《The Designated: Out of Control》


 One

    Rob shook his head. He¡¯d stayed open until the shelves were bare, then sent his few remaining staff home with stern warnings to heed the evacuation announcements and get out while they could. He¡¯d even made sure they all had at least $100 in cash for gas before he did a final walk through. He locked the doors and pulled the shutters down where they would hopefully stay until the coast was clear to come back, and the trucks were able to get in and resupply them. If they didn¡¯t, then it was likely there wouldn¡¯t be much of a store to restock in the short term.


    No matter how well they stocked up, they never seemed to have enough. It was like no one planned for these storms.


    How could you live in Florida and not plan for hurricanes? Rob wondered.


    ¡­and it wasn¡¯t just newcomers or tourists, some of the folks he saw in the store before they finally had to lock the doors were regular customers. People who had lived around here since before Andrew roared through.


    He walked over to his car at the back of the lot and beeped off the alarm.


    ¡°Hey mister.¡± came a gruff voice from around the dumpster off to his right.


    Rob turned to the voice, raising his right hand as he slid his left hand up on his hip under the edge of his jacket. Three guys stepped closer to him. The leader had his hands out and was eyeballing him, while the others were looking tough and each had their right hand tucked under their jackets. Great, Rob thought, a shakedown. I don¡¯t have time for this.


    ¡°Can I help you with something? We¡¯re closed because we ran out of stuff and I sent all my people home to get out of town.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we seen that.¡±, The leader said. ¡°So you must have a sweet roll of cash and no one to help you take it to the bank. We can help you with this¡­little problem of yours.¡±


    ¡°No problem all all.¡±, Rob chuckled. ¡°¡­and I sent the cash to the bank with one of my people an hour ago so I could lock up and secure the place. All I have is about fifty bucks and the credit card paperwork.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Yeah, well we figure our services are worth more than that, so we¡¯ll have to see how you can compensate us.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just a grocery manager, I don¡¯t have a pile of cash laying around, so I think you may have wasted your time here, sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be sorry if you don¡¯t hand over the keys and the cash.¡±


    ¡°No need to make threats fellas. We all want to get out of town before there isn¡¯t a town left.¡± Rob said, keeping his voice calm.


    ¡°Yeah, you stupid or something? That¡¯s just the government scaring everyone out of town so they can come in and clean up. They be getting all the street people out and knocking stuff down. ¡®Gentry-fication¡¯ they call it. Kicking people out of their homes, I call it.¡±


    The wingmen nodded solemnly, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.


    ¡°Okay, yeah, I doubt it, but I¡¯m not going to get in your way.¡± Rob remarked sceptically.


    ¡°Keys. Money. I¡¯m not screwing around.¡± The leader barked.


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Rob slowly pulled the store cash bag out from under his jacket with his right hand, still keeping his left hand on his hip, and back from the robbers. He slowly placed the bag on the ground and kicked it over to them. All three sets of eyes followed the bag as it slid over to the leader. When their heads came back up, Rob was levelling a black Glock in a left-handed combat stance at the leader¡¯s head.


    ¡°Stop!¡± he bellowed.


    The two wingmen froze. The leader paled.


    ¡°Guns on the ground. Fingertips only. No stupid moves and we all walk away from this.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± the leader started.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Rob barked again. The wingmen flinched as if struck. The leader¡¯s eyes widened.


    Rob¡¯s aim didn¡¯t waver from the leader¡¯s right eye. If he had to shoot, he¡¯d put two in the leader¡¯s chest to limit over-penatration, but it looked a lot more intimidating to these punks this way.


    ¡°Just stop.¡± Rob said, sounding tired. ¡°Guns and weapons on the ground. Fingertips only.¡±, he repeated. ¡°Back away slowly.¡±


    The would-be robbers placed their guns on the ground and backed away from them and the cash bag. A couple of knives and extra magazines joined them.


    ¡°Hey man, you can¡¯t leave us without¡­¡± the leader started.


    ¡°Without what?¡± Rob snarled. ¡°Without guns so you can take advantage of more people desperate to get out of town? Be thankful I don¡¯t shoot you and tell the cops you were looters.¡±


    The robbers paled.


    ¡°Now get your punk asses home and look after getting your families out of town before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    Realisation that he wasn¡¯t going to shoot them dawned across their faces and the trio turned and ran down the alley.


    Rob shook his head as he holstered his pistol and collected the guns and cash bag. He¡¯d hoped to never draw his weapon again off the range, but disasters like this made people stupider than normal. He unloaded and safed the three pistols and put them in the travel safe in the trunk with the extra magazines.

 Two

    Rob mused over the stupidity of robbing people while a hurricane was bearing down on everything. It wasn''t like there was any place to go that would be made better with a few hundred bucks.


    Oh well. He shook his head and guided the car north. He''d always planned to leave his commuter in the garage and take the SUV north with his bug-out trailer. It was a long drive to the mountains, but he''d planned for things going sideways for years. Hurricanes, civil unrest, there was always something that could upset the fragile balance the world had come to live in.


    Thirty minutes later he pulled onto the grass alongside his driveway. He''d put the car in the garage after he pulled the SUV and trailer out. There wasn''t really a rush...yet. He figured he''d take the time to shower, change, and do the laundry before finishing prepping the house and hooking up the trailer. Most of the neighbourhood had finished covering their windows and battening down the loose bits outside a few days ago. Some people were determined to ride it out, and a few had left for shelters or friends and family upstate.


    Rob was well known, both as a veteran and an outdoors enthusiast, so when he started boarding up his place, all of a sudden other people started taking it seriously. If it was time for people like Rob to get out, then the civilians took their cues and started packing up.


    Since he wasn''t much of one for big TVs and stuff, most of what he valued was already securely packed in the SUV. He tossed on what was in the laundry hamper, and headed for the shower.


    An hour later he was doing his final checks of the trailer connections when his neighbour Max walked across the lawn. She looked spooked, which wasn''t her normal state.


    "Hey there. I thought you were headed out this morning." Rob called out.


    "That''s what I thought too, but my folks didn''t show up and they aren''t answering."


    "Is that unusual?" Rob asked.


    "Any other time, I wouldn''t think so, but today? I''d think they would at least leave a message if they were going to be this late."


    "Where would they be coming from?"


    "Straight down the Interstate and over. It''s a pretty straight run up I-75 to their place up across the state line."


    "I''m passing near their place on my way north. Do you want to leave them messages and hop in? Either they can wait where they are and we can meet up, or I can drop you off at their place if they''ve had car trouble or something."


    "Really? That would be awesome."


    "Well I can''t really leave you here hoping that they''ll make it down in time for you all to get out safely. Besides, I haven¡¯t had a chance to talk with your dad in awhile, it¡¯ll be good to catch up. Get your stuff and leave them messages anywhere you think they might get them. Is your house shut down?"


