Survival: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival series (Cloverdale Book 2) Read online

  Cy approached next and already had a room key in his hand.

  “Good to see you again, Cy.” John shook his hand. “Wish it was under better circumstances.”

  Cy nodded and handed him the room key. “Glad you’re here with us. You’re in 106, right next to me.”

  The others came over in turn and said hello and offered their condolences. Everybody chipped in and unloaded the gear from his truck. Once finished, one by one they began dispersing to their rooms, trying to salvage what was left of the night and get some much-needed rest.

  Vince and Mary hung out for a while in John’s room and brought over their container of water to share with him while he settled in as best as he could. They listened to John describe what he had seen and encountered in his travels, although it was nothing new or different than what they had witnessed.

  Vince accepted the fact that it would be another day or more before they could venture into town and attempt to salvage anything usable. He also realized that the hope of finding any more survivors was slim. Even though they had seen it all with their own eyes, hearing John’s description of town made clear the reality of the situation once more and reminded them that they were on their own. Survival depended on them and their ability to adapt to this harsh new world.

  Chapter Three

  The time passed painfully slow over the next couple of days, and at times, it seemed to stand still as everyone sat in their rooms. Playing cards for matchsticks and staring out the window, hoping for rain, grew old fast. The only relief for Vince was the short trips he and Cy made to the garage, where they refilled the water containers and gathered food. But they didn’t dare linger any longer than necessary over there in case the looters came back and caught them. As much as he would have liked to start working on a power supply for the motel using the solar electric system at the garage, he knew it wasn’t the time yet. He also didn’t want to risk using too much of the stored power. The sun hadn’t fully broken through the thick smoke and he doubted the solar panels had been able to generate much power. He wanted to save what energy there was to operate the well pump. Without clean water, they wouldn’t make it.

  The smoke remained thick—another reason to put off doing any real work outdoors. The other day, they had all braved it long enough to dig a shallow grave and bury Jim’s body. Even though they kept it brief and only said a few words out of respect for Jim, they were almost all coughing uncontrollably and barely finished the job. They were forced to cut it short and take shelter indoors.

  Even during daylight hours, the darkness and stench of burnt things hung over them as a constant reminder that their situation was still beyond their control. It was too early to venture into town, and at this point, any trip would only yield disappointment and the risk of injury.

  Taking a full breath of air without the use of a mask remained nearly impossible and always brought on a fit of coughing. Reese’s mother, Hannah, and Tom and Beverly’s boy, Ryan, were just beginning to recover from smoke inhalation, and Vince didn’t see the need to put anybody else’s health at risk until things settled down. Despite their best efforts to stay out of the smoke-laden air, they had all developed a bit of a cough and spoke with a now familiar raspy tone. If it wasn’t for the water and food they were able to gather from his garage, Vince wasn’t sure if they would have made it through this first couple of days at all. He also knew the snacks and protein bars they were eating weren’t a long-term solution for the group. He was rationing what they were eating, but it wouldn’t last forever and they were going through their supplies alarmingly fast.

  Whether the smoke cleared soon or not, the time was coming when they would have no choice but to venture out and look for supplies and sustenance. He wondered if there would be anything left out there among the ruins and burned buildings. And what about the looters? Had they cleaned out every available source of food and supplies nearby? Maybe the smoke had affected them, too.

  Something was keeping them away, and Vince was surprised that they hadn’t returned yet to have another go at his place. He figured they were holed up somewhere, enjoying their ill-gotten spoils. They had probably pillaged enough supplies and alcohol to content themselves for a couple of days.

  But that wouldn’t last forever, either, and eventually, when they had exhausted all other resources, the looters would come back around. And this time they would be desperate. The list of things Vince and the rest of the survivors needed to do was growing. It was hard to prioritize so many important things they needed to accomplish in order to survive. But somewhere near the top of that list was preparing for another attack and figuring out a way to protect what they had.

  Vince knew the key to their success would have to be a good defense. They couldn’t rely on firepower alone to defend the garage. Somehow, they needed to stop the looters before they could get close to the garage or even town, for that matter.

  They needed a wall of some type—but more than that. There needed to be a way out of the wall: a gate, something that was relatively easy to open and close. After all, Vince and his crew would need to move in and out with their vehicles as well. They couldn’t stay within the confines of the town forever. Venturing out would be crucial to their survival.

  He mulled over a few ideas in his head but kept coming back to the thing that made the most sense to him: cars. And not just any cars—new cars from the dealership just outside of town. There were hundreds of them parked around the lot at the Chevy dealership, and they should have survived the EMP blast. It seemed as if most cars that had been parked or not running when the bombs hit were still intact. He also noticed that many of them had caught on fire if they were too close to a burning building or house. Fortunately, the car lot was far enough away from the dealership building, so the vehicles in the lot might have survived the intense heat of the fire. At least that was what he hoped.

