Surviving The Grid (Survival Series Book 1) Read online

  When Michelle and Brent began stirring, Darren looked through the food and grabbed some fruit for them. It was important to eat all the fresh stuff first, before it went rotten. The canned stuff could wait for later. They yawned, but thanked their father for the food he offered, and like normal they shared breakfast, even though usually they would have been sitting at the table, enjoying big bowls of cereal.

  “How did the two of you sleep?” Darren asked.

  “My back hurts,” Michelle said.

  “Mine too,” Brent winced, rubbing at a crick in his neck.

  “We’ll get used to it,” Darren said.

  “At least we’re here now, so we get to take it a little easier today,” Brent said.

  “You might think that, but you’d be wrong,” Darren said, hiding a smile as Brent’s face fell.

  “What more is there to do? We’re here aren’t we?” Brent said.

  “Yes, we are, but this is only the beginning. We have our shelter, now we have to make it a home. There’s no telling how long we’re going to have to be here. We’ve got enough food to last us for a little while, so hunting and fishing aren’t a priority, but we have to be productive, and we have to work quickly. People all around are going to be waking up to this world, and it’s not going to take them long to realize that something really bad has happened. A lot of them might be banking on the fact that this all is going to be sorted out, but most people are going to be like us. They’re going to realize there’s no going back, and they’re going to be thinking about survival as well.

  “The city is going to be a dangerous place for a lot of people. So, many of them are going to be making their way out here, doing the same thing we’re doing. Some of them might be friendly, but we can’t count on that. We’ve done a good job of making it difficult to find this place. If people come from the same direction we did, they might be put off by the tree, and if they come around, they’ll hopefully give up when they find the bramble, but people tend to want what other people have. If they see that we’re holed up here, nice and cozy, they might try taking it from us.”

  “So we have to defend ourselves,” Brent said defiantly.

  “Probably, at some point, but there are measures we can take before that. I have something that I want to try with the two of you. So far we’ve all lived our lives the same way, getting up when it’s light and sleeping when it’s dark, so the daytime is when most people are going to be walking around out there. I want to try staying up later, sleeping more through the day, so that we don’t risk running into any people who want to do us harm.”

  “Dad, you’ve seen how dark it is out there. How are we going to do anything in the night?” Brent said.

  Michelle didn’t really seem to be paying attention. She was nibbling at her fruit, and offering some to Applejack. Brent was taking huge bites out of his breakfast. He was a growing boy, and was used to eating big meals. It was going to be a shock to his system to reduce his portion sizes, especially since he was going to be doing a lot of physical activity.

  “Anything we need to do in the daylight we can do before it gets too dark, and when it gets dark, we’ve got the lantern, and our eyes should adjust, given enough time. We should be safer from some of the wild animals out there as well. This can work, we just need time to make it happen,” Darren said. Brent arched his eyebrows in disbelief, but he wasn’t going to rebel against his father because of this.

  “Besides,” Darren added, “there are going to be far fewer distractions here. You won’t have school or your games to play, so most of our days are going to be taken up by hard work. There’s a lot that we need to do around here, and there’s no time like the present to get started.”

  Brent looked around.

  “I don’t know, I kinda like the place as it is.”

  “You won’t be saying that after a week. I have big plans for this place,” Darren said, striding through the cave, looking at the possibilities.

  “I know that you’re going to want your own rooms again. It’s impossible for us to spend all our time together. We’re only going to get on each other’s nerves. I’m thinking that you can go over here, Brent,” he said, moving to the rear of the cave where the rocks sloped upward to create a small second level.

  “This is almost a bunk bed,” Darren said, slapping his hand on the flat surface.

  “We can put up a screen here to give you some privacy. And Michelle, you can be down here, “he moved to where the cave floor dipped into a recess, “and I’ll have whatever’s left.”

  “What are you going to make a wall from?” Brent said skeptically.

  “Brent, we’re in a forest. There’s wood all around us. I have a machete, we have knives. It might not be the best wall ever constructed, but it can be sturdy,” Darren explained. Brent still had a disbelieving look on his face.

  “Think about it, Brent. Humans have lived on this planet for millions of years. As a species we’ve always been able to build things and make our living situation better. That DNA is within us, all we have to do is let it out! I’ve learned plenty from being on the construction site. I don’t think walls should prove any problem to us.”

  Darren folded his arms to punctuate his point, but he knew the only way to prove to Brent that they could do it was to actually erect the walls and make this cave into a home. He had other plans as well, ones that he didn’t go into at this moment because he didn’t want to overwhelm the kids with information, but he wanted to have rudimentary chairs, perhaps even beds and a table, and shelves. The entire forest was at their disposal, and all they had to do was make use of it.

  “So, is that what we’re doing today then, making walls?”

  “That’s what I’m going to be doing, I think. Or at least seeing how feasible it is going to be. And Michelle is going to be my apprentice. I have another task for you.”

  “What? Making a blanket out of leaves?”

