The Gathering Storm: Book 2 of the Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series: (Surviving the Fall Series - Book 2)

by Mike Kraus

  Mark shook his head and snorted. “Not me, mom. I hate salads.”

  Dianne laughed and embraced Mark in a hug before he could pull away. “I know you do, kiddo. Trust me, though, after a month or two of eating canned food you’ll be extremely happy to have some fresh veggies.”

  “What is it we can grow in this, anyway? Just lettuce?”

  Dianne scrunched up her nose. “Good question. Your dad’s first test was just with greens since it was a system that was full of water all the time. What I’m seeing here looks a lot more complicated, though. I think maybe he upgraded and got a fill and drain system. If so, then I think we can grow other stuff like carrots. I’m not sure, though. I guess we’ll find out!”

  “Bleh.” Mark stuck his tongue out. “I’ll help grow everything but I don’t want to eat it.”

  Dianne laughed again and patted Mark on the back. “Come on; let’s go see how much actual work the two J’s are getting done.”

  Dianne and Mark headed out of the barn and Dianne locked it up behind them. Outside, Jacob and Josie were walking back from the house down to several rows of paper bags filled with food they had pulled from the gardens. “How’s it going, you two?”

  “Pretty good, mom.”

  “Almost finished!”

  Dianne nodded approvingly. “Mark, let’s help them get the rest of these into the basement and then we’ll get a bite of lunch. After that I want to start bringing the aquaponics supplies up into the house and get some more firewood cut.”

  “What about the Carsons?” Mark picked up a few bags as he asked the question.

  “What about them? I’m positive they weren’t at home when the fire happened.”

  “Yeah, but shouldn’t we check on them? And go over to the Statler’s place and take care of their animals, too?”

  Dianne sighed. “I don’t know, bud. I don’t really like the idea of going out unless we absolutely have to. I’ll think about it, though, okay?”

  Mark nodded quietly and headed up to the house along with Jacob and Josie. Dianne stood next to the bags of vegetables for a minute, thinking quietly to herself. She realized that she was accepting their new situation far too easily and was bothered by that fact. It had been a full day since she had last checked to see if she could pick up anything on the radio or TV, she didn’t want to leave their home to check on the neighbors and had no idea what the general situation was out in the world.

  “All right.” Dianne sighed as she talked to herself. “Enough of this nonsense. Things may be bad but we still need to see what’s going on and check on the neighbors. Maybe things in town have calmed down enough that we can talk to some people there and get updates on what’s going on.”

  Chapter 11

  Las Vegas, NV

  It was just after two in the morning when Rick awoke. His heart was racing, he was dripping with sweat and he had the unshakeable feeling that there were other people in the building. He crawled on hands and knees over to the door and pulled it open a few inches, holding his ear up to the crack to listen. For a few seconds there was nothing and he was just about to close the door and go back to sleep when he heard the unmistakable sound of people talking to one another.

  “What’d you find?”

  “We’re at the lumberyard you dipshit. What do you think I found? Bunch of fuckin’ wood.”

  “Hey man, I found wood too. Right here.”

  “Nah man, that’s more like a twig!”

  There was a chorus of raucous laughter and Rick slowly closed the door, cringing as the latch softly clicked back into place. While he had no idea who the people in the lumberyard were or what their intentions were, he had no desire to find out, either.

  After glancing up to see no locks on the door, Rick glanced around the room, hoping to locate something he could use to block the door. As his gaze landed on the overturned vending machine he had a sudden flash of inspiration and hurried over to it. He got on the end opposite the entrance to the break room and began slowly pushing it towards the door. The plastic front scraped along the floor but didn’t make enough noise to cause him any worry.

  After nearly a minute of slow, cautious pushing he had the vending machine jammed up against the door. There was still a small window on the door to contend with, but he noticed that the field of view from the door’s window was small enough that he could sit next to Jane and no one looking through the window would be able to see them.

  The noise from the people walking around in the building grew louder as Rick collected up his gear and stashed it on the far side of the room next to Jane. The light was the last to go, and he turned it off as ran over to Jane. He double-checked his shotgun as he eased down next to her, making sure it was fully loaded before putting the back of his hand on her head. She was finally feeling cool and he sighed in relief. Thank goodness. He considered waking her but decided against it, and chose instead to trust that the people would choose to move on after trying the door.

  “Hey!” The voice came from outside the break room and Rick felt his heartrate skyrocket. “What’s in here?”

  “The break room, jackass.”

  “No shit. I’m gonna see what they’re keeping in there.”

  A few footsteps followed the proclamation. The door handle turned next, then came the sound of the door being shoved. It banged against the vending machine and Rick heard a muffled curse followed by a shout.

  “Oy! This thing won’t open! Give me a hand!”

  Oh shit. Rick’s eyes went wide and he flipped the shotgun over to check that it was fully loaded. Eight shells. His hunting rifle sat on the ground to his left and his pistol was to his right. Both were also loaded and ready to go.

  “What’s your problem, asshole?”

  “This door’s jammed. Gimme a hand.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Get out of the way.”

  There was a shuffle outside the door before someone threw his full weight against it. It smashed against the vending machine, moving the object no more than a millimeter in response.

