Surviving The Grid (Survival Series Book 1) Read online

  They made their way to the place that was so dear to their hearts. As they drew closer Darren started to move more quickly, for he was anticipating the moment when he would be able to let go of all he was holding and succumb to exhaustion. But as they came toward the cavern, his heart sank.

  It seemed as though a bolt of lightning had struck a tree, causing it to fall across the path. The trunk was splintered, and the branches were splayed out. The tree was huge, far too big to climb. The only choice they had was to walk around it, which meant walking through more mud and only served to add more time to their journey. Darren grimaced as he looked at the tree, shaking his head. If the world was as it had been, this tree would have been seen to. As it was, it likely was going to stay here for the foreseeable future.

  When they walked around the tree Darren’s heart sank again. The fallen tree had taken other things with it, including thick bramble, which lay across the entrance to the cave.

  Nothing was ever easy.

  “What are we going to do?” Brent asked.

  “We’re going to have to cut it away. Stay with your sister,” Darren said.

  “I can help.”

  “You can help by staying with your sister. I don’t want her around when bramble is flying all over the place.”

  Brent looked a little subdued, but Darren would have to talk with him later. He walked up to the bramble and let the packs slide off his back, closing his eyes in relief. Then he pulled out the machete and felt the weight of it in his hand. The blade was sharp and clean. He checked that Michelle was being a good girl and staying with her brother, then he began hacking away at the bramble, bringing the machete back again and again.

  Chapter 11

  The bramble cracked and split as the machete was brought down with all the force that Darren could muster. He fought through the pain in his muscles, knowing that he had to get through this so his family could be safe. The mouth of the cave beckoned to him, almost taunting him, saying he never would be able to come inside.

  Darren wasn’t going to let anything talk to him like that. He was a fighter. Before he knew it, he actually was roaring with rage as he hacked and slashed at the bramble. All the aggression and emotion that had been building up inside him during the course of the night was released in a hot burst of vitriol. The bramble was the recipient of all his festering frustration, and when he was finished it had been hacked to pieces.

  Drenched in sweat, he stood up and put the machete back where it was safe. He had cut a path through the middle of the bramble where it was safe to walk. He beckoned for the kids to join him, then showed Brent through first. They handed the packs to each other, which Brent put into the cave, and then Michelle walked through, careful not to let the bramble touch her or Applejack.

  Finally, Darren went through, but before he went into the cave, he carefully arranged the bramble to hide the path to the cavern, just in case anyone came across their hidden spot. It wouldn’t do anything to fool people who took a closer look, but he was betting that the rare person who came this way wouldn’t want to go to the trouble of dealing with thorns. He doubted most people would have a machete with them anyway. If the Follower still was on their trail, Darren hoped he would think they had kept moving.

  It was time for them to be safe, without the threat of gunshots ringing around or anyone storming into their home to steal worthless items.

  Darren was carrying the lantern, so he walked into the mouth of the cave. Brent and Michelle waited for him. Although he thought it unlikely, there always was the chance that some other creature had come into the cave to use it as shelter from the storm, so he told his kids to be careful.

  “I’m just going to have a look around,” he said, hoping there wouldn’t be anything like a bear in there.

  The cave was just about the perfect place for this situation. It offered shelter from the weather, was secluded from the main areas of the city, and was set in the forest so he could find sources of food and water. Frankly, Darren was surprised more people didn’t know about it, but he had been coming here for years with the kids and had kept the location secret. Only Stacie had known about it, and she never had cared.

  He only had brought her here one time, thinking it would be a romantic getaway, almost like they were the only survivors of a shipwreck and had nothing to do but to lose themselves in each other.

  Stacie had taken one look and turned up her nose. She hadn’t even indulged Darren when he tried to convince her that it was a good idea. She simply turned on her heels and walked away. They’d ended up going out for dinner in the city instead, and Darren had been miserable the entire time.

  Even when Darren had been at his high-paying job, he had longed to feel the freedom of nature. The great outdoors always had appealed to him. It seemed like the natural way to live. The city had been built by man over the years, but it wasn’t how they had originated. He had believed that humanity had lost something along the way, and perhaps now was the time to recapture it.

  But at that moment he simply had to check the cave. The soft light of the lantern lit up a bit at a time, so he passed it from side to side as he walked through the cave. It was quite big, and he suspected that it led even deeper, although he hadn’t explored all the way back. There were different levels and ridges, creating a big chamber. It only seemed smaller because the darkness enveloped the size.

  So far, Darren hadn’t found any bears, but he was conscious of the cave’s size, so he swept the light along the ground and the ceiling as well. The last thing he needed was a nasty surprise during the night.

  As he lifted up the lantern, the light caught the glow of two beady eyes. They were like small jewels sparkling under the stars. The creature attached to them wasn’t beautiful, though. Darren yelped as the bat spread its wings and flapped down toward him. He saw its claws and its tiny jaw open wide, baring its sharp fangs, hissing at him. He crouched low to prevent it from attacking him, and thankfully the bat flew harmlessly overhead. Darren turned back to see it flying out of the cave. Brent and Michelle looked up in amazement, as though they were in a zoo.