  “Actually, that’s not a bad idea…but no, I want you to take a walk around the surrounding area. If you head south--” Brent looked at Darren blankly, so Darren pointed his finger toward the back of the cave, “you should find the freshwater stream. Now, go carefully, and if you see anything dangerous, then come right back, but I want you to get used to the area. Do you think you can handle that?”

  “Sure. Can I take the gun?” Brent said, grinning.

  “This isn’t a game, Brent. No, you can’t, but you can take this, as long as you promise to be careful with it,” Darren said, grabbing a sharp knife from the bag and handing it to his son. Brent took it and pressed his thumb against the edge, testing the knife’s sharpness.

  “I hope that you won’t have to use it,” Darren added. “Take this as well, in case you find yourself turned around,” Darren said, handing Brent the compass.

  “And what do I do when I find the stream?” Brent asked.

  “Well, you might want to have a bath,” Darren grinned, “but it would help if you could bring us back some fresh water, and just take stock of the area. Figure out if there are any good places to hide. We’re going to have to wash, and that’s going to be the best place to do it. If you want, you can take a walk up the stream to see how far it goes, but if you see any sign of anyone else, I want you to take a step back. Find cover, don’t make a move, and wait for them to go away.”

  “What if they need help?”

  “If you think you can help them, then please do, but I don’t want to put yourself in any danger. Unless they’re clearly in dire need of help I think it’s best if you come back here as soon as possible. I don’t think it’s likely that you’ll run into anyone, though. Not yet. Most people will still be in the city.”

  Darren had given Brent a lot of independence and responsibility ever since Stacie had left, and Brent never had let him down. Darren knew that he could trust him with this, even though it made his gut twist in knots to send his son out into a world fraught with such danger. Brent didn’t seem to think anything of it, though, and Darren
suspected it was a good idea to let Brent have some time on his own. He remembered what it was like to be a teenage boy, how he always wanted to be away from his family. Darren didn’t want Brent to get irate because they were spending too much time together.

  Besides, he wanted to give Brent a chance to recover from the previous day. In truth, scouting the stream wasn’t an arduous task, so it would give Brent’s body a chance to heal from having to lug the packs around. Darren was going to punish his own body, though. Figuring out how to make these walls wasn’t going to be easy, and it was going to take its toll on his muscles, but he wasn’t going to let his kids see him laze around when there was work to be done.

  After they finished their breakfast Brent left them nonchalantly. Darren reminded him to be safe, and to keep track of where he was going. Brent nodded, and Darren couldn’t help but feel anxious. It was a familiar feeling for a parent, and it didn’t get any easier as they grew up. He looked down at Michelle, who seemed to be in a world of her own. Darren picked her up and giggled.

  “Do you want to come on a little walk with me?” Darren asked.

  “Let’s see what Applejack says,” Michelle replied. Darren chuckled and pretended to listen to what Applejack had to say, which was, of course, a positive answer.

  He made sure that Michelle had had enough to eat and drink before they left. The little girl was in good spirits, and seemed to be treating this entire situation as an adventure, which was how Darren hoped it would go. The day stretched out in front of them, with a lot to accomplish. He carried Michelle out of the cave into the daylight.

  Chapter 13

  The first thing Darren had to do was traverse the bramble. It wasn’t as difficult as it had been before, since it already had been hacked to pieces, but since they needed it to form a barrier in front of the cave, he had to move it away delicately with his foot, creating an opening for him to walk through. He kept Michelle in his arms because he didn’t want to risk her safety.

  Once they were through, he moved the bramble back again and sighed. It was difficult to tear himself away from the cave, their sanctuary. If anyone came around while they were gone, there would be nobody to stop the intruders from rifling through their things. Darren had put everything deep into the cave, hiding it in the shadows, but anything more than a cursory glance would reveal everything they had.

  That’s why Darren wanted to live a nocturnal life, so they could be there to defend the cave in the daytime. He hoped that since this wasn’t an area filled with human activity he wouldn’t have to worry about anything being stolen. He cast a glance in the direction in which Brent had walked off, and then walked away in the opposite direction. He was carrying his machete and one of the bags, which was now empty, just in case he found anything worthwhile.

  “What are we looking for, Daddy?” Michelle asked.

  “We’re going on a little treasure hunt. We’re looking for anything we can use, whether it be big bits of wood or little trinkets. I want you to keep your eyes peeled for anything you can see. There’s no telling what we might find out here.”

  “Yes, fairies always are leaving stuff behind,” Michelle said.

  The two of them walked along the path, away from the fallen tree. It curved around, leading up and away from the dipping valley below. As Darren walked, he made sure to keep his ears peeled, and his eyes darted around the landscape, hunting for any sign of movement.

  There were plenty of fallen logs around the forest, some of which had been there for a long time, others that only had been felled the previous night. He went up to one of them and placed Michelle on the ground. Brandishing the machete, he examined the log and realized that actually a machete probably wasn’t the best thing to hack away at the trees. It was fine for things like bramble, but to make walls a machete just wouldn’t do. He toyed with the idea of gathering together thinner branches, which he was sure could be hacked away, but making anything substantial out of them required twine or rope, and it would take a lot of branches to make a wall.

