Weathering The Storm (Book 5): Downburst

by Soward, Kenny

  Sara waved at Dion and Barbara as they got out of the car and ducked against the winds that were beating against the side of the mountain.

  “You sure you want to do this today?” Dion called over the howling wind as he came up.

  Sara nodded. “Definitely.” Realizing her volume wouldn’t cut it, she raised her voice to a shout. “I want this gate up and functional as soon as possible. I don’t want any vehicles to be able to go past this point unless we know who it is and they are fully approved.”

  “We’ll get it done.” Dion nodded and motioned to the ever-quiet Barbara, who flashed a look at Todd before going to the back of the Subaru and untying the log.

  They had already pre-stripped the bark and excess branches off the logs, so the three of them rolled the bigger piece into position, using rocks as stoppers, before they moved the smaller posts to each side of the narrow road.

  “Okay. Let’s get to digging,” Sara announced, and she and Dion grabbed two post diggers and took up positions on either side of the road. Sara plunged her post digger into the ground and started pulling up large sections of earth, putting the big chunks aside.

  When she got tired, Barbara stepped in and took the post digger from her, putting her own back into the work. In a surprising twist, Frank took a moment off his duties caring for the tortured girl, Kayla, and joined Dion on the other side of the road. While he wasn’t particularly fast at digging, Frank could be strong when he wanted to be, and his efforts at least gave Dion a few moments’ rest. Sara stared across in wonder at Frank as he labored to keep up with Sara and Barbara. Something about Kayla’s arrival had sparked Karen and Frank’s parental instincts, and they’d seemed almost obsessed with seeing to her as she recovered.

  Barb stepped out of the two-foot hole and handed Sara the post digger. “One more foot should do it.”

  Sara nodded and went to it, digging another foot before she dragged the tool away from the hole as her back screamed in protest. “Got it. Now let’s get the log over here.” They rolled one of the five-foot-long logs over to the hole, and Sara yelled to Todd. “Okay, let’s hammer in the spikes!”

  Todd came over with several foot-long pieces of rebar and a six-pound hammer. The rebar was left over from when they’d laid the foundation for the cabin, and it had been sitting in a pile down in the cellar for years.

  “And your father said we’d never use this stuff,” Sara shouted over the wind. Then, one piece at a time, she began hammering the spikes into the bottom of the log to give it more strength and leverage after they buried it.

  “Looks great,” Barb said, admiring Sara’s work. “Let’s drop it in.”

  The two women got on one side of the log, lifted it up on its end, and wrapped their arms around it.

  “Ready? On three,” Sara said. She counted to three and then the two women lifted the log and waddled it over to the hole. Sara slipped on the edge of the hole and caught her shin on a piece of rebar. Cursing silently, she fought through the pain and kept hold of the log until they had it over the hole. Together, the two women dropped it in with a heavy, wet thunk.

  “Nice work, ladies,” Todd shouted in admiration. His ribs were still far too delicate to engage in any serious work, so he’d focused on some small physical tasks, and yelling encouragement. “Now pack it tight.”

  The two women began putting back the wet earth they’d removed, shoveling it back into the hole while keeping the log upright as they worked. By the time the hole was filled, neither one of them could move the log, no matter how hard they pushed on it.

  “That will hold it.”

  Sara and Barbara were both covered in mud, and Sara was soaked to her skin. It didn’t help that the air was a chilly thirty-nine degrees, and the wind was wailing like a merciless banshee.

  The ladies went over to check on Frank and Dion, who were considerably behind due to Frank’s slow, waddling form. Barbara helped him finish digging the hole while Sara and Dion nailed in the spikes. Frank then wrapped his meaty arms around the log and lifted it from the ground by himself with only a little help from Sara and Dion as they held the spikes.

  “Don’t hurt yourself, Frank,” Sara shouted, suddenly finding herself worried for the man’s health. It was a confusing emotion, considering her first impression of the man wasn’t even close to good, but she was willing to let him work his way back into her good graces if he was willing to try.

