Their stash house was still pretty far away so they decided to sleep in a different abandoned house for the night. They found a small blue trailer and they decided that it would suffice. The fence surrounding the trailer was completely frozen shut so they had to climb over it. The door was also frozen shut so they decided to break out a window and climb inside through that. They slept more soundly that night than they had in a while due to their newly acquired weapon. A sawed-off shotgun was an excellent edition to their arsenal since it offered such a wide spray of bullets, which is perfect for close encounters. If anybody tried to come into their trailer that night, they would be very sorry they had done so.
Morning came quickly and they were back on the road in no time. Chad started fantasizing about what the inside of the Staples Center would look like. He imagined a massive all you can eat buffet, several large water fountains, warm heaters, comfortable beds and three tickets that would put them on a boat and get them all the hell out of North America. He could hardly wait.
Within a couple hours they arrived back at their stash house without incident. They were all very relieved to see that all of their water was still inside the two bags. They ate most of their remaining food, condensed their remaining supplies in one backpack and headed back to the Staples Center. They only had enough food to get them through the night so getting into the survival shelter was their only option. Lynn wore the backpack full of water, Todd walked in front of her with the shotgun and Chad walked behind her with the handgun. They were going to protect Lynn and the water at all costs.
Chapter 12
The first bullet came out of nowhere and it hissed loudly as it cut through the air like a knife. The shooter was on a roof thirty feet high and about a quarter mile away from Chad and his group. The bullet struck Lynn in the right ankle and she dropped like a stone. Two men wearing white and black camouflage began to argue,
“Duncan that wasn’t a fucking head shot you moron,” said the man sitting on the edge of the roof holding a large pair of binoculars.
“Fuck you Riley, maybe if you were a better spotter you would have told me how bad this wind is pulling to the left!” Duncan yelled as he took aim again.
Riley gazed intently through his binoculars as he began telling Duncan what was going on.
“Alright the girl is down and one of them is trying to drag her away. He’s just about to put her over his shoulder. The other is looking around trying to determine our location”
“Hahahaha, Yeah I’m pretty concerned he’s going to hit me up here with that shotgun” Duncan joked.
“The wind is coming in strong from the southwest, about 18mph. Drop the one dragging the woman. ” Riley ordered.
Duncan took aim, held his breath and then fired the sniper rifle again.
“Fuck man, you missed by a mile!”
“For Christ sake they’re in an open field, the wind is horrible down there”
“Try again”
Duncan fired again, this time hitting Chad in the left shin.
“GOT EM!”
“You hit him in the leg you idiot, this is do or die. Matt’s on the ground down there waiting to get that bag and if you fuck up, these people are going to kill him. I know they’ve got water in that bag and we need that shit!” Riley was growing frustrated.
Riley, Duncan and Matt were from Redding, California. They came to L.A. in search of food and water but they were rejected at the Staples Center just like Chad’s group. They were hard knock country boys and they loved guns. They had been sitting on the same roof for about a week and Riley had been scoping the city when he noticed Lynn’s backpack through his binoculars. Riley had ordered Matt to go intercept Chad’s group and he told him that he and Duncan would ensure that the group would be dead by the time he got there. They had walkie-talkies and they had been communicating every half hour. All three of them looked like they were straight out of the show Duck Dynasty, as they all sported long beards and they seemed to have no regard for their outward appearance.
“Give me that gun” Riley ordered.
He took the gun and tried to keep a steady hand as he aimed at Todd.
Chapter 13
“HELP ME DRAG HER OUT OF HERE, I’M HIT!” Chad screamed at Todd who was frantically pacing around, looking for whoever had shot Lynn. Chad was crawling through the grass trying to pull Lynn to safety.
“I knew we shouldn’t have cut through this fucking field!” Todd said as he ran over to help Chad and Lynn.
As he approached them the sound of three consecutive shots could be heard in the distance. Seconds later Todd was hit in the lower back; the other two bullets struck the ground behind him. Todd dropped to one knee, clenching his back; his shotgun fell to the ground beside him. Two more gun shots roared from afar and Todd rolled as the bullets slammed into the ground where he had been only seconds ago.
“Todd get that gun, there’s someone behind you!” Chad yelled
Todd turned around and saw a man with a machine gun running towards him, it was Matt.
Chapter 14
Duncan was now peering through the binoculars as Riley took aim once again.
“Riley, shoot the one with the shotgun, Matt’s running up on him now”
“I can see that! I’m reloading this fucking thing so just shut up!”
Once Riley had the gun loaded He aimed at Todd. His heart was racing but it began to slow as he held his breath and placed his finger on the trigger. Sweat dripped down his brow and agitated his eye slightly. Just before he took the shot, he could see the explosion from Todd’s shotgun. Matt dropped to the ground, instantly lifeless and seconds later Todd’s head was practically ripped from his body as the bullet from Riley’s gun entered his forehead.
“THAT BASTARD HIT MATT!” Duncan yelled.
“FUCK! I don’t know why he ran up on them. They’re not all dead yet,” Riley said as he took aim on Chad and Lynn.
