The Wrath of Yellowstone (Preppers Fiction): The Wrath of Yellowstone Trilogy Boxed Set (Preppers Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Survival, Travel Fiction Book 4)

by Montgomery, Frank

  “Very well, grab any tools that you have and start loading the van with the others”

  Another man started trying to get a spot in the van as well,

  “Hey I can help you out too man. My name’s Rob, I’m a doctor and I can see that you’ve got an infection there,” Rob pointed at Chad’s neck.

  “Fine, start loading the van fast. That’s it, nobody else is coming!” Chad yelled to the group. Rob ran to the van along with Phil

  Everyone in the store knew that if they didn’t get a spot in the van, they would likely be dead within a few days.

  “CHAD, GET OUT HERE!” Todd was yelling from outside.

  When Chad got outside he was shocked to see that Rob had a thick hunting knife to Lynn’s throat. Chad ordered Todd to go inside and hold everyone at gunpoint while he dealt with the situation outside.

  “That was a speedy betrayal,” Chad laughed.

  “You think I’m joking? Trina is coming in this van or this bitch is going to die.” Rob spoke in a shaky voice. Chad could see the underlying fear in his false bravery. Lynn was trembling and teary-eyed. Chad pointed his gun at Lynn who Rob was using as a shield.

  “Do what you want with her, doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that you’re going to die now regardless of what transpires in the next two minutes. If you kill her, I’m going to shoot you and if you don’t kill her and you continue to stand here and waste my time, I’m going to shoot both you.” Lynn hoped Chad was bluffing, but his tone and the look in his eyes said otherwise.

  “I don’t want to do this!” Said Rob who was now trembling just as much as Lynn.

  “Give it up friend, you’re not doing anything. In a small town like this I’m willing to bet that you go to Church every Sunday, and if you believe in God I’m also willing to bet that you don’t want your final act in this life to be a murderous one”

  Rob dropped the knife and slowly backed away from Lynn. Chad aimed his gun at Rob’s legs and took a shot. Rob let out a scream and immediately dropped to the ground. He took aim and prepared to give him a finishing shot, but Lynn spoke up,

  “Don’t kill him, let him suffer,” She spit on Rob and climbed into the van.

  Before leaving they filled the entire van with wood from some of the nearby abandoned buildings. Todd remained inside the store holding everyone at gunpoint just to make sure nobody tried to be a hero. Once the van was packed full of as much wood, nails and rope as they could fit, they drove off quickly, leaving the small town of Ockport in their rearview mirror. Phil was now a new member of their group and Chad had confidence that he would be a vital asset to the team. Driving was very tricky since there were no snow tires on the van and it was very slippery on the road. Chad anticipated that the drive to Yellowstone would take about 20 hours, but this was wishful thinking.

  Chapter 16

  The drive was miserable and longer than anybody anticipated. In total it took almost 27 hours. They stopped at almost every gas station they saw to ensure that they kept a full tank, knowing that as they approached the Yellowstone there would be no gas stations still in tact. During the drive Phil noticed the remnants of a Wal-Mart.

  “We should keep that place in mind. If we had more room in the van I would suggest stocking up but we have enough supplies to last us a few days.” Phil said confidently

  “Ya, it’s unlikely that anyone in this area is still alive so that Wal-Mart is probably an untapped resource. We will definitely make use of whatever they’ve got inside there eventually,” said Chad with a smile on his face. Everyone started daydreaming about the amazing things that were inside of that collapsed building.

  “Why don’t we just set up camp here?” Todd chimed in.

  “Well I for one am trying to get us to a warmer area and it’s still pretty damn cold here. Let’s just continue for now and if we change our minds later then we can always move here,” Chad muttered.

  The closer they got to Wyoming, the more destruction had occurred. There was not a single building standing and the road was completely decimated, forcing them to start driving on the very fine volcanic ash, which offered no more grip than the snow they were previously driving on. As they got closer to Yellowstone, the temperature change was a very strange phenomenon for everyone. It went from freezing cold to uncomfortably hot in about 15 short minutes. They were still quite far from the actual volcano, but they were forced to stop driving because it was getting too warm. There were lava deposits everywhere and the landscape was desolate beyond imagination. It looked as though someone had bulldozed everything and sprinkled black sand on top of everything. It resembled some sort of an apocalyptic Christmas globe, with black dust dancing across the vast, flat landscape. It was the closest thing to Hell that any of them had ever seen.

  Within a few days and with great assistance from Phil, they had managed to build a very small shelter, which they could all fit inside of for sleeping purposes. After a few days of rest and relaxation in the warmth they decided that they would have to take a trip to the Wal-Mart to stock up on food and water. The drive took a few hours but it was well worth it. After digging through the rubble of the building, they found a seemingly infinite supply of food and water. They all burst into tears of happiness as they filled their pockets with canned goods and stuffed their faces with fruits and vegetables. Chad smiled as he realized that this was the beginning of a new routine. They would now be able to sleep in the warmth and drive back to Wal-Mart whenever they needed to resupply. Getting gas for the van would be a little more problematic as the only functional gas station was another few hours away. Running out of gas could mean death, so they had to ensure they always had an adequate amount.