  “I’ve got it,” Frank grunted as he held the log out over the hole, his fat cheeks going red with the effort.

  Barbara watched the log closely as the big man got it into position. “Okay. Drop it!” she shouted.

  Frank let go, and the log landed in the hole, splashing water and mud everywhere. While Frank waddled off to catch a breather, the other three packed mud all around it before they tested it to make sure it wouldn’t budge.

  “Here’s the tape measure.” Todd handed it to Sara. “We need to make sure the poles are the exact same height.”

  Sara measured both poles and discovered that one of them was about four inches higher. She picked up the chainsaw, pulled the starter cord, and brought it to life. Then she shaved the last four inches off the top of the uneven log, making them about as even as they were going to get.

  Arms shaking and back muscles twitching, Sara stood off to the side while Barbara and Dion affixed pieces of rebar to the fronts and backs of the logs so that the ends stood up twelve inches to make grooves for the crossbar to slide into. They hammered the rebar to the wood using staple nails and then wrapped rope around it to give the rebar extra strength.

  Sara gestured. “Now we need to get the crossbar into place.”

  Barbara, Sara, and Dion made three rope handles, one on each end, and one in the middle, so they could lift the crossbar and place it into the rebar grooves.

  “We won’t be able to swing the gate open and shut, will we?” Frank asked, his brow furrowing as he realized what they were doing.

  “No. The road is too steep, so we can’t swing it,” Sara confirmed. “We’ll need at least three strong people to lift the log in and out of the rebar grooves.”

  “It’s going to take some time anytime someone wants to come or go.” Frank scratched his head.

  “That’s okay. We want it to take some time.” Sara nodded confidently. “We don’t want anyone getting past this point too easily. Todd and Barbara will be camped out in the nearest cabin and take turns keeping an eye on it.”

  “Couldn’t someone just run the gate over?” Frank asked.

  Sara might have gotten annoyed at the man’s questions, but they were good ones. She didn’t answer right away, leaving to help Dion and Barbara move the crossbar into place. They gripped the handles and nodded to each other. With a heave, they lifted the heavy log up and over the rebar, dropping it into the groove snugly.

  Sara patted the crossbar. It was heavy and thick, giving her instant gratification that they’d just slammed the door on a major weakness. “A good-sized vehicle would need to be going thirty miles per hour to move this thing,” Sara said to Frank as he waddled up, “And they’d do significant damage to their vehicle. Now, the road here is steep.” Sara pointed down to the curve right before gate. “No one is going to be doing more than ten miles per hour up that curve. So, it will be next to impossible to work up enough speed to hit the gate hard.”

  Frank nodded, adding to Sara’s reasoning, “They could nudge up against it with the nose of a car and try to brute-force it open, but then they’d have a big log under their wheels. Plus, gravity will be working against them, and wet roads. Likely they’d just end up spinning their tires.”

  “That’s right.” Sara grinned. “If they want in, they have to get out and lift it off. And if they aren’t good guys, they’re going to have a lot of lead flying at them.”

  “Good work,” Frank said, giving the gate a new look of appreciation. “Well, I guess I better get back inside and check on Kayla.”

  “How is she, Frank?” Sara
asked, recalling how she and Barbara had found the poor girl crawling out of that nightmarish lodge where her whole family had died. She’d not been down to see the girl since Natasha had set her leg the evening before, but she’d eventually want to visit.

  “Not bad, all things considered,” Frank replied. “Physically, she’s in decent shape. Mentally…that remains to be seen.”

  “Bring Astro and Rex down,” Sara suggested. “Maybe having some animals around will help her feel better. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t crack a grin at that crazy lab.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Dion agreed with a smile, his rain poncho hood blowing all around his face. “I’ll bring him down this afternoon.”

  Sara turned to her son. “You and Barbara are going to move into the corner cabin, right?” She spared a quick glance for Barbara. “At least until her people show up.”

  “That’s right, Mom. She’s going to drive back with you and Dion, grab some of my things, and come on back.”

