by Connor Mccoy
Cowell took the cup and drank, but he expressed no thanks beyond a single, curt nod. Jacob decided any further words were not forthcoming, so he turned back to the map.
“A get home bag,” Cowell suddenly spoke up.
Jacob craned his head back to Cowell. “What?”
“How do you think of things like that?” Cowell asked, “It seems ridiculous.”
“Not so ridiculous now, don’t you think?” Doc Sam spoke up.
“Sure, now, but earlier, when everything was normal.” Cowell took a big swig before continuing. “Why the hell did I not hear about this?” Anger rose in his voice. “Why didn’t anyone talk about this?”
“I guess you wouldn’t hear about it unless you knew where to look,” Jacob said.
“So, the only place we’d learn about this kind of stuff, about get home bags and building campfires and whatever other shit you have to know, oh, it’s not in schools, not at work, not at government meetings. No, it’s just floating on the fringes of the Net. Only they know about all of this!”
It was hard for Jacob not to sympathize with Cowell. Like so many other people just living their lives, they wouldn’t have been exposed to the kind of survival skills that Jacob had learned. It didn’t seem necessary. They didn’t live in a wilderness. Their world was a paragon of advanced technology and convenience. Even though EMP awareness had spiked in recent years, a lot of people never dreamed their modern lifestyle could be ripped away from them.
Cowell placed the empty paper cup on the counter. “I should let you get back to your…” He spun his finger. “Your…” He didn’t finish the sentence, instead began walking back through the door.
Jacob checked the contents of his get home bag once again. It was well stocked with everything he would need. Still, maybe I should unzip this small compartment one more time…
He was stalling. He needed to admit he was well packed and move on. The sooner he tended to his family, the sooner he could leave and retrieve what Doc Sam wanted.
You could carry Jubilee out of here. If you split from the house at the right moment, while Doc Sam is busy, you could escape scot free and wouldn’t have to worry about going to Middleburg or anywhere you think is too dangerous.
A tempting thought. But one, ultimately, he wouldn’t entertain. That would make him no better than the thugs he used to live around. He wanted to be better than they were.
He turned from his bed to his sleeping daughter. Her cheeks showed some more color. She was recovering, no question about it. Jacob even dreaded it a little. If she woke up this morning, he would have to explain that he had to leave. Would she insist he stay? Would she be so disoriented that she couldn’t bear to have him leave so soon?
I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can, Jacob said silently.
With his bag in hand, Jacob stepped through the door into the living room. Domino, seated on the couch with Brandon, was talking to her son.
“But Mom, I can help Dad out!” Brandon was protesting.
“Sweetie, I’m sure you can be a big help, but your dad can make this trip quicker if he’s by himself. Besides, it’s dangerous out there,” Domino said.
Brandon sank back into the couch. “What if he meets a cyborg? I can hack into his programming and make him do our bidding.”
“Not a bad idea.” Jacob leaned over his son. “And I can’t think of anyone better for the job if I run into any cyborgs out there. But your mom’s right. This needs to go quickly, and if no one else is with me, I can make it in and out of Middleburg that much easier. Besides, I need you to watch over your sister. What if the cyborgs come for her instead of me?”
“There you go,” Domino added.
“Cyborgs wouldn’t come for her.” Brandon grinned. “The aliens would because she’s their long lost princess.”
Domino rubbed Brandon’s head. “Oh, you.”
Jacob leaned lower over Brandon. “Besides, I really do want you to look after Jubilee, especially with Cowell hanging around. He’s a little upset about what’s going on. I don’t think he’ll be trouble, but it’s best to keep a few eyes around.”
Brandon nodded. “Okay.”
Jacob hugged his son. “Good.”
After parting from Brandon, Jacob stood up and locked eyes with his wife. “I know you can handle yourself, but I still hate leaving you.”
Domino nodded. “I know.” She hugged him. “We’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
Jacob felt the two straps that ran over his shoulders. His get home bag rested firmly on his back. A soft wind blew through his hair. Domino and Brandon stood to his left with Doc Sam to his right. They were in front of Doc Sam’s home, with Cowell milling about near the cacti. Jacob eyed the road running past the doctor’s property. The ground sloped up a hill to the left. He could not see beyond it.
“There but the grace of God go you,” Doc Sam said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep your family safe and sound until you return.”
Jacob offered his hand. “Thanks, for everything.” Doc Sam shook it.
After shaking the doctor’s hand, Jacob glanced at Cowell. The man straightened up, putting his hands in his pockets. Just when Jacob thought Cowell would not say anything, Cowell piped up. “Watch yourself out there.”
Jacob nodded before turning back to the road. Now he was ready to go.
Doc Sam didn’t say anything while Domino and Brandon watched Jacob hike out on the road and eventually out of sight. Jacob’s departure confirmed the doctor’s curiosity about the man. Jacob Avery was a decent, honorable and courageous individual. He and his family were willing to do all they could to repay him.