Chapter 15
“TODD, NOOO!” Chad screamed in horror. He knew he had to move or he and Lynn were going to die right there in that field. His adrenaline kicked in and he stood up and threw Lynn over his shoulder. His shin was in agonizing pain but he ran as fast as he could. Bullets whizzed by his head as he headed for the nearest building. Lynn was still alive but she was in a lot of pain. She moaned in agony as Chad carried her to safety. He ran inside the closest building which was a rundown apartment complex. He gently put Lynn down on floor and then collapsed beside her.
“Oh my God baby, Jesus Christ. Are you okay?”
“I’ll live, Todd’s dead isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is. He saved our lives right before he died though. He was a brave man and a great friend. I’m going to miss him”
“When is this going to end?”
“It will end once we get that water to the doors of the Staples Center. Then once we are on that boat we can finally relax, but for now we must keep going.”
“Let’s just rest for a bit”
Lynn embraced Chad and they cried together.
Chapter 16
“Alright let’s go, we know where they are. We have to get to them before they take off again,” Riley said as he packed up the sniper rifle. Duncan and Riley got off the roof of the building as fast as they could and started running towards the location of Chad and Lynn.
“I’m going to slaughter them for killing Matt,” Riley said with conviction as he ran.
“Maybe he’s still alive”
“There’s no way. He took the brunt of that shotgun blast, he’s dead for sure”
“Good attitude”
“I’m not going to get your hopes up”
“They’re not up, I’m just trying to be positive”
“Fuck being positive, just focus on getting that water”
They were nearing their destination and they both stopped and grabbed some weapons out of their bags. Duncan grabbed a shotgun and Riley pulled out an Uzi. They approached the building that they had seen Chad carry Lynn
into. They approached cautiously with their guns drawn. When they entered the building there was nobody inside.
“Fuck, we missed them. I thought they would be here for a while after you shot that guy in the leg,” Riley said in a frustrated tone.
“Well they couldn’t have gone far. Let’s just search the outside and I bet they’re close by”
“I can’t wait to end both of their pathetic lives”
Chad and Lynn had been hiding in the alley next to the building. When Duncan and Riley walked inside the building, Chad grabbed his handgun and waited outside the door. When they walked outside, Chad took aim, but before he shot he wanted them to know what had happened in their last moments of life, so he offered them some final words,
“Fuck you both”
Duncan and Riley looked over at Chad in unison. Chad pulled the trigger, hitting Duncan directly in nose. Duncan dropped. Riley attempted to jump to the side and take a shot at Chad, but he was too late. Chad quickly shot him in the chest and then in the head. Riley stumbled slightly, tried to catch himself and then collapsed to the ground.
Chad raided their bags and grabbed as many weapons as he could. They had knives, pepper spray, flares and plenty of guns. Chad grabbed an Uzi for him and Lynn. He filled the backpack with ammunition and took a much-needed drink of water. He gave Lynn a kiss and helped her to her feet. She was very weak and the bullet lodged in her ankle was extremely painful. They walked towards the Staples Center together, each of them appearing to use the other as a crutch.
Chapter 17
There was no more time for games. Chad held his Uzi for everyone to see. If anyone tried to mess with him, he was going to kill them on the spot. The mob in front of the Staples Center appeared to be slightly smaller than before. Chad held onto Lynn tightly as they pushed through the crowd.
“Hey asshole, I’ve been here all day. You keep walking your dead!” a stranger said as Chad nudged past him. The stranger held a gun to Chad’s head.
“Did you hear me little man?” The stranger continued.
Chad wasted no time, he pointed the Uzi at the man and sprayed him with bullets from head to toe. The man dropped to the ground in a pool of his own blood. The mob yelled and screamed at the sound of Chad’s shots and the people began to disperse as he and Lynn continued to walk forward. He had sent a pretty clear message. When they got to the front of the line they waited for the officer to give the order. Within a minute the officer yelled “NEXT,” prompting Chad and Lynn to step forward. Nobody stepped forward with them as they had all likely seen Chad murder the man a few minutes earlier.
“Well, what do you have?” Said the officer. It was a different officer than they had dealt with before.
“Water, lots of water,” Chad said opening his bag on the ground in front of the officer.
“Hmmm, very nice sir, very nice indeed. Charlie, come grab this bag,” The officer yelled at another trooper and then continued.
“You are officially permitted entry. Please leave all weapons here. If you try to sneak weapons inside you will be executed on the spot”
“Understood,” Chad said as he started dropping his weapons on the ground. Lynn gave everything she had as well and then the officers stepped aside and the doors of the Staples Center opened up.
They hurried inside and they were quite surprised at how many people had been permitted entry. There were people in most of the seats and the entire basketball court was full of hundreds of small cots. Soon after they entered, a lady with a gorgeous face greeted them.
