Prehistoric Survival | Book 1 | Doomed City

by Sander, K. G.

  Ginny held her gaze, then shook her head. “It won’t come to that. I ain’t running and leaving you guys to die. Ten minutes. You guys will have enough time, then we will pull right up and get you. And the guns,” she said with a forced smile. “Then we drive away. Get her checked and find your family.”

  Maggie nodded, somehow comforted by the smile. She wasn’t alone. As much that has happened over the last twelve hours, she felt a sense of home and belonging. More than she’d felt since before that asshole had…

  No. Now was not the time to think about Toronto. And that asshole didn’t deserve any of her time.

  Darkness took hold of the parking lot. All was still. Not even a bunny hopped in the near empty parking lot.

  “Okay,” Maggie said, taking a last deep breath to steady herself. “Let’s go.”

  Dirby nodded, face white and sweating.

  They opened the doors of the Jeep and stepped out onto the hot asphalt. The cool of the night was a welcome change to the heavy air of the afternoon, and Maggie felt herself take a deep breath, savouring the air. It was nice. The smell of exhaust and pollution that she’d grown so accustomed to was gone. Disappeared into this new world’s atmosphere.

  Maggie didn’t miss it. The freshness of the air drew her back to a primal self. Humans hadn’t smelled air this clear in a thousand years.

  Her pupils dilated, and she cracked her shoulders. Time to go. Exhilarated, she gently closed the door of the Jeep, careful not to make a sound. Dirby did the same. She nodded, and they jogged quietly. The fresh air made her head spin as she breathed in deep, enjoying the feeling in her lungs.

  There was just enough light to see the front doors of Cabela’s. They didn’t want to use their phones until they were inside the store.

  And they didn’t want to just drive to the front doors in case they met another gang.

  This way at least two of them had a chance.

  Which two remained to be seen.

  They made the front doors without being eaten, so Maggie chalked that up in the win column. She looked at the shadow that was Dirby and nodded. They opened the doors. Unlocked. Another win. Another nod, and Maggie stepped inside quickly, fumbling in her pocket for her cell phone.

  She looked up and stared down the barrel of a shotgun.

  “Who are you?” A man demanded.

  Thankful that she hadn’t screamed, Maggie held her hands up and tried to control her voice. “I’m Dr. Megan Knight. This is Charles Dirby,” she gestured behind her to the frozen man, who seemed undecided at what was more dangerous: the man with the gun in front of him or the threat of dinosaurs behind.

  “What do you want?” The man barked again. A flashlight lit up behind him and shone right in Maggie’s eyes, blinding her and forcing her to look away.

  “Guns. And food. We have a woman… she was bitten,” Maggie decided on the fly not to tell this person about their escapade in the Psych Center. At least not yet. “She needs antibiotics, or she’s going to die.”

  The man grunted. A few other feet shuffled behind him,

  “You ain’t one of them gang bangers from the jail,” the man said, lowering his gun. “I can tell. We’ve been fighting them off for a couple hours. Think our last bear spray trap sent em a message.” The flashlight lowered from their eyes and Maggie was greeted with the sight of a fierce and tight-knit group of about five. All heavily armed. “Well come on in,” the man said, “Best call your partners over as well.” He gestured to the Jeep in the parking lot. “I’ll radio the pharmacy, there are a couple of docs over there that will send what you need.”

  He stepped aside, and Maggie strode forward.

  “Go get Ginny and help with Lindsay,” she said to the man behind her, drawn in by the sound of rustling in the middle of the store.

  “Go with him,” the man said. Two teenagers who looked like his sons nodded and followed Dirby outside. “I’m Jesse. Jesse Muldor.” They walked forward into the store.

  Maggie’s jaw dropped.

  The apocalypse had only happened eight hours ago. And these people…

  “Yupp, we’re organized,” Jesse said, smiling. Generators hummed, and lights flooded the space, showing thirty to forty tents in the aisle. Children yelled and played in the piles of sorted clothes. A woman was roasting marshmallows over a small fire for one of her kids.

