Prepper's Apocalypse | Book 1 | Prepper's Apocalypse

by Newman, AJ

  Four hours later, they were hiding behind an auto part’s store six miles north of where they’d camped. They rested from covering the six miles in a little over two hours. Tom had noticed there were fewer people and more burned or abandoned homes and businesses. “This business looks abandoned, and that old dodge truck is pre-electronic ignition. I’m tired of walking. Sam and Brenda, please watch for people while Jackie, Betty, and Granny B search the store for anything useful. Bill will help me see if the truck will run.”

  Tom raised the hood and was pleased to see everything in order. The truck had the original engine and ignition. He found the key above the visor and tried cranking the engine. Nothing happened. Tom saw the truck had a manual transmission and said, “Gang, help push start this truck.”

  They pushed the truck back from the store and then began pushing the truck across the parking lot. Tom popped the clutch several times, but it didn’t start. It would pop and hit a couple of times but wouldn’t run. He looked at the dash and slapped himself on the head. “Hey, can you push me one more time? This beast has a choke. My oops. Cars have had electronic fuel injection for decades.”

  Tom pulled the choke out, and they pushed him again. When he let the clutch out, the truck backfired, dark smoke rolled out of the tailpipe, and then the engine roared to life. Tom had to pump the gas pedal a couple of times, but the engine finally warmed up and the idle smoothed out. Everyone cheered while Tom drove the vehicle back to its parking spot. When the others calmed down, Tom said, “We still need a battery because this one is dead. Let’s find one in the store.”

  There was a display of batteries, but all of the ones prepared for sale were gone. Someone had taken them. Tom looked around and saw evidence that the store had been searched, but it wasn’t ransacked. “Bill, let’s look up and down the road for an abandoned car or truck with a good battery.”

  The homes along the highway had been abandoned, and Tom began to understand what had happened. He saw a steady stream of families and groups of men walking both ways. Most of them stopped at one of the houses or businesses to scavenge. Many of the homes had bullet holes in the doors and around the windows. Looters were breaking into occupied homes to get food and other supplies. “Granny B, watch carefully for looters trying to enter the parts store.”

  “This ain’t my first rodeo, son. Go and get us a battery. We’ll be safe. I’ll remove all the light bulbs from the taillights and marker lights while you find a battery.”

  Tom gave her a thumbs up. “Don’t forget the light inside the cab.”

  They stopped at the first home across the street but had to back away when a man and woman came out the front door and pointed guns at them. “Getaway. We found this abandoned home first.”

  Tom kept one hand behind him on the butt of his 9mm as usual. “We didn’t see anyone here. We’ll move on now.”

  Tom and Bill slowly backed away and then walked on down to the next home, which also had people inside. Tom saw a business up ahead with a sign that read, ‘A1 Certified Auto mechanics.’

  “Tom pointed at the sign, and Bill followed him across the street to a row of cars. “These must be here to be worked on, but the ones across from them look like the employee’s vehicles. Let’s check a few batteries.”

  Tom walked through the open door and saw tools scattered on the floor where someone had up-ended several toolboxes. He grabbed a pair of pliers, touched one end of the handle on the negative post, and brushed the other end on the positive end. Nothing happened. He tried this again on several batteries with the same result. He kept testing batteries until one barely sparked. “I hoped most of them would still be charged. Let’s try the ones in the cars in the repair bay.”

  The first car was a 2038 Ford Expedition. Bill raised the hood and took the battery cover off. Tom placed the plier handle on the negative post and rubbed the other handle on the positive. Sparks flew everywhere, making Tom jump and hit his head on the hood. “Damn, this one is hot. Let’s take it.”

  The old truck started and ran like a new vehicle. Granny B looked around at the group. “We’re burning daylight. Get your butts in gear and finish loading your stuff. We’re going home in style.”

  Tom made the timeout sign. “Whoa, we’d be placing a big target on ourselves if we leave in broad daylight. I plan to drive at night and sleep during the day. We can use my new night vision scope to see what’s up ahead and avoid ambushes. We’re only a hundred miles from home. Just driving after midnight at twenty miles an hour puts us in Ashland in five hours. Rest and pull guard duty after loading up what we don’t need today.”

