The Off Grid Survivor Box Set: Complete The Off Grid Survivor Series Books 1-4

by Connor Mccoy

  Little Conrad yawned. His eyes fluttered open, but only briefly.

  “So, did you finally give him a name?” Conrad asked.

  Liam nodded. “Yeah, we did.” He then smirked. “Carla, sweetie, you should probably tell him.”

  Carla laughed. “Well, Mister Conrad, I want you to meet little Conrad.”

  Conrad quickly looked down at the baby, then to Carla. “You named the little tyke after me?”

  Carla nodded her head. “We both thought it would be perfect. This farm is truly the light in the darkness of the world. If it wasn’t for you, we’d probably be living on the run out there.”

  “Well, I’m honored.” Conrad stammered a bit, which was unusual, even for him. “Thank you, Carla.” He looked behind him. “And you also, Liam.”

  Sarah smiled. “That’s really sweet, Carla.”

  “Well, do you want to hold him?” Carla asked.

  “Sure!” Giggling, Sarah held out her arms. “Come to Grandma, you!”

  Sarah took the baby from Carla. Little Conrad responded with a series of “unhs” and a bit of squirming.

  “Uh oh, I think the volcano’s about to blow,” Conrad said.

  “Conrad,” Sarah said, rolling her eyes. But then the baby let out a slight cry. Conrad nodded at her with an “I told you so” look.

  The older Drake held out his arms. “Here, let me see how he likes me.” He took his grandson from Sarah. Conrad gripped the baby, bracing his head. Little Conrad quieted down. He opened his eyes again, but briefly, revealing bright blue pupils.

  “Well, seems he likes his grandpa,” Conrad said with a laugh.

  Carla sat up. “Don’t worry,” she said to Sarah. “He’ll warm up to everyone soon. He’s still fresh out the oven and trying to figure out what everything and everyone is!” She laughed.

  Conrad paced back and forth near the window. His namesake remained calm, only yawning every now and then.

  “Man, it’s coming down out there,” Liam said.

  Conrad turned to the window. Indeed, there was a brisk snowfall just beyond the glass. “So, winter’s definitely here,” he said, “Thank God we prepared well.”

  True. Thanks to Tom’s hard work, they had more than enough firewood to warm the house, and with Sarah’s skills at canning, their pantries were full and ready to supply them with months of food. Still, concern couldn’t help but nag at Conrad. Little Conrad was as healthy as could be. Yet, even with Ron Darber under his roof, Conrad dreaded the thought of his grandson getting sick, and more so during a time of cold weather. Conrad recalled more than one winter around here that turned out pretty nasty.

  And if I ever had to leave and find help, the snow would make the journey that much harder, he thought.

  He then looked back down at his grandchild. Little Conrad pushed up his shoulders and made a soft cooing sound.

  “Hey little guy,” he said softly, “I know it’s asking a lot on your second day out in the world, but I’m just hoping you can handle things okay for a while, so we can get through this winter without any trouble.”

  Tom stood back from the small wooden crib. “So, what do you think?”

  Sarah and Carla surrounded him on either side. Carla pushed on the wood. “It feels steady.”

  “You didn’t treat this with any chemicals, did you?” Sarah leaned over and sniffed the wood.

  “Treat it with chemicals? No,” Tom replied, “I cut it, sanded it down real good, screwed it together, and here we are.”

  Tom was proud of the crib he had constructed for Carla and Liam’s bedroom. It wasn’t very complicated, just a small bed with a wooden banister surrounding it. To him, it seemed a perfect fit for a growing baby—if his mother and grandmother approved. It had taken weeks to build the crib right, but Tom’s skills quickly had improved from his initial attempts.

  The great thing about wood that if it sucks, I can always throw it in the fire for warmth, Tom thought with a slight chuckle.

  Carla felt along the wooden panels. “You sure there’s nothing sticking out? No screws or nails?”

  “No, I checked several times. I used small screws, and the few that did stick out, I just cut off the sharp edges and capped the surfaces. It should be perfectly fine,” Tom replied.

