Emp disaster box set boo.., p.12
EMP Disaster Box Set | Books 1-3, page 12
part #1 of EMP Disaster Series
“That was fantastic,” Derrick said. He put the truck in Drive, pulled forward, and parked beside the nearest pump.
“Was it?” Melanie replied. “I almost blew us all to smithereens.”
“Almost,” he replied. “But you didn’t. Instead, you tossed them all around like ragdolls. Nice. Good work.”
He hopped out of the truck again and went around the back. As Melanie leaned back in her seat, head pounding, she listened to him filling the gas tank. Luckily, the pump still worked. Melanie wrung her hands, restless and scarcely able to sit still.
“I injured some of those people,” she said. “I should help them, shouldn’t I?”
Without intending to, she’d spoken loud enough for Derrick to hear. He smacked his hand on the truck.
“It’s their own fault,” he said through the open window. “We’re in survival mode. Quit second-guessing your instincts!”
“Can we just get out of here before the police show up?” Lizzy said with a whimper.
“Working on it,” Derrick replied.
Once the tank was full, he ran back around and climbed into the truck. He gave both women a proud smile, one at a time, nodded, and started the truck.
“Put your safety, and the safety of your families, ahead of other people,” he said. “That’s the right attitude.”
And with that, he pulled away, circling the parking lot. The fire was growing, burning out into the field, licking up at the edge of the rain canopy. Derrick passed close to the flames as he turned back onto the road and roared away from the gas station.
I went too far, Melanie realized. What’s wrong with me? I’m going to get arrested or killed. This has to stop!
14
She pulled her cell phone out again, just to make sure, but she still had no service. Mark and Shona were out there somewhere. Had they gone home to wait for her? What if they’d decided to come to the factory instead? What if they passed each other on the road? Suddenly, it seemed all too possible, and Melanie leaned against the front seat, staring out of the windshield.
“Maybe we should stop somewhere conspicuous along the way,” she said. “Like a parking lot. That way, if Mark is headed to Beaton’s, he’ll see us.”
“No, no, no,” Derrick replied, flapping a hand at her. “We need to keep going. We’re driving all the way to Knoxville. Maybe he’ll leave a note for you at home or something.”
Ahead, the road passed another residential neighborhood. Traffic was getting heavier as they got closer to town, most people heading northwest, away from the city. Indeed, a Mustang went blasting by, cutting past other vehicles by using the shoulder.
“I just don’t want them roaming around, worrying about me,” she said.
“We’ll find them,” Derrick said. “Just drop it. I’m not parking along the road. We keep going.”
Melanie had turned to watch the Mustang. It almost clipped the back corner of a minivan, edging onto the grass, but it never slowed down. Far beyond, the fire continued to grow, now burning its way across the nearby field.
What have I done? Melanie thought.
A large SUV with a Chevy logo on the grill was coming up behind them, moving fast. Melanie almost ignored it, but then she saw the flashing of bright blue lights. A police SUV? She couldn’t see a logo on the side, so she didn’t know if it was highway patrol, a sheriff, or a local cop. Still, she was seized with a sudden strangling panic.
“Maybe they’re not after us,” she said, gripping the seat in front of her. “Maybe they’re headed for an accident or something.”
“Nah, it’s for us,” Derrick said, glancing into the rearview mirror.
Indeed, Melanie realized the SUV was slowing down as it pulled up behind them.
“What do we do?” Lizzy cried. “Is it because of the fire? How do they know it was us?”
“Floor it,” Melanie said. It was advice spoken in a moment of panic. She just wanted to get away. If they were arrested, what would become of Mark and Shona? “We can outrun them!”
But she saw Derrick’s face in the rearview mirror, and he was smiling. “Calm down, ladies. We’re fine.”
To Melanie’s alarm, he began slowing down, easing onto the shoulder of the road.
“No, no, wait,” she said. “What are we doing?”
“We’re pulling over,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. Everything’s just fine.”