  Granny B smiled. “Tom’s right. I got excited and almost got us killed.”

  Tom hugged Granny B. “Everyone not on guard duty should rest as much as possible. Get some shuteye.”

  Tom nudged his sister’s arm and then tugged at Granny B’s arm. “I have a couple of ideas.”

  They discussed Tom’s thoughts and then helped load the truck before resting for several hours. Most of the others were asleep when Jackie and Tom snuck out of camp. It was twilight, and Tom didn’t see or hear anyone stirring around. They quickly covered the ground to the Sporting Goods Warehouse and were cautious approaching the door. No one was in sight, so they moved into the store and stood in the dark with only a small amount of light from the windows. “Oh, my God! What’s that smell?”

  “Something died in here. Don’t be surprised by what we see.” Tom switched on his small flashlight and headed to the hunting and fishing section. They had to watch where they stepped because there were rotting bodies and merchandise strewn across the floor. Tom’s light shined on the first body.

  Maggots covered the body, and a couple of rats ran for cover when Tom approached. Tom flinched. “This one was shot with a shotgun, up close. We should have brought some kind of masks. The stench is turning my stomach.”

  Jackie saw something up ahead, “There’s the empty gun section. Maybe we can find some ammo.”

  They only found a few boxes of .22 LR and a box of 12 gauge birdshot. Every weapon except a few bows and arrows had been taken, and they had plenty of those. Tom found a powerful spotlight and stuck it in his bag along with several Maglite flashlights and batteries.

  “Jackie, there’s a lot of stuff we could use back at the ranch, but we can’t haul much in that short bed truck. Let’s check the camping food section and go back to camp.”

  The food section was as empty as the hunting department. Jackie found several bags of freeze tried meat but nothing else. Tom had an idea. “Let’s check the stock room. Remember, we found the rifles in the other’s sporting goods store’s stockroom.”

  “It’s worth a try. Lead the way, but how about giving me one of those small Maglites you scarfed up while I was gagging back there by the rotting bodies.”

  Jackie kept the beam of light close to the floor as she followed Tom through the swinging doors. “Tom! Something moved over there.”

  Tom crouched down, turned his light off, and pulled out the night vision scope from his rifle. “Turn your light off so I can find the bastard.”

  Tom scanned the area and was astounded to see a boy and girl tied to the racking holding the stock. Their mouths were gagged and hands tied. “Jackie, look,” Tom whispered as he handed the night vision scope.

  “Crap, two men are walking toward the kids.”

  Tom took the scope and decided Jackie and he had to do something to free the teens. He whispered, “We have to shoot to kill.”

  “But, we decided not to kill any more people. Tom, what if this isn’t what it looks like?”

  That froze Tom long enough for the men to approach their captives. One of the men ripped the girl’s blouse and grabbed her. Tom said, “Watch,” and handed the scope to Jackie.

  Jackie stood up and began walking toward them, making as little noise as possible with Tom trying to catch up. She stopped fifteen feet away, turned her flashlight on, and began shooting. The two men yelped in pain and fell to
the ground. One tried to raise his gun, and Jackie shot him twice. Jackie kicked the other man. He moved and then begged for his life. She kicked him in the crotch and shot him between the eyes.

  Tom asked, “Jackie, are you okay?”

  “I wasn’t, but I feel great now.”

  Tom shook his head and scratched the stubble on his chin. “Are they dead enough to suit you?”

  “No, but we don’t need to waste bullets.”

  Tom turned to the young man and woman. He untied them while Jackie stayed vigilant. “Why did these men capture you?”

  The girl lashed out. “What do you think they were doing to me? He didn’t rip my clothes to play checkers.”

  Tom knew she was in shock. “We’re here to help you. My sister will take you over to the clothing department to get you some suitable clothes. What are your names? I’m Tom, and my sister’s name is Jackie.”