  “Damn!” Rick couldn’t help but smile at the sound of the frustration in the person’s voice. “Something must have fallen in there. Maybe during the quake.”

  Quake? Rick’s eyebrows shot up. There were earthquakes?

  “Look, there’s a window over there. Just go around and see if there’s anything worth getting in there, okay?”

  Rick’s heartrate jumped yet again and he swiveled his head to face the window on the opposite side of the room from the door. It was much wider than the one on the door and anyone looking through it would have a full view on the entirety of the break room and its contents.

  “Yeah, yeah. Come give me a boost over the fence, all right?”

  “Pansy.”

  “Shut up.”

  The two voices grew fainter as the pair walked off, heading around the building to look through the window. Rick’s eyes grew wide as he looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do. He thought about trying to hold something up over the window to make it look like it was blocked but realized that was a foolish decision. He then thought about trying to move Jane and his equipment over beneath the window to remain out of sight, but knew he didn’t have enough time.

  The tables. The idea hit him like a bolt of lightning and he scrambled to his feet. He pulled the tables that were in front of him over, tipping them upward and angling them so that they blocked all sight of the side of the room where Jane and his gear were sitting. He then opened the cupboards near the vending machines and began pulling out wads of napkins, cutlery, creamers and stir sticks and throwing everything onto the ground. If they think there was an earthquake I’ll give them an earthquake.

  Once a sufficiently large mess was spread out across the floor Rick ran back behind the tables and knelt down, not daring to even peek through a crack in between them for fear of being seen. There was silence for several more seconds until he heard a tapping on the window and the same two voices again.

  “
I think I can break it.”

  “Then what? You gonna slide through the bars or something? Gonna need a whole lot of butter to get that greased up.”

  “Shut up. There’s nothing in there anyway. Bunch of stuff the quake knocked over. Bah.”

  “Come on. We’ll try down the street next.”

  The voices faded into the distance quickly as the pair ran off to join their companions. Rick stayed still behind the tables for several minutes after the people left, scarcely daring to breathe for fear of attracting any attention. When he finally peeked out from behind the table and saw that they really were gone he sat up and sighed deeply. His heart was still pumping and though he felt incredibly tired, he dared not close his eyes again for the rest of the night.

  Chapter 12

  The Waters’ Homestead

  Ellisville, VA

  “Let’s go, kids!” Dianne shouted up the stairs and looked at her watch. It was only seven-thirty in the morning but she wanted to get moving as quickly as possible. She heard muffled groans and grumblings signaling that they were waking up and went back to the kitchen to stir the oatmeal, cream of wheat and check on the toast.

  Josie was the first down the stairs, scratching her stomach and yawning as she padded into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Jacob and Mark followed soon after, and Jacob was the first to remark on Dianne’s appearance. “Are we going somewhere, mom?”

  Dressed in blue jeans, hiking boots, a long sleeved flannel shirt and wearing a utility vest with pouches sewn onto every square inch of space, Dianne nodded. “Yep! After you all finish breakfast we’re going to head out and check on the Statler’s and the Carson’s places and see if either of them are back yet. We’ll also take a run into town and see how things are going there.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to go out, mom.” Mark’s voice had the slightest trace of mockery in it and Dianne raised an eyebrow.

  “Watch the attitude, kiddo. You were right, though. We need to go check on our neighbors. Plus it wouldn’t hurt to take a ride around town and see how everyone’s doing. It’s been a week since we were out so hopefully things have calmed down since then.”

  After the children were done with breakfast and had gotten changed, Dianne pulled the truck around to the front of the house. Jacob and Josie ran outside to get in while Dianne had a quick conversation with Mark on the porch.

  “Here.” Dianne handed Mark his rifle and he looked at her questioningly.

  “Do you want me to put this in the back?”

  “Nope. Keep it with you in the front. Unloaded, as usual, but you’ve been doing a good job being responsible the last week. I think it’s time you started keeping it with you in the front when we go out.”

  Mark nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be safe.”

  Dianne smiled and handed him a mag. “Make sure that you are.” She pulled on the front door and turned to the truck. “Alrighty! Everybody ready?”

  Jack and Josie were bouncing up and down in the back of the truck as Dianne and Mark hopped inside. Dianne handed her rifle to Mark and he leaned them both against his side of the car with the barrels facing down to the floor. Dianne handed him a short bungee cord to loop around the stocks to keep the guns from bouncing around and glanced in the rearview mirror. “Hold on tight!”

  After stopping briefly to unlock, open, close and relock the gate on the driveway, Dianne turned left and headed towards their neighbors down the road. The last week had seen a profound change in the color of the leaves on the trees and they were surrounded on all sides by orange and gold as they drove along. Dianne pulled into the Carson’s driveway first and gave Mark his instructions as she headed towards the blackened remnants of the building.

  “I don’t see their car here but I’m going to take a look around and see if anything looks out of place. Stay here with Jacob and Josie and keep an eye out. I’ll be back in five minutes. If you hear or see anyone, bring the truck around to the back of the house, okay?” Mark nodded quietly, his eyes—like those of his brother and sister—fixated on the destruction before them.