  “Okay.” Carla smiled. “It looks great. Thanks.” She reached out and hugged Tom.

  Upon parting, Sarah added, “Is there any loose sawdust? You said you sanded this thing real good, right?”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Carla leaned close to the wood and sniffed it. “Because if my baby starts sneezing, this thing’s going.”

  Tom braced his forehead with his fingers. “Well, I guess we always can use this for the chickens if it doesn’t work out.”

  Strolling down the back porch, Conrad held his namesake in his arms as he spoke. “Now all this out here, when you learn how to run, you’re going to have all the open space you want. See, when your dad was your age, kids had fast food, movies and video games, but you’re going to have clean air, open fields, and a lot of hard work to make you a real physical specimen. Not to mention a lady killer.”

  He said all this knowing Liam was standing nearby. In fact, every time Conrad paced close to the younger Drake, he raised his voice and widened his grin. Liam tried pretending not to hear, but he couldn’t hide his occasional smile at his father’s sense of humor.

  As for little Conrad, the baby simply looked up at his grandpa from time to time, but didn’t focus much. The child’s blue eyes now regularly were open, except for naptimes. In the past few weeks since his birth, little Conrad had shown all the signs of a healthy baby boy.

  A few dark circles underlined Liam’s eyes. Those “healthy signs” included crying for meals, and Liam had been the “lucky” one to tend them. Liam wanted to help Carla rest and regain her strength following the birth. However, it didn’t help that little Conrad tended to be fussier when his dad held him. On the other hand, little Conrad responded well to his grandfather. Since Conrad stayed up late, the older man was on hand to help his son out on a few occasions. Carla said not to worry, that little Conrad would warm up to his dad soon.

  Tom pushed open the door. “Well,” he said, “they seem to like the crib except for everything about it.” He slapped the side of his right hip. “I’m surprised they didn’t fret over the molecular composition of the wood.”

  “They’re women. You can’t fix that,” Conrad said.

  “If you weren’t holding that baby, I’d kick your ass!” Camilla called through the open door, which hadn’t fully closed behind Tom.

  Conrad held up little Conrad’s head. “Well, kid, looks as though I can’t put you down. You’re going to have to protect me.”

  Tom cleared his throat. “Anyway, about the crib…”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Liam said, “It looks great. I really appreciate it. I think little Conrad will be fine.”

  Tom dug into his right jeans pocket. “Actually, I also was thinking of making him some toys.” Then he pulled out a small piece of wood. “This is my first attempt.” He waved his effort in the air, a wooden wafer cut in the shape of an animal.

  “Anteater?” Liam asked.

  “Horse,” Tom replied.

  Liam nodded. “Well, we can tell him it’s an alien horse. Actually, I’ve been thinking about diapers. We bartered for a fresh supply not too long after we first came here, but we need a lot more. They’ve been a godsend to have when the cloth ones still are drying. Little Conrad is a regular poop machine.”

  “You haven’t gone into town recently at all. I don’t think since fall,” Tom said.

  “Actually, not since before we tussled with Kurt,” Conrad said. “I think we are overdue to get out and replenish our supplies. The snow’s been pretty light the past couple of weeks. Maybe if we take care of this now, we can get out in front of any bad storms.”

  Sarah chased after Liam as he walked down the hall toward the living room. “Liam, are you sure about this?”<
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  “No. Actually, I’d rather stay by my son and my girl’s side.” Liam turned to his mother. “But, one of us should be there to look around for toys for little Conrad. Plus, I don’t want Dad going alone. We won’t be riding our bikes, so it’s going to take about a full day to hike to Hooper City.”

  “Which is why I’d like to go along,” Camilla said as she passed in front of Liam as he entered the living room.

  “No, I need you to stick around here and help protect the home.” Conrad was squatting near the sofa, zipping up a backpack. “Can’t divide us up too much. Besides, if Liam and I have to duck off the road into the woods, I’d rather have a small party that can move in and out quickly. Too many people can be more easily spotted.”

  Camilla smirked as Conrad stood up. “You always got it figured out.”

