The End of the World Series (Book 1): Survive The Collapse

by McDonald, Clyde

  Oh shit, he’s right. I didn’t think about that. Her concern about such a situation outweighed her surprise at hearing Deron say something useful.

  “That’s alright. I think I just found us the perfect fuel source,” Jake said as he pulled up behind another SUV. This one seemed newer than his. The three got out of the car, leaving Megan to continue resting in the back seat. The car was newer. It might be brand new. Aby wasn’t positive, but it certainly looked that way. The shiny BMW would be full of computerized engine parts – highly reliant on electricity.

  “This is perfect,” she said. “No way this thing runs.”

  Jake nodded. “Still don’t have tubing though.”

  “I think I saw a hardware store on our way in here,” Deron provided. “Back on the main road, a few blocks south.”

  “That’d be a good place to start,” Jake replied. He took the Glock out of his waistband and placed it in Aby’s hands. “You hang on to this while I’m gone. Keep the car and everyone safe.” He whispered in her ear, “Don’t let anyone take our supplies if you can help it.”

  She nodded and closed her hands around the pistol. She watched him jog back toward the hardware store Deron claimed to have seen. As Jake disappeared around the corner, a tense silence took his place. They waited without a word. Aby felt as though speaking would draw unwanted attention to the party. She busied herself by checking on Megan, who was doing well under the circumstances. She had propped herself up a little and continued to drink. Aby filled her in on what was happening before closing the door again. She didn’t want to leave the car exposed with an open door.

  Twenty minutes later, a figure began to approach them. He was still far away, so Aby had a difficult time making out his features. It looked like Jake, though.

  That was fast, she thought.

  The figure grew closer. It was obviously a man heading in their direction.

  “Jake?” she called.

  No response. The man came closer, and Aby realized that he was considerably taller than Jake. A moment later, she saw the outline of a rifle.

  Oh no…

  “Give me the car,” he demanded in a hostile tone. “I need one that runs.”

  Aby froze. The pistol was tucked into the back of her waistband. Jake had taught her how to use it, but she wasn’t confident in her skill. The man was close now and already had his gun up. If she pulled hers, then he would definitely shoot before she ever had the chance to fire.

  Twelve

  Jake

  Jake hadn’t found a hardware store. He had jogged seven blocks south along the main road and never saw any such store. Deron must have imagined it. Store signs were off, and they were desperate. He probably hadn’t meant any harm, but it was still annoying.

  I’ll just have to keep looking. It’s spring. Someone will have a hose somewhere.

  He jogged back toward the group and searched for promising places to look as he went. He passed a few houses with gardens early into the journey back. Closer inspection revealed a disappointing lack of hoses. He was more than halfway back to the SUV and hadn’t found anything.

  This is beyond frustrating. We need to get out of here ASAP! Things are already getting crazy, and it’s just going to get worse. We need to get far away from everyone else.

  He went deeper into the neighborhood. Scanning for gardens, his gaze froze when he saw the shed. It stood in the backyard of the property behind the one he currently faced.

  Jackpot. Even if it wasn’t a garden hose, he suspected there would be some type of suitable tubing in there. Thankfully, there was no fence around the house. Jake seriously wanted to avoid another mishap like the pharmacy. Though there was little to hide behind, the curtains were drawn over every window. The house’s inhabitants were likely absent. Swiftness would be a greater advantage in this scenario. There was always a chance he was wrong.

  He opened the door carefully to avoid any squeak of the hinges. They hadn’t even locked the thing. Must be a pretty safe neighborhood, usually. Not many places would leave their stuff unlocked like this. This thought brought an anticipated guilt. He hated feeling like a thief, hated breaking into something this family had trusted would be safe. But it was a new world, and his group’s survival depended on this.

  It didn’t take him long to find a coil of hose. It was long, but he could cut it down with his knife later. He threw the coil over his body like a bandolier and stifled the urge to make a Wookie sound. He held the tubing together to keep it from jostling as he jogged quickly back to the car. He wasn’t far now. It only took him five minutes to reach the street he had left them on. He slowed his pace to a brisk trot as he searched the street for his fiancée and company. He heard them before he saw them.

