Firestorm: Walking in the Rain Book 5

by M. C. Allen

  “No, but can you?” Ouch. He had a point. Can I do this?

  “I don’t know, honestly, but I want you and the rest to try. Just don’t get soft and forget what we have learned, but that’s a conversation for later. Right now, let’s go find these feed stores.” I stepped outside and called out to everyone within earshot, “Does anyone know the name of this wide spot in the road? There are three feed stores listed in the phone book.”

  Two men came over. One of them was Gene Patrick. I hadn’t talked to him since I freed him and his family, but he looked much better now that he had cleaned up and eaten some regular meals without being mistreated constantly. Gene took off his wide-brimmed hat and wiped his forehead before speaking. The other man held off and waited for Gene.

  “This area is known as Roher Springs. There’s not much here but farms. What do you need to know?”

  I pointed at the phonebook and the three stores listed. “Were these three still running when the lights went out?” Paul took the phonebook and squinted before handing it back.

  “One was a small operation near here. The other two are closer to the main highway. You thinking on getting some seed and feed?”

  “Yes sir. I’m also looking for an RV repair place. We need movable shelter as well as somewhere to keep all that seed and feed dry.”

  The second man spoke finally. “Well, heck why didn’t you say so? We are almost to one. It’s only a few more miles down the road. I had work done there once on a horse trailer, but they worked on RVs too.” He introduced himself as Ramon Alvarez. He had been with Joseph all the way back at the camp; we just had never been properly introduced until now.

  Ramon also used to raise horses and thought that a horse trailer could serve as a useful way to transport goods. He said the newer ones even had sleeping compartments. I agreed to look into it when we had a chance to look some models over. Ramon and Gene got in my truck with Melanie. Angel got in the back and continued scanning for trouble. We all loaded up and made our way toward the possible RV repair facility.

  It proved to be a little creepy. There were travel trailers in all matter of disrepair at the “facility,” which was little more than a square acre of crap. That was my first impression. Looking closer, I noticed that the strewn garbage and cast-off material was a sort of camouflage. The owners must have figured that people would come here eventually, so they made it look very uninviting. God, please don’t let them be cannibals.

  They weren’t cannibals, and they were starving. The family living there looked desperate but had remained decent people. We fed them and listened to their story while they ate. The Johnson family consisted of the father, Drake, his wife, Eloise, and their two kids, Sean, and Justine. The Johnsons ran the trailer repair business, but Drake was also an all-around mechanic and handyman. He had an old horse trailer that would serve our purpose plus an older travel trailer that had a ramp in the back for loading equipment. It was called a toy hauler, but I instantly fell in love with the cargo capacity. Instead of off-road recreational vehicles, we would load it with precious seed and fertilizer. That is, if we found more than the bit Joseph had unearthed.

  For his part, Drake tried to strike a hard bargain, but we eventually settled on him and his whole family coming with us. He was relieved that we didn’t just kill them and take what we wanted. Once we had established that they were welcome to join us, he showed us what he had been hiding. It was a beautifully restored Airstream trailer hidden under stained tarps behind his workshop. Already hitched up to it was a rusted-out truck, which wasn’t really rusted. When I got closer, I saw it had been painted to look rusty. It was a solid 1960s vintage truck.

  “Drake, that truck looks like it will do fine. Is the trailer functional? The pulse must have wiped out most power inverters and computers on almost every modern travel trailer.”

  Drake smiled proudly. “I rebuilt the entire power supply and fixed the electronics on the complete unit. It’s better than the day it was built. I spent months getting it in shape, but I realized that if I took it out on the road, it would be taken from me. That’s why we stayed.”

  “Well, don’t think we are going to take it from you. We appreciate the loan of the two trailers. Are they also rebuilt like the Airstream?”

  Drake shook his head. “If you give me the time, I can fix most of the problems from parts I have here already. How long are you going to stay?”

  “We are going to look into the feed stores around here for supplies, so can you get most of the work done in two days? We also need some basic trailers for hauling stuff we don’t worry about getting wet. Do you have some to loan us?”

  “Loan? No, just take what you need. My biggest concern was making sure my family was fed and safe. We’ve had to hide a lot lately, with the looters getting more desperate.” We started walking back to the trucks out front.

  I waved at Joseph to give him an update. “Can you set up security here for the Johnsons? Drake here is going to need two days to get our trailers up and running so we can use them for something besides just shelter.”

  Joseph nodded and got the information he needed. He turned and started getting most of the trucks set up in a defensive ring around the property. I called over Ramon Alvarez, who immediately shook Drake’s hand and slapped him on the back. Drake had to think for a minute where he had met the stranger before, but soon smiled in recognition.

  “Ramon, do you think you could stay here and help Mr. Johnson out?”

  “Sure thing. I know how to turn a wrench and strip wiring. Drake and I can catch up on old times.”

  I shook Drake’s hand and said I would be back later after we did some scouting.

  I took the Hummer and three trucks that were lightly loaded. I left my truck behind with Angel and Melanie. The materials in the bed of that truck could not be risked on a simple scouting mission. I put Gene in the passenger seat to act as guide, and Regina rode at Kofi’s feet again. We needed to get a cushion for her if we had to do this over longer distances.

