Stranded Box Set Page 20

  Josh laughed with them and turned to the guard “Pass! Do you get the picture here?”

  The guard shook his head in laughter. “Now that is streamlining the bureaucratic process, my friend!”

  After that, the group of teens loaded up and went through the checkpoint. As they crossed into Canada, they all let out a cheer and some even had tears rolling down their faces.

  Chapter Twenty

  The three vehicles easily detoured around Lethbridge and Fort Macleod which were the two closest cities to the border. They got on Highway Two and headed north. This highway ran straight up through the province and passed through Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. It was the equivalent of the American Interstate but with fewer car wrecks due to the lower population. Other than detouring around Calgary, a city with a population well over a million, they were done with back road driving. They wanted to go home. Before the lights went out, it would have been a six-hour drive but they kept their speed down and kept alert for ambushes. None of the kids were very concerned about trouble as Canada had very strict gun laws and unlike the American population, the average citizen didn’t have handguns or assault rifles. There were still plenty of hunting rifles and shotguns in the area, but nothing like in America.

  As they traveled down the highway, past field after field, they were happy to see people out working in them. There were a few farm machines working in fields that looked like they had been taken from museums. A few people stopped working when they heard the cars go by and waved. None of the kids could stop smiling at the sight of crops being planted. This area would have food before too long.

  They circled around Calgary and weren’t surprised to see trash and dropped belongings everywhere. As people walked away from the city and headed out to the countryside looking for food, they had abandoned suitcases and other belongings that had become too much of a burden to carry.

  There were bodies lying on the side of the road where people had just given up and sat down to die. Other bodies showed signs of a more violent end. After getting around Calgary without a problem, they stopped and made the decision to cut across diagonally towards their town. The corridor between Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton was always heavy with traffic and they decided to take secondary highways the rest of the way. It was an easy trip and they were approaching a small town about an hour’s drive from their home when they decided to stop and see if they could find out any news about their town. Josh had told the others about what the guard had heard on the radio and they all wanted more information instead of just going in blind.

  There was the now routine roadblock on the outskirts of the town that was being manned by three guards. They pulled to a stop and they all climbed out and approached the barricade. The three men didn’t seem all that concerned by the group and none of them aimed their weapons at the kids. The teens had all left their assault rifles in their vehicles but all still had side arms in holsters.

  Quinn limped ahead and waved at the men. “Hello! We’re headed up to Prairie Springs and we were hoping for some news of the town’s status. Will we be able to travel through or do we have to backtrack around your town?” he asked in a respectful voice.

  The oldest man studied Quinn thoughtfully and asked, “Aren’t you Harry Dennison’s grandson, Quinn?”

  Quinn grinned and thought to himself it was good to be home before answering.

  “Yes, sir, I am. My friends and I got caught in the States on a school trip when the lights went out and we’re just trying to make our way home. Do you have news about my family?”

  “Well, that sounds like a heck of a tale to hear, if you kids came all the way up from the States. I haven’t heard anything about your granddad but we’ve heard some things about the town. Hold your hats for a minute and we’ll move this car out of the way. You can give me a lift into the town center where we set up a meeting place and we’ll tell you all we know.”

  The man waved the other two guards over and they quickly pushed the broken-down car out of the road. When Dara pulled the truck through the roadblock, the older man climbed into the back and they headed into town.

  As they drove past homes, they could see many people busy at work. Most of the front lawns of homes had been ripped up and planted as gardens. There were groups of people standing in line with jugs and buckets waiting for water at a pump station. There was another area with tables set up and huge pots of steaming water where people were washing clothes. As they pulled up to the town’s meeting area, they could all smell meat cooking on a barbeque. There were four giant grills set up in a row and each was manned by cooks.

  They got out and locked their doors out of habit. The older man led them towards the dining area and took a deep smell of the cooking meat.

  “Good timing on your part. Supper will be ready in about twenty minutes. You kids must be starved for some red meat.” He smiled proudly at the barbeques.

  “Actually sir, we would be happy to contribute our own meat so as not to put a strain on the town’s food supply,” Quinn offered.

  The man gave him a sharp look. “Now you kids didn’t steal some poor farmer’s stock, did you? We won’t abide looters in this town.”

  Quinn laughed “No, no. We butchered a cow in Montana. The property was abandoned and the cows were going feral. We have a fridge freezer in the camper and brought some with us,” he assured the man.

  The man nodded his head. “All right then, good thinking!” He held out his hand to shake. “Name’s Tom Jacobson. I’ve got a place just outside of town but we finished planting it yesterday so I came into town today for some company. We have a communal supper every day for everyone who works in the fields.” He looked around his town with pride. “Yup, we’ve done real well here. Lots of refugees walked in from the city but we made it clear there would be no free ride. We all work to get the crops planted and we’ll all eat. I imagine we’ll have to tighten our belts between now and harvest but we’ll get by.

