The Damaged Climate (Book 1): Tornado Warning

by J. R. Tate

  “We might have to do without a fire tonight.”

  Steve didn’t say much. He had been quiet for most of their hike, which Ryan didn’t mind. Too much talking wasted energy and with as frustrated as he was, would probably grate on his nerves.

  Rolling a few pieces of gauze from the small first aid kit he had made, he balled it up under the wood and lit it. It smoked for a bit and finally caught some pine needles on fire. It smoldered and Ryan gently blew on it. A few flames licked the twigs and with patience, a small fire finally started. It wasn’t big enough to do much, but if they stayed close, it would provide some warmth. His coat would help, but Steve didn’t have anything but the clothes he was wearing. They’d need to try and find him something for protection soon.

  “You can sit closer to the fire. If you need to, I can let you use the coat and we can trade off.”

  “I’m fine. It’s cool out, but nothing I can’t handle.”

  Ryan opened the bag of beef jerky and offered him a piece, and he gladly accepted. The temperature outside was tolerable for the time being, but with the extreme fluctuation in the climate and atmosphere, Ryan feared that they’d come across weather where Steve would be vulnerable. Even the coat he had wasn’t made for winter type stuff. It was spring and by this time, any chance of a freeze was pretty much over, but things weren’t even close to being normal now. Nothing would seem strange after what they had been through and anything seemed possible.

  “So, what did you do before the world decided to go ape shit on us?” Steve asked, tearing a piece of the jerky off with his teeth.

  “I’m a mechanic. Own a shop in Harper Springs.”

  “Yeah? That’s a good skill to have.”

  “What about you?” Ryan washed the jerky down with a gulp of water. It tasted so good, but he resisted the urge to drink too much. At least the jerky was extinguishing the sharp hunger pangs.

  “I’ve been a farmer all of my life. I heard cotton and milo did well down here, so I figured I’d try my hand at it. And grapes. I didn’t realize there were so many vineyards down here.”

  “It’s a new industry that’s just getting started in this area. The heat helps the flavor of the grapes. And the soil is perfect. Lots of cotton farmers are transitioning. Seems to be a bigger money maker that doesn’t depend as much on the weather.” If there were any vineyards still standing, it’d be another way to get some food.

  “Talk about irony,” Steve said, laughing. “I wonder if my ex-wife has heard about this on the news and is trying to get hold of me. My phone hasn’t worked since it all happened.”

  “With her being in Oklahoma, there’s a good chance it all went up her way. What part are you from? I’ve been up that way a few times myself.”

  “Near Oklahoma City. Seems to be the bull’s eye right in tornado alley.”

  Ryan nodded and slipped the jerky back in his bag. Grabbing a stick, he prodded the fire, adjusting the logs. It would go out soon and he tried to keep it going, at least, until they were comfortable enough to sleep.

  “Something is odd about all of this.”

  “How so?” Steven asked.

  “You see shit like this on the news all the time. All of these natural disasters all over the world and none of them seem to take as long in getting help to people. With the way media is now, word spreads fast. What is the exception here? I get that we’re in a rural area, but it’s been almost two weeks now. This country has a lot of resources – The National Guard, FEMA, The Red Cross… where is everyone?” Saying his concerns out loud made it seem even worse.

  Steve leaned back against a tree and looked up at the sky. “All good questions that I wish I had answers to. Maybe this is worse than we know. Maybe it’s more widespread than just here.”

  “Maybe. I’m not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I think this goes well beyond a crippling weather system.” Ryan had to stop himself. If he continued to talk about it, he wouldn’t be able to get any sleep, and with all of the hiking they were doing, he needed the rest.

  “You say you’re a mechanic, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I think I remember seeing a car down by the river right before the looters got me. It was torn up pretty bad and I just saw it in passing, but it might be of some use for us.”

  A car would cut down travel time and as he had said before, Ryan would take anything positive. “How far from here is it?” He had found a few other cars on his hike, but there would be no chance in him being able to fix them. Maybe this one would be different.