  My mini convoy pulled out in search of the feed stores.

  The smallest of the three stores didn’t offer much since someone with the same idea had cleaned them out of feed. The selection of saddles had also been hit. Somewhere out there was a ranch with some horses. Good luck whoever they were, but they left some goodies behind.

  The seed selection was mainly corn, wheat, and soybean. We also found some pesticides and herbicides that could be useful. The trucks were loaded up and we carried our load back to the Johnson’s home to be loaded in the trailer. Drake and Ramon were digging into the inner workings of the travel trailer when we returned, and based on their cursing, it was going to take the two days to have it serviceable.

  Joseph checked in on us as we unloaded the bags that may represent our chances of surviving next year. “Keep your eyes open for fuel sources while you’re out there. Running this equipment is going to use a lot of our reserves.” I agreed to look, but we didn’t have a way to transport much at one time. He nodded and said he had an idea but didn’t know if it would work until we tried it. That was normally my line, so I was a little scared of what he had in mind.

  The two other feed stores had more supply in stock, but as before, the feed had been cleaned out. We were satisfied with what we found and would return with a larger crew the next day to load it directly into our two new trailers. We focused on items that were overlooked. Small animal live traps were sitting on the shelves. These wire cages could be set up and baited to catch small animals and not kill them. I grabbed every single one I could find. Alex finally asked why we needed them.

  “If we can catch the animal, we can keep it alive and the meat fresh. If we catch enough rabbits, we could start a captive breeding program. I’ve never raised rabbits, but it is something we could try.”

  Alex shook her head at that before she responded. “You get to clean up after them. They drop little poop pellets everywhere.”

  “Wait. Alex, you know how to rais
e rabbits?”

  “The white fluffy ones, not the wild ones. I had one for two years, and it was my responsibility.”

  “So what happened to it?”

  “I forgot to feed it and it died.” Alex sounded sad.

  “What do we feed them? I haven’t seen any rabbit food anywhere yet.” I pointed to the items we had loaded in the back of one of the trucks.

  “They can eat grass and plant stuff, but we need a garden to feed them.”

  “I have seed for the garden, but we can’t raise the rabbits until we get the garden going. I guess we eat rabbits and raccoons until the garden comes in.” I needed to write all of this down and establish a timetable or I was going to be overwhelmed with details. Kofi interrupted my thoughts from up on the .50 mount. He had the Remington out and was scanning the area with the scope.

  “I have movement further down the road. About three hundred yards out. I think there are five people on horses. They were coming our way until they saw us. They hit the woods to the right and got off. One of them is looking at us through binoculars right now.” I thought about what to do for a second before giving orders.

  “Everybody stop what you’re doing and come wave at our visitors. Let’s see what they do. Kofi, if they start looking hostile, light them up. Don’t hit the horses. I have a special place in my heart for them.”

  We all lined up and gave them a hearty wave, trying to look innocent and nonthreatening. Come talk to us, run away in fear, or start shooting were the three options in play. They chose option two and rode away, but not in fear. We needed to move fast to get this all loaded up. This could turn into a shootout if they returned with a force large enough.

  I sent Gene back to bring the trailers and some help. We were going to stay and defend this spot if we could. In the end, it was not an issue. The horsemen did not come back, but we sweated our tails off loading the trailers. We tried to keep most of the weight over the axles when we could. Drake sent over two cargo carriers that were simple boxes on wheels. They were normally used to haul goods for people attending trade shows, so they were windowless. In a pinch, we could use it to stay out of the elements if we became desperate.

  We loaded everything up and went back to the Johnson’s. He had his two kids loading up the Airstream with parts, tools, and personal items. His wife was beside him, working on another trailer that was small enough to be towed by a standard-sized truck. I went over to see what he was cooking up. Eloise turned with the flashlight she was holding and pointed into the service panel that Drake was rewiring.

  “This one is old enough that the damage can be fixed easily. When he is done it will be fully functional except for the air conditioner.”

  “Wait, you mean we have air conditioning in the other one?”

  “Well no. I was just messing with you. Those units are fried, but by now, I bet you are accustomed to the heat. These will have showers and if we can find propane, we can use the furnace in the winter.”

  I watched Drake struggle with the wiring some more. I know my strengths and understood that standing and watching over his shoulder would just annoy him. “I’m going to find Barbara and get some food in me. I forgot to eat again. Did you and the kids get some too?”

  “We did. Tell Barbara that we appreciate her cooking for us. I was worried the kids were just going to waste away.” Eloise was turned half toward me but kept the flashlight steady. I didn’t need to interrupt them anymore with useless niceties, so I nodded and followed my nose to the ever-steaming pot of food. Does Barbara ever wash that thing? I really didn’t want the answer to that.

  I found Barbara set up on an outdoor folding table under a shade tree in the backyard. The pot was placed on a heavy grate over smoldering coals. We tried to save the propane for when times were more desperate. So far, the rains had not arrived, so the supply of dried wood was endless.

