Stranded Box Set

by Theresa Shaver

  She pulled the door open and pointed her flashlight inside. The room was completely blacked out, but her light’s beam showed her five rows of floor-to-ceiling shelving. As she moved further into the room, she could see metal cabinets attached to the walls. Alex opened the first cabinet to her right and shone her light at its contents. Five large battery-operated lanterns took up the main shelf so she grabbed one without much hope that it would work. Finding flashlights that worked had been hit or miss for her group and she didn’t really think that the pulse had spared these lanterns. Flicking the switch on, she almost dropped it when bright light pulsed out of it.

  Alex was giddy with delight as she tried all five of the lanterns and the room slowly lit up. She sighed sadly that such a small thing as light could give her joy in this new world. Stowing her now unnecessary flashlight, she explored the rest of the cabinet. The top shelf had two rows of four walkie talkies sitting in bases. She smiled ruefully at them and thought about how handy they would be now that cell phones were obsolete. She still unconsciously reached for hers sometimes to dash off a quick text. Alex reached up and pulled one down. It was one thing for a simple lantern to survive the pulse but she knew that the handheld radio had much more complicated and delicate wiring. Ghosts of the old world had her thumb pushing the dial up on the side and she stared in wonder at the soft green glow as the power button came on and the digital readout that told her it was set to channel one.

  After being stunned by what she held in her hand she lunged forward and flipped the switch on all of the handhelds. When eight green eyes glowed back at her, she closed her eyes and sent prayers and blessings to Mrs. Moore. Alex didn’t know how they’d survived the pulse. Maybe it was because they were stored underground or in a metal cabinet, but she really didn’t care. She was so happy she wanted to dance on the spot. Being able to communicate would make things so much easier in their mission to free their town.

  After carefully shutting off all the walkie talkies, she took a lantern and started to take an inventory of everything that was in the room. She kept shaking her head at the sheer amount of goods piled up on the shelves. Rack after rack was filled with dried and canned food. One whole unit held nothing but candles and Sterno fuel cans. When she came to a section that was filled with medical and first-aid supplies she huffed out a happy breath. There were many boxes of different sizes of bandages and shallow boxes filled with blister packs of pills. Alex was worried that she wouldn’t know what type of pills her father would need until she opened one of the pill boxes and saw a four-inch by four-inch index card that listed the different ailments that the pills could be used for.

  It didn’t take long for her to locate the medicine and painkillers her father would need and she took only enough to treat him and left the rest on the shelf. Mrs. Moore’s words on the importance of these supplies had stayed firmly in her head. As much as she felt like a kid on a shopping spree, she knew that these supplies had to be left here for a greater emergency and she had high hopes that Mrs. Moore would someday return home and need them.

  Looking over the rest of the medical supplies, Alex found small trays that had sterilized suture kits and scalpels. She grabbed two and added them to the pills and bandages she’d already put into her backpack. With her father’s needs taken care of and time to kill before dark, Alex wandered through the room and marveled at everything Mrs. Moore had accumulated. There were so many things that Alex had taken for granted in the old world, from big bottles of different vitamins to boxes of chocolate bars. There was a section that held nothing but different types of clothing and winter gear and even a selection of boots in different sizes. The huge amount of storage in this room had Alex wondering what was in the storm cellar. How many years had it taken her teacher to accumulate all of this and where had she gotten the funds to purchase it all? She didn’t know but was grateful for the medicine that would help her father.

  Thinking of her Dad made Alex check the time on her old windup watch. It was just after five o’clock and being surrounded by all this food made Alex’s belly rumble. Deciding to stay here until closer to dark, she closed the door to the rest of the basement and found a desk to put her things on. She didn’t think it would be too bad to help herself to one meal from Mrs. Moore’s stock as all she had left in her pack was water and some beef jerky. She grabbed one of the small fuel cans and a cooking frame to go over it and selected a can of chunky beef stew for her meal. The stew warmed in its can as she did some more exploring. Seeing all the food on the shelves made her think of Dr. Mack’s weight loss.

  The guards obviously weren’t feeding the workers much and she wished she could find a way to get food to them but her pack would only carry so much and she wanted to take the handheld radios with her. Boxed cases of power bars caught her attention and she pulled one from the shelf, testing the weight. The box contained fifteen bars and hardly weighed anything. She might not be able to feed her neighbours a real meal but she could at least give them this.

  Alex emptied her backpack and sorted out what she would need to keep. The handgun would go in a holster on her belt and she would wear the extra sweatshirt she’d brought. She repacked the handheld radios and medical supplies and then filled her bag with seventy power bars. Thrown in loose the bars didn’t take up more than half her bag so she started to hunt through the shelves for something else she could take the half-starved townspeople. Alex found what she was looking for in cellophane wrapped sesame snaps. They were small but high in sugar and protein. She dumped them in on top of the power bars, added the binoculars and closed her pack. She lifted it to test the weight and was happy to feel it only slightly heavier than before she’d started.