  “I’m not sure. I’ll be able to tell better in the daylight. Since I’m not from the area, I get turned around pretty easily.”

  “That’s great, Steve. We’ll try and find it tomorrow. I’m going to try and get going pretty early before the sun comes up. The more day time heating the atmosphere has to work with, the better chances of more storms, and if I can get the car running, we can cover a lot more ground.”

  Ryan laid back against a tree trunk and pulled his collar up around his neck and face. He felt guilty about having a coat, but each time he offered, Steve had declined. It was nice having someone walking with him. Though he didn’t know the man, talking to another human being pulled him out of reality, even if it was just for a little while. He didn’t feel like he was the last man on earth.

  Sleep came easier than he thought, and he dozed, his body giving into the physical exhaustion.

  ~~

  The first thing Ryan thought about when he woke up was the looter he had locked in the cellar. He wondered when the guilty feelings of taking a life would fade. When he thought about it in terms of survival, it felt a bit more justified, but he still had a hard time grasping that they were already that desperate.

  Looking down at his clothing, he was tattered in dirt, his beard was growing in thick, and he hadn’t washed off since he took a dip in the river. How amazing a nice hot shower would feel, not to mention a big glob of toothpaste on his toothbrush. Slicking his tongue over his teeth was not pleasant, and he reached for his canteen, sloshing water around in his mouth. It was the best he could do to appease how uncomfortable he was. If they made it back to the river today, he’d wash off as best as he could.

  Steve was already up and had a fire going. The scent of coffee wafted toward Ryan, reminding him that he was starving. The percolator bubbled above the flames, spilling some of the coffee over the edge.

  “Where’d that come from?” Ryan pointed at the coffee pot. It looked identical to the one he had left with his father.

  “Had it in my bag. One of the items I snagged before we left yesterday. A man can’t live without coffee.” He pulled two metal mugs out of the back pocket and handed one to Ryan. “You drink coffee?”

  “Hell yes, I do.” Extending it, Steve poured him a mug full and Ryan blew on it, unable to wait for it to cool. Sipping it, it soothed him from the inside – a temporary healing for his aches and pains. It was simple black coffee, but it was like they had just splurged at Starbucks on their most expensive blend.

  “I figure it’ll give us some early morning energy.”

  Ryan enjoyed it, trying not to finish it too fast. “I think you’re my new best friend, Steve. Thanks for making it.”

  “What’s the point of all of this if we can’t enjoy the simple things?”

  Ryan lifted the mug in the air as a sign of agreement and poured another cup full. They both sat in silence, Ryan lost in thought about the next course of action. He wanted to find the car that Steve had mentioned, but his worry was that it would set them back. What if they came across it and it was so damaged that he couldn’t fix it? It would already be a challenge with limited tools and resources. But if he could get it running, it’d be wonderful. He had to try. If it was as damaged as the other cars he had found, he’d just continue with his original plan and keep walking. Eventually they’d find one that would work enough to get them the rest of the way into Harper Springs.

  It would als
o make them a target if others caught word of a running vehicle, but that was a bridge they weren’t even close to crossing yet. Ryan wasn’t even sure how many people were still alive. In the past two weeks, he only came into contact with six people still living, and that included him.

  “I think the car I saw was a few miles south of here.” Steve pointed behind them. “I know it was by the river. And it was close to the shelter where those guys took me.”

  “By the river is a good thing. We can replenish our water and cool off when it gets hot.” The fact that it was south would mean they’d put more ground between them and where Cecilia had been spotted. He was torn on what to do, but he needed to see the vehicle before he made any other big decisions.

  They gathered up their supplies and began their walk. The sun was starting to come up and the temperature was already climbing. Ryan tied his coat around his waist and they both were quiet for a while. He kept a lookout for anything out of the ordinary, which at one time, was only the weather, but now he had to worry about other people, and one thing that had escaped him was wild animals. The area was known for coyotes, foxes, and even mountain lions would come down to hunt.

