by Bruno Miller
Hopefully it wasn’t too late to salvage some things, but Ben had no idea what they would encounter tomorrow.
They would go in prepared for the worst.
Chapter Ten
Ben was rudely awakened by an enthusiastic and cold nose pressed against his neck. Gunner was nudging him and whining in an effort to get someone to let him outside to do his business. Ben strained his eyes at his watch, pressing the button to illuminate the dial.
“Four thirty, okay. All right. I’m coming,” he said to Gunner as he realized he had fallen asleep in the recliner last night.
Gunner scampered to the door, tail wagging.
Ben stood up slowly, still sore from yesterday. He grabbed the small lantern and flicked it on, shuffling over to the door and stretching as he went. He poked his head outside and took a quick look around before he let Gunner out. He left the door cracked enough for the dog to get back in on his own and proceeded to pull out his camp stove and his headlamp from his pack that was still sitting in the mud room from last night.
Might as well get some coffee going and start to get organized for the run into town. He would let Joel sleep a little longer before breaking the news to him of their forthcoming adventure.
Ben put on his headlamp and switched the light on low, not wanting to ruin his night vision while he waited for the coffee to finish brewing. After he poured himself a cup and took a few well-needed sips, he headed to their basement.
Coffee in hand, he made his way down the old wooden steps to the partially finished basement. It was one of his many ongoing projects around the house, and the unfinished basement was one of the reasons he’d been able to get the house at a good price. It had been completely barren when he bought the place.
He had insulated, dry walled, and completed a fully functioning bathroom so far, but still had a little ways to go to finish off the space. He was proud of his progress down here and the way it was shaping up. It was going to be a nice game room for Joel and his friends to hang out once it was completed. At least, that was the plan.
None of that seemed to matter now though. Ben wistfully looked around for a second as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, letting his eyes adjust. His gaze stopped on a stack of hardwood flooring that he realized he may never get to install.
Forcing himself not to dwell on it any longer, he headed over to the far corner of the main room where the gun safe stood. The safe was the largest model Ben could afford and was rated to hold up to sixty guns. Thankful now that he’d decided on a version with a mechanical lock instead of the fancy electronic option they offered, he spun through the numbers on the dial and turned the lever. The thick safe door swung open to reveal a meticulously laid out mini armory.
Rifles and long guns made a U-shape around the bottom interior of the safe. Some of the guns were old and had belonged to Ben’s father. The rifles were organized neatly around six green metal ammo cans stacked on the floor.
Each can held a different type of ammo for the various rifles. On the inside back of the safe door there were a dozen pockets made primarily for holding pistols, but Ben had a few hunting and survival knives in some of the pouches.
Along the right side of the safe were some felt-lined shelves where Ben kept ammo for the pistols and some important paperwork for the business.
On the very bottom was a small wooden box, about the size of a shoebox. This was also something Ben’s dad had left him. The box was nearly full with one ounce silver buffalo coins and a variety of others that his father had collected over the years. The last time Ben had researched the coins online he figured there was about four or five thousand dollars’ worth of coins in the box. He hoped to be able to pass them on to his kids someday.
Ben was suddenly reminded of the now uncertain future that lay ahead.
Next to the safe was a work bench Ben had planned on removing after he finished the renovation, but in the meantime had become an extension of the safe, holding less important items like hunting gear and bags on the shelves above and below. The main countertop area had become a place to clean and work on the longer rifles. At the end was an old fly-tying vise that Ben had often thought about replacing with his own ammo reloading station. He had done his homework on all that was involved but, regrettably, never got around to setting it up.
Ben grabbed a green double tactical gun case off the upper shelf and laid it open on the counter. He pulled one of the two Olympic AR-15s out of the safe, choosing the one that was set up with the EOTech holographic site paired with a G33 flip magnifier scope. This made the gun suitable for close range targets as well as longer shots when the magnifier was flipped into place behind the holo sight.
He and Joel had just been to the range with this gun and a few others a couple of weeks ago, and it was Joel’s favorite gun to shoot. The 5.56 round at 55 grains was consistent, and you could reach out and touch something at eight hundred-plus yards if you needed to and had the skill, but at three to four hundred yards, it was deadly accurate. Ben grabbed another pistol as well, aside from the Glock 19 he was already carrying. He chose another 9MM, a Smith & Wesson M&P model. This way, they would only have to bring two types of ammo and could travel light.
His intentions were to stash the AR in the bag under the rear seat and hopefully leave it there. He wanted Joel to have access to the other pistol. Maybe even conceal it on him. If it went smoothly, he hoped they could be in and out in under a couple of hours. He grabbed some MREs and threw then in a smaller duffel bag along with a couple of extra flashlights and the ammo just in case.
Looking at his watch, he saw that it was a little after five. He figured he should get Joel up so they could get going. He grabbed the bags and scaled the stairs to the living room where he was happy to see Joel already awake. Joel was yawning and rubbing his neck as Ben entered the room.
“How’d you sleep?” Ben asked.
