Aftermath of Disaster_Book 1_It Has Begun Page 3

  The president is still in an undisclosed location and released a short statement. Law enforcement and our intelligence agencies don't know who's responsible for this massive act of terror on our homeland. We will find out and when we do we will unleash the full might of the United States upon them. You have my word. This attack will not go unanswered!

  Jack read enough. Nobody knows anything yet. He'd find out soon enough, he thought. There was no news on when it would be safe to return to the city. He had to get moving if he was going to get back before dark. He unlocked his bike and got on his way. It wasn't too long of a ride but it was off pavement. He wanted to see the rocks and pits in front of him. He made it back with time to spare, it was an easy ride.

  He walked in the front door and all three girls were there to greet him. He could get used to this. He told Diane the news, which was no news really, and they decided on dinner. There wasn't much to decide on except which freeze-dried meal they were going to have. Jack chose chicken fajita bowl while Diane had chicken and dumplings. A dinner to remember. They took turns in the shower as it wasn't big enough for two. Showers had to be quick, the hot water heater didn't hold much. Starting tomorrow they'd have to schedule showers: Diane in the morning and Jack in the evening.

  Jack stocked the cottage with an assortment of books and they sat down for some reading before going to bed. Jack cleaned his weapon, then chose a coding book to brush up on things he hadn't used in a while. Diane went right for romance. After about an hour, they decided to call it a night.

  In the morning, Diane took her shower and Jack made breakfast. He fried up two eggs and a few strips of bacon for each of them. Then he sliced up one of the tomatoes and put a few slices on each plate. It was like he never left home. For Diane, he put the bottle of ranch on the small kitchen table.

  After their hot, home-cooked breakfast Jack announced to Diane that it was time to get the garden ready. "Now?" she replied. "We don't even know how long we'll be here." "Exactly," Jack responded. We don't know anything so we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I picked out the spot a long time ago. It gets plenty of sun and protection from any wind. Our biggest problem will be keeping deer and other critters out of our food. I've got fencing in the shed but we'll wait on that until the veggies are showing or we know we'll be here for a while. It won't keep the deer out but Basha and Mercedes will."

  They each picked up a shovel and began turning the soil at the chosen location. Jack chose the north side of the cottage for the sunlight. It also had a forest behind it and on the side opposite the cottage for wind protection. The dogs would notice any animals and their barking would keep them away from the garden. That was the plan, anyway. The garden measured about 12 feet by 8 feet and it took them about 30 minutes to finish. Jack told Diane not to break a sweat, it would be a while before she could shower again. She flashed him a "bite me" look and kept turning the soil.

  They decided a nice walk to town would do them some good. They each wore a day pack and loaded their EDC items, both adding a bottle of water and an emergency food bar. Jack called the dogs and they were on their way. It wasn't a long walk, only about a mile to town. Jack has a pace north of 5 miles per hour but Diane is about half that. He told her she was going to have to work on that if they were going to be out here for a while. "Instead of just watching me on the treadmill, you should have followed," he told her half-jokingly. That brought on another "Bite me" look from Diane.

  They got to town and the first thing Jack noticed was it was crowded. Not good, he thought. Expected, but not good. More people leaving meant this was going to last a while. It also meant supplies at the store were going to be limited and probably expensive. "We need to get what we can while we can," he told Diane. They made their way to the general store and started packing the cart. Meats, veggies, and toiletries. Jack saw a small book of edible plants and put it in the cart. He knew what he could eat, Diane did not. They paid for their food and got out of there.

  Jack had kept his ears open for any tidbits of news from the patrons. The cities were emptying out and people were heading for the hills. Hospitals were filled and patients were laying in the halls and waiting rooms. A lot of them were going to die. It was worse than Jack expected. It takes a pretty big exposure to radiation to cause death. Whoever did this was well organized and well-funded. They hit every city in the US at the same time.

  Starting at 12:30 pm Pacific had most people out of their offices at lunch. On the East Coast, they were mostly inside but on a hot spring day, they had the air conditioners on. They thought this through, Jack thought. Emergency crews were in hazmat gear locating the devices used in the attack. Nobody was being allowed into the cities, only out. The National Guard was protecting the borders of the cities. The wind was blowing the radiation south, so both Steilacoom and DuPont got hit. It was a good thing they got out of Dodge.

  Jack and Diane started making their way back to the cottage. They discussed the news and decided they'd be there for a few weeks at least. He'd know more soon but didn't say anything yet. Timing is everything. They got past the gate and started up the driveway when Jack held up a fist, meaning "stop" and quietly said "Ready." Both dogs became alert. Diane asked, "What's up?" "We've had or have company," Jack responded. "There are footprints that don't belong to us." "Two men and either a child or small woman by the looks of it. It could be a family looking for shelter or something worse. Be on guard, get your weapon ready."

  She looked at him quizzically and Jack said "You thought that piece was only there to make you look hot? Get it out and remember everything I've taught you." They slowly made their way up the driveway with the dogs leading the way. Jack was watching them for signals but didn't see anything. Whoever it was probably left already, just not the same way they came. The footprints only went one direction.

  They reached the cottage with no sign of the visitors or signals from the dogs. "Stay with me," Jack told Diane. They walked the perimeter and Jack declared it all clear. The visitors didn't mess with the garden and the shed was still locked. His chickens were safe. Jack knew they didn't get into the cottage, it's well protected with the barred windows and security door. It didn't look like they messed with the truck either. Most likely they were searching for a place to stay, maybe looking for a place to camp with the National Park full or nearly full.

  The mess in Ashford was going to take a few days to sort out and they'd probably see more wanderers. "No Trespassing" doesn't mean what it used to, apparently. Not in times like this, Jack mused. They took the trail leading north from the cottage and are out of the area. Basha and Mercedes would have picked up their scents if they were near.

  They got inside and unloaded their packs when Jack got another message on his watch: Monday. Noon. They put everything away and Jack said "There's something I need to show you. I've got to leave for a few hours on Monday, maybe longer. He took her to the bedroom and she said "I've seen that before," with a smile. Jack laughed and said, "Yes you have, young lady! But this is bigger." Jack went to a corner of the room and pressed a panel on the wall. It popped out and revealed a keypad. He showed her the numbers, 654562 and said "Memorize that and never forget it. Don't write it down anywhere and don't keep it on your phone or tablet."

  As he was speaking a section of floor slid out and revealed a door. Diane said "Jesus Christ, Jack." Jack laughed and said "Some men buy vacation homes, boats, and big campers. I buy safety." He opened the door and revealed the ladder. "After you, my lady." When they got to the safe room, Diane noticed it looked just like the one at Jack's hose. Missing was the phone and laptop, no such luxuries here, she thought. There was a bed and shelves of supplies, a few book, a hand crank radio and a matching flashlight. There was a handgun and two AR-15's. She also saw several boxes of ammo. "The last stand," she thought.

  Jack said, "When you get down here, press the same numbers onto this keypad and everything up top will shut seamlessly. Nobody will know where you went. Diane asked, "Is ther
e anything else you're not telling me, Jack?" Jack said, "Of course. Right now, the less you know the safer you are. You can't give up what you don't know." Diane asked, "So what's going on Monday? Is that a secret too?"

  He looked at her, raised and eyebrow, and responded with a "Yes."

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