Survivalist Reality Show: The Complete Series

by Grace Hamilton

  “I’m going to walk down to the lake and wash up a little,” Regan announced.

  “I’ll go with you,” Wolf said, holding the Glock in his hand.

  “Tabitha, will you throw that rice in the water when it starts to boil?” she asked.

  Tabitha barely nodded her head. “I will.”

  Regan and Wolf walked down toward the lake. There, she bent down, cupped her hands, and put her hands to her face before running them over the back of her neck, wetting her hair and skin. She repeated the process, wiping down her arms before sticking her hands up her shirt and washing her pits. The cool water helped refresh her while cooling her down after the long, hard day.

  “Thank you for being so nice to Heather and making her feel welcome,” Wolf said in a low voice.

  “She’s nice,” Regan answered honestly. “I know she can come off a little bossy, but I think it’s just who she is. It’s what she’s always done and what she knows. I’ll admit she kind of rubbed me the wrong way at first, but I’m trying.”

  He nodded his head, dipping his hands into the cool blue water. “True. Putting all the stuff we would need for camp tonight in one tote was a good idea. I think even Fred can admit that. Have you had a chance to talk to him?”

  “No. You?”

  He shook his head, handed her his gun before pulling off his shirt and tossing it to her to hold while he gave himself a quick bath. “Nope. Not yet. I’ll make a point of it tomorrow.”

  Regan arched her back, working out the muscles that were strained from all the walking they’d been doing.

  “I think the setting up went a lot smoother tonight. She’s got some good ideas—I hope Fred and Geno will give her a chance.”

  “They will,” Wolf acknowledged, sweeping more water over his head. “I think Fred’s jealous over her ingenuity,” Wolf chuckled.

  Regan smiled. “He’s not the smartest one in the group anymore.”

  “Hey, I resent that,” Wolf teased, pulling his shirt back on.

  “We better get back for dinner, and then I’m crashing. I already know you want to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.”

  “You have to admit it’s a lot easier to walk in the early morning than the middle of the day,” he told her.

  “I know, I know. It is. Why don’t we sleep during the day and move at night? I’ve read that’s how you’re supposed to do desert survival.”

  “You’re right, and maybe we should in this heat, but we’re dealing with different predators. Our predators are nocturnal and we don’t have the benefit of a flashlight.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. If we slept for a couple hours in the evening, and then got up and walked all night, crashing when the sun came up, we could save ourselves the risk of heat exhaustion.”

  He shrugged. “I like it, I do, but what about the risk of tripping and falling?”

  “We can trip and fall during the day, as well,” she pointed out.

  “We’ll run it by the group,” he relented.

  They made their way back to the shelter and took their seats on the edge of the tarp. Heather was scooping rice into bowls and offering powdered butter up for flavoring. It wasn’t gourmet, but it was food and lots of carbs, which they all needed. Once again, Regan noted how Heather worked hard to ensure everyone’s comfort. She even walked back to the van to get a spoon upon realizing she was short when she got to serving RC. Regan immediately felt guilty at seeing it. The woman was acting more like their maid than a valued member of their group.

  Geno plopped down beside her and Wolf before she could think more on Heather, his face twisted in frustration. “We’ve got a problem,” he announced.

  Regan inwardly groaned. Couldn’t they go a day without some kind of problem to deal with? It was as if they were in the apocalypse, she thought to herself with a half-smile.

  “What is it?” RC asked, his exasperation over a new problem evident.

  Geno took a deep breath before answering, squinting his eyes shut for a moment as if dreading his own announcement. “We’re almost out of gas.”

  “What? How can that be?” Wolf asked. “You said we were good for at least forty miles or more!”

  “I thought you estimated that van got around ten miles to the gallon. We just put in three gallons,” Fred argued. “There is no way we walked forty-five miles,” he added, sounding personally affronted.