  “I’m Lee, and my girlfriend’s name is Eva,” then Lee asked, “Do you have any food? We haven’t eaten in several days.”

  Jackie and Tom searched their backpacks and found their stash of candy and power bars. They gave each of them two bars and one of their canteens and waited for them to eat. Tom tried to question them again. “Where are the men from?”

  The girl spoke. “They were released by the county jail. The dumbass warden should have let them starve in their cells.”

  “Where were they taking you?”

  “The leader and several of his men were from Portland and were heading back there.”

  Jackie took the girl over to the clothing section leaving Tom with the boy. Tom knew the next question was delicate. He looked at the boy. “Why did they take you?”

  “Some of them like boys.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  Tom pondered the issue before him. Invite these teens to join his group or let them wander off. He’d been trained to keep their ranch hidden as much as possible in the modern world. “Would you like to travel north with us or stay here?”

  Lee replied, “We’re going home to Red Bluff. We have folks there. Thanks for the help, and sorry we can’t pay you back.”

  Tom and Jackie shared their food from their backpacks, and the two left. Jackie watched them walk away in the dark. “I hope they make it home. I have my doubts because they didn’t even ask for any of the dead men’s guns.”

  One man had an AR15, a Ruger 9mm, and a hunting knife. The other had a 12 gauge pump, Glock 17 - 9mm, and a machete. Tom took the AR, the Ruger, and the man’s tactical vest, along with several full magazines for the AR and Ruger. They checked the weapons and found them to be new and barely used.

  They stacked the arms with their other booty and finished their search. Tom had a big grin as he walked away, holding the AR15. Jackie found two .177 break-barrel pellet guns, a case of pellets, and a Berkley wheeled fishing cart. Tom found a couple more tactical vests and several hunting knives, but nothing else of value. They loaded their new cart with the weapons and other items and traveled back to their camp.

  “Sis, don’t you think the chaos and debauchery started much earlier than Grampa predicted?”

  “I don’t think Grandpa thought about wardens just releasing the most dangerous men on the face of the earth into the general population in a few days. He always said the drug gangs and street gangs would be one of the major issues.”

  Tom chose his words carefully. “Our vow to not kill anyone was a bit naïve, wasn’t it?”

  “We can’t let rapists, slavers, and dictators take over our world. We need to remember what Grandpa preached about hiding from the rest of the world.”

  Tom was silent for a minute. “Then, we need to make sure we don’t add any more people to our group.”

  *

  Chapter 13

  Black Butte, California.

  The others were packed and ready to leave when Jackie and Tom returned a little after one o’clock. They were amazed when they saw how much of their supplies and camping gear were tied to the roof and sides of the old truck. Jackie laughed and said, “That reminds me of that old comedy about the hillbillies who moved from Tennessee to Beverly Hills. All we need is Granny B in the back, sitting in a rocking chair.”

  Granny B scolded them for being late but understood when Jackie told her about saving the teens from the escaped convicts. “Load up your scavenged stuff. We can look at them later. We need to be off the road four hours before the rest of the world wakes up. As you can see, the moon is giving off enough light to drive by as long as we keep the speed down.”

  Tom drove while Jackie kept vigilance using the night vision scope. Granny B rode in the cab with the others in the bed of the truck. Two of them watched in front of the truck while the others watched behind the truck. The moonlight was barely enough to drive by and took a strain on Tom’s eyes.

  The road was a nightmare, as expected, north of Redding with abandoned and wrecked cars. They passed one long chain of wrecked cars where each one had rammed into the one in front of the other. Tom wound his way through the tangled mess of steel and many burned vehicles. Tom had to pull off onto the side of the road and wind his way through trees several times to make their way through stalled cars. He had to stop to cut a fence twice to go around massive pile-ups. Then suddenly, the stalled cars thinned out.

  Tom passed a couple of semis carrying automobiles when it dawned on him that some trucks could be full of groceries. An hour later, he saw a Walmart truck on the side of the road. He stopped and addressed the others. “This truck could be full of food. Let’s open the doors and see what’s in it.”