The truth of the matter was that Doc Sam was a lot more flexible in his transaction policy than he led on. He was both heartened and saddened to meet the Averys—heartened that Jacob was adept in survival skills, but saddened because he knew these people would be the few exceptions. Most of the people Doc Sam would meet in the coming days would not be that way. They would be scared, desperate people torn out of lives of comfort and predictability. Some would not even be able to handle the kind of journey that Jacob was about to undertake. Sending such people out to replenish his supplies would be a death sentence.
The sound of Cowell’s footsteps interrupted his deep thoughts. “Now that Mister Avery has left, I presume we’ll be discussing…”
“Yes, yes.” Doc Sam smiled crookedly. “The last few steps before I send you on your way. I’m sure you won’t want to waste any time, but I do have some issues to take care of with the Avery family.”
Cowell nodded. “I’ll be waiting inside.”
The doctor waited for Cowell to return to the abode. Now it was time to proceed with his business with the Averys. Turning to them, he said, “Okay. While we’re waiting for Jacob to return, I think it’s time I showed you my bunker.”
Domino and Brandon turned around. “Bunker?” Domino asked.
Chapter Ten
Doc Sam pushed open the garage door. “A little place to seek refuge when times go bad. This garage actually predates my house by a good couple of years. The house that actually was built here, I tore that down.” He laughed. “It didn’t fit my personality.”
Compared to the doctor’s home, the garage was far more normal. The left side was taken up by a workbench covered with work tools and parts. Shelves and hooks on the wall held even more. A pale green pickup took up much of the center. The pickup bed was covered with a tarp, and from the way it bubbled up in spots, it obviously still was loaded with cargo.
However, Doc Sam didn’t linger around his vehicle. Instead, he walked up to a large old shelving unit. Compared to the other shelves, this set of metal shelves was not well occupied. They were littered only by a few old cardboard boxes.
The doc stopped by the shelves. “Whoops! Now, where did I put that bunker, anyway? Damn, I keep misplacing that thing.” He groped the shelves as if he was a blind man.
“Wait, wait, oh hell, I remember it.” Ab
ruptly, he grabbed onto a shelf post and shifted the shelves outward like an opening door.
Domino and Brandon quickly backed up, nearly hitting the truck behind them.
“Well, appearances sure are deceiving, aren’t they?” Doc Sam then tore off the tape binding one of the boxes. With a flip of the lid, Doc Sam revealed the box was packed with Styrofoam.
“To the naked eye, you’d think these things were pretty heavy, wouldn’t you say? Not so much if you actually open them up.” With a wink, he closed the box back up.
“So, this is all a trick!” Brandon said.
“You betcha.” With the shelf out of the way, Doc Sam reached for the exposed wall.
“Little things like that discourage people from thinking there might be something here.” He ran his finger along a crack in the drywall.
“Thank God I never put any spackle here.” The doc jabbed his finger into the crack and pulled open a small section of the wall like a door, enough to reach inside. Doc Sam had exposed a metal handle. “If I did, I wouldn’t be able to open this door.”
Doc Sam pulled on the handle.
A whole portion of the wall opened up. This part of the wall was actually a hidden door. “And that, my dear Avery family, is what we call magic.”
Brandon’s eyes widened. “Cool!”
Doc Sam had exposed a small corridor that descended into the ground. The doc put his foot on the first of the steps that led downward. “Follow me.”
Brandon and Domino trailed the doc down the steps until the corridor terminated at a closed door. “That door back there actually has a handle in the back. You can pull it closed behind you. It also slides the shelf back in place.” Doc Sam grasped the knob. “Now, here we are.” With a turn of the knob, Doc Sam opened up his underground bunker.
The room was clean, very clean. Even the air smelled good. In addition to the bunker’s main room, there were also a few doors. Doc Sam, perhaps sensing their curiosity, walked up to one of the doors and opened it, revealing a closet well stocked with bottled water, canned food, and other small containers.
“Too bad I didn’t get to show Jacob this before he left.” He picked up one of the cans. “Tell me, lady, what do you think? Jacob says you can your food. Did I do a good job?”
Domino took the jar from Doc Sam. “It looks perfect.” With a light laugh, she turned the jar upside down. The meat and potatoes inside were so tightly packed that nothing inside shifted.
“Now, I don’t advertise that I have this bounty. It’s not because I don’t want to help people out, but I’m afraid some discretion’s going to be warranted. If the wrong people found out about this place…” Not finishing the sentence, Doc Sam walked over to the next door and opened it. This time he exposed a whole armory.
“Whoa.” Brandon’s mouth dropped open.
Doc Sam looked up at the gun rack against the left side of the wall. “Prepared for peace or war.” He turned to the two Averys. “Hopefully, it won’t get too bad. But if it does, this is where you need to run to.”
Domino bit her lip. “We will.”
Doc Sam gently took the jar from Domino. “Now that you know where this place is, I think we should get back to your daughter. I don’t want her to wake up without you nearby, or worse, maybe she wakes up and runs into that social worker of yours.”
Jacob Avery was alone.
It was a strange feeling. He was walking on this road that took him toward Middleburg, with no traveling companions, nobody to talk to, nobody even to look at as he journeyed. True, he was mostly alone when he was trying to get back to his family on the highway yesterday, but he wasn’t going on an extended trip without them. He felt sure he would run into his wife and children within the coming hours.
