Long Road to Survival: The Prepper Series

by Lee Bradford

“We just moved in and don’t have any food,” Susan said. “I was wondering if you have anything you could spare?”

  The eye continued to scan her. She could feel it moving up and down, studying her distorted form through the fish-eyed lens.

  “I don’t have any food,” a woman said from the other side.

  “We don’t need a lot,” Susan countered. “Even a box of crackers will do.”

  “I’m sorry,” came the reply. “I wish I could help, really I do.”

  Once again, Susan moved on, working her way down the hallway, each time with the same result.

  At last she heard a voice in the distance. Autumn stood in the hallway, her hair slightly askew. She must have just woken up and panicked when she found Susan gone.

  “Mom, what are you doing?”

  “Trying to get us something to eat,” Susan replied, about to try the last door at the end of the hall. “If this doesn’t work, we can try another floor.”

  Autumn stalked down the hallway after her, wearing sweat pants and a matching Panthers hoodie. Apparently the embarrassment her mother risked causing her was greater than looking like she’d just come out of the washing machine’s spin cycle.

  “All we need is enough to tide us over till your father gets here.”

  “How long will that be?” Autumn replied. “And if that runs out, are we gonna keep pestering people for charity till we’ve humiliated ourselves in front of every neighbor I have?”

  “Do you have a better idea?” Susan asked.

  “Yes. Let’s go get food like normal human beings. Those crowds outside seem to have gone away. There’s a grocery down the street and a convenience store not much further.”

  “Crowd or not, I don’t think it’s safe out there,” Susan said. She could almost hear Buck’s deep voice whispering into her ear. How many times had she heard him talk about what would happen when the rule of law broke down?

  Many law-abiding citizens, he’d said, would hunker down, trying to outlast the calamity until it was too late. Within a matter of days, once they’d run out of food, they’d become desperate. Those with dependants would prove the most dangerous. Parents trying to feed their hungry children would commit unspeakable acts in the process of protecting their loved ones.

  Autumn was standing there. “If we’re going to go we need to do it sooner than later. Before the grocery shelves have been picked clean.”

  Susan nodded half-heartedly. She didn’t want to become one of those desperate parents, but she could see herself in a few short days, hungry and afraid, convinced that breaking into someone else’s empty apartment wasn’t a crime. It was a slippery slope, and she was determined to not slide down no matter what.

  Chapter 17

  The streets around Edgewood and Piedmont Avenue in Atlanta were relatively deserted. Every once in a while Susan and Autumn would spot a huddled figure hurrying along. More often than not they were carrying knapsacks, presumably filled with supplies. An entire section of the city was filled with people who didn’t drive, mostly students attending Georgia State. This was precisely the time that Susan regretted taking a cab from the airport. Even though she had planned to be in Atlanta for the weekend, she’d figured most of that time would be spent inside Autumn’s apartment painting and getting the place ready for her freshman year.

  They were nearing the grocery store when sirens approached. Thirty seconds later six cop cars roared past them at top speed, disappearing down Edgewood Avenue toward an unknown destination. Not long after the Humvee from the National Guard unit passed them. Susan expected to be stopped and told that they should return home, but it seemed the authorities had bigger fish to fry.

  The demonstration which had taken place earlier on these very streets—much of it still evident in the form of shredded newspapers and other trash—would be a major concern for the authorities. One or two people wasn’t the end of the world. A mob was a different matter altogether. Which was why Susan guessed the cops and National Guard were likely looking for gatherings of ten or more people. That meant for now, Susan and Autumn would have a window in which to get the things they needed in order to wait for Paul to find them.

  According to Autumn, the Kroger grocery store was just around the next corner and Susan’s heart was filled with both anxiety and anticipation with the thought of what they might find. But no sooner had they turned the corner that her heart became filled with something else entirely—dread. Inside the parking lot, pulled up next to the front sliding doors, were three police cars and two ambulances. Figures rushed in and out of the store, some of them with bags of food, many more with whatever they could carry. They looked like looters, but from here it was hard to tell.

  “I knew this wasn’t a good idea,” Susan said.

  Even Autumn looked frightened.

  “Our best bet is to keep going straight and hit the convenience store instead,” Susan said. “The large chain grocery stores are the first places people are going to hit at a time like this. If we’re lucky, the smaller ones may still be intact.”

  If the convenience store looked anything like the Kroger’s they had just passed, then the two of them would return at once to Autumn’s apartment and think of a plan C. The idea that the government was preparing to swoop in and distribute aid was a nice thought, but one that wasn’t entirely realistic. For at least the next seventy-two hours they would have their hands full simply trying to maintain order. No doubt, the National Guard’s own command structure had been thrown into confusion when those tankers had detonated. From here on in, everyone would be limping along, trying to do their best under the circumstances.

  Not long after, the Edgewood variety store came into sight, a small red-brick building next to an empty lot. The outer wall had been painted with colourful graffiti. Not the kind of stuff that vandals and gangs tended to put up—this was beautiful artwork. But it wasn’t the painting on the wall which lifted Susan’s spirits. It was the lack of cop cars in front of the store and the absence of looters.