  “I don’t think it’s getting that great of gas mileage. All the stopping and idling while we wait for the walkers to catch up is using up more gas than anticipated,” Geno explained. “Fuel mileage is calculated based on city or highway driving. We’re doing neither. We’re crawling.”

  “What about shutting it off while you wait?” Wolf offered.

  “I do. I mean, I have been, but I think the thing needs a new air filter and a serious tune-up. I can’t do that out here. Starting it up each time is eating through the gas faster.”

  “How far out of the way are we walking?” Tabitha asked.

  RC shrugged. “I would say about ten miles. Not that much.”

  “We’ve had to take a few detours, as well. Bottom line is, we need more gas if we want that van to make it to the swamp,” Geno said firmly.

  They all went silent for a few moments. “How much gas do we have?” Regan asked, needing to hear the blunt version of the truth.

  Geno sighed. “About a quarter of a tank. The van is old. It runs rough. We’re sucking through gasoline like water.”

  “Okay, so tomorrow, we set out and check the cars we’re passing and see if there’s any available gas,” Regan said, proud to have come up with a solution.

  “I think that sounds like a good idea,” Fred said, nodding his head.

  Wolf remained silent. Regan turned to look at him, and knowing him as well as she did now, she could see something was bothering him.

  “Wolf?” she asked quietly.

  He shook his head, his long hair swaying in the orange light from the setting sun. “Maybe we should think about leaving behind some of the supplies and having more people ride in the van.”

  “What? Why?” Heather asked, aghast.

  He shrugged. “We’re burning gas because we’re not covering as many miles as we should be because we’re all walking. If we unpacked some of the non-essentials, we could all squeeze in. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it would be faster.”

  “All of us in that van?” Geno asked, his face scrunching up at the idea of it.

  Wolf nodded. “We could put two in that front passenger seat. The women are small enough, as are Lily and Travis. Only five of us would need to ride in the back. We could sit on the totes and boxes.”

  Regan wasn’t thrilled about being pressed up against another hot body on a humid day, but also knew it was important to keep every bit of supplies they could.

  “How do we decide what’s non-essential?” Heather asked.

  Wolf shrugged. “Anything that we can get by without. We don’t need all the pots and pans. We don’t need four suitcases of clothing. We don’t need all the tools.”

  The looks of horror on the faces of those around her was almost funny, Regan mused. It was as if he’d said they had to go completely naked into the swamp. But the truth was serious—little as they had, everyone was being faced with the threat of losing something valuable to them.

  Heather cleared her throat. “We need the pots to boil water and prepare meals. We’ll use less fuel, for fires, if we can cook a meal all at the same time instead of having to cook numerous small meals.”

  “And I need tools to keep this van running and to fix that generator when we get back to the swamp,” Geno pointed out.

  “So, the clothes? That’s it? That’s all you’re willing to go without?” Wolf asked irritably.

  “I don’t even know about that. You’re the one who said our clothing was our first line of defense against the elements. You can’t expect us to wear the same outfit for the foreseeable future. That will cause problems and it’s un
healthy,” Tabitha pointed out. “We all need at least a single change of clothes, at the bare minimum.”

  Heather nodded, agreeing with her. “We need the soap and personal hygiene items, as well. I understand you may not think it’s important, but I prefer to have a clean camp.”

  “You brought every bottle of cleaner you had!” Fred said with disgust.

  “And it will all be used, along with everything else I packed. If you really plan on living out there for months or longer, it makes sense that we would take as much as we could to make that possible,” Heather retorted.

  “I’m going to second that,” Tabitha said.

  “Second what?” Geno asked with confusion.

  “Cleaners! We need every drop of sanitizer and cleaners we can get. I don’t want to get sick,” Tabitha explained.

  “Fine,” Fred grumbled.

  “But Wolf has a point about taking all that stuff,” Geno chimed in.

  Tabitha turned around and shot him a glare. “Does he?”

  Geno shrugged his big shoulders. “I want to get where we’re going. Once we get there, we can go out on scavenging trips and get more stuff. We don’t need to take all that stuff with us. We’ll find new stuff.”

