The Geostorm Series (Book 5): Geostorm [The Tempest]
Page 19
Levi would’ve preferred to avoid the small town of Corbin. Located next to Interstate 75, he assumed its normal population of eight thousand had probably swelled to more than double that as stranded travelers sought shelter and food. With resources most likely running scarce, he doubted the locals were still receptive to new arrivals.
“This was always my favorite part of the trip,” he said, making small talk with his brother. The tension between them had subdued, but with every life-threatening challenge, the two brothers still seemed to get perturbed with one another at times.
“This is the heart of Daniel Boone National Forest, right?” asked Chapman as his eyes constantly scanned ahead, as well as along both sides of the road. The highway cut through hills and heavily wooded landscape. He felt they were ideal to stage an ambush.
“Yup, it’s been sixty years since they named it after Uncle Daniel,” replied Levi with a serious face.
Chapman glanced toward him to see if he was joking by referring to their famous relative of two-hundred-plus years ago as uncle. Technically, Levi was right, but it seemed odd to call him Uncle Daniel, and he couldn’t recall his brother using that term before.
Chapman studied the map. “I think the river is up ahead. You know, we’re back in one of those situations again.”
“Like?” asked Levi.
“The Ohio. If this bridge is flooded, then we’ve got to head way north to get around it. We’ve gone out of our way as it is to avoid that big lake over there somewhere.” Chapman pointed at the passenger window with his thumb.
“I can’t remember every one of these rivers, but this seemed fairly wide and shallow. Of course, everything’s changed with all of this rain.”
Levi let off the gas and applied the brakes to slow his descent down an incline.
Chapman sat forward in his seat and looked over the dashboard. “We’re about to find out,” he muttered as he set the map on his lap.
Levi inched closer and stopped just short of the swollen river. It had risen nearly twenty feet from its normal elevation, right at the point where the surface of the overpass crossed over it.
“That’s really close, but I see pavement, mostly,” he observed. “Let’s take a look.”
The two men exited the car and walked through two-inch-deep water in some spots and onto wet pavement elsewhere. They reached the center of the bridge, and Levi purposefully walked through the standing water. Then he walked to the edge of the bridge railing and looked over. The river was flowing smoothly under the bridge but occasionally splashed over the concrete curb onto the road surface.
Chapman rubbed his hand through his hair and then scrubbed it vigorously to shake off the excess water. It was replaced within a minute with more, which led him to his line of questioning. “How far did we travel from Mount Victory?”
“Five miles.”
Chapman calculated and then looked toward the sky. He studied the water levels again. “We’re clear to Corbin after this, at least from water obstacles anyway. It’ll take the rest of them a couple of hours to get across.”
“They’re already on their way, but we should go back and give them a heads-up to keep it movin’.”
After Levi started the engine, Chapman glanced at the fuel gauge. “Tank’s full?” he asked.
“Yeah, emptied a five-gallon can in there this morning to top it off.”
“How many do we have left?”
“One.”
“Before, I thought that would be plenty, but now we have the Scooby van. It had some gas, and the old guy had two partially filled cans plus more in the lawn tractor.”
“We’re sixty or seventy miles from Middlesboro,” interrupted Levi. “I think we’re good, but we should always be on the lookout for gas. Other than our working cars, it’s a valuable commodity.”
The guys drove back and immediately turned around, keeping track of their time and mileage in order to meet the group back at the bridge in case the river rose abruptly.
It was only twenty miles to North Corbin, where they planned on crossing Interstate 75. A quick drive by car, but a full day via a modern-day wagon train. Not only did they need to confirm the roads were cleared, but that there weren’t any human threats to deal with. The incident north of Somerset was still in the forefront of their minds. Carly and Isabella could’ve died that night, not to mention they might’ve lost their horses.
During a brief conversation with the group, Levi emptied the remainder of their fuel into the two vehicles. He rearranged some supplies and placed their four empty five-gallon containers in the Mustang. His siphoning gear was already located in the trunk.
They made good time through the forest and were pleased to see the water levels had remained the same. The closer they got to Corbin, the more populated the countryside became. This part of Kentucky had been spared the devastating winds caused by the hurricane. Flooding, however, seemed much worse.
Farms carved around the outskirts of the national forest were flooded like a rice field in Vietnam. Cattle stood knee deep in water as they grazed on any available tall grasses in their pastures.
Levi turned north on Keavy Road to find the only local road crossing the interstate that wasn’t located in the town of Corbin. It was a mile out of the way to the north, but the delay was justified. The Boones had learned the more people they encountered, the more likely there might be a deadly confrontation.
The interstate came into view in the distance and so did their next obstacle. There was a flooded field a mile wide, which had consumed the interstate and the road they needed to travel on.
Chapman slammed his head against the back of his seat and sighed. “Levi, it’s at least ten miles to the north before we can cross seventy-five. And, according to the map, it’s one of the main exits in London. That’s a heckuva lot worse than dealing with the north part of Corbin.”