  I filled my metal cup and had a seat on the ground. The table was surrounded by my people. They had become “my people” in the last few days, and I could never pinpoint when the transition had occurred. In my head, they were “Joseph’s people,” but somehow, I had become the leader. I let it go for now, but when we got to Ripley, I wanted to have a discussion with everyone. My thoughts were interrupted by Lisa. She had been keeping her distance since I talked, but she must have taken me sitting alone as some type of signal for her to initiate a conversation.

  “David, where do you plan to take us next? We aren’t exactly breaking any speed records, and people are worried about being exposed out on the road.”

  I noticed for the first time that she had a friendly smile and nice eyes. They were a muted shade of green, and her hair had a touch of red. Was that auburn, or was her hair slightly bleached from the sun? I hadn’t said anything yet, and her smile grew when she noticed me looking at her. I smiled back, but my beard hid most of it from her. Was I ready for this yet? Was she? Lisa didn’t give away much about her time as a captive, but I knew she had been abused. I had rebuffed Tammy’s advances because her actions toward me were not rational. At least Lisa knew to take things slow for both of us.

  “Sorry. I was distracted. Yes, we are moving slowly right now. I still need to secure a better supply of fuel, but the trailers are necessary to haul what we are going to need in the longer term.” Lisa nodded in understanding, and I was speaking loud enough that the cluster of people around the table could pass that on to the rest. The grapevine would ensure the message was spread out just as fast as social media before the pulse.

  “I get the need for supplies, but where are we really going? We don’t know the destination yet.” I saw Kofi and Regina come over and fill their cups from the pot. I waved them over to sit with us. They took a spot at the table instead. Traitors.

  “I’m not telling anyone but a select few our goal. I can’t have this leak early, and we may run across people on the road who are working with our enemies.” I could tell that Lisa was hurt at being left out, but this really was something I needed to keep secret. Lisa finished her cup of soup/stew and left without another word. There went any chance of starting up something with Lisa. She was not happy with me. Joseph walked around the building with Jordan. They both sported giant winning smiles. Joseph walked over and helped me up from my seat.

  “We found what we needed, and it is glorious!” Joseph was practically beaming. He must want me to guess.

  “You and Jordan found a way to transport large quantities of fuel?” I hoped I was correct. Jordan stole his dad’s thunder.

  “Not just transport, Mr. Metcalf. We found the fuel.”

  “Fill me in on the details, guys?” I was happy to hear this. Joseph was toying with me though.

  “Why don’t we just show you? We just pulled in with it.”

  “You have it already?”

  Jordan jumped in again. “We found it already loaded up on a trailer and filled. It looked like someone fought a battle over it, and nobody won. There were bodies all around the area with a truck already connected to it. All we did was unhitch the trailer from the shot-up truck and connect it to our truck. It’s full of diesel.” As we walked around the house, I saw the red tank loaded and tied down on the flatbed trailer. It was a good start.

  “If we’re careful, that could get us through the next season. We need to find some fuel stabilizer for it, or it’ll degrade.”

  Alex came out of the Johnson house with Sean and Justine Johnson. The two kids were laughing and talking to Alex, and like always, she was quiet and subdued around new people. The trio joined us looking at the red cylinder on the trailer. Alex moved next to me.

  “What are we looking at?” Alex nodded with her head at the scene.

  “That may be part of the puzzle that keeps us alive next year. It’s about a thousand gallons of diesel, but like bullets, you can’t eat it.”

  “So what’s next?” She turned to me and waited.

  “Tomorrow we leave and go find my friends. They could be dead for all I know, but we have enoug
h now to start a homestead if we need to. I would like for you kids to have a place where you can relax some and be kids again for a while. It will be like the 1890s, but with better weapons. Everyone will need to pitch in to help out.”

  “Are we going to be safe where we’re going?”

  I had always been honest with them. “Nope, but at least we will be together.”

  The next day, we started our slow trip to Ripley, Texas. We took our time and searched for more equipment on the way. Our convoy was growing each day. When I looked at the map and felt we had another week of slow traveling, I left the convoy at a defensible farm and scouted ahead with the armored Hummer. We moved faster without the baggage train, and started running into checkpoints run by law-enforcement officials. At the first stop, a uniformed deputy asked for us to step out of the vehicle. I acquiesced but had the kids stay inside. The officer was not happy with that.

  “Sir, I need the rest of your party to step out of the vehicle!” The deputy’s hand was running toward the butt of his pistol out of habit. He was carrying a rifle, but his first instinct was to go for his service pistol.

  “Deputy, I need to keep the minors I am transporting out of harm’s way. That means they stay buttoned up in the armored vehicle. The two of us can talk.” The rest of the checkpoint had already gone to high alert, and I could see rifles being pointed in my direction from behind the blocking vehicles.

  “How many in the vehicle are minors, sir?” He was curt but polite in his response.

  “All of them, deputy. The kid manning the .50 is a teenager. We are on our way to talk to some friends up the road.” I got a better look at his nameplate at that point. Deputy Derring wasn’t being unreasonable, but there was no way in hell my kids were getting out of the Hummer, where they were safe.

  “Who are your friends, mister?”

  “I don’t want to break security, Officer Derring, but they live up near Ripley. I’m expected, but a little late to the party.”