Duck for Cover (Nuclear Survival: Northern Exposure Book 2)

by Harley Tate

  She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “All right. They can come. But the first sign of trouble and we reevaluate. Deal?”

  Danny could live with that. “Deal.” He twisted in the carriage seat and cupped a hand around his mouth to shout at the couple now twenty feet or so behind them. “You two look like you could use a ride!”

  The man turned and squinted at the carriage.

  “We’ve got room!”

  Chapter Six

  MIDGE

  Saturday, 6:20 pm CST

  Streets of Gary, Indiana

  The man eyed the carriage warily and part of Midge hoped he would decline the offer. At this point, she trusted Danny, but every other person she tried to help either double-crossed her or ended up hurt. Being responsible for a pregnant woman and her husband didn’t give Midge the warm fuzzies.

  She tugged her sleeves over her knuckles and hid Max’s gun in the folds of her hoodie before leaning close enough to Danny to whisper. “If they don’t want a ride, don’t push it.”

  He shot her a look, his eyebrows pinched in irritation. “Give them a chance, will you?” He turned and plastered on a smile. “We’re not going to hurt you; we just thought you might need some help.”

  Midge fought back the urge to roll her eyes and bit down on her tongue to keep from voicing her uncharitable thoughts. Her father would read her the riot act if he knew she was ready to turn away a pregnant woman, but what was she supposed to do? At some point, Danny would have to understand they couldn’t help everyone. They would have to choose.

  The man on the street leaned into his wife and Midge could see they were talking it over. The woman pointed at her feet and then her belly before throwing a hand out toward the carriage. After a moment, they ambled over.

  Up close, the couple appeared even worse for wear. Dirt smudged across the woman’s chambray shirt and the man’s sweater sported a grease stain running the length of the torn sleeve. The scuffs across her ballet flats and the bruises spreading across her feet told of a not-so-pleasant ordeal. Maybe Danny had a point. Maybe picking them up wouldn’t be the worst thing.

  “Where are you headed?” The man held a protective arm around his wife as his eyes flicked back and forth between Danny and Midge. They had to look a sight. She wasn’t surprised he hesitated to climb aboard.

  “The closest place we find for shelter. We don’t have much time.”

  The man’s lips thinned as he turned to his wife, but she thrust her hands out and blew out a harsh puff of air. “Jack, at this point I don’t care if they’re the college-age version of Bonnie and Clyde. I’ve got to get off my feet.” She shrugged off her husband’s arm and stretched her hand toward the carriage door.

  Danny bent over to help her up into the back.

  The woman fell into the seat and the lines around her mouth eased. “Oh, thank God.”

  Her husband climbed in and shut the carriage door before easing down to sit beside his wife. He held out a tentative hand toward Danny. “I’m Jack Grande. This is my wife Cassandra.”

  “Danny.” He let the man’s hand go and nodded at Midge. “This is Midge. Pleasure to meet you.”

  Cassandra managed a wave and a strained, “Hello.”

  Midge tucked her hair behind her ear and focused on Cassandra. “Do you know a place we can hide around here? A basement or a bomb shelter?”

  Jack took the lead, scooting forward on the seat. “Why would we need a bomb shelter?”

  Midge raised a single eyebrow. “Didn’t you see the flash? Chicago’s a hunk of rubble at this point. Detroit, too.”

  Cassandra’s hand flew to her mouth. “It was a bomb?” Her wide blue eyes flicked to her husband. “I told you it was a bomb.”

  Jack visibly swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Nuclear?”

  “Yep.” Midge leaned over and checked Danny’s watch. “And we’re an hour and a half past detonation. If we don’t find a place to hide from the fallout, we’ll all die from radiation poisoning sooner rather than later.”

  Danny kicked Midge’s shin but she refused to look his way. She knew laying it all out there was harsh, but she didn’t have the time or wherewithal to ease a couple of strangers into the hard reality they now faced. They needed to suck it up and come to terms with the moment or get the heck out of the carriage.