  “Hey, always have a plan or two.” Conrad took Camilla by the shoulders. “Don’t worry. Hooper City’s not far and I’m sure there won’t be any problems between here and there.”

  “Don’t you find it a bit weird that Nigel’s never shown up in months?” Camilla asked.

  Conrad gave it some thought. Camilla made a good point. Why would he suddenly disappear? Granted, Nigel checked in on them after the war with Kurt’s men, but he hadn’t showed up since, or even sent one of his men to check on them.

  “Well, I guess he’s been occupied,” Conrad finally said, “I’m sure there’s nothing wrong, but I’ll be on guard.”

  Conrad and Liam’s boots made soft crunching sounds in the snow as the men trudged toward Hooper City. Fortunately, the road wasn’t completely covered with snow. Thanks to the road’s small high rise, the street maintained enough of a shape in the snow to remain recognizable.

  “I do miss the bikes,” Liam said.

  Conrad adjusted the strap on his backpack. “Oh, I think there’s a certain charm to a nice hike down the road.” He chuckled. “Grandpa’s got to take it easy, you know.”

  Liam chuckled along with his dad, which led to a soft cough. The harsh air was drying his throat, making it a little hard to talk. “You’re going to start making that excuse from now on, about how ‘grandpa’ needs someone to take over more of the chores.”

  “Oh, don’t be so suspicious. I’ll only do that half the time,” Conrad replied.

  Liam pulled out his copy of the state map again. He never had been this far from his father’s homestead since he had moved there with Carla, and despite the long hike to Redmond to find his mother months before, he still was not used to long hikes across the land without the benefit of a car with a GPS. On the other hand, his father had remained calm throughout the hours of walking, as if long hikes were in his blood.

  He never stops amazing me, Liam thought. It’s going to be incredible to have little Conrad grow up like this. It’s going to be nothing like when I was a kid. Growing food, milking goats, raising chickens, hiking through the woods. Hell, if the country doesn’t recover, if we don’t get machines working again, he may never even learn how to drive a car.

  By now they had reached a turnoff that would take them into Hooper City. Before long, the sign that said, “Welcome to Hooper City” emerged into view. The snow-covered roofs of houses and stores soon followed.

  Before they could step into town, a lone male gestured to them. He was seated in a folding chair with a telescope aimed at the sky above. “Hey,” the man said, “you two shouldn’t be walking in the open.

  Conrad took a step closer, his hand wandering down to his belt where he kept his gun. The older Drake was always on his guard. From the looks of this man, he didn’t seem dangerous. He wore a long gray beard that dangled a half a foot from his chin and camouflage clothing. The man had a rifle next to him, but it was nowhere near his fingers.

  “Why is that, sir?” Conrad asked.

  The man gestured above. “You never know when they might spot you.”

  Liam looked back up. The sky was covered with gray clouds. Nothing moved except the occasional flock of birds. “Who? The swallows?” he asked.

  “No! Them! The one world army! They got metal birds up there, drones, sighters, looking to spot any human activity,” the man responded.

  Oh brother, Liam thought. This guy’s obviously a little off his rocker. But part of Liam wasn’t entirely sure. The drastic changes in the world had prepared him to believe a lot of things he would have dismissed prior.

  “I never heard anything about a one world army. Is this a new outfit?” Conrad asked.

  “Oh, it is. We got word from outside town that they’re swarming all across the country.” The male jabbed his thumb in the direction of town. “They’ll tell you all about it. I’m the watchman.”

  “Well, we’re just simple traders. I take it we’re okay to go in?” Conrad asked.

  “Sure, sure, you look okay.” The man settled back into his chair. “I mean, almost all the town’s trained for gun use. So, if you’re looking to start trouble…” He laughed. “Well, be prepared to meet Jehovah in the flesh!”

  Conrad and Liam left the “watchman” behind and hiked into town. “Boy, that guy really is a little…” Liam aimed his finger at the side of his head and spun his digit around a few times.

  “Maybe.” Conrad pressed his lips together hard. “But crazy or not, he’s probably heard something new that we ought to check out.”