The SUV followed them, coming to a stop on the shoulder behind them. Melanie saw the face of the police officer behind the tinted window, a lean face, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, little tufts of blond hair poking out from under a black baseball cap.
“Don’t shoot him,” she said. “We don’t need to be in the middle of another gunfight.”
“Nah, I’m not shooting this guy,” he said, still grinning like an idiot. He killed the engine and eased his door open. “Stay here. I’ll handle this.”
His response made no sense to her. Why was he acting like getting pulled over was a good thing? Indeed, as he stepped out of the truck, she noted that he didn’t take the handgun with him. It was sitting there in its holster in the door pocket.
“Are you going to bribe him or something?” she asked.
He didn’t answer. Still grinning, he walked back to the SUV, leaving the driver’s door wide open. As he approached the SUV, the police officer got out of his vehicle. He was like Derrick Platt’s counterpoint—tall and lanky, with a lean face, long neck, thin nose.
“Sometimes I can’t figure the boss out,” Lizzy said from the front seat. “Why does he seem so happy to get pulled over by this cop? The last time police stopped us, he almost shot them.”
“Not sure,” Melanie replied.
As soon as they were within reach, Derrick and the cop shook hands vigorously. That one act made the situation suddenly clear: These two men knew each other. They chatted for a moment, then Derrick beckoned the cop and started back toward the truck.
“Here they come,” Melanie said.
“Why is he bringing that cop over here?” Lizzy asked. “Is he going to pin the fire on us and get us arrested, so he can get away scot-free?”
“Not sure.” Melanie couldn’t be sure that Lizzy wasn’t right, and she let her left hand creep closer to the nearest handgun hanging from its holster on the back of the driver’s seat.
But Derrick and the cop both leaned into the open door. “Hey, ladies, let me introduce you to my old buddy Hunter Phillips. He’s one of the good guys, so you can stop looking like you want to vomit and pass out.” He clapped his buddy on the back.
Hunter pulled off his sunglasses to reveal pale-blue eyes. He set the sunglasses above the brim of his uniform cap. “Not just one of the good guys,” he said. “One of the smart guys. How are you ladies holding up?”
“Not so good, Hunter,” Lizzy said. “We just got pulled over by the police, in case you didn’t notice.”
This made Hunter laugh uproariously, and, oh, he had an obnoxious, nasally laugh. It crawled right down Melanie’s back. “How do you guys know each other?” she asked, trying to suppress her reaction. “Same bowling team or something?”
“Close, actually,” Derrick said. “This is the guy I was trying to get hold of earlier.” He backhanded Hunter across the chest. “We’re part of the same club, but it’s not a bowling team. Not quite. How would you describe it, buddy?”
Hunter stroked his long chin with long fingers. “We’re forward-thinkers. We’re among the rare few that see what’s coming and prepare for it.”
“Pardon me, officer, but can you speak plainly?” Melanie said. This made Hunter and Derrick both chuckle, and she found it especially annoying. What was the deal with these guys?
“We discuss, plan, and prepare for worst-case scenarios,” he said. “A prepper club, if you will. We’ve been talking about stuff like our current crisis for a long time, and we’ve got our place ready to go. Derrick here is our fearless leader, and he’s kept us on track. If I’d told you about it yesterday, you would have thought we were nuts. Now, what can you say? Seems we were right on the money.”
“Ah.” It was all Melanie could say. In reality, what he’d described sounded a little bit like a doomsday cult. Then again, she couldn’t deny that something really close to doomsday was upon them. She traded a brief look with Lizzy. This certainly explained the mysterious supply closet.
“Anyway, you got the kid with you?” Derrick asked Hunter.
“Yeah, he’s in the back seat with Josh,” Hunter replied. “We found him back at your place. Seems he was packing up and about to head to his mom’s house.”
“Why?” Derrick said, and the smile left him completely. “That woman is about as ill-prepared for this crisis as anyone on the face of the earth. I thought the kid was smarter than that.”
“Eh, he’s at that age,” Hunter said. “Don’t overthink it. Anyway, he was none too happy to be found and picked up, but we chased him down and grabbed him for you. He’s still pouting.”