  “Get out of the car, now,” a male voice demanded.

  What the hell?

  Jake broke into a run. He could see the outline of a man as he drew closer. He held a rifle in his hands, raised towards Aby.

  Oh, hell no. Not my wife. Not my car. Aby wasn’t his wife yet, but she may as well be. Why hasn’t she used the Glock yet?

  He stuffed a hand into his pocket. He tried to make it look bulkier than it really was — make it look like a gun.

  “Hey! Buddy!” he yelled at the man as he crossed the street. The aggressor turned. He didn’t look crazy, just determined. “What in the hell are you doing with my friends?” Jake barked.

  The man definitely wasn’t buying the gun-in-the-pocket trick. It wouldn’t make any sense to hide it if he did have one. It wasn’t like the man could report him to the police. There is no tactical advantage to hiding a weapon in this situation. It was obvious to both of them that Jake was bluffing. He had nothing. But Aby had the pistol, and Jake’s pitiful charade had bought her enough time to brandish it at the unknown man.

  “Hey asshole!” Aby yelled. The man turned to look at her. Jake took this opportunity to get closer to him. He could see that Aby did not want to shoot the man. He worried that her lack of conviction would lead to a deadly falter.

  Jake rushed the man, throwing him to the ground. The force of his tackle knocked the rifle from his hands, and Jake kicked it away. The man threw a punch as he struggled to get up. He must have been aiming for Jake’s face, but missed and grazed his ear instead. He grabbed the man’s shoulders and slammed him into the ground. This knocked the wind out of the man’s lungs. He responded by punching blindly and kneeing Jake in the stomach. Now, Jake could not breathe. The man used his hesitation to push Jake off him, kneeing him again and again. Jake tried to block the blows before finally kicking the man in his private area. It was a low blow, but entirely necessary. The man recoiled in pain, balling into a fetal position with his arms protecting the now tender area.

  Jake shoved the prone man onto his side. He grabbed his head firmly and bashed it against the concrete sidewalk. He screamed, so Jake did it again. This time, the man grew still. His head bled slightly, but Jake knew he would live. He was just knocked out.

  “Jake, thank God!” Aby rushed to him and embraced him tightly. “I was so worried we were going to die. I thought I’d never see you again.”

  He patted her back gently as she cried into his shoulder. “I’ll never let that happen. Don’t you worry.” He stroked her hair. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.”

  He let her cry for several moments more, holding her as she did. Soon, she sniffled and drew away. “Is everyone else alright?”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” Deron responded.

  Megan nodded miserably from where she sat on the curb, head in her hands.

  “Great,” he said. “Now let’s hurry up and get out of here. Deron, grab the two gas cans out of the back. They’re small, so we’ll have to refill them a few times each to get our tank filled.”

  As Deron complied and retrieved the canisters, Jake set to work cutting down the hose. He first cut off a five-foot section before removing the metal threads on the other end. He trimmed one end at an angle with his knife. Th
is would make it easier to slide into the gas tank of the other car. Deron opened the first canister and handed it to Jake.

  “Thanks, man,” Jake said. He jammed the pointed end of the hose down into the tank of the swanky SUV, pushing until he felt the end hit something inside. Given the length of tubing that went in, he felt confident that he had hit the back of the gasoline reservoir. He popped the other end into his mouth and sucked. He stopped just as a small mouthful of gasoline filled his mouth. He spat the liquid out and threw the now flowing end of the hose into the canister.

  “Abs, will you give me some water? That was nasty,” Jake said, spitting again to get more of the fuel out of his mouth. Aby handed him the canteen Megan had been using. He took it graciously and used several mouthfuls to rinse. The fifth mouthful he gargled and swished in a final rinse before taking a sip.

  That was awful. I hope we find an auto store later so we can grab an actual pump. I’d rather not have to do this every time we need gas.