  “Isn’t everyone always worried about a ‘one world army?’” Liam asked, “That’s like the usual conspiracy stuff, along with the Illuminati and stuff like that.”

  “It’s true stuff like that has been on people’s minds for a long time, but times have changed. Enough army equipment somewhere could have been shielded from the solar burst to still be operational,” Conrad said as they walked into the first stores. “The problem is, we don’t know if they’re friendly or not.”

  Liam was about to respond when a male-female couple stepped into view. The male held a pair of binoculars to his face, looking at the sky above. After a few seconds, he lowered his binoculars and nodded to the lady beside him. The two then crossed the street.

  Liam turned toward his dad. Conrad flashed him a look that said, “Maybe there is something to this one world army thing.”

  Chapter Six

  Nigel gazed at the table of preserved fruits and vegetables. “Thank God.” He picked up one of the jars and gazed at the sliced pears inside. “We cut it a little closer than I would have liked, but, at least none of us is going to starve this winter. In fact, I think we have some leeway.”

  On the other side of the table, Jeff Clement sighed. “I’d feel a little better if…” He chuckled. “It’s hard not to worry anymore.”

  “Look, we’ve been okay so far.” Nigel gazed at the small storeroom of Hooper Feed, although nowadays it largely supplied human food. Before the solar event, Nigel Crane was just a simple store owner. Now he had become a part of the town’s leadership, which meant he was a sounding board for all the town’s concerns.

  “Maybe Hooper City is too far off the map. Let’s face it, aside from Omaha and Lincoln, what is there out here but tiny towns and a bunch of farmland?” Nigel smiled, but the discomfort in his voice cut down his efforts to reassure Jeff.

  Before Nigel’s store employee and friend could reply, a young man strolled in through the front door. “Mister Nigel?” The youngster wiped his thickly bearded face.

  “Ah, good!” Nigel pointed to the box behind him. “All packed and ready to go.”

  The man nodded. “I’ll get right to it.” He leaned over and picked it up. With his well-muscled physique, it seemed he could pick up two boxes at once with little strain on his body. He quickly carried the load out the door.

  “Think Lance will break another delivery record?” Jeff asked.

  “Wouldn’t surprise me.” Nigel laughed. “Although rumor has it that new girl, Tracy, I think her name is, yeah she’s got an eye for that kid. He might be a little late, if you know what I mean.”

  Just then, Reginald Johnson,
or “Reg” as he was popularly known, pushed open the door. “Hey. The crowd’s getting a little bigger around the memorial.”

  “I know, but I told you to represent me over there. There’s nothing pressing. I’ve got work to do here.” Nigel didn’t want to add that he was tired of fielding questions about the latest news, plus he felt Reg was a better “people person” than he was. Town business was just plain exhausting for Nigel lately.

  “Yeah, but Conrad’s shown up.” Reg stood in the doorway, the dim light shining on the middle-aged man’s ebony skin. “Kyle, the same Kyle who runs our mail to the center of town, he saw him on Jasper Street.”

  “Conrad?” Jeff asked.

  “No need to tell me which Conrad that is.” Nigel marched to the door.

  “Jeff, take care of the shop.” As he emerged outside, he stopped suddenly, then turned to Reg. “Hey, go track down Lance and let him know about Conrad. If he needs to lay low for a bit, that’s okay.”

  Reg nodded. “You don’t think Conrad would take anything out on the kid?”

  Nigel scratched his chin. “Probably not, but let’s just be careful.”

  Conrad scratched his right ear as he approached the World War II memorial. It was one of the oldest standing features of Hooper City, a small statue of an American soldier holding his rifle in the air. It wasn’t fancy, about twice the height of an average adult male. Before the solar event, the memorial wasn’t heavily attended. People took it for granted. Today, it was an enduring reminder of America’s triumph over great adversity and perhaps, for many people, a symbol of what they could overcome in the days ahead.

  Right now, about thirty people milled about the grounds, separated into groups of three and four, chatting among each other.

  Liam tapped Conrad on the shoulder. “Dad.” The younger Drake pointed to a man standing apart from the crowd. He was holding binoculars to his eyes. “Check that out.”