  Cassandra wiped at her eyes. “So downtown? It’s what, gone?”

  “Most likely.” Midge jerked her head toward Danny. “But he’s the bomb expert.”

  Danny sat ramrod straight on the driver’s seat, annoyance pulling his shoulders back. He didn’t like the angle Midge took with these people, but Midge couldn’t baby them. She agreed to let them into the carriage but she refused to enable an ounce of denial.

  “Is it true?” Cassandra’s weepy voice softened Danny’s hard exterior and he twisted in the seat to look her way.

  “Based on the size of the flash, I’d say so. I don’t know where the bomb detonated, but everything within a two-mile radius is probably rubble or vaporized into radioactive ash.”

  Cassandra leaned into her husband as a sob shook her entire frame. “Emily and William live right next to Millennium Park. And all of your coworkers, all of the people downtown everyday… all…” She trailed off, tears tracking down her smudged cheeks.

  Jack rubbed her back and Midge turned around toward the front, ready to write the couple off as useless when Cassandra cursed at herself. “Stupid pregnancy hormones.” She snuffed back a wave of snot and managed to wiggle forward enough to catch Midge’s attention.

  “You said you’re looking for shelter. What do we need? How much time do we have?”

  Midge glanced at Danny. “We need somewhere concrete or brick. Solid construction with intact windows if there are any. Preferably big enough for the horses.”

  Cassandra nibbled on her lower lip and a flicker of hope flared in Midge’s chest.

  “Do you know of a place?”

  Jack dashed it. “No. We’re just passing through. We were out in St. Joseph at our lake house.” He flashed a smile at his wife. “A last little babymoon before we have a new addition.” He palmed his wife’s belly and Midge fought down a rise of nausea.

  “So you aren’t familiar with the area?”

  “Afraid not.” Jack dropped his hand and leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs. “Our car died on the edge of Gary. We were hoping to catch a ride home.”

  “Until those thugs robbed us.” Cassandra shuddered at the memory. “Stole my purse and Jack’s wallet. We told them we never carry cash, but they refused to listen.”

  “You’re lucky that’s all they did.”

  Cassandra’s eyes flicked up to Midge. “I know. If you hadn’t come along when you did…” She reached for her husband’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”

  Midge squirmed. She didn’t like the gratitude. If they didn’t find shelter soon, it wouldn’t matter if they were riding in a carriage or a luxury yacht. They would all die the same horrible, agonizing deaths. She turned toward the front. An older man strode down the street with purpose, a baseball bat propped up on his shoulder.

  From the look of his uniform pants and his confident demeanor he could only be one thing: a local.

  Midge slid over to the edge of the carriage and called out when they neared him. “Excuse me, sir?”

  His head swiveled and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the carriage. “Now I’ve seen everything. First a bomb, now a horse-drawn carriage in the middle of Gary. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear I’d died and God was playing some practical joke on me.”

  Danny leaned across Midge, excitement edging his voice higher. “You know what’s happened?”

  “Sure do. That flash looked just like they taught us in school.” He almost chuckled. “That turtle didn’t have much sense, telling us all to duck and cover in the middle of the road.”

  Midge swallowed. She had no idea schools used to teach about nuclear bombs. Why
had they stopped?

  “Do you have a place to go?”

  The man smiled at Danny. “My son’s got a solid basement that should keep us safe. I’m almost there.”

  Danny glanced back at Jack and Cassandra. “Do you know a place we can hide? A bomb shelter, maybe?”

  The man rubbed his chin and looked around. “There’s an apartment a few blocks from here. The Heritage Arms. It’s one of those loft-type redos made out of an old meatpacking plant. If I remember right, there’s a bomb shelter in the basement.”

  Midge couldn’t believe their luck. An actual bomb shelter. They might be able to survive this ordeal after all.

  Danny asked another question. “Is it big enough for the horses?”