    ¡°Yeah, sometimes I forget you and him knew each other back before I was born. Everything is done except the gas and power."


    "Let''s get your stuff loaded and you can message them from the road. The sooner we get out of town, the less likely we are to get stuck in traffic wasting fuel."


    Thirty minutes later they were headed for I-75 and hopefully safety further north.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "Do we need to stop for anything?" Max asked.


    "Unless you have sudden snack food cravings, we should be good for at least a few hours. I''ve been stocked and ready to go since the first forecasts started seriously comparing Irma to Andrew. Plenty of extra food and fuel in the trailer if we get stuck in traffic for a bit."


    "You''re not one of those ''prepper'' types, are you?" Max asked, making quotes with her fingers while she looked at him like he might be a bit crazy.


    Rob chuckled. "Nope, not a crazy prepper type. Just a guy who likes to be self sufficient and have some options open to him. I grew up camping a lot, then the army taught me a lot more. Being prepared comes naturally."


    "Okay, I think I can handle a boy scout army guy better than a crazy prepper." She said with a smile.


    "Normally the driver picks the tunes, but in this case you can have first dibs, as long as we check in with traffic and weather."


    "Are you sure? I might like Norwegian Death Metal, or Japanese string quartets."


    "Do they even have those? The Japanese string quartets?"


    "I have no idea." She laughed. "But if you''re going to go, go all the way."


    "Good rule." He chuckled. "So, what''ll it be?"


    "Well, let''s start with some oldies or classic rock. That''s middle of the road enough for a bit. Then maybe I''ll torture you later." She said impishly.


    "Fair enough. It sounds like you''re feeling better."


    "I''ll be a lot better when I know what''s up with my folks, but yeah, thanks."


    "No worries. We''ll stick together until we sort it out."


    "I always wanted to ask you. This truck isn''t exactly stock, is it? It looks like you''re planning on doing some back country camping."


    "Yeah, I''ve made a few improvements and had some work done. It''s more efficient, more versatile, and helps turn camping into glamping." He said with a laugh. "I''ve spent enough nights cold and wet to know that I''d rather not spend any more nights cold and wet. Worst case we can rearrange things and sleep inside, but if it''s decent out, the pack on the roof is actually a sleeping platform with foldout tent. They were designed for safaris and adventure travelling, but I like it because it keeps my delicate butt off the cold hard ground."


    "Delicate? Yeah, I believe that one." She snorted.


    "We used to say, ''Any idiot can be uncomfortable in the field.'' and it''s even more true when you have access to the wonders of the modern world. I''ll take warm and dry."


    "On that we are in agreement. Now what''s for lunch? I brought sandwiches, and the coffee in the thermoses should still be warm from this morning."


    "Well then, serve it up. In the cooler there you''ll find snacks and drinks as well. Help yourself."


    "Thanks. Any allergies I should be aware of? I wouldn¡¯t want you to stop breathing and die while you¡¯re driving¡­and I tend to go heavy on the mustard."


    "Nope. That sounds good. If we see any coffee shops still open, we might want to stock up on fresh coffee so we don''t have to set up the coffee pot until we stop somewhere for a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Why am I not surprised you have a coffee pot in there somewhere?¡± she waved her hand behind them.

 Three

    ¡°This is why we prepared. This is why we bugged out. This is why we''re hunkering down. All them sick people out west coughing on each other, begging for supplies, that''s a long wait for a train that don''t come when you need it.¡± Deacon said.


    ¡°Do you want me to say you told us so? Will that shut you up?¡± Darlene yelled out the open window.


    Deacon laughed. ¡°Likely not, but it¡¯s nice of you to say.¡±


    ¡°Now go and check on that truck that your lazy brother drove up here. It¡¯s likely he forgot half his list on purpose to make more room for beer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go being harsh on Jimmy. He likely didn¡¯t add in more than a few cases of beer.¡±


    Darlene eyeballed him.


    ¡°Okay, okay, a few dozen cases. But he wouldn¡¯t have left out anything on the list to make room. He¡¯s lazy and he likes his beer, but he ain¡¯t stupid.¡±


    Darlene smirked and shook her head as she turned back inside the window.


    ¡°Hey there brother. How did your run go?¡±, Deacon called out to Jimmy, who was getting out of his pickup truck.


    ¡°Pretty good. A few things missing, but a few other things made up for it¡­and not booze if that¡¯s where your thoughts are going. Mostly batteries, some food.¡±


    ¡°Any guns or ammo?¡±


    ¡°Nothing useful left over in the sporting good stores¡­but the vet hospital wasn¡¯t even locked, so I picked it clean. It¡¯s all boxed separate so we can send it back in case this blows over.¡±


    "That''s good to hear. A lot of that stuff will be useful if things stay in the shitter for long."


    "I ain''t dumb, brother. Now get your ass over here and help me unload the trailer so we can get it unhooked and I can move the truck over to the kitchen."


    "Yes boss! Right away boss!" Deacon shouted with a flippant salute.


    Thirty minutes later they had the trailer unloaded into the storage building and all the stores put away and inventoried. Jimmy wasn''t much for computers, so he handled the paper inventory while Deacon updated the tablet. Deacon was happy to use technology as a tool when it helped save him time or headaches, but he also recognised it''s limitations, so he was happy Jimmy liked maintaining the hard copies.


    "Is the range cleaned out and set up?" Jimmy asked.


    "We cleaned out the first five lanes out to 100m, and the pistol/shotgun area." Deacon answered. "Enough to get some practice in in the short term. We can clear out more if we need later on."


    "Sounds good. Any activity around here? It didn''t look like many people were sticking around. Kinda weird the news says everyone seems to be heading in to the cities. I''d want to get away from all the sick people."


    "Too many people have become dependant on other people for too many things. I suspect most people these days are sleepwalking through life, rather than living it. Get up when the alarm says, get to work when the boss says, go home when the boss says, eat what you''re told when you''re told, watch TV so someone can tell you what to buy. Not enough people thinking about what they''ll do if shit hits the fan, or heck, even if they get laid off or sick." Deacon shook his head. "So many people can''t even feed themselves without a microwave anymore.¡±


    "I guess so. Kinda sad though." Jimmy looked


    "That it is. Now enough moping, we have a truck to unload and people to help."


    "Is mom here yet?" Jimmy asked.


    "Yup, her and dad showed up about an hour before you got back. Dad''s been cooking up a storm and mom was checking the inventory on the weapons room.¡±


    "Did anyone bring up anything new?"


    "Nope, mostly duplicates of what we already have, which is good for spares and ammo." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Sure enough, but one day we might need to do something we can''t with the stuff we have."


    "If there''s anything needs doing that we can''t do, it''s likely we''re screwed anyways. What are you thinking of, taking out armoured cars? If anyone comes up here in an armoured vehicle, we have other ways of dealing with it, but we''re likely screwed anyways. All the local authorities know us and wouldn''t be so foolish as to come up unannounced. The Feds don''t know and likely have bigger fish to fry. Anyone else, well that''s their look out."