  “Well, I think we’ve driven the original inhabitant out, unless Batman is lurking somewhere back there,” Darren said, his heart still racing from the encounter with the bat. He once again tried not to show that he was afraid. “I think we’re the only ones here, once again. This is our secret special place. You know, I don’t think anyone else in the city even knows this place exists.”

  “So, you think we’ll be safe here?” Brent asked, failing to hide the worry from his voice.

  “I think we will be. It’s nice and dry in here as well. Come on, let’s unpack, get a fire started and make ourselves at home,” Darren said, trying to make the whole thing seem like just another camping trip.

  This wasn’t just another camping trip, though. Those always took place over a weekend or a week, always with a home to return to, whereas this time there was no telling how long they would have to stay in this cave.

  As Brent and Michelle got busy pulling the cans of food out of the bags, Darren looked around at the place. It hardly was a comfortable environment, not a place in which they could stay for the long-term. At some point they would have to figure out another plan, another place to go. But that was for the future version of Darren to worry about. Right now he had to focus on the immediate concerns and not lose himself in the future.

  There was a thin film of soil in the cave, but as Darren tested it, he realized it wasn’t going to be comfortable. He was going to have to watch Michelle carefully as well. She had a habit of running ahead without looking where she was going. If she tripped and fell, she could hurt herself quite badly.

  Darren already could see the place where they were going to sleep, a little way in from the entrance. They would have to build the fire near the entrance, though, to ensure they didn’t suffocate from the smoke. Darren walked over to the kids and helped them unpack, praising them for all the hard work they were doing. Both o
f them looked dead on their feet, and Darren imagined that he looked the same.

  Darren laid down the sleeping bags. As soon as they hit the ground, Michelle crawled over and curled up on one. She fidgeted a little bit, but then seemed to settle down, and didn’t care that the ground was uncomfortable. Darren went over to zip her in and stroke her face.

  “You did a good job today, Sweetie. I’m very proud of you. You have a good sleep now, okay? I promise that we won’t be moving again. We’re going to stay here for a little while so you can sleep without feeling worried about it,” Darren said. Michelle yawned and murmured out ‘Goodnight,’ and then she was fast asleep.

  “I’m glad she went down easy. I was worried that she’d be overtired and would cry this place down,” Darren said as he went back to Brent.

  “Yeah.”

  “You okay, Son?”

  “I’m fine,” Brent said, moving past Darren to continue with the work.

  “Brent, I know you better than anyone, and I know when you’re not fine. I get that this is not an ideal situation, but I’m very proud of what you’ve done here today. I couldn’t have done this without you. You’ve proven yourself to be a real asset, and I’m glad you’ve learned a thing or two from those games you’ve been playing.”

  Brent grinned at him, then yawned and stretched his arms.

  “My back is killing me,” he said.

  “It’s going to be even worse tomorrow, but this type of surface is probably better for us than sleeping on a comfortable bed.”

  “How did you even find this place anyway? We’ve been here a lot, but I don’t think you’ve ever told me that.”

  “No? I was just out exploring here a while back. I liked to get away from the city now and then. It helped me to keep my perspective, I guess. I would have loved it if your mom would have come here too, but she wasn’t interested. So, I just used to come out here for a few hours at a time and wander around. It was relaxing, being in nature, and it was easy to lose track of time. Anyway, one day I just stumbled past it and I almost couldn’t believe it. I figured someone else had to be making use of it, but every time I came here there were never any signs of anyone else. You remember in the stories I used to read you about the things that only certain people could see?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It sounds stupid, but I figured it was like that. I’m just glad it’s still here. This really could be our salvation,” Darren said, putting his hand against the cold, jagged wall of the cave.

  “What do you think is really going on out there? Do you think that guy was following us?”

  “Maybe. Either way, I think I scared him off. I don’t really like to think about what’s going on in the city. From what I saw, it’s nothing good.”

  “You think we’ll ever be able to go back there?” Brent said, unable to stand on his feet any longer. He surrendered to the exhaustion and laid on the ground. Darren remained standing upright, wanting to keep his muscles taut for the time being, pushing them to their limits.

  “I think so. In time, we just have to let it go through growing pains first. We’ll hide out here until we get a lay of the land. The most important thing is making sure that we have enough to eat and resources to keep us going. Tomorrow, we’ll make sure the freshwater stream is still a viable source of water, and we’ll work on building fires. It’s going to be hard, there’s no doubt about it, and you and Michelle are going to have a lot of learning to do.”

  Darren turned to face Brent when he heard a soft snore. He smiled to himself at the sight of his boy all tuckered out. Darren knew that the same fate awaited him soon. He could feel sleep tugging at his eyelids now. Every blink seemed to take longer than the last, and all he wanted was to fall asleep.

  Yet fear kept him awake. Despite the fact that this cave was off the beaten path and defended by a fallen tree and thick bramble, he still was worried that strangers would come in during the night and hold them hostage. It was a silly thought, yet he couldn’t let go of it. So, for a little while, he kept watch, holding the machete in his hands. He thought of the future and how he and his children were going to have to tame the wild if they were to survive. Somewhere in the distance he heard a wolf howl and realized that people weren’t the only things who posed a danger to them.