“Okay, I guess. I don’t even remember falling asleep last night,” Joel answered as he squinted from the light on Ben’s headlamp.
“Oops. Sorry about that,” Ben said as he turned off the headlamp and parted the living room curtains. The sun was just beginning to provide a modest amount of light and reminded him of the urgency to get moving.
“What’s all the gear for?” Joel asked.
“Well, I thought it might be useful for our little trip into town this morning,” Ben said.
Joel cocked his head to the side slightly.
“We’re going into town?” he asked.
“I’m afraid so. I don’t think we’ll need any of this stuff, but it’s just a precaution.” Ben laid the bags on the floor.
Gunner got up from the floor by Joel and sauntered over to give the bags a good sniff, stretching each leg out on the way.
“I want to get down to the store and get all the important stuff out of there before it’s too late. I have a pallet of dehydrated food that just came in and is still in the stockroom. We need to grab anything and everything we can. I doubt we’ll have another chance to go back anytime soon.” Ben sat down on the couch next to Joel. “And besides, we’re going to need it if we’re going to save your brother and sister,” he declared.
“But…but they’re in Maryland,” Joel stammered, now fully awake.
“I know, but we have no other choice. We have to try. They need us.” Ben looked into Joel’s eyes. “I have to do this, and I can’t do it without you, Joel.”
“And I wouldn’t let you Dad,” Joel said.
Ben smiled and put his arm around Joel as he pulled him close for a second.
“We can work out the details later, but right now let’s focus on the task at hand. I’m going to need you to do one more thing for me,” Ben said.
“What’s that?” Joel asked.
“I want you to carry this.” Ben reached into the smaller duffel bag on the floor and produced the M&P 9MM semi-auto and its concealed carry holster.
“From now on, you keep that gun on you at all times, until I say otherw
ise. Keep the mag full and the chamber empty. Got it?” Ben asked.
“Got it,” Joel said with wide eyes.
Joel took the gun from his dad and immediately stood up as he situated the gun and holster onto his belt and behind his waistband. He had worn it before but this time would be different.
“All right, now get yourself something to eat quickly while I take these bags out to your truck,” Ben said, grabbing the bags and heading toward the door. Gunner followed Ben outside to the garage, tail wagging.
“I’m afraid you’re not going with us right now, boy. Someone’s gotta stay back and watch the house,” Ben explained.
There was still a chill in the air at this hour, and Ben could see his breath in the garage as he loaded the truck. Gearing up at this hour in the pre-dawn light reminded him of all the hunting and fishing trips they had been on. If only that were the case today. He slid the gun bag with the AR in it under the rear bench seat and unzipped it partway for easy access then covered it partly with an old blanket.
After he had the gear stashed in Joel’s truck to his satisfaction, Ben went back into the house to check on Joel. “How’s it coming? You about ready?” Ben asked.
“Just about,” Joel answered, as he swallowed the last bite of oatmeal cookie left over from the fishing trip.
“I want to leave Gunner here. It can’t hurt to have him here to watch the house, plus we need all the room we can get in your truck.”
Gunner paced back and forth between Ben and Joel as if he knew somehow that he was not to be included in the morning’s activities.
Ben poured the rest of the coffee into a travel mug and grabbed a granola bar. He really didn’t feel like eating this morning and was content with just the coffee but knew he should get something down before they left. He was anxious about what lay ahead and it had been a while since he felt these familiar jitters in his stomach.
Those early pre-mission mornings in the Army seemed like a lifetime ago now. Operating in hostile environments was nothing new to Ben, only difference was this time the stakes were higher.
Chapter Eleven
Ben backed the Blazer out of the garage just far enough for Joel to close the overhead door manually and lock it. Joel then made his way out of the small side door, locking it behind him as well. As he climbed into the passenger seat, he looked back at the house.
Gunner stared longingly at them as they pulled out of the driveway. Joel wondered if Gunner would really deter someone from breaking in. He had witnessed Gunner’s aggressive side a couple of times before and thought it was a pretty convincing performance.
Ben navigated the gravel road out of the subdivision slowly, with the headlights off.
“No lights?” Joel asked.
“No, trying to use a little stealth to our advantage. No need to advertise,” Ben said.
As they made their way down the mountain, Joel tried to look down the driveways they passed to see if he could spot any signs of life.
All the houses were dark, of course, which he expected, but they seemed different in some other quiet kind of way. There seemed to be a sense of finality hanging in the air. It was hard to describe, but he didn’t like the way it made him feel.
Once at the bottom of the road, they made the right onto Rt. 240 and set out for town. As the sun rose higher, Joel noticed random black plumes of smoke here and there. Some were small and faint but others where massive and billowed up into the atmosphere for miles. The closer they got to town, the more there were.
“I guess there are no first responders. Probably have their hands full taking care of their own,” Ben said, as if he had read Joel’s mind.
“I guess,” Joel shrugged.