    "True enough." Jimmy nodded.


    They got back to unloading the truck into the pantry and upright freezers in the basement. As long as they had power, they could feed their people for months. Power wasn''t likely to be an issue with redundant sources and battery banks along the far wall. They had planned for 30 people, and only two thirds of that had showed up so far. The sheriff''s family was already here, but it wasn''t likely the sheriff or deputies would come up until the town was deserted and they had run out of things to do.


    "Has the doc made it up here yet?" Jimmy asked.


    "Nope. He''s the only one on the Alpha list that hasn''t showed up. If he doesn''t show by breakfast, we''re going to take a couple of people into town and see if he''s okay. You know he won''t leave if there are still people in the clinic."


    "Sure enough. I hope he doesn''t get himself sick trying to save the world."


    Deacon chuckled sadly. "Yeah, the doc would do that. On the other hand, Deputy Smith''s new girlfriend is a trauma nurse and she came up with the sheriff''s family. Apparently they hooked up at some emergency services conference and she was out visiting."


    "Handy sort of gal to have. Let''s hope he makes it up."


    "Yeah, lots of hoping going on right now. Once we get the last stragglers up, we''ll have to see about the entrance. I don''t want to have it looking too well travelled. Might invite attention we don''t need."


    "Sure enough." Jimmy nodded. "I''ll park the truck and get my gear squared away in my room."


    "See you inside." Deacon said.


    So far things were going a little better than he had feared. They''d done a few bug out drills over the years, but nothing like this. Never having to deal with the unforeseen, like panicky, unpredictable groups of people. It was one thing to send out the bug-out texts and have everyone gather when the gas stations were working, and traffic was still functioning. It was quite another when people looked at you and you could see they were wondering if you might have something they needed. The world wasn''t quite the way the movies showed it after the apocalypse, but there were signs that some things were breaking down. A lot of ''No Fuel'' and ''Closed'' signs up where people expected to get their regular groceries. A few gas stations had lineups long enough that some cars had started to run out of fuel waiting for the gas trucks. Some people were starting to realise they weren''t prepared for this.


    Deacon had planned for all of this. It wasn''t that he feared the government, or thought zombies were coming, although that''s what the kids called their place, The Zombie Apocalypse Bunker. He just thought that it was better to be ready in case things went south in a hurry, and he needed to take care of his friends and family for more than the 72hrs the emergency agencies told people to plan for.


    They were set up for an initial stay of up to three months. Any longer than that, especially if they were winter months, and they would have to consider supply runs. If they came up in the spring, they would have time to get some growing done outside, otherwise they would have to rely on the hydroponics and greenhouses. That would cut into their power budget more than he liked. He knew his dad had already started planting in the small greenhouse attached to the kitchen.


    Oh well, he thought, they would make do and deal with each problem he hadn''t foreseen as it came up.


    The sound of an artillery barrage shook the house. Deacon smiled. It was good to have the kids out there, but they sure did have a lot of energy to burn off. He double checked the various locks and shut down the inventory tablet, before heading up stairs.


    "Uncle Deacon!" Sarah called out as he came out of the stairwell. "What did you bring me?"


    "Plenty of hard work and a dose of responsibilities!" Deacon answered.


    "Well that''s no fun." she mock sulked. She was the opposite of her father, but Jimmy had married a smart lady, so that''s where most of Sarah''s intelligence and drive must have come from. Must have. Deacon shook his head.


    "All you kids have your stuff squared away in your rooms?" he asked.


    "If you call those closets, rooms." Jimmy Jr groused.


    "Well, you''re always welcome to pitch a tent outside if you like." Deacon shot back. Jimmy Jr was more like his dad. He''d do what he had to, but always liked it better when other people did more than their share of what he considered ¡®boring¡¯, preferably some of his. "I didn''t notice you spending much time up here helping build the place."


    Jimmy Jr. muttered under his breath and continued sulking.


    Teenagers, Deacon thought. Oh well, they either grew up, or they sat around wondering why life was passing them by. They''d find out soon enough which path each of the kids took. He was just thankful they didn''t have any infants, or worse pregnant women, up here. They weren''t ready to deal with childbirth or any complications that babies could bring about. The youngest kids were all at least eight or nine, so they could be expected to help out and look after each other.


    "So, what''s for lunch?" Deacon called into the kitchen.


    "Soup and sandwiches are on. If you want anything else, you''re going to have to make it yourself. I''m busy with dinner. Starting tomorrow I''m going to expect at least a couple of the kids to be in here helping out."


    Some of the kids looked decidedly apprehensive at the thought of working in Grandpa''s kitchen, but a few of them looked interested. Maybe they had a few kitchen hands in the offing. Grandpa had been cooking longer than Deacon had been alive. Plenty of people had tried to get him to open his own restaurant over the years, but he insisted he didn''t want the hassle of running a business, or the responsibility of making sure he was profitable enough to pay people''s mortgages.


    Eventually people stopped asking, but an invitation to one of Grandma''s social events was always a treat when Grandpa was cooking. She''d been on the town council for longer than most people could remember, and she was a huge part of why the town had kept it''s rural nature, even as the population had grown. Every time someone suggested she run for mayor, even some of the mayors, she pushed the idea away, claiming she was busy enough with family and community. Besides, she preferred to work out of the spotlight, and was happy to let a succession of mayors take the credit for keeping their community the way it was.


    Now they had to keep their own little community strong and focused, if they wanted to ride out this storm.


    "I''ll leave the slave labour to your tender mercies and see what I can do outside." Deacon beat a hasty retreat out the side door to the veranda.

 Chapter Four

    "Doc still hasn''t checked in. I think we should head down into town and have a look. He may have had a breakdown, or they might have too many patients at the clinic to leave." Deacon said.


    "I wish he''d quit treating that clinic like a hospital. It doesn''t have the resources and sometimes people are better off in a bigger center." Deacon''s mom said.


    "I agree, but old army doctors likely share a lot with old country doctors. Stubborn as all heck, and used to doing everything with nothing."


    "Sure enough, but he isn''t going to help anyone if he gets sick with whatever this is."


    "Well, we''ll find him and let you know what''s up."


    Deacon turned to Jimmy. "We''ll take a couple of people in each truck and scout the clinic. If we can''t find him, we''ll check his house, then the rec centre in case they started using it as a shelter. I doubt it, but we''ll check. If we can''t find him and no one knows where he is, we''ll pick up whatever supplies we can and head back. He knows where to come, if he can. We''ll also check out his place to make sure his truck is working, so bring some tools and fuel, just in case."


    Jimmy nodded and leaned over to the guys behind him. "Tools, fuel, and the doc''s small gun bag. If we find him, let''s make sure he at least has a pistol and ammo. Grab a medical kit for each truck." He turned to Deacon. "Should we bring Annette?"