“That’s fine,” Derrick said. “Go get him, would you? He’ll ride up here with us.”
Hunter nodded, slid the sunglasses back over his eyes for some reason, and headed to the SUV.
“You know, it’s not as weird as it sounds,” Derrick said, staring hard at Melanie.
“What’s that?” she replied.
“Our club. Hunter makes it sound like a cult. It’s not.”
“Okay,” Melanie said with a shrug. “I didn’t accuse you of anything.”
“No, but I see that look on your face.”
“Derrick, I’ve had a crappy day,” she said with a sigh. “I’m bound to have an awful look on my face no matter what happens.”
Hunter opened the back door of the SUV, and Derrick’s son, Nathan, stepped out, scowling grimly. A second man stepped out behind him, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and tie. He was a mustachioed man with bad skin and thinning hair. With Hunter in front and the other man behind, they marched Nathan toward the pickup truck.
“Now, just what the heck did you think you were doing?” Derrick snapped at the boy. “Hiking off to your mother’s house? Do you realize how long that would have taken? That woman doesn’t have the means to take care of you anyway. Come on, kiddo. Think straight. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of your smarts.”
Nathan pressed his lips together tightly, as if trying to hold back the tide of angry words. He failed, and they tumbled out. “I’d rather have nothing and be with Mom, than spend any more time with you.”
Seething, Derrick pushed Hunter aside, grabbed his son’s shoulder, and slammed him against the side of the truck. “I’ve had just about enough of your rotten attitude. You’re riding up here with me, and you’re going to behave. Got it?”
“I’ll jump out of the truck the second I get a chance,” Nathan said, rubbing his shoulder. “I don’t care if you’re going down the highway at fifty miles an hour. I’m going to Mom’s.”
Derrick stared at his son for a moment, clearly fighting his anger.
This guy’s unhinged, Melanie thought, not for the first time. Do I really want to bring my family around him?
“Let me keep him in the back seat of my car,” Hunter said, grabbing a fistful of Nathan’s shirt. “He can’t open those doors from the inside. We’ll keep him safe, even if he doesn’t want to be safe.”
Derrick bit his lip and suddenly raised his right hand, as if he were going to backhand Nathan across the face. To the boy’s credit, he didn’t flinch. He just stood his ground, scowling at his own feet. The poor kid. Melanie wanted to come to his aid, but she didn’t know what to do.
“Fine,” Derrick said, lowering his hand. “Keep him safe back there. He’s going back to the factory, whether he wants to or not. That’s going to be the only safe place in this whole area. His mother will just be another one of the desperate and dying, and it’s her own fault. That factory is a fortress against the devolving rabble of common folk.”
“You got it,” Hunter replied. “Come on, Nathan.” He pulled the kid around and nudged him back toward the SUV. “Your dad’s just trying to take care of you, whether you realize it or not.”
“He hates me,” Nathan replied, dragging his feet as he marched back toward the SUV. “He hates everyone but himself. Can’t you see that?”
Melanie watched as they returned Nathan to the SUV and forced him into the back seat. No, she didn’t like any of this. And she didn’t like the way Derrick Platt talked about the food factory. A fortress against the devolving rabble? That was crazy talk. Still, she didn’t want him to see how she was feeling. She still needed his help. When Lizzy met her gaze again, she made a little gesture, patting at the air.
Keep your cool, Liz.
“Sorry you ladies had to see that,” Derrick said, climbing in behind the steering wheel. “His mother has been trying to turn him against me for years, but she’ll regret leaving me when everything goes to hell. I warned her. I warned her many times, and she said I was nuts, said she couldn’t stay with a guy who was dreaming of the end of the world. Whatever.” He pulled the driver’s door shut and put the truck into Drive. “She wouldn’t belong in our place anyway. She never wanted to contribute, and the way I see it, if you don’t want to contribute, then you don’t deserve to sit safely behind the fortress walls.”