  Everything seemed good for the first time in a very long time. Chad felt confident that he, Todd, Lynn and Phil could make it through the volcanic winter, they just had to stick to their routine, not go insane, not get overrun by another group and not kill each other. Easier said than done.

  BOOK 3

  Chapter 1

  “The global population has dropped from over 7 billion, to 2 million in a matter of 9 months. The Yellowstone eruption of 2015 has been an unprecedented global catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude. Every single person who has survived is extraordinarily lucky. If you are hearing this message, I have strict instructions that you should follow. If you are in Canada, please try to make your way to Halifax, Nova Scotia or Victoria, British Columbia. If you are in the U.S.A please make your way to Los Angeles, California or Portland, Maine. There are survival shelters set up in these four regions. I am currently broadcasting from Portland, Maine and I encourage anybody who is still alive in North America to make your way to one of these four locations. These locations are all located near the water and the goal is to eventually leave North America by boat and travel across the ocean to lands that have been less devastated by the eruption.”

  The voice on the radio gave everyone hope. Months had passed and there were no problems, but food and water were beginning to run out. They were all surprised at how fast they had devoured and drank everything that the collapsed Wal-Mart had to offer them. Chad figured that they might be able to get one more vanload of supplies, but after that they would have to devise a new plan. Luckily, the man on the radio had done all of the planning for them. Chad, Lynn, Todd and Phil continued to load the van with canned goods and jugs of water. They would have to drive a few hours and get gas after they resupplied. They were very fortunate that nobody else was alive in the area because this meant that they had all of the food, water and gasoline to themselves.

  Chapter 2

  Other than the soon to be shortage of food and water, life was fairly decent. The climate near Yellowstone was much more pleasant than their previous location. Chad’s collarbone was still in rough shape and it was nowhere close to being healed. The infection from the bite wound seemed to be diminishing though, and that had been his main concern, fearing the wolf could have potentially had rabies. One afternoon after deciding they had a s
ufficient amount of gas, Chad and Todd drove closer to Yellowstone, in hopes that they could see the volcanic crater. The heat was becoming very extreme as they approached, so they turned the air conditioner on full blast. It was as if they were driving on a beach full on the finest sand ever known. They were literally driving through the middle of a desert. The power of the blast had disintegrated everything within hundreds of miles of the volcano into a sand like substance. They were driving on the remnants of roads, trees, buildings and probably people.

  Every so often they would drive by a giant hill made of sand, which the wind had blown into an almost perfectly rounded shape. They decided to drive up to the top of one of these large hills to see if they could spot the crater. Sure enough, once they reached the top of the largest hill in sight, they could see the volcanic crater plain as day. It was the most amazing thing either one of them had ever seen. It looked as though a massive meteorite had slammed forcefully into earth. The crater seemed to go on forever, stretching at least 60 miles in every direction. Inside you could see magma bubbling like it was water inside of a massive boiling pot. The only thing you could smell was the sulfur that consumed the air as it rose from inside the crater.

  “Holy shit, that’s insane,” Todd said in awe.

  “Yeah, just think, we are likely the only people who will ever see Yellowstone in this condition.” Stated Chad, a sense of pride resonating from his voice.

  “Just think, it looked like this once before. Then over time it filled in with trees, lakes, rivers and wildlife.” Todd’s voice exuded amazement.

  “I know, it’s pretty crazy to think that not very long ago we were walking around inside there. The park was so famous because people were impressed by how active the whole thing was. Well I guess it was more active than anybody ever imagined. Come on Todd, we should probably leave.”

  Nothing had ever humbled them as much as viewing this crater. They had looked directly into the eye of the beast responsible for nearly rendering human beings extinct. As they drove down the sandy hill they felt like seeing the volcano had given them some much-needed closure. It was as if they had just received a call from the police department, telling them that they had caught the person responsible for killing their loved ones and that the person was now in custody and couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. This was true for Yellowstone, now that the volcano had unleashed it fury, it was out of energy and couldn’t hurt anyone else for thousands of years to come.

  Chapter 3

  Chad and Todd arrived back at their camp to find Phil and Lynn waiting for them with a large dinner. The dinner consisted of sweet potatoes, peas, tuna and a birthday cake.

  “Happy birthday Chad!” They all said in unison.

  Chad was pleasantly surprised and really excited to eat cake for the first time in months.

  “Thanks a lot! I honestly didn’t even remember it was my own birthday”

  “No problem honey, I snuck the cake out of the Wal-Mart. I was sure you had seen me but I guess not.” Lynn said with a loving smile.

  They all enjoyed a few pieces of cake and then they started discussing their new plan of action. They decided that once they ran out of food, which would be within the next 4 days, they would raid the Wal-Mart of any remaining food and water and start heading southwest towards Los Angeles. They would have to return to the cold, but the thought of leaving North America and reuniting with other humans was a very motivating factor. They could only pray that their faithful van would take them all the way to California. If it didn’t, Chad was confident that Todd could get them another vehicle on the road within minutes.

