by Bobby Akart
“Are we gonna walk in the rain?” asked Madison.
“We can wait,” replied Colton. “As hard as this wind is blowing, I suspect this is a fast-moving storm system. It’ll blow through soon and we can leave then. I think it will be safer and easier to cross Highway 64 at night with the assistance of the FLIR monocular.”
Alex crawled up on her knees and rummaged around in the back of the Wagoneer, which was taking on rain through its broken window. She pulled the backpacks forward and they immediately assessed their contents.
Madison took the lead on determining what to take. “I read in those survival guides that your bug-out bag should be one part Swiss Army knife, one part grocery store, and one part wilderness outfitter. When we packed these before we left, I kept that in mind. They should be lightweight as it is, but we could lessen the load by leaving some food behind except for the high-calorie MRE bars.”
“Okay,” said Colton. “Let’s start there.”
They all began to unpack and repack their backpacks. Each of them put on a fanny pack and distributed their ammunition load. One thing they agreed upon was that they would not leave any of their weapons or ammo behind. They brought one change of clothes except for their additional socks, considering the wet conditions. Colton added a tarp to his load, as well as rope to create a makeshift tent if necessary.
After exchanging ideas, they agreed this was all they needed to walk the four or five hours to Shiloh Ranch. If something unforeseen happened along the way, they could always return here and regroup.
The rain finally began to subside and Colton set about hiding their valuables throughout the woods. With the assistance of Alex, his expert in determining distances, he cataloged everything’s location so they could locate it later, even if it was several weeks.
The last thing Colton did was reach back in his memory banks to his days as a boy when he was around his friends who enjoyed working on cars. He planned on leaving the truck unlocked so anyone finding it wouldn’t break out any more of the windows to gain access. The keys, however, were stored away in his backpack, together with the plug wires and distributor cap, which he easily removed. This disabled the old truck so that it couldn’t be hot-wired. Finding the replacement parts should be difficult for any potential thief. Finally, he siphoned out as much gas from the Wagoneer as he could and filled the remaining empty gas cans, which he hid in the woods as well.
The rain ended and occasional glimpses of blue sky could be seen through the storm clouds as they roared off towards Nashville and Clarksville. Everyone double-checked their packs and were satisfied with the hidden locations of their survival gear. It was time to go.
As they made their way through the woods on the slippery mixture of fallen leaves and wet pine needles, Colton reflected upon the last stretch of the journey toward their new home. He firmly believed that one of two things would happen when the Rymans finally reached Shiloh Ranch.
They’d either step foot on something solid and good, or they’d learn to fly.
Chapter 47
DAY NINETEEN
9:00 p.m., September 27
Federal Road
Shiloh, Tennessee
Colton was confident the events of the last five days on the road, and the two weeks preceding their decision to leave home for Shiloh Ranch, would be looked upon as a turning point in their lives that insured their survival. Their experiences were part of a process for the Ryman family that helped them discover the core of their strength and proved their will to survive.
Hiking the last fifteen miles to Shiloh was fraught with deadly risks. In addition to the threat of stormy weather and any unforeseen calamities like twisted ankles, they could face local residents who might overtake them along the way.
Although they hadn’t faced the dangers posed by the desperation of their fellow man since they crossed the Tennessee River, Colton was cognizant of the fact that the mere act of traveling through or near someone’s property in this dystopian landscape could expose his family to a violent confrontation with someone who was in fear for their own safety.
They were cautious as they approached Highway 64 and the small town of Crump, which was the gateway to the Harrison-McGarity Bridge into Savannah. They had walked an extra distance to avoid the crossing near the river. Colton was sure a similar roadblock might have been established although he considered the possibility Ma Durham left the west side open for travelers to be lured into a false sense of security until they arrived on the Savannah side. In either case, he had no desire to get close enough to see.
The town of Crump didn’t consist of much more than a couple of small businesses lining the road and a handful of homes. His earlier concerns about crossing the five-lane highway dissipated as soon as he arrived at the road’s edge. The town was deserted. There were absolutely no signs of life except for a dog barking in the distance.
Pleased with their good fortune, Colton led them across the road to the safety of a stand of trees next to a bait and tackle shop. The plate-glass windows of the fishing store had been broken and the interior was relieved of its contents. Apparently Ma Durham’s protection racket had not yet extended to this side of the Tennessee River.
Very little was said between the weary travelers, who were wet from a spontaneous, two-minute shower ten minutes after they’d left the Wagoneer behind. Nobody was interested in changing clothes for fear of another pop-up shower, so they continued in their damp attire.
Laughing, Alex broke the silence as they found their way back onto State Road 22, which led them into the Shiloh National Military Park.
“What’s so funny?” asked Madison, who was the fussiest about being wet.
“I was just doing the math,” replied Alex. “We’ve come a hundred and sixty miles in slightly less than five days. We could’ve walked that distance in the same time and avoided a lot of aggravation.”
Colton laughed with his daughter. “Yeah, but think about all of the interesting people we wouldn’t have met!”
“Ha-ha,” said Madison, perking up as the maroon sign indicating their left turn toward Pittsburg Landing came into view. “Walking would’ve been boring. Excitement is where it’s at.”
“Yup, excitement keeps the heart pounding,” added Colton.
They made their way onto Federal Road and once again took in the smells emanating from the Tennessee River. The sounds of overflowing, rain-swollen creeks became deafening as they entered the canopy of the trees that enclosed the quickly narrowing road that ended at Shiloh Ranch.
Excited, yet nervous, Colton could sense Madison and Alex picking up the pace. Madison giggled a little as she broke out into a slight jog. Alex laughed as she began to run and pass her mother.
Not wanting to be left behind, Colton joined them and grabbed his girls’ hands as they rounded the bend to the entrance of Shiloh Ranch, giddy with excitement—until they stared down the barrels of half a dozen rifles.
Thanks for reading!
The saga will continue in…
SHILOH RANCH
Book four of The Blackout Series
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Copyright Information
© 2016 Bobby
Akart Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Bobby Akart Inc.
Table of Contents
Dedications
Acknowledgements
About the Author, Bobby Akart
About The Blackout Series
Previously in The Blackout Series
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Copyright Information
Table of Contents
Dedications
Acknowledgements
About the Author, Bobby Akart
About The Blackout Series
Previously in The Blackout Series
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Copyright Information