  There were plenty of ways to die in this world, and somehow Darren had to prevent them all from happening.

  No doubt the city was going crazy right now. People would have woken up to darkness, and they soon would have realized that it was no mere power outage. They all would lose themselves to panic and start lashing out at each other. The mobs he’d seen in the city would have swelled, becoming a toxic whirlwind, and nobody would be safe.

  Somehow it amused him that amongst all the chaos his car still was out there, waiting for him.

  And Stacie was out there somewhere too. Darren wondered what Brent and Michelle were feeling about her, if they were worried, or if they were too focused on their own survival to think about her. Stacie had abandoned them, after all. There were so many times when all he wished was that she was here in this cavern with him, but he was with his children now.

  He settled down in between Brent and Michelle, and then laid on the hard surface, putting his hands underneath his head to act as a pillow. He breathed deeply, and between every blink he opened his eyes to make sure nothing was coming through the mouth of the cave. By the cave wall, the lantern glowed dimly, and it was quite a lulling sight as he drifted off into sleep.

  Eventually, when he blinked, he did not open his eyes again. The rigors of the night had taken their toll and his exhausted body succumbed to sleep. Darren breathed heavily, he and his children were safe in the cave for the time being. The bat did not return, and none of them were aware of the events transpiring in the city, which seemed a world away for them. They were in the heart of nature, which presented its own challenges and threats, hazards they would have to overcome if they were to earn their lives.

  The world had ended, and the city still was in the throes of chaos. But Darren was calm, asleep. He had acted in a calm manner, swiftly, and had remained focused on his goal. He’d gotten his kids out of harm’s way, and now could focus on the next task. Nothing else dwelled in the cave and, while through the night a few other animals scurried past, none of them paid the cave any more attention than a cursory sniff, for they were put off by the fire, which they associated with danger.

  Chapter 12

  Darren awoke with a grunt. When he opened his eyes, he expected to see the picture of Brent and Michelle on his bedside table, but he actually saw the jagged cave wall. It hadn’t been a bad dream. The end of the world was real.

  Darren stretched the crick in his neck as he slowly sat up. His body still was trying to cope with the rigors of the previous night. His joints ached and his bones cracked as he moved. His back still felt as though a weight was pressing down on it, and the night on the hard ground hadn’t helped as much as he had hoped.

  Wincing, he looked out of the mouth of the cave at the world outside. The morning sun beamed down, making the remnants of the rain glisten. The air was still, and although there was no telling exactly what time it was, Darren’s stomach told him it probably was somewhere around mid-morning. The kids still were sleeping, and Darren knew they needed their rest, so he let them sleep for a little while longer.

  The soft glow of the lantern still was visible. Darren went over to it and blew out the flame. Wisps of smoke curled in the air. He made a quick check of the waterproof matches. He had a full box, but they would dwindle quickly if he wasn’t careful.

  The first night in this cave had passed safely, but the day was another matter. He made his way to the mouth of the cave and peered out. The sky was clear blue, and much calmer than the roiling storm that had shaken the city the previous night. The leaves of the trees still hung heavy with raindrops, and there were puddles scattered all over the path outside. The air had that fresh smell that always came after rain, and white cl
ouds dotted the sky. When they were not hiding the sun, a golden glow spilled out over the trees, breaking through the leaves.

  It was quite a beautiful sight.

  Ordinarily, at this time of day, Darren already would have been up, getting Michelle and Brent ready for school before he went to work at the construction site. Those days were over.

  He stepped outside the cave, stopping just short of the brambles, and stretched his back. He looked up and down the path. The fallen tree looked even more monstrous than it had the previous night, its gnarled trunk resting on the path, but the rest of the forest didn’t seem as demonic. There were no longer any shadows, and the fears of the mind were less intense.

  However, it was quiet, which he found to be unnerving. Although he liked the call of nature, Darren had lived the majority of his life in the city, and thus he was used to hearing the ambient noises that came with that, such as cars rushing by outside, or even the soft hums of electrical appliances in the home. There were none of those things out here.

  There was no sign of the Follower. Darren imagined that the gunshot had been enough to scare him away. A pang of guilt stabbed at Darren’s heart, for the Follower could have been someone who needed help. The guilt quickly went away, though. A lot of people needed help, but Darren couldn’t afford to think about them. They only would distract him from taking care of his kids.

  This cave always had been his secret place, and he dearly hoped it would remain unexplored. He quite happily could live out the rest of his days here without needing to be bothered by anyone else. Other people only made life miserable, in his experience anyway.

  After taking in a few more gulps of fresh air, he went back into the dim light of the cave and looked around at their new abode. It was a good shelter, but if they were going to stay there for any length of time, they would need to make a few changes. He couldn’t ask Brent and Michelle to live their lives here without making any adjustments, and while he waited for them to wake up his mind was alive, imagining what a wonderful place it could be.