  The shotgun he had acquired made him feel safer because it was stronger than his gun. It conveniently had a strap, which made lugging it around easier.

  “You any good at tracking storms?” Steve asked.

  “I have to take classes as part of my requirement to be on the fire department.”

  “Wouldn’t you say that looks like something we need to keep our eye on?” Steve pointed toward a massive thunderhead that looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off. It was gray and white, and with the sun on it, it appeared to be something out of a painting. “It’s mighty beautiful, I will say that!”

  “Definitely something we need to watch. Right now it’s still miles away and moving away from us, but that doesn’t mean we need to take it lightly.” Ryan used to love seeing thunderheads, but now it only meant that they’d be running for their lives again. Maybe it wouldn’t shift and come their way, but the jet streams seemed to be working against them.

  “I remember the grove of trees ahead. The car is about a mile from that if I’m remembering correctly.”

  Ryan ran the back of his hand over his forehead. It was hot and a nice rain shower would be perfect to cool them off, but there was no such thing as a simple bit of rain. It had to come with shards of hail bigger than dogs and winds strong enough to blow away farmhouses. The lack of people around was still concerning. The population of the county was barely over five thousand, but from Ryan’s calculations, six out of five thousand was an unreal ratio that he had a hard time accepting.

  He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. It made a nice little jingle as it turned on, and the reception bars were still missing.

  “I haven’t gotten mine to work either.”

  “Call me a hopeless optimist,” Ryan said, dialing 911. It was the same story – nothing happened, only this time, his phone made a loud beep, warning him that his battery life was down to twenty percent. Searching for a single drained it quick, but this time, Ryan didn’t seem bugged by it. What good was it if no one was alive to accept his call? He was really starting to latch on to the idea that this was it for them. This was their new way of life, turning into foragers and nomads, moving along, their only way of life was to find food and survive. With so many post-apocalyptic books and movies out, it was only something of entertainment just a few short weeks ago, never dawning on him that it easily could become a reality.

  They reached the banks of the river, and the water flowed deeper than Ryan had seen it in years. At least the storms were filling it up. “We getting close?” Ryan asked, hoping he didn’t sound impatient.

  “It’s behind those trees! I remember it well.” Steve picked up the pace, leading Ryan toward what could be their saving grace.

  A few branches had fallen on it and Steve pulled them off, revealing an old Dodge Neon. The windshield was busted out and Ryan’s heart skipped a beat when he opened the door, revealing a lifeless person behind the wheel.

  “Oh my God...” he whispered.

  “What’s wrong?” Steve got his first glimpse of what was inside. “Did you know her?”

  “That’s Mrs. McElroy. She owns the bakery next door to my shop.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ryan pulled more of the fallen branches from around the car, his concern on Mrs. McElroy and not on the extent of the damage on the vehicle. Her eyes were wide and glossy like she had been frightened seconds before death came for her. There was a piece of wood that had shot through the window that had impaled her in the chest. He hoped it killed her quickly, but from the look on her face, she knew exactly what had happened and felt every bit of it.

  Blood was soaked in her shirt and dripped onto the seat beside her. She had bled out, and Ryan shook his head, blinking away the warmth in the corner of his eyes.

  “Poor woman,” Steven said. “How well did you know her?”

  “Since I was a kid.” Ryan’s voice shook and he took a step back. “I wasn’t expecting this.” He spread his hands, surveying the wreckage. “By lack of human contact, it’s obvious what has happened, but I guess in the back of my mind I just sort of hoped everyone was hiding and scared to come out. I wonder how many more are dead.”

  “I’m sorry, Ryan. She looks like she was a nice lady.”

  Ryan walked to the edge of the river and watched the water flow downstream. It was roaring and deep, and he felt himself on the verge of losing his cool. Finding the car was something good, but he couldn’t even pull himself together to assess what kind of repairs it would need. Not knowing what was happening was the worst feeling. Were they really on their own? Were people coming for them? Or was this the new way of life?