  “Oh, there’s Mike now! He’s been organizing everything around here and will know the latest on Prairie Springs. Mike! Hey Mike, I got some people you need to meet over here,” he yelled.

  Mike made his way over to the group and introductions were made all around. He grimaced when he heard where the kids were headed.

  “We don’t know a lot but what we’ve heard isn’t good. About five days into the emergency, a group of gangbangers and hard cases went into town and took it over. They had fifty or so men and they were all armed. They went out to the farms and rounded everyone up and put them in one place. That’s all we really know. Everyone that walks that way comes back with stories of being shot at from roadblocks and anyone with a working vehicle that goes there doesn’t come back at all.”

  “I’m sorry, kids. I wish I could tell you more but we just don’t know what’s happening there. The only other thing I’ve heard is that they’re out planting the fields but no one can get close enough to get more news.” He gave them a sad smile. “You guys are welcome to stay here if you want.”

  The group was silent, trying to absorb what they had just heard. Quinn nodded to Mike.

  “Thank you, sir. We would be grateful if we could stay the night in your town but I think we will head that way tomorrow and scout things out.”

  He looked around at his friends and they all nodded.

  “Fair enough, welcome to Abbotsville. Please enjoy supper with us.” He smiled and headed back to work.

  There wasn’t much to say after that and the kids wandered back to their camper to get cleaned up and grab supplies to contribute to the communal supper.

  ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

  The next morning the group was hidden in a forested area a few miles outside of their town. They were studying the manned roadblock through binoculars they had traded for in Utah. They each took a good look at the men and surrounding area before passing them on to the next. When Cooper looked closely at the men, he grunted.

  “I know one of those guys! He’s a frie
nd of my dad’s. Not a big shock that he’s working with the bad guys. His name’s Buddy and he’s a real loser. He’s been in jail for lots of petty crime, everything from breaking and entering to drugs.”

  When everyone had taken a good look, they moved back deeper into the forest. They were lucky that two sides of the town faced a forest that went all the way to the mountains. There were a lot of campgrounds and a few lakes throughout the area. They were all familiar with the forest around their town and had spent many years having adventures in it. Their vehicles were parked well back at a little-used camping area that didn’t offer any camping services except a water hand pump. The hike to the town had taken under an hour as they had brought the bikes with them and only had to walk part of the way.

  Once they were well back into the forest, they discussed their next move. Cooper was thinking hard on a decision and finally put it to the group.

  “I think I should go talk to Buddy. He knows me and he’ll probably tell me what’s going on. The only problem is that they might think I would want to join them. If my old man has joined with them, it could be our way into town. The problem is I can’t be a part of what they’re doing so I would end up giving myself away. What do you guys think?”

  Alex’s first thought was, NO WAY. She didn’t want Cooper going in there and getting himself killed when the gang figured out he wasn’t on their side. Before she could say anything, Quinn spoke up.

  “Do you think you can get information out of him and he’ll let you leave? If you played it like you didn’t care about the town but you didn’t want to get involved in the gang? Would he let you turn around and go?”

  Cooper thought about it hard. They needed information and he felt like he owed it to his new friends to help any way he could.

  “I think he would. He was always trying to be my pal and telling me not to follow in his and my dad’s footsteps. I really think I could get the info and then leave. I’m willing to take the chance.”

  Alex stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. She closed her eyes and said into his ear, “Thank you. Please come back,” before she quickly released him and turned away.

  He nodded to the others and handed Josh his automatic rifle. He kept his handgun in its holster and shouldered a backpack. They all walked back to where they had left the bikes and he climbed onto his.

  “If I get pulled into the town, watch for me on the west side by the forest and I’ll try to make contact.” With that, he pedaled away.

  Alex couldn’t bear to watch him leave so she headed back into the woods to where they could see the roadblock.

  Cooper was beyond nervous. The last thing he wanted was to get sucked into his dad’s lifestyle but he felt he had to do this for his friends. He had been alone for so long with no friends. The past twenty-three days had been so amazing for him. The way they all worked together and watched each other’s backs had filled a part of him he hadn’t known was empty. And Alex, well, if he was ever going to have a chance to be with her, he would have to prove to her and himself that he was worth spending time with.

  As he got closer to the roadblock, he could see Buddy raise a hunting rifle up to his face. He should be able to see Cooper very well through its scope; at least he hoped he would. Cooper kept going, waiting for the sound of the shot that never came.

  When he was close enough, he yelled out, “Hey, Buddy, is that you? It’s Cooper!”

  Buddy motioned at him to stop where he was and turned to talk to the other men. He came out from behind the cars and walked down the road to him. He had a surprised look on his face when he walked up.

  “What the hell, Cooper! Aren’t you supposed to be in California? What are you doing here?” he asked with an uncomfortable look on his face.

  Cooper grinned sheepishly. “Well, yeah, but I ditched the kiddy trip at the airport and was hanging with some friends in the city when the lights went out. We’ve been partying it up but things got a little hot for me there, so I bounced and headed home. What’s up with you? The cops got you working guard duty? No way, man!” he said with a laugh.