  “Good,” Sara said, giving her son a gentle pat on the shoulder before she turned to Barbara. “You okay with that, Barbara?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Barbara nodded. “We’ll keep an eye on the gate, don’t you worry.”

  “Let’s go, then.” Sara gestured to the Subaru, and she, Barbara, and Dion packed inside.

  He started the vehicle, got it turned around, and drove them up the hill, past the first set of cabins they’d named the Bird’s Nest, and all the way to the top of the hill to Sara’s cabin, codenamed the Aerie.

  The three got out, crossed the bridge, and made their way inside. They were greeted by two excited hounds, and a happy little girl who looked like she’d been busy cleaning the house.

  “I’ve been helping Natasha,” Zoe said proudly, putting her hands on her hips for emphasis.

  “She’s been a whirlwind.” Natasha came over from the kitchen, gave her husband a peck on the cheek, and then stepped back. “She’s showing what a great little leader she is.” Natasha let her words trail off as her eyes slid to a pair of suitcases sitting near the door.

  Sara looked down at them and then back at Natasha with a blink. “You going somewhere?”

  “We’re moving down to the Squirrel’s Nest to help with Kayla. We’ll move into the end cabin. The girl is going to needs some serious attention, and Tex is much better now. He’ll be fine up here with you.”

  Sara looked over at Dion, who shrugged sheepishly. “I was going to tell you, Sara…”

  “No, it’s fine,” Sara replied quickly to save Dion the explanation. “It makes total sense to me. Kayla needs you way more than we do up here, and it fits in perfectly with the plan to spread out and form a multi-layered defensive barrier.

  “You’ll see to Tex?” Natasha angled her head down, eyes firmly on Sara.

  “Yes. It won’t be a problem. And we’ll figure out something for rationing the food stores. I’ll need you back up here to help me work on some ideas for growing crops. We have a seed cache for outdoor planting, but I want to use some for a hydroponic setup.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Natasha said, then she came forward and gave Sara a brief hug. “I’ll come back tonight and we’ll get started.”

  “Okay,” Sara said, then she quickly added, “Take the van down. We want to keep the Subaru parked up here out of sight. The security cameras at the lodge may have gotten a good look at it, not to mention our faces.” Sara had silently kicked herself for not trying to find and sabotage the lodge’s security setup before they left, but the thought had totally abandoned her once they’d grabbed the black computer and fled.

  “Got it.” Dion grabbed the suitcases and took them outside, and Natasha followed him.

  Sara stood at the bottom of the stairs while Barbara and Todd packed some of his clothes for their stay down at the Squirrel’s Nest. Todd got up and down the stairs decently enough, although he had to take it slow. When they came back down, Sara stepped away from the stairs to give them room.

  “No funny business.” Sara pointed at Todd and Barbara in turn.

  “Don’t worry, Mom,” Todd’s grin was dry and honest. “Nothing to worry about there.”

  And then they were out the door and putting their things in the back of the Subaru.

  “I’m going to go up and clean Todd’s room, okay, Mom?”

  “Go ahead, Zo. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it when he comes back.” Sara watched as Zoe took her bucket of cleaning supplies upstairs.

  Sara was a little confused by the girl’s sudden interest in cleaning, although she suspected it was because Zoe saw everyone else around her doing things to help them survive, and she wanted to be in on it. Sara was not going to argue with that gift horse, although she couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart seeing Todd leave. It should have been a year later, and she and Jake dropping him off on a college campus. Not moving down to a cabin where he might have to fire on intruders trying to break through.

  It was quiet in the near-empty house. The lights were still on, and that meant the generator was running. That also meant hot water.

  Sara finished getting her boots and rain poncho off before she went into the laundry room and retrieved a fresh, dry set of clothes. Carefully padding through the master bedroom, Sara saw that Tex was sleeping soundly. She went into the bathroom and shut the door quietly behind her.

  Two minutes later, Sara was standing beneath a steamy spray of water, relishing the heat as it penetrated her skin, chasing away the chill in her bones.