The silence only reinforced his solitude. No automobiles drove past him on this road. Jacob stuck to the road’s shoulder, an instinctual reaction to the possibility that a car would hit him if he walked in the dead center of one of the lanes. But none came. The EMP would have knocked out all automobiles with electronics. Sure, older vehicles would have survived the pulse, but the chances of running into one of them would be slim.
Also, if somebody still had a working car, that person would want to get away from large population areas as soon as possible. Jacob shivered at the thought. The unfortunate bastard likely would get mobbed and killed for his vehicle.
Hell, people are going to rob and kill for the smallest morsels, Jacob thought.
He kept walking. Soon he realized something was wrong. He ought to have reached the turnoff onto State Road 219 by now. Why was it taking so long?
Easy. You’re on foot. This would be a cinch if you were in your truck.
For all of the resources he packed into his get home bag, the one thing he really could use that he did not have was a mode of transportation. Naturally, there was no way to fit anything he could ride in his bag, not even a scooter. He should have asked Doc Sam about it before he left, but he didn’t even consider it. He only kept automobiles in mind. He didn’t think of something much smaller, like a scooter, or a…
“Bicycle,” he audibly finished.
Jacob had not ridden a bicycle regularly since he was a teenager, and even then, he pretty much had stopped by the time he was fourteen. He feared his bike would get stolen, and as he closed in on sixteen years old, he desired his own car anyway. It was mildly embarrassing that Domino had had her own car before he could buy his own, but he didn’t mind after a while. He had taught his kids to learn how to ride, but he only had mounted a bike himself once or twice in his adult years.
Ironically, riding one might be the key to his survival, plus his family’s. But now he had to find one. Should he go back to Trapp and ask one of the residents to borrow one? He had been on the road for two hours. That would make two hours to get back, which meant he would have wasted four hours. Riding a bike would not instantly get all that time back.
Doc Sam would understand. He’d have to.
Jacob nearly turned around on the spot, but the glimpse of a sloping roof on the horizon held him fast. There was a house up ahead. Perhaps someone was there who could help him. If the home’s owner could loan him a bike, he wouldn’t have to worry about wasting two more hours to return to Trapp.
With some renewed excitement, Jacob jogged to the front door of the house. It was actually a small ranch. There was a green car parked in the driveway. The wooden fence’s support posts were slightly overgrown.
Jacob knocked on the front door. No response. A few more knocks did not change anything.
He checked around the sides of the house, but discovered nothing else, no vehicles, no further signs of life. Perhaps the owner was not home.
Damn.
Jacob returned to the road. So that was for nothing after all. Now he would have to turn back.
Or maybe he just could walk a little farther. Maybe another house was just a mile or two away.
He succumbed to that hope and followed the road.
In reality, it took about three miles, but he did find another house, which was another ranch. This time there was no vehicle in the driveway at all. A few cows greeted Jacob with some moos. However, there were no signs of human life. Jacob tipped his hat to the farm animals and started off again.
A third ranch lay a short hike away. This time, Jacob was greeted with a rundown house with a “for sale” sign. The lawn was overgrown and poorly kept. The only thing that greeted Jacob was a tarantula on the porch. The hairy arachnid, after facing Jacob for a moment, turned and crawled along the wall toward the end of the porch.
Let me guess. Are you the new owner of the house?
Jacob didn’t stick around for long. It was plain no one was going to answer him, and a search of the property revealed no bicycle. He set back onto the road.
He was about to throw in the towel and turn around when another home off the road tempted him to continue. Just one more, he thought. He gritted his teeth. He had been at this “just one more” routin
e for a while. How much time was he throwing away by doing this?
Jacob approached the latest house. It was a nice-looking farm house, definitely better than the one he just had left. There was a red truck sitting in the driveway. The fence was largely free of foliage. The front windows, however, were boarded up. The wood looked fairly new, not worn by the weather. The owner must have put these up recently, perhaps in response to the EMP.
That would seal in the home’s air, Jacob thought. Without air circulation, living in there would be mighty uncomfortable. Hell, if a fire broke out, it even could be fatal. This guy might be reacting to the terrors occurring outside, but he did not seem to know how to handle it. Jacob vowed to help him out.
Jacob knocked on the door. No response.
“Hello?” Jacob called, “Sir! I’m not here to hurt you.” Jacob raised his open hands. “I’m hoping we can help each other.”
The silence lingered. Jacob listened for the creak of floorboards inside, to hear if somebody was approaching the door.
Please God, let somebody be in there.
“Hello?” Jacob called a few more times, but neither that nor additional knocks drew the home’s owner to the door. He might be hunkered down inside, or he may not be home.
Maybe he’s around back. Jacob had not explored the sides of the house. He left the porch and checked the left side of the house.
There was nothing and nobody there. However, he did find the very thing he was looking for on the right side, parked by the side door—a bicycle!
“Thank God!” Jacob let out a long breath. At last! Now he could make up considerable ground, provided the ranch’s owner would let him borrow it.
So, I have the bike, but now I need permission.
Jacob waited. A few minutes passed. No one approached. The ranch’s owner did not emerge from the house. Where the hell was he?