  He leaned on the wood, frowning, when he heard a cry of pain. Whipping himself around, Darren rushed to Michelle’s side. Her eyes were filled with tears and her lips were trembling.

  “I just wanted to touch the pretty flower,” Michelle said. Her voice wavered. Darren took a look at the plant. It had sharp thorns protruding from its stem. The petals were bright red, and he could understand why Michelle had found it alluring.

  A crimson drop bloomed on the tip of her finger. It was smooth and perfect, and then it began to trickle down her finger. Darren patted his pockets, but he didn’t have a handkerchief. He wrapped his hand around Michelle’s finger.

  “I’m about to do some magic,” he said, and then brought his fingers up sharply, wiping the blood away. Then he ripped fabric from his shirt and wrapped it around her finger to stem the flow of blood, following it up with a kiss. His kisses always made things better.

  “There we go, all fixed,” Darren said.

  Michelle still looked as though she was in pain, but like all children the shock of it was more devastating than the actual pain. Darren had learned when Brent was a kid that the best thing he could do as a parent was to act like it wasn’t a big deal, in order to teach the child that they didn’t need to be concerned with a small wound. However, in this case, Darren needed to teach Michelle a lesson, because even small wounds could grow into big ones.

  “I need you to be super careful about what you touch, okay Sweetie? Remember that we’re not going to be able to use a lot of the things that we’re used to using. I don’t have any bandages, and if you get sick, we can’t just go to the doctor. A lot of things pose a danger out here, and we have to be really super-duper careful.”

  Michelle nodded numbly, and then gripped Darren’s hand as they moved away. They followed the path a little while longer. Darren had been hoping to find an ideal piece of wood lying somewhere, but it was pretty clear that by now it wasn’t going to happen. If he couldn’t find something better than using his machete to chop wood, his dreams of converting the cave into a bunker were going to take much longer..

  He stopped when he heard a rustling, and went into a defensive stance. His mind instantly went to the worst case scenario and he looked around for whoever was standing there. When Michelle pointed out that it was merely a squirrel scampering along the ground, he felt foolish. The world was a dark place, but not everything meant him harm.

  There were plenty of things he wanted to say to Michelle, but he knew she wouldn’t understand. He wanted to tell her that in many ways he envied her and the opportunity she had to grow up in a world like this. Her generation was free in a way that no generation in the last hundred years or so had been. They could pursue whatever course of life they wanted without having to worry about mortgages or other bills. It was a good opportunity, for the ones who made it, anyway.

  The majority of people were going to die soon because of lack of medical care. Without access to antibiotics a lot of simple infections were going to prove fatal. There was going to be a huge culling of the population. And if parents died, it was unlikely the children would survive, since they didn’t have the skills necessary for living in a world like this. It was a sobering thought, filling him with dread as he envisioned a world where Michelle and Brent were left alone. Thinking about them having to make it through life without him tore him up inside.

  “Michelle, I want you to promise me something. I want you to listen to your brother like you listen to me. He’s always going to be there to take care of you, okay? And you have to take care of him as well.”

  “I know, Daddy. It’s like what you told us when Mommy left. It’s just the three of us now, and we have to take care of each other.”

  “Yes, just like that,” Darren said, breathing a sigh of relief. He was glad that his kids had their heads screwed on right. They were survivors, just like him.

  “I haven’t seen any treasure yet,” she said.

  “No, me neither. Kee
p looking, though. I’m sure we’ll find something,” he said. Not wanting his first foray into the wilderness to be fruitless, Darren was willing to stay out for longer than he initially had intended. He spared a thought for Brent and hoped that his son was alright. By now he should have found the stream. It was a routine task, and Brent should be home by the time Darren and Michelle got back.

  “What’s that?” Michelle said, shaking Darren from his thoughts.

  Darren stopped for a moment and gazed in the direction Michelle was pointing. His breath caught in his throat, for it was a truck that had careened off the path and crashed into a tree. The tree had been split at the point of impact and the trunk had come down onto the roof of the truck, denting it. The truck was red, its sides smeared with mud. By the look of it, the truck had been traveling at a high speed to cause such a powerful impact.

  “Okay, Honey, let’s just head back to the cave now,” Darren said, paranoid about what he might find. Michelle was insistent that they go find treasure, but he told her to stay behind him. He didn’t want her seeing anything too brutal or grisly.

  Darren moved closer to the truck. He looked around, but couldn’t see anyone else. He called out in a weak voice, but nobody responded. Although, if anyone had survived the crash he doubted they could have gotten far. Darren imagined that the storm must have wreaked havoc with the driver, and if he had been driving when the EMP went off, it was likely that the car sped off the road around the valley and came down here.

  The same thing easily could have happened to Darren if he had been driving around here, so he was glad that he had been in the city.