  The smell of her dinner filled the room and she found a spoon and dug in. It was far from gourmet, but the warmth filled her and satisfied her after a long day of walking. She cleaned up her small meal as best as she could and topped up her water bottle from one of the many jugs stored in the room. Alex couldn’t stop thinking of her dad. The guard had told Dr. Mack that he wouldn’t eat if he didn’t make a quota but she hadn’t seen her father working at all. Doing another quick search of the room, she found a small camping pot and filled it with water before placing it on the stove frame to boil. There were four stainless steel thermoses on the camping gear shelf so she grabbed one and carried it over to the desk. Once the water was boiling, she added six bouillon cubes and made beef broth before pouring the mixture into the thermos and adding it to her pack.

  Alex checked her watch and saw that she still had an hour before she wanted to head back to her farm so she searched through the desk and found sheet after sheet of inventory on the supplies in the room. Alex spent the next thirty minutes leafing through the papers and contemplating what would happen in the night to come. She was getting more anxious by the minute and finally gave up waiting and moved around the room, shutting down the lanterns she’d lit.

  When she left the room and secured the door, she took another look around the rest of the basement. Her footprints stood out clearly in the spilled laundry soap so she picked up the half-filled box and started to toss soap flakes over her prints as she walked backwards to the stairs. As she moved onto the lowest step, she tossed the empty box into the corner and continued up the stairs. Before she left the house, she found the key under the sink for the cellar and stopped in the mudroom where there were blue boxes for recycling. She selected an empty glass jar with a lid and peeked out the back door to scan the yard. Finding it clear, she strode across the overgrown grass to the shed and started to search the ground for the cellar doors. Alex spent ten frustrating minutes walking back and forth looking for the doors. She wouldn’t have found them at all if she hadn’t heard the slight creak of boards when she stepped on one area of grass. Dropping to her knees, she felt around the area and found a small depression that her fingers followed. Hooking her fingers underneath it, she heaved up and almost laughed when she saw the flat square board that was covered with soil and grass. S
he lifted it enough to see the actual doors and padlock before dropping it back down. There was no need to go into the cellar at this time and she didn’t want to disturb the hiding place any more than she already had.

  After making sure the grass covering the doors looked natural, she turned and went into the trees. Directly behind the shed, at the tree line, was a large evergreen. She went to it and searched the forest floor for a thick stick. She found what she was looking for and took it to the evergreen. Parting the lower branches, she got on her hands and knees and crawled between them. Behind the long draping branches was a large opening around the trunk. These were Alex’s favorite types of trees and they made the best hiding spots. She and Emily had outwitted the boys in many games by slipping into the openings before popping out to ambush them.

  Using the stick, she dug a hole between two of the thick roots and took the key for the cellar out of her pocket and put it into the jar. Making sure the lid was on tight she put the jar into the hole and refilled it. Now if anything happened to Mrs. Moore’s house, she would have access to the cellar. Satisfied that her work at the teacher’s home was done, she crawled back out between the branches and settled her pack more firmly onto her back. After tightening the straps and repositioning her rifle, she slowly started to backtrack around the property and headed deeper into the woods. She definitely could feel the extra weight she had added to her pack but was determined to get the small amount of nourishment to her neighbours.

  The sun was slowly setting as she crossed the road and made her way through the trees that lined her property. The light filtering through the trees became dimmer and she placed her feet with care until she came to the area where the men had been cutting trees. There were no longer any chopping sounds and the forest was empty. Alex circled around the cleared area and made her way to a large tree closer to the field. She dropped her pack in relief before removing her binoculars. She studied the branches before jumping to the lowest branch and hauling herself up. When she was high enough to see the field between her and the barn she settled into a crook against the trunk and started to scan the barnyard. With the sun behind her, she didn’t have to worry about it reflecting off the glass and giving her position away like earlier in the day.

  A line of smoke coming from the yard made her heart clench before she realized that it was a cooking fire. A table had been set up and two large pots were resting on it. The workers were lined up holding bowls and as each one stepped up, they received a single ladleful of whatever they were eating for supper. After each man left the line, they made their way to the barn and disappeared inside.

  Alex thought about the long day of labour her neighbours had just put in and the small amount of food they’d been rewarded with. It was not something that could go on. Their bodies would get weaker and weaker before breaking down and she wondered what the guards would do once that happened. She felt immense sorrow when she realized that this was bound to happen soon, after living like this for a month. She clenched her jaw in anger. They needed to free their people and it had to happen soon.