  Now that it seemed to be a serious possibility, Regan blanched at the idea of them all riding in a hot, stuffy van. They could barely sit on a large tarp together, which itself had to be at least twice the size of the back of the van, and here they couldn’t help arguing and wanting to kill each other. The thought of riding thigh to thigh and shoulder to shoulder with them was not appealing. They had limited deodorant, too. The funk was strong.

  “You know, I think walking is better. We can take our time scavenging more supplies. I mean, look what the kids found walking yesterday. They got that pair of shoes that fits Lily, and Travis found all those books in that one car. Little things like that are important,” Heather insisted.

  “And I can keep looking for edible herbs and plants to use for medicine,” Tabitha added. “Heather knows a lot about wildcrafting, so we can keep supplementing our food supply.”

  Wolf didn’t look pleased, but finally nodded his head. “I hope it’s worth it.”

  “I think it would be better if we broke up into groups to search around the area. Each group with a gun for protection,” Geno suggested.

  “What? How so? How does that help?” Wolf growled.

  “It doesn’t make sense to have six people checking the same car. Groups of two spread out as we’re moving, checking cars and houses and stores. As long as we’re all headed in the same general direction, it isn’t going to slow us down,” he reasoned.

  Regan was impressed. It was a good idea.

  “Lily and I can take the gas can and look for abandoned cars. People aren’t going to be as threatened by us,” Travis said.

  Wolf shook his head. “I don’t like that idea at all.”

  “He’s right, Wolf. They’re young enough that people are going to be more willing to help them. If someone sees one of us, they’re not going to be as friendly,” Fred added.

  “Fine, but we only spread out when there’s an area to search. There’s no point in us going in different directions if there’s nothing to find. It is still dangerous out here. We need to stick together,” he warned.

  “And we need to keep moving. If the van has to sit in one area and wait for everyone to come back, we’re not doing any good. Forward progress only,” Geno said.

  Regan cleared her throat. “Wolf and I were talking, and I suggested we should walk at night.”

  Tabitha nearly choked on her rice. “Walk at night? In the dark?”

  Regan nodded. “It would be cooler.”

  “But aren’t there, I don’t know, animals?” Tabitha asked.

  “There are, but they’re around us all the time,” Regan refuted.

  “What about not being able to see where we’re going?” Geno asked.

  “We could use the headlights,” RC offered.

  “No way!” Fred said, horror clear on his face.

  “Why not?” Regan asked.

  “The headlights would attract a lot of attention,” Fred explained.

  “Oh, right. Fine, well, it was just a suggestion,” Regan said, a pout coming to her lips at the idea of continuing on in the hot sun.

  “If the weather gets any hotter, it is an option,” Wolf said, giving her a little glimmer of hope.

  She smiled, silently thanking him for the delayed back-up.

  With everyone reluctantly agreed upon their new plan, they finished eating and got ready for bed. Geno and Tabitha were sleeping in the van, which left a little more room under the shelter cover. Meanwhile, the fire was burning out, the smoke drifting into the thick, humid air. Regan closed her eyes, hoping tomorrow brought them what they needed to make it back to the swamp.

  6

  Geno pushed the throttle, speeding the van up to avoid getting stuck in the off-road terrain he had to cover in order to get around the stalled cars blocking the old, two-lane highway they’d been traveling on. He glanced over to see RC staring straight ahead—the man wasn’t exactly the most talkative co-pilot. At first, the quiet had been nice, but now, on day three, it was getting old. He wished Tabitha would ride with him. Heck, he’d even take Fred’s company over that of the silent man beside him. He always felt like RC was silently judging him, his driving skills, and even their surroundings. It was unnerving.

  “Do you see any of them?” Geno asked, knowing it didn’t really matter if he had. His job was to drive the van, park, and then wait for the others to catch up. Still, it was something to say.

  RC shook his head. “I saw Wolf and Regan head off toward that convenience store we passed. Maybe they’ve found something.”