  The man nodded. “Should be. If you head straight another three blocks and then turn right, the building will be a few blocks down. If you go around the back, there’s an alley that leads to what used to be a loading dock. You should be able to walk the horses right in on that floor. Pretty sure they use it for storage now.”

  Midge exhaled, exhaustion and emotion threatening to overwhelm her. “Are you sure we can’t give you a ride?”

  “I’m sure, miss. But thanks for the offer. Good luck to you.” The man tipped his bat in their direction and resumed walking.

  Danny flicked the reins and Midge bopped her foot up and down in anticipation. Jack and Cassandra talked in hushed voices in the back seat, presumably about whether they should shelter or head out on their own. She hoped for their sake they did the sensible thing.

  “How long do we have?”

  Danny answered without turning around. “Not long. The fallout’s already coming back down. It’s a matter of how long it takes the wind to carry it this far. We’re over thirty miles from downtown, so if the wind is slow or nonexistent, we could have a few more hours. If it picks up—”

  Midge interrupted. “We’re screwed.”

  Jack squeezed his wife’s hand. “Can we stay with you in the shelter?”

  “Of course.” Danny glanced back with a tight smile. “Assuming we find one.”

  The married couple lapsed into silence and Midge focused on the route. Only a few blocks to go. She counted as they rode, pointing out the third street, and Danny eased the horses around the corner. A shout echoed between the buildings. Beatrice snorted and jerked her head.

  “What’s going on?” Jack leaned forward from the back.

  Danny slowed the horses and Midge’s heart picked up speed. This can’t be happening. Not again.

  A throng of people ebbed and flowed in the distance, two or three blocks ahead. A street fight. Right in front of what appeared to be a large warehouse painted white with new floor-to-ceiling windows and a big red banner waving in the breeze. She couldn’t read it from that far away, but she would bet the horses it said The Heritage Arms.

  Midge swallowed and slid her fingers around Max’s gun. Did she even have any bullets left?

  Chapter Seven

  MIDGE

  Saturday, 6:45 pm CST

  Streets of Gary, Indiana

  “Is that a riot?” Cassandra’s shaky question barely reached Midge’s ears over the shouts from the street.

  “We have to get out of here.” Midge stared at a group of men shoving a car back and forth. With every push, the car tipped farther and farther over, rocking back and bouncing on its tires before rearing up again. If they were willing to tip over an abandoned car, what would they do to a horse-drawn carriage?

  She swallowed and pointed at the closest cross-street. “Turn that way. We can try and approach from the back.”

  Danny tugged on the reins, angling a nervous Bethel and Beatrice toward the sidewalk and away from the commotion.

  “Shouldn’t we warn them?” Jack’s voice rose from the back. “If we tell them about the fallout, maybe they’ll listen.”

  “And then what? Steal our carriage? Hurt the horses? Not a chance.” Midge shook her head. “Haven’t you already been attacked once? What makes you think that mob will be any different?”

  “Midge is right,” Danny agreed, with an edge to his voice. “We watched a cop try to break up a fight like that and the crowd attacked him.” He swallowed. “They beat him so bad, he’s probably dead by now.”

  “You want to risk your wife’s life for them? Your unborn child?” Midge knew it was harsh, but they had to wake up to the new reality.

  Jack focused on Cassandra, brows pinched and lips thin.

  “You know they’re right, honey.” As Cassandra voiced her support, her hair blew back off her face from a sudden gust of wind.

  The hood of Midge’s sweatshirt caught like a sail, filling with the breeze as she turned toward the northwest. The direction of Chicago. Her tongue turned to cement as she tried to swallow. “How fast do you think that wind is traveling?”

  “Too fast.” Danny flicked the reins. “We’ve got to find that bomb shelter. Now.”

  The horses angled around the next corner and the carriage clipped the curb, bouncing Midge, Jack, and Cassandra in their seats. Cassandra wailed in the back and grabbed her belly. Her husband reached for her, cradling her close as Midge clung to the side.

  “Slow down!”

  “I can’t. The horses are freaking out. As soon as the wind hit them, they panicked.”