    "Good idea. I''ll ask her. Any idea if she has any firearms training?" Annette was Deputy Smith''s girlfriend, so she''d likely appreciate the chance she might see him during the trip. Besides, it never hurt to have a medic along for the ride.


    "Nope, I didn''t get much of a chance to talk with her last night after dinner. The ladies all kind of took her under their collective wings and reassured her she was welcome and all that."


    "Well, she''s part of the family now."


    "I''ll ask her." Deacon said. No sense getting her in over her head on the second day.


    ++++++++++++++++++++++++


    The two trucks rolled into town an hour and a half later. Deacon rode shotgun in the first truck, while Jimmy was in the second. The town was nearly deserted. It was like everyone was away for a big holiday or something. It wasn''t like the apocalypse movies where cars were parked all over the place and garbage blew through the streets. The few cars that were still there were parked in regular parking places. The stores were all closed, but nothing was boarded up.


    The clinic was in the same big public services building as the sheriff and fire departments, so that was most of the places they wanted to go, all in one stop.


    Deacon got out of the truck and stretched his legs. They hadn''t seen anyone so far, so they were hoping to find who they were looking for inside.


    "Let''s leave the long guns in the trucks. We don''t need to be spooking folks, or surprising the sheriff." Deacon cautioned. "Jimmy, you stay here with the trucks and watch our backs in case any out of towners think our trucks look inviting. You two come with me." Deacon said to the pair who had ridden up in his truck. Paul and Samantha were as unalike as brother and sister could be. She was the all-star jock, playing rugby in high school and college. Paul was the nerd, but somehow he''d ended up on the university biathlon team up north, so he could certainly shoot.


    "Let''s see who''s inside." Deacon headed towards the door.


    Jimmy waved his shooters up into the backs of the pickups, where they had a better field of view across the parking lot.


    The front door was unlocked. The lobby had a halfwall of bullet resistant glass directly in front of them. Deacon had thought it was a shame when the big city sensibilities came to their small town, but the people paying for the building had certain ideas about what a police station was supposed to look like, even out here in the boonies. To the right was the fire hall, with it''s own bullet proof window. To the left was the clinic. Less armour plating, more sterile hospital. Doc had grumbled, but in the end the people writing the cheques had their way. On the upside, the public washrooms were on his side.


    Deacon knocked on the clinic door and pushed it open. The lobby was empty, and the back area was quiet. "Paul, watch the door."


    Paul nodded and moved behind the counter. Cover was better than concealment, but concealment would have to do for now.


    Deacon and Samantha pushed through the doors to the exam areas. It was a mess. Apparently someone had decided to loot the place. Deacon drew his pistol and started pushing open doors. Samantha had her HK-PDW in both hands, covering his back. There was no one in the clinic.


    Deacon was puzzled. The clinic had an open door policy. No one would have been turned away, and all the locals knew Doc. There was no reason to trash the place. Another puzzle to go with the pile that had been building up over the last few weeks.


    "Let''s go. If we need to come back, this stuff will all be here. We need to focus on people right now."


    Samantha nodded and followed. They collected Paul on the way back to the lobby.


    Deacon stuck his head out the door and hollered to Jimmy. "Do a lap of the building. Doc isn''t here and it''s a mess."


    Jimmy gave him the thumbs up and closed the door to the truck.


    Deacon pounded on the glass between the lobby and the police reception. No answer. He pounded again. No answer.


    He raised an eyebrow as he headed for the fire department. Same lack of response.


    Someone should have been here at this time of day. For the entire building to be empty was strange.


    They walked out the front doors again. The trucks were back from their scenic drive.


    "What''s up back there?"


    "Nothing." Jimmy said. "Locked up tight, no vehicles outside, no signs of any fights."


    "This is fucked up. There''s no way every one of the town''s emergency services left without at least checking in. Too many of them were supposed to head up our way."


    "Maybe the Feds have them on a roadblock somewhere?" Jimmy speculated.


    "I dunno, the fire department too?"


    "Let''s take a spin through town and see what''s up at the Doc''s house. We can check in on the Sheriff and Deputies as well."


    "Let''s keep our eyes open folks, we don''t know what''s going on, and we don''t want to spook anyone we''re friends with. Bad things happen that way."


    They all nodded.


    "Alright, let''s go to Doc''s place and see if he''s watching the game."


    "Yeah, that sounds like Doc." chuckled Jimmy.


    "Anything on the radios?" Deacon asked his driver..


    "Nope. The Emergency Broadcast System is still wailing out the ''shelter in place, avoid contact, report your condition if you''re sick, wait for aid'' message that''s been going out for days. I doubt anyone is actually running it."


    "Why do you say that?"


    "Because if they were, they''d come on from time to time and reassure people that someone was still in charge. No one is doing that, so it''s unlikely anyone can."


    "Likely not far from the truth. I wonder where they can broadcast from? Does it have to be the White House or certain locations, or can any major network send out information."


    "No idea. Never thought about it beyond making sure we can listen and watch."


    "There''s Doc''s place, up ahead. Looks quiet."


    "Yeah, just like in the movies before it all goes to shit."


    "Here''s to life not being like the movies."


    "I hear that."


    Deacon waved Jimmy to stop well back of the house to cover them as they approached. Then they rolled up past the house and parked in front of the neighbours. Deacon got out and headed towards the house.


    "Cover me." He said to Paul and Samantha. This way the two trucks could cover each other without being in danger of each other''s over penetrations, and anyone in the house would have two targets to worry about.


    Deacon strolled up to the front door, acting a lot more casual than he felt. With all the missing pieces in town, he half expected zombies to burst out of the door and make lunch out of him.


    He knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again and put his ear up to the door.


    "Hey Doc!" Deacon yelled. "It''s Deacon! I come to check on you and see if you need a lift!"


    There were some faint noises inside, but no one called out.


    "Doc! We went by the clinic and it''s tore up pretty bad, but no one is there. We got to worrying about you."


    No answer.


    "We''ll be back later to check on you again."


    Deacon waved the lead truck to back into the driveway.


    "Let''s check on his truck. At least we can make sure he has a full tank. Get Doc''s spare opener from the glove box."


    Paul dug through the remotes in the glove box for the one labelled ''Doc'' and pushed the button.


    Doc''s garage door opened revealing his SUV and pickup truck.


    "This is getting weirder." Samantha said.


    "Okay, we close it down and move along." Deacon''s tone brooked no disagreements. Samantha knew what that tone meant. Deacon had a plan, but he didn''t want to discuss it here. They closed the door and casually walked back to the truck. Deacon waved the other truck to follow and they both drove off down the street.


    Out of sight of Doc''s house, Deacon said, "Pull over here."


    Jimmy and the others trotted up to Deacon''s truck. "What''s up? Why are both of Doc''s trucks there? Why am I asking you?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t know. ...aaaand I don''t know." Deacon shook his head. "But I think something is wrong in Doc''s house. It sounded like someone was trying to keep quiet. I think we should go back and take a look."