  Susan reached for the door, half expecting to find it locked, relieved to see that it wasn’t. A tiny bell rang overhead as she and Autumn entered. The place wasn’t large: a few aisles of snack food, common household items and drinks which could either get you plastered or fat depending on your tastes.

  “You better make it quick, missy,” the man behind the counter said. He was balding, in his late forties and heading to the door to lock up.

  Susan didn’t like that, not one bit.

  “Why are you locking the door?” Autumn asked.

  “Because I’m getting ready to close her down before the looters show up,” he replied. “It isn’t safe out there. I heard what’s going on over at Kroger’s. Gonna take as much of this stuff as I can load into my truck ’cause I’m not expecting there to be much left to come back to. Which is why I need all of you to get what you’re looking for and leave as soon as possible.”

  What did he mean by ‘all of you?’ Susan wondered, scanning the store. There was another customer in the store, a handsome young man around Autumn’s age, his arms filled with packages of hot dogs and buns. Not very nutritious, but in a place like this health wasn’t really an option. He smiled and nodded at them. A flush ran up Autumn’s cheeks. This was hardly an appropriate time to start thinking about boys.

  “Give me all the cash you have on you,” Susan said.

  Autumn complied. Between the two of them they had fifty bucks, which Susan figured was more than enough to get them through the next few days. They grabbed some whole wheat bread, prepackaged cold cuts, mustard, beef jerky, Oreo cookies and as many bottles of water they could carry and headed for the register. The power wasn’t working and so scanning the items or using the till wasn’t possible. The owner’s eyes cut from one item to another as he made a mental calculation.

  “That’ll be sixty-five bucks.”

  “Excuse me?” Susan said.

  “You heard me, lady. That’ll be sixty-five. Listen, I was nice
enough to let you in.”

  “And we appreciate that,” Autumn replied. “But there’s no way this stuff costs that much money.”

  The epiphany hit Susan all at once. “He’s hiking the prices.”

  Autumn turned to him. “You know that’s illegal.”

  “All I know is I’m closing, so do you want the stuff or not?”

  “We only have fifty,” Susan said, leafing through the bills in her hand to check again. “Will you take a check?”

  The man laughed. “To be cashed by what bank?”

  “We’ll need to put some stuff back,” Autumn said, frowning.

  Susan certainly wasn’t dying to eat cold cuts for the next few days, but the thought that they might not have enough food anymore was what frightened her the most. Maybe they could try another store, but who said it wouldn’t be the same everywhere?

  “So what’s it gonna be?” the owner said, drumming his fingers on the counter in a beat that sounded like a military drumbeat. “I gotta get home to my family too, you know.”

  “I’ll cover whatever they’re missing,” a male voice said from behind them.

  Susan turned to see the young man from before, leaning over the counter as he deposited his hot dogs and buns.

  “Fine. All together it comes to ninety.”

  Susan handed the owner her fifty and the man next to her gave him the rest. “Are you sure about this?” Susan asked him, feeling both euphoric and guilt-ridden at the same time.

  He smiled, dimples forming on his cheeks. “I’m positive. I’m sure if the tables were turned you woulda done the same for me.”

  Autumn was noticeably silent. Good-looking boys had a habit of turning girls into mutes.

  “Thank you,” Susan told him as they made their way to the door. “The Lord repays kindness and punishes people who take advantage of those in need.” That last bit she tacked on for the store owner’s benefit. Hopefully, if another opportunity to help someone presented itself, he wouldn’t fail that test nearly as badly.

  Once outside, Susan thanked the young man again.

  “I’m Chet Harding,” he offered without being asked.

  Susan and Autumn introduced themselves.

  “We really should be going,” Susan told him. “But we won’t forget what you did.”

  Chet nodded.

  The two women began walking away and noticed Chet was heading in the same direction.

  “He looks to me like a Georgia State student,” Autumn said. “Probably heading back to the dorms.”

  “Let’s hope so. Now we just need to put some distance between us.”

  “Oh, Mom, you’re such a paranoid android. You can’t just take someone’s help and then run away from them like they’re some kind of demon. Seems so heartless, especially after he helped us like that.”

  “Yes, but we don’t know him.”

  That was when Susan noticed the two men on the opposite side of the street, turning to look in their direction every few seconds. There was something about the way they walked. It had an almost predatory quality that made her uneasy.

  “See those two men across the street?” she asked her daughter.

  “Who, them?”

  “Yeah, don’t stare.”

  “What about them?”

  “I’m not sure. They keep looking over here.”

  Just then a cop car sped by and one of the men stopped, pretending to look in a shop window.

  “I don’t like this one bit,” Susan said. What had begun as an uneasy feeling was quickly morphing into an all-out panic.

  Chet was less than ten feet behind them now. A few seconds later he drew even with the two women.

  Susan smiled. “Hey, Chet.”

  He returned the gesture.

  “Would you mind walking us home?” Susan asked him, since Autumn was still tongue-tied in Chet’s presence. “We’re just on the corner of Edgewood and Piedmont.”

  “Sure thing.”