  She stayed in the tree for the next forty-five minutes and watched as the yard emptied of men. The food table was taken away after some of the workers received a second helping. Alex narrowed her eyes in anger as she watched these men take their extra food into her home. She kept a close count on the guards as they moved around the yard. Long shadows filled the barnyard as the sun sank behind the distant mountains and all the guards except one headed into the house. The lone remaining guard entered the barn but stepped out within seconds and closed the big double doors. He used a large beam to secure them by dropping it into brackets on the outside. After he had joined his friends in the house, Alex concentrated her glasses on the hayloft door and the hay elevator that ran from there to the ground. The hayloft door was secured from the outside with a board set in brackets like the main door. As darkness settled over the land, she concentrated her sight on her house. The only light showed from a few windows and she watched for another hour to see if any guards came out to patrol the yard. Each time the door opened and spilled light out her shoulders tensed but after the fifth guard came out and did his bathroom business, she hoped they were done for the night.

  After almost two hours in the tree, Alex’s body was stiff and sore and she slowly made her way down to the forest floor. She stretched out her back and legs and looked down at her heavy pack. She had to climb the hay elevator and she had to do it as silently as possible. Shaking her head at the weight, she knew she would have to leave some of her gear behind. Just as she picked up her pack, sounds of branches cracking came from the west. Her heart started to pound and sheen of sweat developed all over her body. Looking around frantically she ran to the closest evergreen and pushed her pack between the branches before crawling into its interior opening. She tried to calm her ragged breathing but her body was filled with adrenaline.

  Frustration filled her because she was so close to helping her father and she prayed that it was an animal traveling through the trees. As the sounds moved closer to her, she closed her eyes and concentrated on it, waiting for what would happen next. After spending years playing in the woods, Alex soon realized the sounds coming toward her were not being made by an animal.

  Chapter Six

  Cooper and Dara made good time getting to town. They weren’t as familiar with the trails and pathways that ran through the trees on the west side of town, but after studying the hand-drawn maps their friends had made for them, they were confident they could make it undetected. There was a roadblock on the main highway two miles from town that they had to circle around, but they stayed far enough in the trees that they weren’t seen. The community centre, school and most of the residential areas were on the south side of town and they would have to cross the main highway at some point to get to those areas. Cooper led the way, as he was more familiar with the business area and back alleys than Dara.

  When they came to the tree line, there was a green space that ran between it and a few industrial buildings. They took their time and watched the area for signs of movement but saw nothing. After twenty minutes of watching, they decided that the area wasn’t being used so they dashed across the green space and through a parking lot. Using the building for cover, they again waited and watched the highway. Directly across from them was an access road that led to a new residential development that was under construction when the pulse hit. They planned on using that area to travel deeper into the south side of town and hoped it was abandoned. Still not seeing anyone around, the two crossed over the main road and moved quickly into the construction area. They cautiously walked past half-finished homes that would quite probably never be lived in. The silence was eerie in a place that should be alive with men hammering and sawing.

  The construction site was protected by a chain-link perimeter fence that separated it from the next subdivision. They followed it around until they could see a paved pathway on the other side. They had packed light for the day of scouting with only one small pack with food, water and a notebook and pens. They both carried handguns but had left their rifles back at their base. If they were caught, they didn’t want to have to explain where they had gotten the powerful rifles. They also knew that they would have to climb fences and that’d be hard with the rifles. Both of them brought heavy gloves to protect their hands while climbing fences.

  Cooper studied the houses on the other side of the fence and saw only empty windows staring back at him. He turned back to face Dara.

  “After we go over this fence, we can follow the path down the backside of these houses. It’ll cut between two of them and we can follow it further into town. I know that most of these pathways lead to Fairways Park and the school and community centre both back on to it. If we can get into the school, I know how to get onto the roof and we’ll be able to see all around from there.”

  When she just nodded, he stuck his boot into an opening in the fence and hoisted himself up. Chain-link fencing was eas
y to climb except for the very top. Sometimes it had a bar running along the top but this fence only had the exposed links sheared off creating many sharp points that needed to be straddled and climbed over. The support posts were set close enough together that there wasn’t a lot of sway in the fence but Dara braced against it to make it even steadier. When he made it over to the other side, he did the same for her and they both headed down the pathway.

  Walking through the abandoned neighbourhoods was surreal. They kept to cover as much as they could and watched carefully before crossing into the open, but they never saw anyone. They took a break in a small playground and seeing the empty play structure with its lonely swings swaying in the breeze made Dara sad. She was desperate to know what had happened to her little brother and prayed she would get some idea of his fate today. Sipping from the water bottle, she studied Cooper, who was gazing off into the distance. He had been very quiet since he had talked to his father’s friend at the roadblock. He helped out around the base camp and offered his opinions on their plans, but there was an emptiness to him. The spark from his eyes was gone, and he hadn’t laughed or joked since he found out that his father had been killed.

  “Did you want to go to your house? Maybe you could find some of your stuff to take back or get some family pictures or something?” she asked, trying to bring him out of his funk.

  Cooper didn’t look at her. He just let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “I don’t want anything from that place. The only reason I would go there now is to burn it down!”