Joel tried to imagine for a moment what exactly that meant. No firefighters to put out fires or at least keep them under control or from spreading. No police to keep law and order, and no paramedics to respond to medical emergencies. For all he knew there were no medical services available at all. To what level would the government shut down? The local government would almost surely dissolve or be reduced to a skeleton crew. What then? Would the federal government send in the Army or something to maintain order, or were they too busy dealing with North Korea if that was in fact who had sent the EMP nukes? They had just recently talked about some of this in school in his social studies class. Wishing now that he had paid more attention to the boring details concerning the politics, Joel wondered if he would ever go to school again.
Joel’s thoughts turned to his brother and sister in Maryland. He hoped they were safe but was very troubled at the thought of them being that far away and only having their mother to take care of them. The thought of never seeing them again briefly crossed his mind, but he pushed it away as he was reminded again just how fortunate he was to have his dad with him. He was certain his dad would figure out a way to get to them and everything would be all right. At least that’s what he told himself.
Just then, Joel felt the truck slow a little and looked up from his thoughts to see an awful wreck taking up the oncoming lane and some of theirs. Ben slowed down even more as they got closer and slowly steered them around the two mangled vehicles.
One looked like an older SUV and appeared empty to Joel. The other car was fatally lodged under the bigger SUV and was almost destroyed beyond anything resembling a car. It was all a big melted mess of metal fused together by heat, burned to a black smoldering pile.
As they rolled past, Joel thought he saw what looked like an arm and a hand dangling out of one of the window openings but wasn’t sure. He wanted to believe it was something else and resolved not to focus on it.
“That was a bad one.” Joel chewed on his lip.
“Yeah, it was. I’m guessing it happened yesterday,” Ben said.
“There was hardly anything left of that little car.” Joel turned away and tried to focus his attention forward.
“How about helping me keep an eye out? I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot more of that kind of thing as we get closer to town,” Ben said.
“Okay, will do.” Joel shifted in his seat, glad to have a purpose to take his mind off things.
How bad was it going to be in town? What about his friends? Suddenly Joel was overwhelmed with a heavy feeling in his chest as he remembered his best friend Brian had planned to visit relatives in California. How could he have forgotten about Brian? He was supposed to fly out early yesterday morning. Joel remembered Brian telling him he was on the 5:00 a.m. flight to Denver and then getting on another flight from there to LA.
“Do you think all airplanes were affected, what about prop type planes like the smaller planes that fly out of Durango airport?” Joel looked at Ben for a sign of encouragement.
“Yes, probably. Why?” Ben asked.
“Brian. He was flying out early yesterday at 5:00 a.m.” Joel winced as he slumped down in his seat.
“I’m sorry, Joel.” Ben offered.
“This really sucks.” Joel rubbed at his eyes, sniffling.
They rode in silence for a few miles, passing the occasional lifeless vehicle. As Ben navigated through the obstacle course of abandoned cars, Joel’s world seemed to speed up, his head flooding with too many thoughts to process all at once. His brother and sister, the plane crash they’d witnesseded, the horrific car wreck they’d seen, Brian and how much he would miss him and all the stupid things they did together, the probability of never finishing school, and the uncertainty of his future in general. Scattered amongst these thoughts was Allie. How could life be so unfair, so cruel? Just when things seemed to be going so well. He’d thought it was going to be a great summer, but all that had changed in the blink of an eye.
Joel slowly regained his composure as he reluctantly accepted their situation once more and took a deep breath. He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked over at his dad. He had to say something. This might be his only chance if it wasn’t too late already. He’d lost Brian, but if there was anything he could do, he had to
speak up. He couldn’t lose Allie too.
“I met a girl from school.” Joel sat up a little in his seat.
“Oh, yeah?” Ben asked.
“Yeah. Her name is Allie. She lives in town not too far from the store, actually right around the corner on East Seventh Street. It’s just her and her mom, I think.” Joel shrugged.
“Okay. The answer is yes.” Ben smirked.
“Yes, what?” Joel pleaded innocently, knowing full well his intentions in bringing Allie up in conversation.
“Yes, after we finish up at the store we can head out of town that way and check on them if you want.” Ben shook his head.
“Thanks!” Joel felt a little better to have something to look forward to. It wasn’t much, but it was something. He felt desperate to hang on to something from his old life, and his feelings for Allie were a welcome distraction. He had no idea what they would find at Allie’s house or what he would even say to her if they found her, but he had to try. He wasn’t willing to let go of her that easily, and he wouldn’t allow himself to give up on the possibility of salvaging some normality in his life. Hopefully she was okay, but if she needed help, he wanted to be there for her.
* * *
Ben noticed the lack of cars on the road, cars that were running that was. The lack of cars was even more obvious now that it was getting light out. The lack of activity and traffic only exaggerated the graveness of the situation.
They neared the end of Route 240 where it turned into one of the main roads into town and came into what should have been a more populated area. Surely there would be some people out and about trying to cope with their new reality. Ben hoped his instincts were wrong and that most people would remain decent and compassionate, like Dale had been to them.
Ben knew firsthand though how chaos and desperation could change people. He had seen his share of atrocities overseas and the aftermath it created while in the Army. The dark side of humanity was very real, and there was no telling what awaited them in town.