  He used to scoff at the climatologists who warned the world that everyone was ruining it. Holes in the ozone layer, global warming, and pollution were going to destroy the land before the newest generation had a chance to grow old, and Ryan never took it seriously. Now he felt stupid – nature was damaged and pissed, doing just as the scientists had predicted, taking it’s anger out on the very things that caused the problems.

  It seemed unreal, like a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from, but when he glanced over his shoulder, Steve was there and Mrs. McElroy was dead in the car. Cecilia was missing. How would he handle it if he walked up to her car and found her the same way? Ty was hurt with the possibility of losing his arm, and even worse – what if he had brain damage?

  Wiping the tears from his face, he tried to get it together. He couldn’t fall apart, or he’d fail too many people who were depending on him. Turning on his heel, he went back to the car, taking a look at the car.

  “You okay?” Steve asked.

  “I’m good. How much do you know about cars, Steve?”

  “Enough to know that we have our work cut out for us.”

  “I’m going to need to pop the trunk. At least the keys are in the ignition.”

  Ryan moved to the driver’s side and looked in Mrs. McElroy’s brown eyes, closing her lids as best as he could. Now it looked like she was squinting at him, much like she had done when she offered him free donuts and he declined. What he’d give for one of her pastries right now – gooey chocolate filling and flaky crust. His stomach growled at the thought of it. He couldn’t work on the car with her there. She was in the way and it felt disrespectful.

  “Hey Steve, can you help me move her?”

  Getting her off of the seat was hard. The piece of wood was impaled through her body and into the seat, and they finally got her free with some force. Ryan took her under her arms and Steve lifted her legs. They carried her to a tree and laid her in the shade. Ryan looked down at her, still unable to swallow the bitter pill that life was handing him. The wood was still in her chest, and though she was dead, Ryan couldn’t bring himself to pull it out. It didn’t seem right.

  “We’ll have a funeral for her. But
we gotta move fast. Did you notice the thunderhead you were watching earlier?” Ryan pointed toward the western sky.

  “Damn, it’s tripled in size.”

  “And looks to be coming this way,” Ryan replied.

  Opening the car hood, everything seemed to be in place. Three of the four tires were flat, and the windshield was so busted that he’d just have to knock the whole thing out to have a good view. Sitting where Mrs. McElroy had died, Ryan tried not to think about it and turned the key. The engine turned over a few times but didn’t start. He tried once more but stopped, fearing he’d cause more damage.

  “We could drive on the flat tires for a bit, but we’ll bend up the rims and that’ll completely hinder the car.” Ryan ran his hands through his wet hair, feeling the sweat drip. “I wonder why it won’t start.” Ryan looked toward the river and back to the car. “This river rises pretty fast with rain, and with the torrential downpours we’ve had, it could’ve gotten up this high.”

  “Would it retreat that fast?”

  “Oh yeah. The river depth fluctuates just as fast as it floods. I’m willing to bet that at least the hood has recently been covered in water. The damn engine is probably flooded.”

  Steve took a deep breath. “Damn, that’s not good.”

  “I need to disconnect the battery so it doesn’t spark something. And figure out just how deep the flooding happened. Trying to start it just now probably made moisture go into the transmission and fuel system. I probably compounded the damage.”

  He looked for a waterline on the car – the water wasn’t clear and full of mud, and it looked as deep as the dashboard. Walking to the back of the car, he broke out one of the tail lights and a small splash of water dripped from it. That wasn’t a good sign. That meant the river had flooded high enough to damage the electrical system of the car.

  “Shit, we’ve got our work cut out for us. And if that storm comes this way, we might as well forget it all together. There’s no chance in hell that I can get the engine dried out and repaired before the river rises again. I’ll have to change the oil and filters.” The car was in bad shape, but at least the frame was still in tact, which was better than the other vehicles he had come across.