  Chapter 4

  Jake, Somewhere in New Jersey | 9:47 a.m., Saturday

  Jake awoke to the sound of distant gunfire. He jerked and clenched his gun to his chest, half-rising from his reclined position in the driver’s seat of the Explorer to look around dazedly. Unfortunately for Jake, the windows were heavily fogged, so he reached up with his hand and wiped some of the condensation away.

  It was early morning, and rust and gold-colored leaves swayed above him. Looking down, he could see that he’d pulled to the end of a long driveway and parked in someone’s back yard beneath a tree. Grabbing the door handle, Jake pulled it and opened the door slowly, letting in a wash of crisp, cool air. He held the door open for a moment, listening for voices or the sound of running feet. When he didn’t hear anything but birds chirping in the trees, he opened the door the rest of the way and got out.

  He’d parked in someone’s back yard. A back yard in a regular neighborhood in the middle of nowhere. After leaving the expressway the night before, Jake had immediately gotten lost. Most of the street signs were unfamiliar, and many had been blown down by the high winds of the past few weeks. Some looked like they’d been purposefully pulled out of the ground and tossed aside.

  He’d tried to get out his map and make sense of his location, but it had been too dark to properly read it. And every time he’d stopped to check it, cars would prowl by, spurring him to keep moving. He’d driven by a high school football stadium where some sort of rally was taking place. Generators powered big, blaring lights, and the people of the township were packed in tight, chanting and shouting slogans Jake couldn’t make out. The whole scene was creepy, and he’d wasted no time driving away from the area as fast as he could.

  Eventually, he’d become so tired, lost, and disoriented that he’d given up and found the quietest, darkest neighborhood to park in. The yard he’d found was boxed in by a privacy fence that sagged in places but offered enough protection from prying eyes, so Jake had parked, turned off the truck, and reclined back, listening to the quiet until he’d finally fallen asleep.

  Walking around the black Explorer, Jake gave a low whistle. Its side panels were riddled with bullet holes, and the front windshield glass was cracked in two places from ricocheting rounds. The front right side was smashed in where Jake had plowed into the sedan on the expressway, although the damage wasn’t as bad as Jake had imagined. Traces of blood streaked across the bottom of the grill and bumper, a gentle reminder that he’d
run over someone.

  Jake glanced at the big white house on the property and then around at the other houses on the block. Everything was quiet, and the gunshots had been distant enough. He was safe for the moment.

  He climbed back into the Explorer and picked up the two-way radio. There hadn’t been so much as a squawk on it all night, and then he remembered he’d turned it off to save the battery. Clicking it on again, Jake listened on several channels before turning it back to the one the military used.

  Jake pressed the talk button. “Convoy, this is Jade Tiger. Come in, convoy.” He let go of the button and waited for a response before trying again. “Convoy, this is Jade Tiger. Come in. Come on, guys, pick up.”

  After a few tries, Jake realized with a heavy heart that he wasn’t going to get a response. The convoy was probably halfway to Tennessee. Jake cursed quietly under his breath before he put down the radio and picked up the map where he’d stuffed it into the passenger side wheel well. He opened it up and folded it so that the only portion showing was the northeastern part of the United States. He studied the highway layout. There were no side streets or other details on the map, so Jake would have to drive around until he found some major arteries and follow those down to Tennessee.

  Absently, he reached down and hit the start button on the truck, fighting a moment of panic that the vehicle wouldn’t start. Much to Jake’s relief, the engine came to life, giving only a slight tremor to indicate it had been in a collision recently.

  “Amazing the airbags didn’t go off,” Jake mused. He glanced at the part of the dashboard that showed the status of the airbags. The lights glowed red, so Captain Sanchez might have had them disabled. It made sense, now that they lived in a world where collisions were going to be a way of life.

  “Maybe I should take some pictures for my insurance company,” Jake joked as he turned the defrost up a bit and waited for the windows to clear. Then he grabbed his backpack out of the back seat and rummaged through it for something to eat.