  They would have to take the risk; they needed to get out to the dealership and figure out how to haul the cars back here. Unlike the burned-out wrecks scattered on the roadways, the new cars would be intact, and even though they wouldn’t run, they would roll. They could tow them or push them into place and use a couple of large SUVs to make a gate. It was a good-sized dealership, and Vince estimated that there were enough cars to seal off several blocks of town, including the area where his garage and the motel were located.

  Of course, in order to make all this happen, they were going to need to clear the roads. They could tow a few cars at a time if they had to, but they wouldn’t be able to do that if they had to maneuver around junk all over the road. They needed a piece of equipment large enough to push a car out of their way. The burned-out wrecks wouldn’t go easily, either. Vince imagined some might even be fused to the road. After the melting plastic and cheap metal parts had cooled, they would harden in place, making the cars difficult to move.

  They needed one of the articulated loaders from the quarry on the other side of the interstate. Vince had no idea if they would run or if they had survived the blast, but they needed to find out.

  He’d driven by the quarry countless times but never paid much attention to the equipment. Instead, he spent his time scanning the gravel pits for ducks he’d like to hunt. From what he did remember, though, there were a few older-looking loaders in the yard. At least they looked old; a little rusty and faded from years of sitting out in the sun, they were far from new. With any luck, they were old enough to withstand the effects of the EMPs.

  Having one of those big loaders would open up a world of possibilities for them. Not only could they clear roadways, but they could also use the loaders to tow the cars into place and move them around as needed. They could also use the large bucket on the front to move debris around and make sections of their perimeter wall out of what remained of the burned-out buildings around town. In some areas, that would make more sense than using cars.

  Of course, this meant they would have to go to the quarry and toward the looters. They had no idea where the
gang had gone, but they had come from that direction and escaped the same way. Going to the quarry also meant leaving the motel vulnerable and leaving those who stayed behind to fend for themselves.

  The reward outweighed the risk, and even if it didn’t, what choice did they have? Getting their hands on the loader was a necessary step in the process of returning to a type of normalcy, not to mention it would ultimately help ensure their safety.

  Vince’s mind was made up: getting a loader would be their priority. Now he just had to convince the others and figure out who would go and who would stay behind.

  Chapter Four

  Vince slipped a couple of doors down to John’s room. He wanted to sell his idea to someone he thought would be honest with him and wouldn’t hold back in telling him it was a stupid plan if it truly was. Vince was beginning to believe the others would go along with anything he suggested, and that was far from what he wanted. That was how mistakes were made, and he needed a voice of reason to keep him in check.

  Mary would tell him the truth, but when it came to this kind of thing, she would be inclined to go along with whatever he thought. Besides, John had experience, and Vince trusted his opinion.

  Vince knocked on John’s door but got no answer. He knocked again, a little louder this time, and heard a faint voice from inside.

  “Yeah, come in.”

  Vince opened the door slowly and saw John as he sat up in bed and strained his eyes in the dim yellow light streaming in from outside. Vince was surprised to see John sleeping in the middle of the afternoon. He wanted to chalk it up to the fact that there wasn’t much to do, but he suspected it had more to do with John’s depression. Not that any of them had it good, but at least they still had their loved ones and families.

  “When you get up and get yourself together, why don’t you come over to my room so we can talk?” Vince said. “I’ve got some ideas I want to run by you. I think the smoke has cleared enough to get out of these rooms for a while.”

  John swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat for a minute, rubbing his hands over his face.

  “All right, I’ll be over in a minute,” he answered.

  Vince pulled one of the curtains to the side, letting a little more light into the room before he backed his way out.

  “See you in a few, then.” Vince closed the door behind him and headed back to his room. On his way, he glanced over at the Ford pickup they had moved to the outer edge of the parking lot last night. He shot a quick wave at Tom, who was taking his turn on watch. Everyone except the kids had stepped up and taken a turn standing a four-hour watch in the truck since their first night in the motel. It was actually a welcome relief from being pent up in the room, and Vince found himself looking forward to his turns.

  As he made his way past Cy’s room, he knocked on the door.

  “Meet me in my room in a couple minutes, okay?” Vince yelled through the door.

  “Okay,” came Cy’s muffled voice from inside the room.

  He wanted Cy and John to go with him and try to get the loader; he just hoped John was up for it. He hadn’t exactly been himself since he showed up the other night, but who could blame him? The man had lost everything. Vince hated seeing him like this and was worried about his mental health. Being forced to sit around in an old, dim motel room with nothing much to do surely wasn’t helping things. They were all a little worse for the wear and suffering from a bad case of cabin fever.

  At least the smoke was starting to dissipate and the fires had died down, leaving smoldering piles of rubble. The air was still foul and left a bad taste in your mouth when you went outside, but things were improving slowly. Either that or Vince was getting used to the smell and poor air quality. It was hard to tell, and it had been quite a while since he had seen a patch of blue sky. When the smoke did clear long enough to expose some sky, it was a pale color of yellow that reminded him of the sky sometimes at dusk in a thunderstorm, only more of an unnatural shade.