  The fire that consumed the Carson’s house had long since extinguished itself but the charred and blackened remains of the building were a testament to the destructive power of the blaze. The building had collapsed in on itself and a few of the walls had fallen outward, resulting in a ring of burned grass that surrounded the building. The Carsons had been exceptionally good about keeping the area outside the building free of debris and brush, though, and the fire hadn’t been able to spread anywhere else.

  Dianne hopped out of the truck and headed towards what used to be the front door of the home. The beautiful stained glass window atop the door was shattered and the pieces were barely recognizable underneath the ash and soot. Dianne knelt down and picked up a piece of the glass as if doing so could give her some kind of insight into what had happened. She stepped around the house, picking her way through the debris as she kept her eyes open for any signs that someone might have been home when the fire started.

  “What am I going to find?” She mumbled to herself as she stepped over piles of brick and pieces of burned lumber. “A pile of bones or something?” After a few minutes of searching Dianne realized that it was fruitless to continue and she went back out front. Mark was standing out beside the truck, keeping his rifle gripped tightly in both hands as he slowly turned around to keep an eye on their surroundings.

  “I’m going out back now; back in five!” Mark nodded in response and Dianne jogged out behind the building, not wanting to leave the children by themselves for any longer than was necessary. While Dianne would never admit it out loud, she was at the Carson’s house for more than just checking on things. Given their love of travel and the fact that they had clearly not been home when the fire happened, Dianne doubted that they would be back anytime soon—if ever, given what was presumably still going on in the world. Because of this, Dianne decided that she would poke around in the barn behind their house and see if there was anything that might be useful for her and the children as they continued working to set things up for a long-term stay at their farm.

  The barn in question was unlocked and Dianne stepped inside cautiously, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light before proceeding. Nothing looked particularly out of place and Dianne quickly walked down the two rows of shelving in the center of the building, looking for any tools or supplies that might be useful. She slung her rifle over her shoulder after only a few steps and started pulling boxes and bags off of the shelves and throwing them onto the floor.

  “Sorry, Sarah.” Dianne shook her head, feeling ashamed over what she was doing. “If you guys make it back I’ll reimburse you for every last thing.”

  Bags of fertilizer, boxes and bags of nails, shingles, tools and other supplies were the first to be pulled off the shelves. Several spools of barbed wire came next, followed by a collection of tee-posts. By the time Dianne was nearly done with pulling things off of the shelves, she heard the hum of the truck’s engine out front.

  Panicked, Dianne ran to the front of the barn and headed outside, pulling her rifle off her back and looking around frantically for any intruders. Mark stepped out of the truck and Dianne ran to him, whispering to keep her voice low. “Where are they?”

  “Where are who?” Mark looked puzzled for a few seconds before he realized what his mother meant. “Oh! No, there’s nobody here. You just said you’d be back in five minutes and it’s been ten. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  Dianne breathed a sigh of relief and leaned up against the truck as she nodded at Mark. “Jeez. You scared me half to death. Good job, though. I was going to have you pull the truck around here anyway.”

  “What for?”

  Dianne motioned at the barn. “Get your sister and brother out and have them come inside.”

  Once her children were inside the barn, Dianne put her gun on her back again and spoke to them. “All right kids, listen up. The Carsons aren’t here, and they weren’t
here during the fire. That probably means that they’re trapped somewhere just like your dad is. I’m sure they’re okay, but it’s probably going to take them a while to get back home. Since they’re not going to be back for a long time, we’re going to borrow a few supplies from them until they get back, okay? I need all of you to help pick up everything I pulled off of the shelves and load it into the back of the truck, okay?”

  “Mom?” Josie looked at the piles of supplies on the floor. “Isn’t this stealing?”

  Dianne crouched down to get on eye level with Josie and sighed, trying to both explain what they were doing to her daughter as well as rationalize her actions internally. “I don’t think so, honey. The Carsons probably won’t be back for a very long time and right now we need these supplies. When the Carsons do get back then we’re going to give them back everything we’re borrowing and then some.”

  “But it’s not our stuff, mom.”

  “I know, sweetie. The Carsons are our friends, though, and they’ve told your dad and I before that if we needed to borrow anything then we could.”

  “Hrmph.” Josie crossed her arms, looking entirely unsatisfied by Dianne’s answer.

  “Come on, kiddo; help your brothers get everything loaded up.” Dianne patted Josie’s back and watched her daughter run off to start helping with the lighter items. As Dianne worked alongside her children she thought about her daughter’s question and realized that even she was feeling unsatisfied by the justifications. The feeling that she was probably doing something wrong ate at her but she did her best to push the feeling aside, knowing that whatever they were taking could be replaced and that the Carsons would legitimately want their supplies used in an emergency.

  To help make herself feel better Dianne grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the truck and wrote out a note as Mark, Jacob and Josie finished loading the last of the supplies. The note explained what was going on, what Dianne had seen and what they had taken, though it left out any specific names. Just in case anyone else happens to come here and read it. She nailed the note to the inside wall of the barn in a place not easily viewable from the door.