t see the deuce and figured it must be at another house.

  “So are we going camping soon, Joseph?”

  He grinned and came over to greet us all back. He stopped at Melanie, and I introduced her as a new friend who had helped us down the road. Joseph instantly offered her a chance to clean up and get some food in her. I suggested she work with Barbara with the food situation.

  “Melanie, it’s not a slight in any way. You have been scrounging out there for a while. You know what plants are edible better than most. Otherwise you would have never made it.”

  She nodded but didn’t move away just yet. “You said you would train me like your family. Was that real or just a way to get me to come?” She didn’t sound angry, just disappointed and sad.

  “I will; this is a way for you to get to know as many people as quickly as possible. You will meet everyone working with Barbara. After dinner tonight, come find us. We usually sleep in the barn in the back once it cools off. It’s too hot during the day to hang out in there.” She seemed happier at that idea. She really needed a shower and a wardrobe update. I pointed to the back door and told her to just go straight to the kitchen and find Barbara, she would get her set up and put to work. We needed to get some work done before dark.

  Joseph smiled at me. “You do pick up strays, Mr. Metcalf. Did you get everything you needed?”

  I grinned. “Did you soak that fertilizer all day in diesel and stir
it under the blazing sun?”

  He smiled back. We were in business. The contents of the small shed had been emptied out and loaded in the truck, so we had a workshop away from where people slept. I went to the Hummer and got my ammo boxes out that had my tools and parts. The black powder and primers would stay outside until I was ready to prime my homemade charges. I needed to make several different types for what I had planned.

  I sent the kids off to get cleaned up and scout out any trouble with Lisa and Tammy. I didn’t need any distractions for a few days. This was going to be delicate. Joseph followed me inside and pointed out what he had assembled so far.

  “We were able to cut the pipe into three-foot sections. One of the farms had a workshop with some welding gear. With everything disconnected, we used the generator to fire it up. The welder was old and didn’t seem to have any issues with the pulse.”

  I thought for a second. “Was the welding shop a metal building like this one?” I had a theory.

  “It was very similar to this.”

  “There is a possibility that was how the generators and the Hummer outside didn’t suffer a meltdown like most other technology during the EMP. They may have been shielded and protected like my radios and thermal scope. Everything in that shop might work normally. We can check in the morning. Right now, I need to drill and tap the end caps and see if I can get this idea to work.”

  Joseph thought about that for a second. “There were power tools in there that we didn’t even check. Would a nice drill help?”

  “I would like to avoid drilling these holes by hand, so yes, that would be nice.”

  “Forget tomorrow then. Let’s run over there now. We can run a light into our shed and work in the dark.” That’s right … I forgot we had lights. Duh.