“Welcome to the Los Angeles survival complex, my name is Amanda. We are happy to have you here and we are glad you made it. Since you are a late arrival you will have no designated bed, you can sleep in the stands if you like, otherwise you will be sleeping on the floor. You will get two small meals per day, one at 10:00AM and one at 7:00PM. You will each be limited to 12 ounces of water per day, so please use it wisely. I have two tickets for you here for your trip to the western coast of Australia. You will be on boat number 33 and you will be leaving L.A. in approximately 16 days. Upon arrival in Australia you will promptly be asked to get off the boat. Once you are off the boat it will be up to you to fend for yourselves. Do you understand everything I have just said to you?”
“Yes,” Chad and Lynn said in unison.
Amanda handed them their tickets and they hugged each other in celebration.
Chapter 18
They had come a long way and endured a whole lot of pain. They had changed in many ways but their relationship seemed stronger than ever. The loss of their children seemed to have brought them close in a very strange way. Chad was extremely depressed about losing his children and best friends, but he was overjoyed to still have Lynn by his side. The obstacles they had overcome seemed impossible, but somehow they’d managed to keep their heads on straight and persevere.
The days passed very slowly in the survival shelter, but the accommodations were fantastic compared to what they had been dealing with. The food and water were scarce and sleeping on the floor wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but the heated Staples Center seemed like heaven on earth. Chad often thought about everyone who was not lucky enough to be inside the survival shelter. Every time his mind drifted to this topic he was totally overwhelmed with guilt. He kept trying to tell himself that it was survival of the fittest, but this overused phrase was starting to lose its meaning against the back drop of the universal suffering of humanity. Chad thought of every person, man, woman and child, who were suffering every minute of every day. He knew there was no way that everyone could be let into survival shelters, but this thought didn’t ease his guilt.
Boat number 33 was late, instead of coming in 16 days it came in 19, but it came nonetheless, which was all that mattered to Chad and Lynn. They were required to stand in line by the back entrance of the Staples Center and wait for their bus to arrive. Once the bus got there they crammed inside with a ton of other people and the bus headed down to Marina Del Rey in Santa Monica. The bus ride was traumatic for everyone on board, especially the driver. People were trying to halt the busses motion by standing in front of it in an angry protest. When the driver slammed on the brakes a police officer held a gun to his head and told him to keep driving. The law had completely crumbled and it was every man for themselves. The bus driver did as he was told and ran over every person in his path. There must have been over a hundred people crushed under the weight of the large bus. People were screaming both outside and inside the bus. Chad and Lynn covered their ears and put their heads in their laps until they arrived at Marina Del Rey.
Once they arrived at the marina they were ordered to get off the bus by the police officer at the front. They were escorted down to the marina where they boarded a large, ugly white ferry. The boat looked to be a hundred years old, but the police officer assured everyone that it was seaworthy. Chad and Lynn found a seat inside the ferry and then they waited an hour as more busloads of people filtered into the marina. Before long there was an announcement made by the captain,
“Good afternoon everyone this is your captain speaking. My name is captain Reynolds and I will be taking you to you all to the western coast of Australia to a city called Perth. Once we dock everyone must immediately clear the boat. The estimated duration of the journey is about 13 days, but this is all completely weather dependent. If we have decent weather we may even make it there in 10 days. It is my sincere hope that each and every one of you has an enjoyable trip and I congratulate you on being aboard The Britstrom Voyager. Please take care and may you live for many years to come!”
The captain’s voice was like music to everyone’s ears. As the ship left the dock there was a massive round of applause. The roar of the engine was deep and loud, Chad smiled as the boat began bouncing up and down in the waves. He gazed out the window and saw a slight opening in the thick layer of ash above. A bright beam of sunlight pierced through the ash and reflected beautifully off the ocean ahead.
“Maybe the sun will shine sooner than we thought,” Todd said to Lynn, placing his arm around her as he pointed at the light.
“I think you’re right,” She said with a grin.
Epilogue: 10 Years Later
The first two years in Perth were difficult. At first the locals were not welcoming to the seemingly endless boatloads of American’s. After a while though, they accepted them and helped them build sustainable communities. Chad and Lynn built a small home on a hill overlooking Perth harbor. They had a fantastic view and they were incredibly happy with how the house turned out. It was simple, but it had everything they wanted.
Exactly 4 years and 88 days after they arrived in Perth, the sun came out. It happened suddenly and without warning. It was a Friday afternoon and the entire city stopped and embraced the light. There were many tears of joy and for some of the youngsters in the city, including Chad and Lynn’s 5 year old daughter, Faith, it was the first time they had ever seen the sun in their lives, a magical moment indeed. Some experts believed that the human race would be extinct when Yellowstone erupted, they were wrong. The global population had risen from 2 million to 80 million in the past 10 years and it was showing no signs of slowing down. Everything seemed right with the world. Every morning when Chad woke up he would hug his two favorite girls, grab some breakfast and head out to the backyard. He bought a new RV and he had it stockpiled like never before. Lynn never complained once.
The Wrath of Yellowstone (Preppers Fiction): The Wrath of Yellowstone Trilogy Boxed Set (Preppers Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Survival, Travel Fiction Book 4) Page 9