  The first canister filled quickly, and Deron took it to fill their own tank. They alternated cans, Jake filling and Deron emptying, until excess fuel dribbled out of the SUV. Jake then filled both of the small canisters as much as possible before capping them.

  That won’t be enough to refill the tank again. We’re going to have to find more canisters later. He threw the tubing and cans into the trunk. His old car was not exactly fuel-efficient, and he suspected that they would have to refill the tank again before reaching Deron’s cabin.

  “Everyone pile in. We need to get going,” he said curtly. Deron clambered into the back with Megan, who still lay across the backseat. She looked better than when he had left. Some color had returned to her face, and she appeared more alert. Aby must have thought she was doing better too because she climbed into the front seat next to him. Jake started the car and pulled back onto the main road. They were pretty far from the city’s center in terms of drive time but not far at all as the crow flies. They had a long way to go before reaching the cabin.

  Thirteen

  Aby

  The drive felt calmer now. They had plenty of gas, Megan was looking much better, and they knew where they were heading. Earlier tensions brought on by fear had melted away almost entirely. Fewer people wandered the street. The sun of the late afternoon filled the interior with a pleasant, warm light.

  “So, Deron,” Aby began. “I’ve seen you around the building before, but I don’t think any of us know much about you. What’s your story?” She was hoping to get a better sense of their new survival companions. Deron would be a good start.

  “Not much to tell,” he said. “I lost my job a few months ago. Haven’t done much since. It’s been hard finding any place else that would hire me.”

  “What did you do before?” Aby asked.

  “I was a factory worker. Used to work on an assembly line for PPG.”

  “That sounds interesting,” Aby lied.

  “It was kind of cool. I never liked how stuffy and superior people in college acted. I dropped out after my second year so I could spend more time with my buds from high school. Lots of them worked at the factory, so I got a job there too. Was on the same line as most of them for a long time.”

  “Was?” Jake questioned. “What happened to your friends?”

  “They all got weird and decided to move up the ladder. Wanted better pay or something. I dunno. Those higher up positions always come with more responsibility. We couldn’t hang around and smoke on our breaks like we used to. I don’t talk to most of them anymore. They changed and left me behind. It was so lame.”

  Well, Deron isn’t sounding like a super helpful member of our little group. Aby decided to change the topic. “What is your family like?”

  “Most of them are pretty lame, too. My sisters both went and got stuffy jobs. One’s a lawyer, the other’s some big manager for a grocery chain. I don’t really understand what the manager one does. My parents are old and retired years ago. They mostly live in Chicago now, but sometimes everyone comes home for hunting season at the cabin.” He smiled a little at this. “Hunting season was always nice because my Uncle Larry came over, too. He always brought a pretty lady with him. He’s the coolest guy in my family.”

  Yeah, Deron sounds stellar. Aby looked at Jake to see what he thought. He raised an eyebrow at her and gave an almost imperceptible shrug. You get what you get, I suppose. Beggars can’t be choosers in the middle of societal collapse. She hoped Deron wouldn’t be a problem to have along.

  “What about you guys?” Deron asked. “I know Jake a little bit from the rides he gave me to work, but I don’t know you or Megan at all.”

  They all looked at Megan. She was clearly the most interesting of their bunch. Aby had heard the beatings her husband had given her, but she knew nothing about the woman herself. She was struggling not to judge her based on that limited knowledge.

  Megan sighed. “Yeah, I suppose I should probably introduce myself properly to the people who saved my life twice.” She gave a small smile but met no one’s eyes as she spoke. “I’m sure you all heard the noises from our apartment. It wasn’t like Brandon was ashamed of how he treated me, although he wasn’t really in his right mind most of the time.”

  There was a pause. No one spoke.

  Megan continued, “We moved to Pittsburgh a few years ago. Things weren’t so bad then. We had been married for a couple of years before Brandon got a job offer in the city. It paid better than what he had at the time, so he took it. I’m a writer, so I do most of my work at home. The idea had always been that my stay-at-home job would make raising kids easier for us down the road.” She shrugged.