    They all nodded. Doc was one of them, and had saved more than a few townsfolk over the years.


    "Jimmy, I want you to take the trucks back to just up the street, but out of sight. If you hear shooting, come running right up on the lawn and block the front. I''ll take Paul and Sam in the back, quietly and see what we can see. If it goes bad, or we see Doc in trouble, we''ll breach from the rear. Paul and Sam have been in Doc''s place recently, so they know the layout better than most of us. I''ll support them." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Perils of Doc''s weekly gaming nights." Paul shook his head.


    "Load up. Let''s go." Deacon said. Sam always carried her PDW, and Paul picked up a matching one from the backseat. Deacon grabbed a shotgun and a bandolier of mixed shotshells. He unloaded and made sure the first three wounds were breaching rounds for the hinges, and backed them up with non-lethals. Sam and Paul were waiting by the time he finished.


    "Let''s cut through the neighbour''s backyards and stick close to the buildings. This could all be a stereo left on, but it could be something worse."


    "Let''s go find out." Sam said.


    Jimmy led the trucks back around into position as Deacon set off with Sam and Paul in tow.


    "Part of me is glad everyone evaced when they were supposed to, but part of me wishes more of them had bug-out hides."


    "Yeah, not going to happen. Too many people still asleep at the switch. Too many people happy to keep droning along. The future seems happy when you don''t question too much." Sam said.


    "Ain''t that the truth." Paul muttered.


    "Okay, hold up here." Deacon paused at the corner of the closest neighbour''s house. "Let''s watch for a bit."


    "Living room at this end of the house, kitchen in the back?" Deacon asked.


    Sam nodded.


    "Okay, if we have to go, I take the kitchen door, and you two breach through the hole. I''ll cover rear and back you up. Doc''s two kids would have been home before the evac, so they may still be there and hiding...or they may be hurt."


    Paul snapped his fingers and pointed at the back windows.


    "Movement. At least two figures. In the Kitchen." he whispered.


    "Crap, I was almost hoping no one was there and the kids were out for a drive with Doc."


    "Yeah, the world doesn''t love you that much Deacon." Sam said.


    "Okay, keep close to the shadows and we move to the deck."


    The trio moved across the grass like the hunters they were. Deacon led them up the stairs, pausing as his head cleared the top to watch the windows. No movement.


    He waited. Crouched on the stairs, they made for sitting ducks if anyone started shooting out the back, but right now concealment close to the breach point was better than hard cover farther away.


    Movement inside. Two figures. Tall. Bulky. Not Doc''s kids.


    They moved past the window and around to the front of the living room. Yup, those were weapons. The bulky clothes suggested body armour underneath. They hadn''t made any attempt to communicate or be seen when Deacon banged on the front door and they seemed to be making laps of the interior. The question now was, were they guarding anyone, or laying in wait for someone to return?


    If there were additional shooters guarding the kids in the rooms he couldn''t see, breaching now might give them time to hurt the kids. Almost as bad, they could catch Sam and Paul in a crossfire between them and the two in the front rooms.


    Either way Deacon didn''t have enough information to breach yet. He waved them back down the stairs and under the deck.


    When they were out of sight and hearing of the door and windows Deacon whispered, "Which rooms do the kids sleep in?"


    "Last I heard the older one moved out for school, and the teenager moved into their room downstairs. The guest bedroom is upstairs, so that''s the option if they came home when shit went sideways." Sam said.


    "Okay. Sam ghost up to the teenager''s window and see if anyone is visible. Paul, cover her. I''m going to check out the other windows."


    Sam nodded and moved out with Paul trailing.


    Deacon tried peering into the gloom, but he couldn''t see much. On the upside, he figured it was unlikely anyone would be sitting around in the semi-dark basement.


    As he circled back to their hide, he saw Sam and Paul waiting for him.


    "Looks like Sadie is visible in the room, and just the hall light on." Sam said. "No one guarding her, but she''s just sitting on the floor beside the bed. I''m guessing she''s not there by choice."


    "Okay, without any more information, I''m going to say we have armed men in Doc''s house with at least one of his kids unable to answer. Not a good situation." Deacon whispered.


    "Here''s the plan... I''m going to mosey up to the front door and re-introduce myself with the trucks parked on the lawn. I''ll give them the option of coming out peacefully. You two stay here and be ready for my signal. If anyone starts shooting or they threaten Sadie, you breach and protect her. I''ll leave you the shotgun. It has three breachers followed by non-lethals, so use it then drop it. If they don''t open up, I''m going to force the door. When you hear that, breach and head for Sadie. If they come out peaceful-like, we''ll have a conversation and see what happens from there."


    Sam and Paul both nodded and gave Deacon the thumbs up. Deacon shed the shotgun sling and handed it across to Sam. She''d breach the hinges and  and follow Paul in.


    Deacon left them to get into position and snuck across to the neighbour''s yard and around the far side of their house. Once out of sight of Doc''s house, he broke into an easy jog towards the trucks.


    "It looks like Sadie is alone in the downstairs bedroom. Sam and Paul are going for her if things get hot. We don''t know if Max is home, but if she is, I''ll clear the upper floor with her in mind." Deacon pointed at Steve "You follow me. Jimmy and Franco provide overwatch from the trucks and keep our rear clear. Is everyone clear on their jobs?"


    Everyone nodded.


    "Okay, let''s go. We drive up slow and easy. Franco parks my truck across the driveway, Jimmy up the lawn. I get out and head up to talk. Steve stays at the truck until I signal, but be ready to cover that lawn on the double."


    Steve nodded.


    They rolled the trucks slowly down the street. Now that he was paying attention to the shadows inside the house, Deacon saw movement as the trucks approached. Shadows that disappeared into deeper shadows. The trucks rolled into place and Deacon jumped out. He headed back up to the door again.


    "Hello the house. Doc, if you''re in there, we''re here to pick you up. Those other fellas in there with you are going to have to come out and talk with us, because we aren''t leaving until we''re happy you''re okay."


    "As far as you other fellas are concerned, we''re not the most patient of sorts, so hows about you come out here and have a talk so we don''t have to come in and mess up the Doc''s rugs. He likes those rugs."


    "Yes, we know you''re in there, and we''re not to happy that you''re in there and the Doc isn''t. We need to sort that out and then we''ll be on our way."


    "Step back from the door." came a voice from inside.


    Deacon stepped back off the landing. He had no issues standing below someone, and it gave Jimmy a clearer shot in case things went sideways...well, more sideways.


    The front door opened and a large man stood in the doorway dressed in dark tactical gear without any insignia.


    "How can I help you?" he said.


    "Well, for starters, you can explain where the Doc is, and then you can move on to why you''re here."


    "The doctor is working on a government project, and we''re here watching over things until he gets back."