As he pulled off the shoulder back onto the road, the SUV followed. He’d been worried sick about his son’s disappearance, but once he found him safe and sound, his first response had been to shove him against the side of the pickup truck. No wonder Nathan wanted to march to his mother’s house.
Maybe I shouldn’t be indebting myself and my family to this weirdo, Melanie thought. She felt a deep disquiet.
“You’re awfully quiet back there,” Derrick said.
“I’m fine,” Melanie replied, hoping her voice didn’t betray her true feelings. “I’m glad we found Nathan safe.”
To this, Derrick said nothing, absolutely nothing. He hunkered over the steering wheel, glaring through the windshield. Melanie’s mind was settled. Aligning with Derrick Platt had been a bad idea. Somehow, she needed to get away from him and find her family. Access to his little closet of doomsday supplies wasn’t worth it.
Still, she thought of the chaos at the grocery store, the angry mob at the gas station. She couldn’t leave yet. If Derrick dropped her and Lizzy off by the side of the road, they would be in real trouble.
So what? she chided herself. A little chaos is better than being stuck with this unstable cult leader creep.
15
Things had gotten tense and quiet inside the truck. As they reached the outskirts of Knoxville, traffic got heavier. From time to time, Hunter used the lights of his police cruiser to clear vehicles out of their way. It didn’t always work, and occasionally, they had to pull off the road and pass people on the shoulder or even in the field beyond. The whole time, Melanie was trying to formulate some plan for getting away from him.
“Do you mind if we go to my house first?” she asked, after a while. And then, to sweeten the deal, she added, “I have some stuff I can add to your survival stash. That’ll be one way I can contribute, you know?”
“Gotta stop somewhere else first,” he said. “Just sit tight. Don’t get impatient.”
She was tempted to start yelling at him, but she knew it wouldn’t help. The more you pushed Derrick, the more he dug in his heels. Fighting fiercely to maintain an even tone of voice, she added, “Okay, well, can we go to my house right after that?”
“Right there,” he said, pointing up ahead. “Gotta stop there for a bit.”
She saw a large parking lot in front of an abandoned industrial complex. The parking lot had been poorly maintained, and it was cracked and pitted, with weeds growing out of the cracks. An F-150 was parked at an angle—another extended cab pickup, though a much newer model than Derrick’s. She saw a big, burly guy sitting behind the steering wheel.
“There he is,” Derrick said.
“Who?”
“Cooper Wheedley,” he replied. “Old reliable.”
“Another member of your doomsday club?” Lizzy said. She’d been quietly curled up against her door, and when she spoke, her voice cracked.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Derrick said, giving her a narrow-eyed look.
He pulled into the parking lot, and the SUV followed. As they bumped and thumped across the rough pavement, the driver of the F-150 opened his door and stepped out. He was draped in camouflage from head to toe—cap, jacket, pants, and boots—and he had an enormous red beard. Derrick pulled up alongside him, rolling down his window. Behind him, the SUV came to a stop, and both Hunter and Josh stepped out. They approached, leaving Nathan in the back seat.
“Well, looks like everything’s a go,” the new guy said. He had a deep, slightly hoarse voice. His unkempt beard crept up his cheeks and down his neck. “You haven’t backed out on the deal, have you? We’ve got a place at the fort?”
The men crowded around the driver’s window. There was a Platt-ish quality to all of them, and Melanie felt extremely uncomfortable. Enough that she even began to eye the passenger door, tempted to just climb out and walk away. Maybe Nathan had had the right idea in the first place.
“You know the rules, Cooper,” Derrick said. “Everyone inside the factory pulls their own weight. We’re not creating a welfare state in there. Work hard, and you’ll want for nothing. Slack off, and you can go right back out the gate with the rest of the rabble. Does that sound okay to you?”
“I ain’t no rabble, I’ll tell you that,” Cooper said. “I’ll do my fair share.”
“You’ll have to start using deodorant on the daily,” Hunter said. This made Josh laugh loudly. “We’re all going to be closed up in there together. We don’t want you stinking up the place.”
“Oh, ha ha,” Cooper replied, mocking the laughter.