  After the cake was gone Chad went for a walk with Lynn. They climbed a hill and were able to see the faint light of the moon through the thick ash in the sky. Chad imagined the moon, full and perfectly round, hanging peacefully in the night sky, completely unaffected by the fury of the Yellowstone eruption. He thought back to when he was initially in Yellowstone with Todd and Anthony. He remembered looking up at the moon the night before they were forced to evacuate the park. He remembered thinking about how he may never see his wife and kids again on the drive back to Fortuna. He missed his children dearly, but he was thankful that his wife was still with him. He looked deep into Lynn eyes as they sat close beside each other on the hill.

  “I love you so much honey”

  “I love you too Chad, I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you”

  “Let’s not even think about that. All that matters is that we are together now, and we will be for the rest of our lives”

  “I hate what we’ve both become. We are the same people around each other but we’ve both become murderers”

  “Lynn, we are merely victims of circumstance. If we didn’t do what we did, if we weren’t strong people, we would be dead right now. That’s just a fact”

  “I know your right. Sometimes I just feel like if there is a heaven I definitely won’t be going there”

  “Well dear, if you aren’t then neither am I. See you in hell!”

  They both laughed together for what seemed like 5 minutes. Chad then reached out and grabbed Lynn’s head and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. They locked lips and immediately rolled over onto the ground. Chad got on top of Lynn and slowly began kissing her neck. Within seconds her shirt was off and so was his. He removed her pants and she quickly removed his. The sand was uncomfortable but they didn’t care. They made love deep into the night before returning to their shelter.

  Chapter 4

  Four days later it was time for the group to hit the road. They said goodbye to their shelter and to the warmth they had been thoroughly enjoying. They loaded into the van and headed towards better days, but first they needed to stop at Wal-Mart one last time. Once they got there they dug through the rubble and scrounged every last bit of food and water that they could fit inside the van. They then made the long drive to the gas station and they almost ran out of fuel on the way. Lynn and Phil were cursing at Chad and Todd the entire time for wasting gas on their drive to the volcano. Todd and Chad apologized, but deep down they knew the experience of seeing Yellowstone in the state that they did was well worth the risk.

  After gassing up the van they started heading directly south. The weather was freezing cold again and everyone began to complain. Phil wasn’t really speaking much, but this was nothing out of the ordinary. Phil felt left out most of the time. He had left his small town of Ockport out of necessity, but sometimes he wished he had stayed with his community. Even though they were all probably dead now, he felt very guilty for leaving his roots. He had no real family in Ockport, but he had been a major community leader and he knew that once he left his name had been forever tarnished.

  They had been driving for about 4 hours when Chad fell asleep at the wheel. He hit a patch of ice and swerved sharply. He woke up frantically and tried to correct his mistake but he overcorrected and sent the van directly into a ditch full of deep snow.

  “Is everyone alright?” Chad asked quickly in a panicked tone.

  “Shit man my head,” Todd’s forehead was bleeding after his head slammed against the dashboard.

  “I guess the airbags don’t work” Phil said.

  “Lynn, are you alright?” Chad asked turning to look at her in the back seat.

  “I’m fine sleepyhead, let’s just push this thing out of here and keep moving”

  “I like your attitude honey, let’s get this done. Sorry everyone.” Chad hopped out of the van and was immediately blasted by the snow that was blowing viciously in the wind.

  Lynn, Todd and Phil followed Chad to the back of the van. Luckily the snow was packed down enough to provide some traction for the tires. Lynn got in the drivers seat while the men pushed the back of the van. After about forty minutes of pushing from different angles and cursing at one another, the van came loose and was back on the road. Chad was demoted to the back seat and Todd gladly took a turn driving.

  When the van started running low on gas everyone
became very vigilant about spotting a gas station. Phil had the sharp eye and spotted one soon after he began to search. It wasn’t even a close call this time, as they had just under a quarter tank remaining. Chad guessed that they were about 8 hours from the outskirts of Los Angeles and they intended to drive straight through the night until they arrived.

  Chapter 5

  Lynn had taken her turn driving and with roughly 3 hours remaining until they arrived in Los Angeles, something went wrong. There was a very loud snapping noise underneath the hood of the car and it sounded as if someone was punching wildly trying to escape from under the hood. They pulled over and realized that the alternator belt had snapped and rapidly whipped around and smashed the entire inside of the car up. Chad and Todd both agreed that the belt had likely snapped due to all of the sudden changes in temperature over the past few days. Without a functional alternator the van was useless. They appeared to be in the middle of nowhere so sleeping inside of the van seemed to be the only logical choice. It was bitterly cold and everyone knew that it was going to be a rough night. Before sleeping everyone ate a cold can of beans and listened to the roar of the nearby river.

  “So if anybody hears a car coming during the night, be sure to try and flag them down. I doubt that will happen though and we’ll most likely just have to walk the rest of the way to L.A.” Chad tried to remain positive, but everyone seemed pretty glum.