  Buddy didn’t laugh but he looked over his shoulder back at the other men. He leaned close to Cooper and said quickly “All the cops are dead, man. A group of hardcore guys came in and took over. They’re using all the townspeople and farmers as slave labor. It’s a real bad scene. Listen, I got bad news for you, brother. Your dad is dead. He thought he should be the big man around here ‘cause he’s the one who told these guys about the town’s setup and the bossman shot him like a dog. You need to jet! There’s nothing here for you and you don’t want them to find out who your old man was. Go find somewhere else.”

  “Ah, shit! He never could keep his mouth shut.” Cooper shook his head sadly. “But Buddy, how can a few guys hold all those people without them fighting back?”

  Buddy checked over his shoulder again before answering him. “They got like sixty guys and they’re holding a lot of the women and all the kids in the community center. It’s real ugly, Cooper. Now get out of here before they come to check you out.” He waved him back down the road.

  “Yeah, I hear you. I’m out of here. Hey, Buddy, one more thing. Did any of those kids make it back from California?”

  Buddy smirked, “No way they’d make it back here. All those kids are dead by now. Count yourself lucky you ditched. Take care, Cooper. Sorry about your dad.”

  Cooper nodded and turned his bike around. He headed back down the road towards his friends. He thought about his dad being dead and thought he should feel something. He searched his heart and was saddened by finding only relief.

  The group was waiting when he got back. They were all out of breath from running to meet him when they saw him heading back away from town.

  Cooper told them everything he had learned and they all sat down to try and process the state of their home. Alex looked around at her friends. Dara was quietly crying and Josh was holding her hand and staring miserably at the ground. Quinn was looking off into the forest with an angry expression. Cooper was looking at Alex with a sympathetic frown.

  When she met his eyes he asked, “What do you want to do?”

  Alex stood and looked at all her friends again. Then she picked up her rifle and spoke in a strong, clear voice.

  “We fight!”

  Sea

  Book Two

  Chapter One

  Emily took one more look back at the gates of Disneyland before turning the corner and following her friends. She had to force herself to breathe deeply so the panic in her chest wouldn’t overtake her. Choosing to go with Mason and his friends to find a boat instead of going with Alex and the others was one of the hardest choices she had ever made in her life and she still wasn’t a hundred percent sure of why she had.

  Emily looked around at all of the stalled and crashed cars. There were people yelling and crying all over the street. Some had bloody injuries and some were just in shock at the suddenness of the disaster. She was still trying to wrap her head around what this would mean for her future. An EMP being set off over North America was a clean way to bring America to its knees. Instead of radiation fallout and the destruction of a direct nuclear hit on land, all modern technology had fried in an instant as the burst raced through everything electrical. The lights went out, phones died, cars quit and as she had seen earlier, airplanes dropped from the sky. Being in Southern California was a very bad place to be. With no power, the water wouldn’t be flowing and without transportation, food wouldn’t be distributed. Couple that with a population of over ten million people in one area, and things were going to get ugly.

  When Mason had told her his idea about finding a boat instead of going overland, she had thought it was a very good plan. Overland, home was fifteen hundred miles away. That seemed like a ridiculous distance to try and travel by foot or bike. A boat would let them travel all the way to Vancouver, Canada without having to physically exhaust themselves and then it was only around six hundred miles home from
there. A boat was definitely the right way to go. She just desperately wished that the rest of her friends had agreed. She trusted Mason with the blindness of new love but Lisa and Mark were not high on her list of people she could rely on. When it had come time to say goodbye to Alex she had found herself wavering. It was David’s decision to accompany her that had made her decision easier. There was something about David that made her feel safe and secure when he was around. She had missed being around him in the last few months and was happy he would be traveling with them.

  Mason looked back and, with a frown, waved her forward to join the group. She sped up and took his hand as they walked down the wreckage-filled street. Everyone was preoccupied with the sight of so much damage and so many hurt people. It was David that broke the silence after they had walked five blocks.

  “It’s going to take us all day to walk to the Marina and we’ll have to make a couple stops to try and get supplies on the way. We don’t want to be out walking after dark so I think we’ll have to speed up as fast as we can. What do you think, Mason?” David looked to the tall quarterback. He wasn’t friends with the guy but knew that he had to make an effort to work with him if they were going to make it home. David hated that Emily was dating the guy. Unfortunately, there was little choice but to trust him for now. They had a long way to go.

  Mason studied David for a minute before answering him. He wasn’t sure what the guy’s angle was in coming with them, but Emily had raved about his resourcefulness so Mason figured he’d keep the Boy Scout close for now.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right, David. Who knows what this place is going to be like after the sun goes down. I really don’t want to be on the streets then.” He turned to Mark and Lisa, “Tighten up your laces and try to keep up you two. We need to make some serious time so we’ll have to do a slow jog and then slow to speed walking when we need a break. Do you think you can do it?” he asked them.