    "Watching over things? ...or holding his daughter in case he decides he''s not interested."


    "I think it''s time for you to leave and take your people with you. Now."


    Deacon smiled, folding his hands behind his back. "I don''t think that''s likely to happen without us talking with Doc, or Sadie. When she''s out here talking with us, we''ll consider your request."


    "No. Goodbye." he started to close the door.


    Deacon stepped forward and stuck his foot in the doorway. The door banged up against it. "Last chance." He said.


    The speaker placed his hand on his holstered pistol and said, "You should leave now before you get hurt. We work for the government, and you''re a bunch of rednecks. We win. Go away."


    Deacon shook his head. "You''re some guys with zero proof of anything in a private home owned by a good friend of ours. We''re a dozen neighbours who happened to see some people looting a friend''s house."


    "You want to leave before our backup gets here and things go badly for you."


    "Look around. Things are already about as bad as they can get."


    "I''m not going to warn you again."


    "Boss!" Deacon heard Sam''s voice call out from behind him.


    Puzzled, Deacon turned his head to see Sam standing by the neighbour''s front walk. The man inside couldn''t see her, but he watched Deacon''s reactions.


    "Papa Bear says let''s go." she called over.


    Deacon had no idea what was going on with Sam, but he knew she would have only left the back door for something urgent.


    "Until later." Deacon said to the man in the house.


    "Bring backup next time." the man said dismissively.


    Deacon walked over to where Sam was standing as the others backed the trucks into the street and in front of the house next door.


    "Follow me and don''t look back." Sam said.


    "Where''s Paul, and that the hell is going on?" Deacon asked.


    "Paul''s with Sadie, three doors down behind the hedge. If they stay in the house, we should be able to get her out of here without them seeing."


    "How the..." Deacon started before Sam cut him off.


    "Sadie heard you guys arguing, so she tried to sneak out the window. I saw her and she recognised me. We beat it across the back yards and hid them while I came back for you. She was alone in the house. Max was supposed to be here, but didn''t show up. Apparently Doc got picked up by some guys claiming to be government, but they left the baby sitters here with Sadie, and possibly Max, if she showed up."


    "Shit." Deacon exhaled.


    There was a loud crash behind them as the door to Doc''s house was flung open and three armed men ran out on to the lawn looking the way Deacon and the rest had gone.


    "I guess they went to check on her." Sam said.


    "Mount up!" Deacon yelled.


    Deacon and Sam made for the back of the rear truck while Paul popped up from behind a brick retaining wall at the end of a hedge with Sadie and sprinted for the front truck. Doors flew open from the inside on the front truck just in time for Paul to shove Sadie in and vault into the bed. Deacon and Sam braced as both trucks raced down the street and around a corner.


    The three men stopped running as they realised they weren''t going to catch them on foot. The leader turned and started yelling at the other two. One of them ran back into the house while the other ran to an SUV parked in the driveway beside Doc''s.


    Shit, Deacon thought. He had ignored the other vehicles on the street, assuming they belonged to the neighbours. Since there wasn''t anything parked at Doc''s, he had assumed the heavies had been dropped off, or were relieved in rotations. That assumption was going to come back to bite them.


    Deacon banged on the rear window of the truck. He gestured to pull up alongside the lead truck.


    Once he could yell at Jimmy and Paul''s truck, he shouted "Get her to base. We''ll discourage them."


    Jimmy flashed a thumbs up and floored it.


    "Let them get enough looks at us to keep them following." Deacon yelled at the driver. "Head for downtown."


    He was answered by a tap on the brakes and a thumbs up.


    Behind them the black SUV that had been parked beside Doc''s came around the corner on two wheels before settling down and accelerating towards them.


    Deacon slid towards the tailgate as the driver mashed the gas.


    The passengers in the SUV leaned out each side with weapons. Muzzle flashes sparked and Deacon could hear the bullets as they passed by. These folks were serious and pissed. He drew his pistol and snapped off a couple of rounds at the grille. Right now it was more important to stop them than kill them...but killing them stopped them just as well.


    Kneeling beside him, Sam snapped off short bursts. Deacon could see the grille and hood perforating as her rounds chewed it up.


    The return fire increased as they tried to put a stop to Sam''s withering fire before she scrapped their engine.


    Too late, as the radiator ruptured and a wall of steam erupted over their front end. Unable to see, the SUV driver slowed down.


    Deacon signalled the driver to take a left up ahead. If their pursuers were stranded, they had a better chance of getting some answers. After they rounded the corner, the truck slowed. Deacon jumped out and Sam followed. Through the open window he called, "Take the next right and stop. Dismount and be ready to cover us."


    He got a thumbs up and the truck accelerated off.


    ¡°Behind that dumpster. Let''s wait here for a few and see if they nurse that thing any further."


    They could hear the SUV''s death rattle as the engine finally gave out. Immediately following was a long string of curses that made even Deacon''s eyebrows lift. Sam just shook her head.


    From around the corner they could hear voices. "Well I don''t give a shit! GO look to see if they''re waiting for us, or if they kept going."


    ''Both'' Deacon thought.


    They kept their heads down and one of the voices called back, "No one here. No truck. Nothing."


    "Shit! We lost the girl and we didn''t get a single one of them to show for it. This isn''t going to go well if they need to persuade the doctor to open that bunker.¡±


    "That''s enough for me." Deacon said to Sam. "You start from the right, I start from the left. If you can pick out the leader, try to keep him alive for now."  She nodded back.


    They eased up to the corner and peeked around it. Three men standing beside the SUV arguing.


    "...aaaand, GO!" Deacon said quietly.


    They stepped around the corner, weapons up and started firing. The men didn''t have time to respond before they were hit multiple times and on the ground.


    Deacon nodded forward and he and Sam moved together as one, weapons still trained on the downed men. He nudged Sam to step to his right and cover him. He approached the closest one and kicked his foot. No response. He reached down with one hand, keeping his pistol trained with the other. He dragged on the ankle and pulled the body away from the others. He quickly checked for a pulse. Finding none he moved on to the second body. He found a weak pulse. He bound wrists and ankles before moving on to the last figure. No pulse there.


    "Go get the others. We need to get these out of the way, then strip and torch the truck. If anyone comes looking, they can''t find anything. I doubt they were government...at least not legit government, but regardless, they''re part of a larger group with guns...and that''s a possible worry for us.


    "Gotcha." Sam headed in the direction the truck had gone. She waved at the two covering them from the corner. They ducked back and shortly the truck came around the corner.


    "Get those two out of their gear and into their truck. Front seats. Strip anything useful from the truck and we''ll douse it and torch it."


    Ten minutes later they were on the road back home. Behind them flames reached higher into the sky.


    "Let''s get back and hear what Sadie has to say about all of this."

 Chapter Five

    "They knew exactly who Dad was and they came for him. They told him that if he didn''t come with them, they''d hurt me. That''s what those three were there for...to make sure dad did what they said." Sadie said.