  Midge leaned forward. Beatrice’s nostrils flared. She strained at the harness. They knew. How on earth did they know?

  “Which way is it?” Midge twisted around, struggling to see over the tops of the buildings on the block. “Can anyone see The Heritage Arms?”

  No one answered. The wind battered Midge’s face, welling tears in the corners of her eyes. They weren’t going to make it. They wouldn’t find shelter. The fallout would reach them. Panic rose up in her chest and her fingers trembled.

  “Over there!” Jack shouted and pointed across the carriage.

  Midge strained to see, rising up off the seat until the top of a painted white building came into view. “I see it!” She fell back into the seat as Danny jerked the reins. The horses careened around another corner and the carriage tipped, the left wheels coming entirely off the ground.

  Cassandra screamed. The carriage slammed back onto the ground and Danny cursed. “Where is it?”

  “Up ahead!” Midge pointed as a sign for the apartment came into view. The red banner attached to the corner of the building whipped in the wind.

  Danny rose up in the seat, clutching the reins tight to his body as he leaned back with all his might. The horses fought the pressure, galloping straight for the alley, wide-eyed and out of control. The road angled down, a bank of concrete rising up on the far side as they descended down to the terrace level. A row of dumpsters marked the end of their journey.

  The horses didn’t slow. Midge lunged forward and grabbed the leather straps, adding her weight to Danny’s. If they didn’t stop… if they crashed into the dumpsters… Danny yanked harder and at last Bethel reared up with only a few feet to go. The horses snorted and stamped and slowed to a stop with their faces almost inside the stinking trash cans.

  Midge shoved Max’s gun in the pocket of her hoodie, slung her laptop bag over her shoulder, and jumped off the side of the carriage, landing hard on both feet. Racing toward the building, she scanned the back for any signs of a garage door. Please still be here, please. There wasn’t one.

  She ground her teeth, racing back up the alley when she spotted it: a pair of double barn doors painted the same color as the building and made to look like oversized shutters. Discreet handles joined in the middle and Midge raced up and yanked. The doors didn’t budge.

  Cursing, she tried again, tugging so hard her back popped. “It’s locked!”

  Danny leapt from the driver’s seat and lent his weight, yanking on the other handle. Nothing. He spun around, searching the ground.

  “What are you doing?” Midge palmed her hips in exasperation. “There’s not going to be a key hiding under a doormat for this. I don’t even see
an exterior lock.”

  “But there could be something we can use.” He took off, running toward the dumpster at the end of the alley. A few moments later, he returned, carrying what appeared to be a broken piece of rebar. “Hold the horses.”

  Midge hurried to the horses, hands outstretched. Bethel nosed her palm and Midge reached for the bridle, holding on while Danny wedged the piece of metal between the doors. The wind still blew down from the north, but nestled in the alley, the worst of it passing over their heads.

  Danny grunted as he worked the metal back and forth. Midge chewed on her lip. Would they get in? Would they make it in time?

  A whoop from Danny, followed by the scrape of metal across concrete, gave Midge her answer. The doors rolled back and Midge tugged on Bethel’s bridle, urging her forward. The carriage scraped the side of the building as they squeezed into the dark.

  As Midge and Danny slid the doors shut, Cassandra and Jack climbed out of the carriage. The doors closed and Midge leaned against one, sucking in a much-needed lungful of air. They did it. They found shelter. She turned to Danny. “What time is it?”

  He checked his watch. “Just past seven.”

  “Did we make it?”

  “We won’t know for a while.”

  Midge pushed herself off the door and turned to face it. Thanks to the rebar, the internal locking mechanism was broken. “We can’t secure it.”

  Danny pushed his hair off his forehead and stalked toward a pile of boxes. “Looks like these were waiting to be recycled. We can stack them against the doors. It won’t do much, but it might help keep them closed.”

  Midge hurried to help and together they managed to assemble a little cardboard fortress in front of the seam. “It’ll block any wind.”