The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 37

As they closed the door behind them, they quietly discussed what the first step of their plan should be. Without knowledge of the town’s layout, they would simply be wandering aimlessly. “Sure would be nice to have a map of this place,” Jackson whispered.

Up to this point, he had been fairly quiet, but as the clouds parted over the town, the late afternoon light revealed the place that likely hid the item of their search.

“Over there,” he continued.

It stood out, as a vision of salvation, as only a few yards away was a gas station standing alone in the fading illumination of the November sky. This was their first stop – not just for a map, but for any food items that are often stocked in such places.

“I’ll bet we can find a lot of stuff in there. Gas stations are almost grocery stores.” The group smiled in agreement, but Maya reminded them they should still err on the side of caution. Her suggestion slowed the pace of the group – eager to discover what goods of need lay inside.

The front of the gas station was protected by tempered glass as the waning light of day made it increasingly difficult to see inside. Cupping their hands around their eyes, they did their best to peer into the darkness of the service station, but were unable to distinguish anything beyond its creeping shadows. If the doors were locked, they would have to break in, risking detection by any survivors within earshot.

“Does anyone see anything?” Aurora asked. “I don’t see shit,” Eli replied. “Let’s smash a window.”

His tone was that of a teenage boy, causing trouble for nothing more than pleasure. Jackson and Aurora grinned in anticipation of unleashing their pent-up frustration on what was not only a means of survival but also a simple inanimate object, begging for destruction. Now, Maya stepped in.

“Alright, children,” she said. “Let’s all put our grown-up pants on and start being careful about this. We need to get this done quickly but safely.” It was only moments until the three began debating on who would get the satisfaction of shattering the glass standing between them and continued survival. Again, Maya took control of the situation.

“Guys,” she began. “Will you stop arguing? For fuck’s sake, I’ll do it -- now stand back.” Finding a brick nearby, Maya, standing back, launched the brick with all her strength and inadvertently met the glass with a corner of the brick, sending it shattering into small spiky shards. Bringing a slight smile to her face, she turned to the others with a surprising remark. “That was fucking awesome.”

This, of course, was followed by a quiet burst of laughter as everyone, one by one, carefully climbed through the gaping hole and into the darkness. It would not be long before they would discover what turned out to be a palace of resources, but they were still lacking the ability to see.

“Fuck, it’s dark in here,” Eli said. “Can anyone see anything?”

Maya felt her way over to the counter, running into several displays. So far, the smell of death had not invaded their senses as they blindly moved about the service station with guarded hands stretched out before them. Momentarily after tripping over her own feet, Maya happened upon a display of flashlights and, on further investigation, batteries.

“Pay dirt,” she exclaimed.

Stopping where they stood, everyone looked in the direction of Maya’s voice, only to be blinded as the beam of a flashlight severed the darkness. Maya had uncovered the holy grail of survival that allowed them to conduct a more efficient search for what they needed.

“Fucking awesome,” Aurora said. “Give me one.”

In a short time, everyone had a flashlight and continued rummaging through the shelves and displays still brimming with food and other commodities. Toilet paper seemed high on the list.

“Grab some bags, everyone,” she began. “We need to hurry up and get back to the house. Now that we have flashlights, we don’t want to be seen.”

With these words, the group packed what they could and quickly moved toward what was now a jagged exit.