  By the time they arrived outside their building, the two men following them had crossed the street and were gaining quickly. So far Chet had been a perfect gentleman, a shining knight who within the span of thirty minutes had saved them twice. Susan also knew that if somebody wanted to get inside an apartment building badly enough, they would find a way. The prospect of being trapped up there with these two men looking for a way in was beyond disconcerting.

  “If you like, I’d be happy to see you right to your door,” Chet offered. “Make sure you got in safe and sound.”

  “Would you?” Susan asked.

  The two men were less than ten meters away when Susan reached into her pocket and fumbled for the keys. If they broke into a run now, she wasn’t sure she could keep her cool. Forcing her fingers to close around the lobby key in her pocket, she whipped it out and jammed it into the lock. A second later they were inside, Susan rushing them in as she closed the door behind them.

  The two men stopped and glared at them like a pair of lions eyeing a group of wounded gazelles who had narrowly escaped.

  Chapter 18

  Paul and Buck remained in the upstairs hallway while Teresa made her way downstairs.

  “You didn’t tell the police we were here, did you?” Paul asked in a whisper.

  “Why would I?”

  “Because we killed a man back there, Buck.”

  Buck pressed a finger into Paul’s chest. “No, you killed a man. I only stabbed mine in the eye. Besides, I made sure that Travis only told the cops they’d heard shots over by the Phillips 66. I’m sure those boys already got their hands full, which explains why those convicts haven’t been picked up yet.”

  “We need to find a way of getting our hands on a car and fast.”

  “I took care of that too,” Buck said with a sly grin. “The old guy downstairs says he’s got a neighbour with a virtual dealership of used cars on his front lawn. Might not be perfect, but at least they should get us going in the right direction.”

  Paul nodded, not entirely able to ignore the ball of stress churning in his guts.

  “What were you and the old lady talking about in that creepy bedroom?” Buck asked.

  “Go easy, Buck. These are good people who lost their son years ago and never got over it.”

  “That right? Half the country’s mourning the loss of loved ones.”

  The sound of police sirens drew their attention. Both men hurried downstairs.

  Over by the kitchen, Travis was filling an old backpack with cans of food and bottles of water. Teresa added half a loaf of bread she’d baked that morning.

  When they were done, Travis pointed to the kitchen table where he had stacked a box of Remington shotgun shells.

  “I got a Colt .45 I brought back from Korea,” Travis said, “but that one stays with me.”

  If being shown so much compassion by complete strangers had taken Paul by surprise, it had left Buck completely bewildered. Beside him, his father-in-law stood frozen, all two hundred and fifty pounds of him, his eyes ping-ponging between a sack full of food and the much-needed supplies they were being given.

  “We can’t pay you for all this,” Buck said. “Not after those men stole our wallets.”

  “Don’t worry about paying,” Teresa told him. “There’s a dark cloud come over our country and the two of you still have a long way to go. I’m sure between here and there you’ll find someone else in need. All I ask is that you pay it forward.”

  “We will,” Paul replied, feeling a knot forming in his throat.

  All Buck could do was raise his hand, presumably in a sign of thanks since the power of speech had presently eluded him.

  Travis came forward with the backpack, handed it to Buck and moved to shake his hand. Instead, Buck pulled him into a hug, nearly pulling him off his feet.

  “Down, boy,” Paul said. “We wanna thank them, not put them in the hospital.”

  Buck let go, patting Travis on the shoulder as he stepped back, winded, but still smiling.

  “
Stop in on your way back, won’t you?” Teresa said. “Let us know everything turned out all right.”

  “We sure will,” Paul replied, hugging her gently.

  When all the goodbyes were said and done, Paul and Buck gathered the shotgun and the rest of their belongings and made for the front door. They stopped briefly on the porch to peer off in the direction of the gas station. The flashing lights from a number of cop cars danced off the surrounding houses.

  Paul looked up into a beautiful late-afternoon sky, hardly a cloud in sight. It was hard to imagine so much horror being visited on the world during such a gorgeous day.

  “Don’t forget,” Travis called after them. “Bill Parrett’s house is three streets over in that direction.” He motioned down 3rd Street. “Can’t miss it, green house with six cars on the front lawn. Hopefully you’ll be able to work out some kind of agreement. Just don’t forget to mention my name.”

  The two men staggered off at a rapid pace. It wouldn’t be long before detectives came knocking on Travis’ door asking questions and Paul wanted to be as far away as possible before that happened. He trusted the nice old man, but there was no telling what Travis might reveal under closer scrutiny.

  On the other hand, Buck didn’t mind lying to the cops one iota. The idea left Paul feeling less than comfortable, although he was even less at ease with the alternative. Even murdering a man in self-defense required a trial that could take months and, given the state of things, maybe even years.

  “Stop looking over your shoulder,” Buck growled. “You’re making us look like a pair of criminals.”

  “I can’t help feeling like one.”

  “This is what I was talking about before, Paul. You’re gonna have to toughen up. It was either us or them back there. You didn’t do nothing wrong.”

  Paul kept nodding as though the act somehow made Buck’s words go down easier. “Anything wrong,” Paul said at last.

  “What?”