Levi stuck his hand out for the map, and Chapman gladly turned it over to him. He studied it for a moment and then rested his elbow on the door to provide a hand to rest his chin on. He stared out the windows and shook his head in disbelief.
“We’ve gotta go for it,” he finally said. “We’ll just take the Cumberland Gap Parkway right through North Corbin. It won’t be as bad as the more populated areas south.”
“It’ll look like a damn Fourth of July parade as we roll through there. Everyone will surround us to either beg for something or take what we have.”
“Yeah,” said Levi, stretching out the word. “What if we go through in the middle of the night?”
Chapman raised his eyebrows and jutted out his chin. He turned in his seat to lean against the passenger door. “Most people would be asleep, so we might draw less of a crowd.”
“Yeah. We can also position the horses and wagon in between the cars so we can close ranks if there’s a problem.”
Chapman nodded in agreement. “We’ll use the horses for crowd control, like the cops do. You know, if it comes to that.”
“We can pull it off,” said Levi confidently. “I think we should find a place to stop short for the night. After dark, a few of us will ride in on horseback to get the lay of the land. If it’s a no-go, we’ll figure something out then.”
He and Chapman exchanged a high five, and for the first time, the two brothers were truly seeing eye to eye.
Chapter 40
North Corbin, Kentucky
It was two in the morning when the Boones saddled the horses and prepared for their three-mile trip through a once busy business district along the Cumberland Gap Parkway in North Corbin. They’d made camp in a used-RV sales business just across a flooded creek that fed Laurel River Lake. After confirming the owner was nowhere to be found, they broke into the towable recreation vehicles and rested until Chapman woke everyone up in the middle of the night. After checking the highway overpass, which was ten feet above the current water level, he determined the flooding wasn’t a hindrance to their crossing the creek and declared them ready to proceed.
The wagon, driven by Sarah, held most of their food supplies. Tommy drove the Mustang, with Brooke buckled in the back seat, while Chapman and Carly brought up the rear on horseback.
One of their first challenges was just as they entered the stretch of businesses near the interstate exit. There were five hotels around the access ramps together with a KOA campground. A truck stop was full of stranded vehicles, and despite the late hour, a few pedestrians could be seen walking along the interstate above their heads as they moved slowly down the parkway.
Levi was the first to see movement as they approached the underpass. He shouted loud enough to be heard over their vehicles, “Weapons, everybody!” It was a call to action to his group and a warning to anyone who might challenge them.
Sarah laid her pistol in her lap and scooted her rifle a little closer to her hip on the seat. Sitting up high off the ground in the wagon, she had as good a view as anyone as to their surroundings. She wore a broad-rimmed gardening hat that she’d carried with her ever since Chapman had warned of the sun’s harmful rays making their way to the Earth’s surface. Now it did a fine job of keeping rainwater out of her eyes.
They passed under the interstate. Levi and Kristi focused their attention on a dozen or so people who were sleeping under the concrete structure to avoid the rainfall. A few stirred as they went past, especially as the cars’ exhaust systems reverberated off the road and underside of the highway. Neither was very stealthy. The Scooby van was old, and the Mustang’s engine was accompanied by a throaty exhaust system. Despite the noise, thus far, they weren’t approached by anyone.
Levi led them down Cumberland Gap Parkway. On the other side of I-75, a Walmart was surrounded by temporary fencing and razor wire. Across the massive parking lot, military tents and vehicles filled every inch of concrete.
Kristi pointed down the hill over the trees. “Do you think they took over the store? You know, for the food?”
“Or it’s a staging area for something else,” said Levi as he continued. “It’s the largest parking lot around, probably.”
“Are you surprised nobody has approached us?” she asked.
Levi glanced back and forth to both sides of the road. It was a four-lane divided highway separated by a once-grassy, now muddy median and steel guardrails. Small strip centers containing businesses like laundromats and furniture rental stores sat vacant. There were no signs of life, unlike the dozens of people who had wandered both sides of the highway earlier when he and Chapman had scouted the route.
“Yeah, actually. The cars make so much noise, with everything else being so quiet, they stand out.”
Kristi offered an explanation. “It helps that the rain is pouring down pretty hard. It’s almost deafening.”
“Blessing and a curse, as they say,” quipped Levi.
They approached a Lowe’s home center. At the front of the parking lot, ten small storage barn buildings sat in a cluster overlooking a man-made retention basin. The constant rain had washed away the riprap retaining wall that had been built to create a pad for the buildings. Two had rolled off and landed on their roofs, while another three hung precariously on the edge of the newly formed cliff.
Kristi pointed toward the buildings, which were only twenty or thirty yards away from them. “We’ll see more of that as we get into the mountains. Think about those houses in California on the ocean. You know, the ones built right on those cliffs to get the best view.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen what happens. They get a lot of rain and wind, the sand washes away, and they come tumblin’ down.”
“I bet they’re all in the Pacific somewhere now.”
Levi chuckled. “Hell, I bet the whole dang state of California is underwater if Chapman and Isabella are right.”