  Geno nodded, wishing they had a radio to drown out the silence. RC only spoke when spoken to and, even then, it was with short answers that left little room for further conversation.

  “Am I going left up here?” he asked, noticing the main road curved left while a narrow, dirt road led off to the right.

  RC grabbed the map. “Yes. Left. That might be a good place for them to scout out down there, though,” he added, pointing down the dirt road. “It’s probably a private driveway. Maybe we’ll get lucky and stumble onto an abandoned house with a whole pantry full of food.”

  “I think I’ll stop up here in case one of the groups doesn’t know which way to go.”

  The older man didn’t say a word, which Geno took as agreement. He slowed again, heading up toward the curve as they retreated back into the unholy silence that had been making him crazy. He’d have loved to have anyone else drive at this point, if not switch up the seating arrangements. Unfortunately, Wolf wanted him driving since he knew the van and would know when something sounded off. Thus, RC was navigating. Deep down, Geno had a feeling Wolf wanted his dad in the van because of the little scare he’d had the other day. And, of course, he was the oldest in the group, so it made sense that he would be the one to ride. No one seemed to mind all that much, and a part of him felt guilty for being annoyed with himself—it was only due to the silence, though.

  He glanced down to check the gas gauge and, as soon as his eyes focused on it, heard RC gasp.

  “Stop!” RC shouted.

  Geno looked up, hitting the brakes at the same time a kid stepped in front of the van. Fortunately, they had barely been crawling along, and he was able to stop before running the child over. He hadn’t been paying all that much attention, honestly. It wasn’t like there was traffic to avoid.

  “What the heck?” he muttered, throwing the van into park and shutting off the engine, not wanting to waste gas.

  “He’s alone. We better see if he’s okay or needs help,” RC said, sliding the rifle down between the passenger seat and the console before opening the van door and jumping out.

  Geno got out, as well, studying the dark-haired boy who looked to be around ten or so—he’d retreated some as the van had stopped, but hadn’
t disappeared or fled. His hair was dirty and shaggy, his clothes worn and torn. Eyeing the kid, he looked around the area, hoping to find his parents or at least an older brother or sister. There was no one around. It was like the kid had appeared out of thin air. Geno’s heart went out to the boy, thinking of him living all alone and managing to survive. He wouldn’t even have wanted to try to survive alone out there.

  “Hey there, buddy,” he said, approaching him slowly, his hands turned outward to show that he wasn’t carrying anything.

  The boy stared back at him. His dark eyes were round, his expression completely blank. It was freaking Geno out a little. He was pretty sure he’d seen a horror movie that started out the same way. This kid was feral.

  “What’s your name?” RC asked.

  The boy said nothing.

  “I think he’s alone,” Geno offered in a low voice, afraid to look away from the kid who stood five feet in front of him.

  “Up there,” RC pointed to a car on the side of the road, all four doors of the sedan hanging open. A tall figure stood near the driver’s side door with three other figures who also looked to be kids surrounding the car. Geno hadn’t noticed it before.

  “Did you guys break down out here?” Geno asked in a friendly voice.

  The boy continued to stare at him, and then slowly nodded his head. Geno looked over at RC, who was scanning the area. He wondered if the boy had some kind of mental illness. Maybe he was nonverbal?

  “Is that your family?” RC asked, his voice gruff.

  The boy turned to look at RC as he shrugged in answer. Geno actually felt relieved to have the kid’s beady little eyes off of him. He seemed to understand English just fine, but clearly wasn’t a big talker.

  “Did your car break down? I can see if we can fix it,” he offered in his friendliest voice. “That’s my specialty, actually.”

  The boy’s dead stare turned back on him, giving him a sense of foreboding. There was something about this kid that triggered alarm bells in his brain. The kid didn’t look right. Geno couldn’t quite place his finger on what it was that was freaking him out, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, and he had the urge to run as far and as fast from the boy as he could.