    "Did they say what part of the government they were from?"


    "No, they just said ''the government'' like it was supposed to mean something. I could tell Dad was afraid, but more for me than for himself."


    "Did they say where they were taking him? ...or why?"


    "No, but they seemed to think he knew something. Something important. Maybe it was from when he worked in the Army?"


    "Did he go anywhere special, or work in anything classified?"


    "I don''t know. He didn''t talk much about his work back then. He served overseas, but nothing special. No crazy research stuff. I don''t know what would make him important to them."


    "Maybe it''s personal? Maybe there''s a debt? Maybe..." He trailed off. "There''s nothing to be gained by speculating, We don''t have the answers and the only way to get them is to go after him.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Now all we have to do is find him and get him back."


    "Back? Back from where?"


    "We''ll find out. They''ve only had a day''s start on us, and we know this neck of the woods better than they do. We''ll bring him back...or they''ll wish we had."


    "Let''s put the word out and start sending out some scouts. Someone is bound to have seen something. At least we could nail down a direction and narrow the search."


    Dad nodded at Deacon, who saw the look in his eyes. "Give me a sec. You folks start laying out supplies and gear for four trucks. I''m going to have a couple of words with Dad."


    They stepped into the next room.


    "I know Doc''s a friend and a mighty useful one to have around here, but how many lives are we going to risk trying to find him, let alone rescue him?"


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bring it up in front of the others, but the one that we brought back mentioned getting Doc to open a bunker. We have to find out how much they know because if they know about the Bunkers, things could get bad in a hurry. Besides, it¡¯s about more than Doc. We need to keep people hoping, especially his girls. We need people to know that if they go missing, we''re coming for them. Family is coming for them.  More than anything, we need morale to stay high, and people to have hope." Deacon said. "Our people aren''t going to take any stupid risks on the looking. That''ll come later on the rescuing." He said with a smile.


    "I know what you''re saying, but there''s a limit, especially if we risk more Designated.¡°


    "I agree, but we aren''t near that just yet. We''ll see what the next day or so brings, then maybe we''ll re-examine the plan."


    "Okay, as long as there''s a plan." Dad smirked.

 Chapter Six

    After stocking up on fresh coffee and a few other supplies, Rob and Max were back on the Interstate, headed north. The highways were moving slowly, but they were still moving.


    "How was the store? Were you able to get your people away in time." Max asked.


    Rob chuckled, "We ran out of stuff long before that became an issue. I just hope that all of them have the sense to get out of town, or at least to the shelters in time. Some of the younger ones I worry about. The older ones remember Andrew."


    "What about the stories about people getting sick around Huston? Do you believe that?"


    "Some days I just want to turn off the news and live my life. I''m not sure what to believe about that, but any time you put thousands of people together without their normal comforts, things are bound to go wrong in ways no one planned for. It''s possible, but it''s more likely they''ll see outbreaks of whatever is already there because they can''t keep ahead of it like they would if all the systems were in place. I''m just glad I''m here and we''re headed to safer places."


    "So it might not be as bad as they''re saying?


    "Or it might be worse and they are trying to keep people from panicking. The Spanish Flu wasn''t called that because it was worse in Spain, but because they didn''t have the wartime censorship in place. One of the worse outbreaks was traced to an army base right here in Kansas, but censorship kept it out of the national media."


    "Kind of scary to think they would do something like that. Keep news under wraps when the information could help people."


    "Sometimes yes, but they also have to weigh that against creating panic that makes it worse."


    "Not a decision I''d want to have to make." Max shuddered. "Either way you go, people are likely to die."


    "People are going to die regardless. You have to try to make the best decisions you can with the information available in the moment, and hope you made the right call."


    "How do you know?"


    "Sometimes you don''t. Sometimes only history can be the judge of that."


    "Have you ever had to make those choices. Have you ever had to make a choice and someone died because of it?"


    "A few times. Sometimes I was right...other times I''ll never know. Sometimes all you can do is console yourself that it could have been much worse."


    "That''s...I don''t know. I hope I never have to be there."


    "I hope no one ever did, but sometimes we don''t get to make those choices, and we do what we can." Rob shook his head. "But enough moping about things we can''t change. How is school going?"


    "Way to change the subject there, Mr Smooth." Max laughed. "School is okay. Never thought I''d enjoy engineering, but I guess I''ve always liked building things."


    ¡°What do your parents think about your shift in Majors?"


    "I''m not sure yet. It sounds like they''re proud, but at the same time, I''m leaving ''the family business'', and I think that kind of hurts them."


    "Well, for what''s it''s worth, I think the world needs more engineers than lawyers." Rob said with a laugh.


    ¡°I guess, but after this many generations, I think mom would have liked to see me follow her."


    "How about your dad? Where is he on this? Caught in the middle?" Rob inquired.


    "Luckily I didn''t follow him into education, so he''s safely on the sidelines for this one. No one in the family went into engineering, so there''s no real bias."


    "Then why did you decide on that?"


    "I always liked building things as a kid, and I guess I got tired of the excuses for things falling apart where I''ve lived, so I figured I could do something about it. Plus engineers get to build things that stick around. They may not get their name at the top of the building, but they''re the reason the building doesn''t fall down." Max said with obvious pride.


    "Well, here''s hoping this is short lived and you can get to building your monuments." Rob said with a smile.


    "Yeah, here''s hoping I''m not burdening my parents for two long. That would suck. Family is usually great...in small does." she said. How about you? Any family nearby?"


    "Nope, all spread out across the west. We''re more country folk. Ranches and mountains. A few on the west coast."


    "How did you end up all the way out here."


    "Well, there was this girl..." Rob trailed off. "I''m kidding, I was out here visiting a friend, fell into a job helping a few people, and sort of retired into the place. Didn''t really plan on staying, but here I am. Funny how life takes you places. Now I have a cabin up north for when the mood strikes me, and I take some time to visit the folks when I can."


    "Sounds pretty ideal.¡± she said.


    "It''ll do for now." Rob nodded at her phone. "Any messages from the folks?"


    "Nothing as of the last stop. I''ll check again." She picked up her phone and started paging through her various emails and social media accounts.


    What to do? Rob thought. What if they couldn''t track the folks down? What if they got to their place and it looked like they had gone to find Max? They''d likely have to hunker down and wait at least for a bit. If the storm seemed especially bad, he figured they could both head to his place and leave messages with Max¡¯s folks to follow if possible. Rob had stocked the place for his occasional retreats. It wasn''t luxurious, but it could keep a few people relatively comfortable for much longer than the storm was likely to last. He chuckled to himself. One of the benefits of being a manager at a grocery store was having an arrangement with the owner to bring in things much cheaper than they would have been otherwise. Enrico, the owner, had told Rob that he could bring in pretty much whatever he wanted on the store''s accounts, as long as Rob paid for them and the store didn''t get stuck with anything. Rob respected that and used the arrangement to his advantage for a few things.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "Nothing." Max said. "I''m getting worried that they''re stuck somewhere with a flat and they don''t have service."