  “You have little ones?” Aby asked. “We can turn around and get them.” She would never ask Megan to leave her children behind. Why had she not mentioned them before?

  “No, no,” she said as she shook her head sadly. “I miscarried twice before things got bad with Brandon.”

  “Oh my, I am so sorry,” Aby spouted quickly. She hadn’t meant to bring up such a tender subject.

  “It’s okay. Really!” She inhaled audibly. “It was a long time ago, and I’ve come to terms with what happened. It’s probably all for the best. Brandon would have been a terrible father. I can’t bear the idea of bringing up a child in his house.”

  Megan’s face creased in worry, and Aby noticed that her eyes seemed very worn for someone her age.

  Megan continued, “I even took birth control pills once things started to get real bad. My husband always thought we were still trying.”

  “What happened to make him so awful?” Deron asked. Aby didn’t know how to tactfully ask that herself, but she was certain that wasn’t the way.

  “Drugs and liquor,” she answered simply. “The new job was stressful, and some of his coworkers partook of a variety of things. Cocaine was his favorite. I didn’t notice at first. I think he had been micro-dosing. That quickly devolved into a full-blow addiction.” Her face was cold as she explained further. “Between the drug and the drinking, Brandon quickly went out of his mind. He was laid-off and given a severance package that helped us get by, but the beatings made it hard for me to continue my own work. I couldn’t make enough to survive on my own, but I thought about leaving... I did once. He found me and beat me so badly… After that, I wouldn’t dare—”

  Megan abruptly grew quiet. Tears fell softly down her face, and she let her dark hair fall in front of it to hide her emotions. Aby handed her the handkerchief she kept in her pocket and a comforting pat on the knee.

  “That was very brave of you to share with us, Megan. You didn’t have to,” Aby offered.

  The woman nodded with a sniff.

  “We are glad you’re here with us, Megan,” Jake said after a moment. “You will never have to live with such terror again.”

  “I dunno,” Deron said. “Things are getting pretty shifty out there. Never know what might happen now.”

  Aby shot him the dirtiest look she could muster. The man was ext
remely careless, an idiot, or both. She hadn’t decided yet. Before she could admonish the fool, he cried out.

  “Up here, Jake! Turn left. Cabin’s not far now!”

  Jake made a hard turn, and the passengers swayed to the right. Deron had given him too little notice to make a smoother turn.

  This moron might get us killed, she thought. How on Earth has he made it this far? Dumb luck, she guessed.

  They drove down a dusty gravel road for nearly twenty minutes before Deron shouted out more directions. This time, they were led down a dirt road that Jake had nearly missed, it was so hidden by the tall weeds bordering it. After an additional five minutes, a beautiful cabin appeared. Aby had been expecting something tiny, as hunting cabins often were, but this was more like a finely crafted lodge house. Stone bordered the base of the structure that was covered in ample sized windows. Logs that made most of the house were well polished. It seemed like a fragile dream in the midst of their new nightmare.

  Deron must come from serious money. A house like this does not come cheap. And this isn’t even their home! It’s just the place to stay during hunting trips! She glanced sidelong at Deron as the SUV came to a stop. At least there are some pluses to having him along, she thought.

  They each hopped out of the car eagerly. Aby helped Megan out of the back, but she hardly needed her assistance. She smiled softly at Aby in appreciation, still not quite meeting her eyes. Aby returned the smile. They all stretched. It felt wonderful to stand after such a long car ride.

  Jake looked at Deron. “How do we get in?” he asked.

  Deron’s lips pressed together as he thought a moment. “Pretty sure there’s a spare key around here somewhere. We hid it under something by the door ‘case we got locked out. Gimme a minute to find it.”

  Jake went with him to look for the extra key. Aby inhaled deeply. It was a relief to finally be there. Hours ago, they were on the run from the police after Jake had murdered Megan’s abusive husband. Now they were all miles away from the nearest people with shelter and a hearty stash of supplies. Things were truly looking up.