  Granny B wasn’t happy about stopping but found a crowbar under the seat. “Here, this should be able to break the seal.”

  Tom was pleased when he saw the seal was intact and only a thin metal strip. He twisted the seal from the handle and threw the door open. “Crap, it’s full of children’s toys. Nothing we can use.”

  They’d been on the road for two hours and had traveled only thirty miles thanks to the congestion north of Redding. Tom drove away, increasing speed until Jackie urged him to slow down. “Whoa, bro! You’re going faster than I can search for ambushes and hidden obstacles. Keep it under forty, and I can keep ahead of your driving.”

  They were speeding along the north of Lakehead on a curvy stretch of road when Jackie saw a glow above a hill up ahead. “Tom! Slow down and pull off into that stand of trees on the right. There’s a vehicle approaching with its lights on up ahead.”

  Tom pulled off the road, and they waited as they saw the lights bounce from hillside to hillside as the vehicle wound its way around the curvy section of Highway 5. The pickup traveled at a slow speed as though the driver was searching for something. They all took a deep breath when the pickup drove past them while shining a searchlight along the roadside. Tom waited a few minutes and took off again, speeding away as fast as Jackie would allow.

  Tom knew the outcome could have been much different had they been spotted and slowed enough to allow Jackie to do her job. They didn’t encounter any other vehicles for the next two hours. Tom could see the sunlight behind the horizon light up Mount Shasta and began looking for a place to camp during the daylight hours. He saw a large stand of trees on the opposite side of the highway and cut across to enter the woods. He drove several hundred feet into the woods and parked for the night.

  Granny B looked around. “Good. You picked a place where we can have a small fire. Betty, could you and Brenda prepare supper? Tom, please start a fire. Jackie, Sam, and I’ll keep an eye out for a while to make sure no one followed us. Grab your weapons, ladies, and follow me back to the highway.”

  Tom wasted no time getting a fire started. There weren’t many matches left, and he wanted to save the lighters, so he looked in his backpack and found his ferrocerium rod and old hunting knife. He found a dry stick to make shavings and then wadded up some dry pine straw and rubbed it between his hands. The smaller pieces fell onto the shavings. Then he took a plastic tender box from his backp
ack and took a small amount of tender from the container. The tinder was soaked in kerosene and would light quickly. Tom held the back of the knife blade above the tinder and drew the ferrocerium rod against the ninety-degree edge toward him. This aimed the sparks at the tinder. Flames leaped from the tinder, and he slowly piled the dry pine straw and then the shavings onto the fire. After he had a roaring fire, he added larger kindling and finally a few small logs.

  He was hungry but wondered what Granny B had told the women to fix for supper. A few minutes later, his nose wrinkled, and his mouth revolted at the smell of roasting rabbit. “Oh, goody. More rabbit for breakfast or supper, whichever this meal is supposed to be.”

  Brenda sat beside Tom on the ground. “I take it you’re tired of rabbit. You’ve been a hunter. Why don’t you go out and kill a cow so we can have some beef? If not, it’s rabbit stew, roast rabbit, rabbit soup, fried rabbit, and I don’t know, but a steak would be nice.”

  “We haven’t killed any cows because most of the meat would spoil, and we haven’t seen a cow. You know, it does seem odd that we haven’t seen any cows and darn few horses. There are plenty of cattle in Oregon.”

  “I know. I’m from Ashland and know of several ranches in the area. I hope the gangs haven’t looted or taken over the ranches and farms.”

  Fear struck Tom’s heart. “Me, too.”

  They rotated through guard duty and saw no one near them, though they did hear a few shots being fired around noon. By two in the afternoon, they were all rested and tired of lying around the camp. Granny B and Jackie talked about their ranch away from the others when gunfire broke out in the distance. Granny B stopped talking and was deep in thought. Jackie tapped her on the shoulder. “A penny for your thoughts.”

  “It just came to me that we must make some sound suppressors for most of our rifles. We need to be able to pick off varmints from a distance without giving away our position.”