  Maggie couldn’t say anything. Guns were all over the place, seemingly evenly distributed. It looked like there was a water and food store to the left, complete with two people in charge of rationing.

  “The generators-”

  “I know, I know,” Jesse said. “We’re going to run out of gas. And food, for that matter. But the way we see it is that we are going to have the rest of our lives to learn how to live in this new reality. Might as well give the kids one more peaceful night before we solve that problem.”

  Maggie nodded. Not her particular thought. She’d be saving the fuel for as long as possible. But hell, giving these people comfort was something.

  “Dad!”

  They turned. Ginny was walking forward with Dirby, with a slumped Lindsay being supported in between the two boys.

  “She’s bad,” the older one continued.

  Jesse nodded. “Get her to the Doc. She can order the meds.” The boys nodded and walked Lindsay away.

  “I’ll go with her,” Ginny said, and she hustled after them.

  “So,” Jesse said, looking at Maggie. “What do you need? And when are you leaving?”

  Maggie looked at him, surprised.

  “You look like a woman on a mission,” Jesse said, shrugging. “And I’m a psychologist. Good at reading people.”

  Maggie tried not to look too surprised that the man in front of her, long brown beard and dressed in camouflage from head to toe, was a psychologist. Apparently, she failed.

  “Me and the boys were picking up some new bows for some target practice over the weekend,” Jesse said, shrugging. “It was my day off. I usually wear a suit.”

  “My kids are out there,” Maggie said. “I need to go get them.”

  Jesse looked at her, bright blue eyes piercing her. “Wait until dawn. I’ll get you set up with a rifle and a bow. Beth over there,” he gestured to the food and water stash, “will get you set up for a couple days. I won’t be able to send anyone. We barely have all points covered between here and the pharmacy. But you can take that Jeep in the morning.”

  The vast contrast in her treatment was staggering.

  “Th-th-thank you,” she stammered.

  Jesse flashed her a smile. “Hey, it’s the end of the world. We’re all in this together.”

  York made sure his back was turned when they walked in. He didn’t want any of his old employees to see him, especially since they had left them for dead.

  A child ran by with a couple of hot dogs, and York tripped him, sending the sausages flying out of his hand. Moving fast, York grabbed them and hid in the aisles while the kid cried for his mommy.

  They would pay. For everything.

  And York knew exactly how.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Maggie

  “Seems empty,” Dirby said from beside her.

  Maggie wanted to punch him in the arm. She nearly did, just out of principle. The man was exhausting. And today, the epitome of exhausting and shitty days, Charles Montgomery Dirby was going to send her through the roof.

  “Well, it would be smart of anyone to make it look like no one was there, considering all the bullshit we’ve encountered today.”

  Dirby closed his trap. Thank Christ.

  “So, front doors?” Ginny asked, leaning forward. “She’s not gonna last very much longer.”

  Lindsay gasped from the back of the jeep, drawing everyone’s eyes.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled through gritted teeth, “Trying not to be overdramatic.”

  Maggie started to argue, but Lindsay flashed a small smile. “Just kidding.”

  “She needs medicine,” Gi
nny said.

  “Guns, ammo, bows, arrows, survival gear. Then we will hit the Shoppers Drug Mart across the street for the medicine. Then get the hell out of here.”

  They were parked in the Cabela’s parking lot. The Jeep was turned off to conserve fuel, but the growing darkness was going to swallow the store in front of them. They had their cell phone flashlights. And their phones were all holding at around thirty percent battery remaining. Cabela’s would have flashlights… if they hadn’t been picked clean already.

  Deciding, Maggie turned to the car, “Dirby and I will go get as much as we can carry then come out. Ginny, keep the keys and fire the jeep up when you see us go in. Give it five, then pull to the front doors. If you don’t see us in ten drive like hell.”

  “No,” Dirby snapped, “I’m not going in there. I want to stay out here with Lindsay-”

  “And leave it to me to carry everything out?” Maggie snapped, “Grow a set, will you Dirby?”

