Nuclear Winter Series by Akart, Bobby (recommended ebook reader .TXT) 📗

table. “I pushed the button on the key thing, and it wouldn’t unlock.”

The Taurus was an older model that still used a key to unlock the doors and turn on the ignition. Despite the fact the electronics were likely fried from the EMP, the trunk should open with the car’s key.

He shoved the keys in his pocket and ran his right hand through his shaggy hair. He had been overdue for a haircut when he went to Abu Dhabi more than a week ago. Sitting in a barber’s chair had been the last thing on his mind. He furrowed his brow and knelt down in front of Asia.

“I wanna be honest with you before you give permission to let your granddaughter walk through that door. Even if the CVS isn’t already looted and I can get us into the store, there’s no guarantee I can break into the pharmacy. If—and this is a very big if—if I can, then I have to hope they have insulin in their refrigerators and it hasn’t been ruined by the loss of power.

“But, Asia, this may only last a few days or a week at best. I don’t know. Is it worth the risk to send Jackie out there?”

Peter didn’t want to dishearten the diabetic grandmother. He wanted her to understand the risk to Jackie. If something went wrong, Asia would likely die anyway, and Jackie could be lost in the process, leaving the three young kids completely alone.

Jackie walked closer and knelt next to Peter. “Mamaw, I don’t know this man, but I trust him. Please. Let me try.”

For the first time, the stoic grandmother showed a vulnerable side. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she nodded her approval. She looked Peter in the eye.

“Please bring this child of God home to me. Promise me.”

Peter nodded his head, but he couldn’t say the words.

A few moments later, Jackie was leading them to the Taurus. Peter opened the trunk and rummaged through some pillows, blankets and boxes to locate the tire-changing tools. They’d been used once before and thrown in the bottom of the trunk. He managed a smile when he discovered the tire iron was flat on one end with the socket to loosen the lugs on the other.

They walked briskly through the apartment complex until they reached an office building. All of the glass windows of the building’s entrance had been broken out. Peter paused, stuck his head inside, and illuminated his flashlight to scan the interior. He did it out of curiosity, but it was also a reminder. Desperate people were doing desperate things in order to survive. Many understood that help wasn’t coming anytime soon. They were willing to loot, steal, or forage, pick your description, in order to live one more day.

Jackie knew the sidewalks and pathways of the apartment complex like Peter knew the mangroves around Driftwood Key. As a child, he would play with Jimmy Free all over the twenty-plus acres of the island. They had hiding spots and built makeshift forts for fun. Jackie’s playground consisted of apartment complexes and parking lots. Their two worlds couldn’t have been more different growing up.

She held her hand up across the street from the CVS Pharmacy. “Let’s wait here for a minute and see what’s going on before we cross out into the open.”

At that moment, Peter was glad he’d brought Jackie along. He was on her turf.

Chapter Twenty

Sunday, October 27

CVS Pharmacy

Fairfax, Virginia

Peter raised the compact binoculars he’d taken from Dick’s Sporting Goods. He studied the entrance as they waited. The signature entry door found at the front corner of the building had been pried open, and its glass was shattered. Even in the darkened conditions, he could see merchandise thrown onto the sidewalk and just inside the store.

“See anybody?” Jackie asked.

He lowered the binoculars and sighed. “Not so far. What I don’t know is whether somebody is still inside.”

“I think we’ve gotta go for it, Peter. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that someone else comes along.”

Peter gave the store one last look, and then he put the field glasses away. He turned to Jackie. “From here on out you have to follow my lead, okay?”

She nodded. “Just tell me what to do.”

Peter sensed her serious mood and willingness to cooperate with him. The words he’d said to Asia had been meant for Jackie, too. She was headstrong and confident. Both admirable traits. However, she needed to remember there were young kids relying on her, too. Getting injured or even killed might very well sentence them to death.

“Okay,” he began. “Most likely, the people inside are just as afraid as we are. They’re trying to find things to help themselves or their families. Just like us. We don’t have a quarrel with them, and they have nothing against us.”

“Makes sense,” she interjected.

“I hope I’m right.” He glanced around and then stood, holding his hand out for Jackie to take it. It was a personal gesture that helped the two form a bond. They needed to trust one another. “When we get to the entrance, I need you to give me a minute to clear the store. I’m gonna check the aisles and places to hide to make sure we don’t get ambushed.”

“We don’t have anything worth stealing,” she said.

Peter patted his holster. “Yes, we do. These are our most important assets right now.”

“What do I do?”

“Wait just inside the door,” he responded. “You know, in the shadows so nobody on the outside can see you, and close enough so you can run out if necessary. If something goes wrong inside, run back here, and we’ll regroup. If you see people coming, don’t hesitate. Give me a heads-up. Got it?”

They dashed across Fair Lakes Parkway, a four-lane boulevard separated by strips of grass and mature oak trees. Using the shrubs and trees for cover, they paused to look around one more time before racing through the CVS parking lot to the front door.

Once inside,