  He couldn’t help but wonder if it was a direct result of the nukes or a byproduct of the fires. He hoped it was the latter and that the sky would return to normal after the atmosphere cleared. They could desperately use some rain to put out the rest of the fires and wash the ash off everything, but he wasn’t hopeful.

  When he entered the room, Mary was throwing an empty water bottle for Nugget, who was thankful for the attention and no doubt feeling the effects of being confined to the room for far too long like the rest of them.

  “It looks a little better out there than it did yesterday at this time.” Vince tried to hide his disappointment in the conditions outside. He had hoped for more of an improvement over yesterday.

  “I was just looking out the window, thinking maybe I could take Nugget out for a walk around,” she replied. Nugget’s ears perked up at the sound of her name, and she twisted her head. There was a knock at the door, and then it opened. Cy stood at the door for a second before coming into the room.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “That was quick,” Vince said.

  He smirked. “Yeah, well, there’s only so much solitaire a guy can play.”

  Vince hadn’t told Mary about his plan yet, either. They had discussed the fact that they needed to secure the garage and motel in some way, but Vince had kept the details to himself.

  “I want to get a team together and go over to the quarry to see if we can get one of those loaders running.” Vince wanted to wait for John to join them so there would be another experienced voice of reason in the room, but he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

  “Let’s do it. I’m game,” Cy blurted out.

  Vince knew Cy would be on board; he never doubted that. He would have done anything to escape the boredom of the motel room for a while and find a change of scenery. But Mary didn’t respond right away, and Vince could tell she was thinking about what he had said.

  “Do you think it’s safe to go over there? That’s the way the looters went. And what about the smoke? Is it safe to be outside for that long?”

  “Well, the air’s not great, but I think we need to act soon, before they come back. We need the loader to clear the roads and help build a wall.”

  “A wall?” John walked into the room and joined the conversation. He still looked the worse for wear, and although they’d had plenty of time to rest, he still looked like he could use some sleep.

  “My dad wants to try and grab a loader from the quarry,” Cy said.

  John paused for a moment and rubbed his chin. “That’s not a bad idea,” he said.

  “It would make clearing the roads a lot easier, and I thought maybe we could use it to make a perimeter around some of the town,” Vince explained. “We could use the cars from the dealership for the front part of the barricade facing the interstate and a couple big SUVs for a gate. We’ll figure out what areas we want to be inside the barricade as we make our way around town. I’m thinking at least a few blocks south into town.”

  “And we can use the material we clear off the roads to build the wall in the areas that we want to be more permanent,” John added.

  “It won’t stop anyone from getting in if they want to,” Vince started, “but it will stop them from entering town in vehicles and force them to be on foot. They’ll be easier to deal with that way. We’ll keep a person on watch and we’ll have a defendable position.” Vince looked at Mary. She seemed to be the only one with doubt in her eyes.

  “I’m just worried you’ll run into trouble out there,” she said. “They killed Jim, remember?”

  Vince nodded. “I do. But that’s all the more reason to try and keep them out.”

  Chapter Five

  It took a little more convincing to get Mary on board, but ultimately, she gave in and agreed that it was a good idea. Vince hadn’t expected her to give him such a hard time about his plan and was quickly reminded that she was someone who would speak her mind, especially when it came to their safety.

  Once they had worked out the det
ails and organized their thoughts, they gathered the others and laid out the plan to ask for their input. Everyone was on board with the idea, and Tom volunteered to join Vince, John, and Cy. Vince was glad they were all in agreement, although if he was being honest with himself, he had already made up his mind, regardless of what the others thought.

  Tom was familiar with the family who owned the quarry, and as far as he knew, they hadn’t survived the attack. They lived a couple of blocks away from Tom’s house, and he remembered it being lost to the fire when he and his family were forced to flee their neighborhood.

  This gave Vince and the others a clear conscience about commandeering the loader. Taking the equipment was certainly something that weighed on his mind and almost discouraged him from following through with the plan in the beginning. In his mind, it was basically stealing, and he wondered if that made him just as bad as the looters. It was for the greater good, but that didn’t make him feel any better about taking something that wasn’t his.

  Of course, these were unusual circumstances. After all, they were prepared to take advantage of the motel, and he hadn’t given that a second thought. He eventually settled on the notion that when it came to procuring supplies and whatever else they needed to survive, there would be a lot of gray areas in the days and weeks to come. As much as he hated the sound of it, that was just the way things were now.

  Fred would stand watch and keep an eye on things at the motel while they went to get the loader. After witnessing Jim’s death, Bill was still a little off in Vince’s opinion, and he was thankful that the others were keeping it together so well.

  In particular, he was impressed with Reese. She wasn’t what he had expected from a girl her age, and she seemed to be adapting well to the tough conditions and circumstances they were being forced to deal with. Among the dreary faces of the others over the last few days, she was a welcome bright spot. She always had an encouraging word or two for anyone who cared to talk and managed to even smile on occasion. She reminded Vince that there was a future for them in this bleak world, and he was thankful to have her in the group of survivors.