  He gulped and nodded.

  “Five to the door,” Ginny repeated, “Then five more and we bail.”

  “We won’t need five,” Maggie said. “And anything big comes… you hear that thumping in the ground, you drive away and don’t look back.”

  Ginny held her gaze, then shook her head. “It won’t come to that. I ain’t running and leaving you guys to die. Ten minutes. You guys will have enough time, then we will pull right up and get you. And the guns,” she said with a forced smile. “Then we drive away. Get her checked and find your family.”

  Maggie nodded, somehow comforted by the smile. She wasn’t alone. As much that has happened over the last twelve hours, she felt a sense of home and belonging. More than she’d felt since before that asshole had…

  No. Now was not the time to think about Toronto. And that asshole didn’t deserve any of her time.

  Darkness took hold of the parking lot. All was still. Not even a bunny hopped in the near empty parking lot.

  “Okay,” Maggie said, taking a last deep breath to steady herself. “Let’s go.”

  Dirby nodded, face white and sweating.

  They opened the doors of the Jeep and stepped out onto the hot asphalt. The cool of the night was a welcome change to the heavy air of the afternoon, and Maggie felt herself take a deep breath, savouring the air. It was nice. The smell of exhaust and pollution that she’d grown so accustomed to was gone. Disappeared into this new world’s atmosphere.

  Maggie didn’t miss it. The freshness of the air drew her back to a primal self. Humans hadn’t smelled air this clear in a thousand years.

  Her pupils dilated, and she cracked her shoulders. Time to go. Exhilarated, she gently closed the door of the Jeep, careful not to make a sound. Dirby did the same. She nodded, and they jogged quietly. The fresh air made her head spin as she breathed in deep, enjoying the feeling in her lungs.

  There was just enough light to see the front doors of Cabela’s. They didn’t want to use their phones until they were inside the store.

  And they didn’t want to just drive to the front doors in case they met another gang.

  This way at least two of them had a chance.

  Which two remained to be seen.

  They made the front doors without being eaten, so Maggie chalked that up in the win column. She looked at the shadow that was Dirby and nodded. They opened the doors. Unlocked. Another win. Another nod, and Maggie stepped inside quickly, fumbling in her pocket for her cell phone.

  She looked up and stared down the barrel of a shotgun.

  “Who are you?” A man demanded.

  Thankful that she hadn’t screamed, Maggie held her hands up and tried to control her voice. “I’m Dr. Megan Knight. This is Charles Dirby,” she gestured behind her to the frozen man, who seemed undecided at what was more dangerous: the man with the gun in front of him or the threat of dinosaurs behind.

  “What do you want?” The man barked again. A flashlight lit up behind him and shone right in Maggie’s eyes, blinding her and forcing her to look away.

  “Guns. And food. We have a woman… she was bitten,” Maggie decided on the fly not to tell this person about their escapade in the Psych Center. At least not yet. “She needs antibiotics, or she’s going to die.”

  The man grunted. A few other feet shuffled behind him,

  “You ain’t one of them gang bangers from the jail,” the man said, lowering his gun. “I can tell. We’ve been fighting them off for a couple hours. Think our last bear spray trap sent em a message.” The flashlight lowered from their eyes and Maggie was greeted with the sight of a fierce and tight-knit group of about five. All heavily armed. “Well come on in,” the man said, “Best call your partners over as well.” He gestured to the Jeep in the parking lot. “I’ll radio the pharmacy, there are a couple of docs over there that will send what you need.”

  He stepped aside, and Maggie strode forward.

  “Go get Ginny and help with Lindsay,” she said to the man behind her, drawn in by the sound of rustling in the middle of the store.

  “Go with him,” the man said. Two teenagers who looked like his sons nodded and followed Dirby outside. “I’m Jesse. Jesse Muldor.” They walked forward into the store.

  Maggie’s jaw dropped.