    "I guess anything is possible, but all we can do at this point is keep heading out of danger and hope that either we see them along the way, or they get your messages."


    "I guess. I just wish I knew."


    "I hear you on that, but either we keep driving, or we''re putting ourselves in more danger, and we don''t know that they aren''t stuck in their driveway or helping someone else out."


    "Maybe." she sighed.


    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


    They pulled into a truck stop to stretch their legs and use the bathrooms. There were dozens of other vehicles doing the same. It looked like all of South Florida was on the road north.


    When they got back in the truck, Max seemed a little paler than before.


    "What''s up?" Rob asked."People inside. They were talking about all sorts of scary things. People getting sick. Some said they heard Martial Law was being declared. Someone said the police were shooting people and the National Guard was coming. Apparently California is on fire.¡±


    "Well the National Guard bit is true." Rob said. Max gaped at him. "Think about it. Every time there''s a big disaster, what''s one of the first things they do? Send in the National Guard. They can get large numbers of people in place quickly who can set up huge hospitals in a few hours, plus they can feed hundreds or thousands faster than anyone else. All it takes is for some mouthpiece who either doesn''t know any better...or who wants to stir things up, to start mouthing off about Martial Law and all of a sudden you have people reaching for their guns...with bad outcomes."


    "I guess." Max temporised.


    "...and the sickness, that''s likely the stuff we were hearing about before. It didn''t come to much after Andrew or Katrina, so it likely won''t now. After all, we''re mostly a first world country." He said.


    "Yeah, I guess so. It just gets me to worrying.""Let''s worry about the important things, like if the next rest stop has toilet paper, or if that coffee is still hot."


    "End of the world and you''re focussing on toilet paper and coffee?"


    "Well, without toilet paper and coffee, it just might ''be'' the end of the world."


    "True enough." She said.


    Rob eased the truck back out into traffic, waving his thanks at the driver who let them in. He didn''t want to dwell on a world without toilet paper and coffee. It was amazing how quickly humans seemed to take luxuries like smartphones for granted while overlooking the basics.


    "Let me guess, you have both in the trailer?" Max said suddenly.


    Rob smirked. "Both in the truck, more in the trailer. Can''t be running out of the essentials.


    "Is there anything you ''don''t'' have back there?" she asked.


    "Well, I hope you''re not planning on a big party, because I didn''t pack much booze, no beer, and I''m pretty thin on chips and dip." he chuckled.


    "Oh drat, did I not tell you? You''re expected to entertain me and my entourage." Max waved around at the back seats filled with their bags.


    "Hopefully I''ll manage."


    "So, what do you really have in here?" She asked.


    "Mostly what you''d expect for an extended camping trip. A couple of heavy duty tents, lots of food, spare fuel, spare batteries, water, that sort of thing."


    ¡°No massive armoury for fighting off the zombie hordes?"


    "Well, yes a few guns, for self defence. I hope they don''t see the light of day, but they''re here if needed."


    "Really?" she asked quietly. "Do you think it might come to that?"


    "Any time you put a bunch of people together under stress with no outlet and mix in a few guns...that''s always a recipe for disaster. Take a look around and tell me what you see..."


    "A bunch of stressed out people stuck on the Interstate with¡­oh, I see what you mean."


    "Now imagine a road rage incident right now. Imagine what will happen if they have guns and decide to settle things right here on the highway?"


    "Shit, that''s nuts."


    "People can get nuts under stress."


    "Let''s get out of here."


    "Working on it." he said with a smile. "Speaking of which, could you pass me a water bottle?"


    "Can you teach me?" she asked as she handed him a fresh bottle.


    "Teach you? Teach you what? You¡¯re the genius engineer who could likely teach me.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°How to shoot? I haven''t held anything more than a BB gun, and that was when I was a kid. If things are really that bad, I''d like to at least know what I''m doing...or at least how to not shoot myself."


    "Okay, I tell you what. Let''s find your parents, and once we know they''re okay, we¡¯ll talk about that sort of thing. When this blows over I¡¯ll take you down to the range, if you¡¯re still interested.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, looking a little more settled.


    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good sign.¡± Rob said as they rolled into town.


    They¡¯d kept in front of the hurricanes for now, but many hadn¡¯t. The news wasn¡¯t good behind them. Florida had never been hit so hard, this time a Cat 5 hurricane running right up the centre of the peninsula, devastating the entire state. FEMA and the National Guard had pulled back, evacuating as many as possible, but no one had anticipated devastation on this scale. Combined with the aftermath of Harvey in the Gulf Coast states and the wild fires in California, tens of millions of Americans had been turned into refugees in their own country.


    ¡°Are those bullet holes?¡± Max asked as they drove past the burnt out wreck of an SUV.


    ¡°Yes, and well placed. Whoever was doing the shooting, they knew what they were doing. Maximum damage to the engine to stop them in a hurry, but not sending them out of control like a blown tire or dead driver might.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope the good guys were doing the shooting.¡± Max shuddered. ¡°Dad¡¯s place is close, so maybe we can get some answers.¡±


    Moments later they pulled up in front of Max¡¯s parents place. It looked deserted.


    Max jumped out and headed up the walk.


    ¡°Wait up a sec.¡± Rob called out.


    Max turned back to him, a puzzled look on her face.


    ¡°Just in case.¡± Rob pulled a handgun out of the gun safe and checked the magazine. Satisfied it was ready, he slid it into the holster in the small of his back.


    Max knocked. No answer. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. ¡°Mom! Dad! It¡¯s me! Rob drove me up!¡± she called out.


    Silence echoed back. Max looked back at Rob. He nodded and drew his pistol before stepping past her. ¡°Doc!¡± he called out. More silence.


    Rob motioned for Max to stay on the step while he checked things out. He quickly cleared the house and stepped back out onto the front porch with her.


    ¡°No one and nothing I can see.¡± He said. ¡°Any idea where they might have gone? Is he friends with anyone who might know?¡±


    ¡°I know he has some friends he goes shooting with, but I haven¡¯t been up to see them as much as I¡¯d like recently, with school and all.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s check out the local clinic and PD. You said he¡¯s still keeping his hand in there, and the police might know something.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She said.


    The clinic was deserted, and the rest of the public services building seemed empty as well.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Max asked.


    ¡°How many people in this town do you know? We¡¯re still in the hurricane¡¯s path and we need to find shelter or keep moving.¡±


    ¡°Dad made us have what he called a bug-out number in our phones in case we had to evacuate up here and we couldn¡¯t find them, so I guess this qualifies.¡±


    ¡°You have a talent for understatement.¡± Rob deadpanned. ¡°Now would be a good time to try that number.¡±