Kristi glanced over her shoulder to check on the progress of the others. They were doing a good job keeping pace. She steered her horse a little closer to Levi’s. “I’ll be honest, I had my doubts at first.”
“About?” asked Levi.
“You know. All of this. The rain. The ice melting. Leaving home.”
“Me too. Carly and I talked about it. Then we started to see the effects of the rain and the river rising. Personally, I felt like we could always go home after this was over.”
“Do you still feel the same way?” asked Kristi.
“About going home? Sure. After what I’ve seen, I’m not so sure there’ll be a home to go back to. I mean, our land will still be there when the waters go down, but the house, my place, the barns, all of that. That’ll be gone.”
They rode along in silence for several minutes, only speaking to reiterate how odd it was that nobody had bothered them.
Levi pointed toward several car dealerships on both sides of the road. “This is the end of the stretch we were worried about. After this, we’re back in the country again.”
“That didn’t take long,” said Kristi.
“We got lucky.”
Kristi cleared her throat and then glanced back again toward the rest of the group. “Levi, I just wanna make sure my brothers are good.”
“Hey, we’re good. Don’t worry about us. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure if Chapman really knew what he was talking about. I mean, no, not like that. But, the thing is, he didn’t have any computers or access to people who really do this stuff. He was basing a huge decision on a lot of I think so’s and I’m pretty sure’s.”
“But now?” she asked.
“After what we’ve been through, I’m glad I listened to him and not my own dang stubborn self.”
Kristi laughed. “So what’s next?”
“We’re about forty miles from Middlesboro and the entrance to the Cumberland Gap. If everyone’s up for it, we could keep goin’ for another twenty miles until midafternoon. Let’s find a good spot to rest because the closer we get to the mountains, we’ll have to deal with steeper inclines.”
Kristi nodded. “What do you think is best?”
“Based upon the rest we got in those RVs and everyone’s attitudes, I vote we keep goin’. We can get halfway to Middlesboro before we stop.”
“Okay. I’ll fall back and tell them that’s what we’ll do.” She began to slow her horse and turn it around; then she added, “Levi, you’re a leader, too, you know.”
He laughed. “I s’pose.”
Chapter 41
Flat Lick, Kentucky
It had been a long day but one that was filled with anticipation. During a brief rest, Levi gathered everyone over the hood of the Mustang. Four of the adults each held the corner of a tarp to keep the map dry as he unfolded it and spread it across the hood. He showed them his proposed route, which took them through a small community known as Flat Lick. Levi proudly relayed the history of the town named after salty rock formations that attracted wild animals.
“After Daniel and Squire made their way from North Carolina through the Cumberland Gap in 1769, they traveled through this area on their way to creating a settlement at Boonesborough. There was no other trail of greater historical significance than this one to the founding of Kentucky and the opening of the west.
“During the Revolutionary War, patriots used this trail to haul supplies and soldiers to flank the British. And by the time Kentucky became a state in 1792, nearly a quarter of a million settlers passed through here and into Indiana.”
“Dad, I remember Cumberland Gap from our last trip,” began Jesse. “Is that where we’re going?”
“Maybe, son. I think we’ll all decide what’s best, but it’ll be a good place to start looking. I kinda feel like we’ll know we’re home when we
get there.”
Chapman leaned over the hood of the car. “It would be nice to avoid Middlesboro. I don’t think we’ll get as lucky as we did in Corbin when we started the day.”
Levi nodded. “We’re about twenty miles from town. If everybody’s okay, let’s go another couple of hours and then start looking for a place to stop for the night. With an early start in the morning, that would place us at the outskirts of Middlesboro by midday. There are a bunch of small roads that pass east of town towards the town of Cumberland Gap in Tennessee.”
The group returned to their respective rides, and two hours later, they’d found a large red barn on the side of a hill near a farmhouse. Levi and Carly were designated Boone ambassadors.
They cautiously approached the farmhouse and knocked on the front door, seeking permission to sleep in the barn. They knocked for another minute and then wandered along the front porch to peek in the windows. There were no signs of life, so the group took a chance and made camp for the night in the barn.
Inside the barn, there were dozens of useful farm implements and tools. Not just modern-day, gas-powered equipment, but a primitive horse-drawn till and plow. They were rusty but still functional.
Tommy wandered around the barn, examining the buckets, ropes, axes, and a two-man saw that hung on the wall. He picked up a scythe and held it in his best grim-reaper pose as he addressed the group. “Okay, I’ve gotta ask,” began Tommy. “Where do we draw the line between foraging, stealing, and calling finders keepers?”
“In what sense?” asked Chapman.
“For example, look around us. This old barn is a gold mine of stuff. Pitchforks, shovels, five different kinds of axes. I mean, depending on where we land, all of this can help us get settled.”
“You’re thinking old school?” said Chapman inquisitively.
“Yeah, pioneer days. Think about it. We’re lucky to have these cars and a couple of chain saws. But gas is already scarce and eventually will disappear.”