  The apocalypse had only happened eight hours ago. And these people…

  “Yupp, we’re organized,” Jesse said, smiling. Generators hummed, and lights flooded the space, showing thirty to forty tents in the aisle. Children yelled and played in the piles of sorted clothes. A woman was roasting marshmallows over a small fire for one of her kids.

  Maggie couldn’t say anything. Guns were all over the place, seemingly evenly distributed. It looked like there was a water and food store to the left, complete with two people in charge of rationing.

  “The generators-”

  “I know, I know,” Jesse said. “We’re going to run out of gas. And food, for that matter. But the way we see it is that we are going to have the rest of our lives to learn how to live in this new reality. Might as well give the kids one more peaceful night before we solve that problem.”

  Maggie nodded. Not her particular thought. She’d be saving the fuel for as long as possible. But hell, giving these people comfort was something.

  “Dad!”

  They turned. Ginny was walking forward with Dirby, with a slumped Lindsay being supported in between the two boys.

  “She’s bad,” the older one continued.

  Jesse nodded. “Get her to the Doc. She can order the meds.” The boys nodded and walked Lindsay away.

  “I’ll go with her,” Ginny said, and she hustled after them.

  “So,” Jesse said, looking at Maggie. “What do you need? And when are you leaving?”

  Maggie looked at him, surprised.

  “You look like a woman on a mission,” Jesse said, shrugging. “And I’m a psychologist. Good at reading people.”

  Maggie tried not to look too surprised that the man in front of her, long brown beard and dressed in camouflage from head to toe, was a psychologist. Apparently, she failed.

  “Me and the boys were picking up some new bows for some target practice over the weekend,” Jesse said, shrugging. “It was my day off. I usually wear a suit.”

  “My kids are out there,” Maggie said. “I need to go get them.”

  Jesse looked at her, bright blue eyes piercing her. “Wait until dawn. I’ll get you set up with a rifle and a bow. Beth over there,” he gestured to the food and water stash, “will get you set up for a couple days. I won’t be able to send anyone. We barely have all points covered between here and the pharmacy. But you can take that Jeep in the morning.”

  The vast contrast in her treatment was staggering.

  “Th-th-thank you,” she stammered.

  Jesse flashed her a smile. “Hey, it’s the end of the world. We’re all in this together.”

  York made sure his back was turned when they walked in. He didn’t want any of his old employees to see him, especially since they
had left them for dead.

  A child ran by with a couple of hot dogs, and York tripped him, sending the sausages flying out of his hand. Moving fast, York grabbed them and hid in the aisles while the kid cried for his mommy.

  They would pay. For everything.

  And York knew exactly how.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Kevin put his bags on the second queen sized bed in the hotel. The Canadian government had been kind enough to get them a week of hotels. To start, anyway. Anyone not from Saskatoon had been flown home.

  He’d said goodbye to most of the people who were in this with him.

  Now he was alone. Utterly alone. His house was gone. His husband, the love of his life… gone with it.

  What was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to live?

  His phone rang, and sighing, he answered the fifteenth call of the day.

  “Hey mom,” he said, tears forming behind his eyes. Also, for the fifteenth time that day.

  “You in your hotel?” His mother asked. Her voice wavered. She’d been crying too, he could tell.

  “Yeah,” Kevin said, looking at the lonely hotel room.

  “We’re coming there to visit,” she said firmly.

  “Mom, you can’t fly here. Not on that hip of yours.”

  “I’m not listening to arguing,” she said gently but firmly. “Your sister is going to drive me down. We are leaving in the morning. It’s two days from Vancouver. We will get there as soon as we can.”

  Kevin sat on the bed, too exhausted to argue. And, if he was honest with himself, something deep inside was craving a hug from his mother.

  “Look, Kevin,” she said sadly, “I know what it’s like. When your father died, I-”

  “I have to go,” he said, hating himself for cutting her off, but not able to process an instruction on coping with grief.

  “Okay. Any trouble in the night, and you call. I’m keeping my phone one.”

  “Okay.”