Nuclear Winter Whiteout by Bobby Akart (books to read to improve english .TXT) 📗

waited nervously on the front porch of the main house for the first invited guest to Driftwood Key since the collapse. Well, invited was a term that simply differentiated Sonny’s ex-sister-in-law, Monroe County Mayor Lindsey Free, from the armed attackers of the day before.

Word had spread quickly throughout Marathon of the nighttime gun battle. By the next morning, it was the topic of conversation at the daily briefing held by the Board of County Commissioners in Key West. Mayor Free, who’d been elected to represent District 2 encompassing Big Pine Key, had been elected mayor as well just over four years ago. Previously, she’d sat on the Marathon City Council and had been elected mayor of Marathon prior to that. Her relationship to the Albrights went back to childhood, as she was only a few years younger than Mike. Mayor Free’s ex-husband was also the youngest of Sonny’s five siblings.

Hank had been told in advance by Mike to expect something other than a social visit. It was going to be more of a courtesy call than anything. The sheriff, in light of the attack on Driftwood Key, felt compelled to give Mike a heads-up. In an unrelated decision reached by the Board of Commissioners, Mayor Free was prepared to take a tighter grip on her constituents.

“Sonny, you really shouldn’t be here for this,” said Hank as he finished a protein shake. He set it on the table next to his old friend’s partially empty bowl of watered-down Frosted Flakes. They had powdered milk in their storage pantry, but Sonny thought it would be wasted on cereal.

“Let me at least say hello. Otherwise, she might think I’m hiding from her. Lindsey’s a viper, Hank. If she smells weakness, you’re a goner. Ask my brother.”

“I heard. No wonder she’s a politician. It suits her.”

“So what does she want?” asked Sonny.

“I don’t know for sure, but we’re about to find out,” replied Hank as he stood and pointed toward the driveway. A deputy sheriff driving a marked SUV slowly pulled toward the parking area joined to the bromeliad-lined walkway in front of the main house. The tropical plant bloomed once in its lifetime although the flowers usually lasted for a fairly long period of time. It was one of the features Hank’s wife had introduced to greet guests with a lovely first impression when they walked to the front porch. Each day since nuclear winter began to take its toll, the beautiful tropical flowers withered and died.

Sonny walked down the steps to greet his former sister-in-law. “Hi, Lindsey. Well, I mean, Madam Mayor. This is official business, right?”

Hank chuckled to himself. Nice touch, wingman.

Lindsey leaned in to accept a peck on the cheek from Sonny before she responded, “Oh, not really. I heard this morning what happened to you folks last night. I’ve always held the Albrights in high esteem, and I simply worried about them, and you, of course.”

Hank managed a smile. She was every bit the snake as she was growing up when she pitted boys against one another for the chance to kiss that picture-perfect smile while gazing into her enchanting hazel eyes. Many a man had been caught off guard by Lindsey’s wily ways. He took a deep breath and was inwardly thankful he’d engaged in the gun battle last night. It better prepared him for what was coming.

“Good morning, Mayor,” said Hank nonchalantly as he eased his hands into the pockets of his linen slacks. It was a little cool that morning, but he didn’t have much else to wear. He’d bloodied his khakis moving dead bodies out of the way so a county flatbed wrecker could get the disabled pickup truck removed.

“Hi, Hank!” she said in a little too friendly manner. She’s up to something, Hank thought. His level of awareness had just reached its peak.

Sonny excused himself and opened the door for the visiting dignitary and Hank. Her bodyguard deputy took up a position outside on the porch while Sonny made himself scarce. Hank and the mayor made small talk until they were settled into his office with the door closed. Then Hank utilized a communication method that had unnerved his kids on those few occasions they’d gotten out of line.

He said nothing.

After a moment of awkward silence, the mayor, who obviously had an agenda, spoke up.

“Hank, the deeper we get into this crisis, the more difficult it has become for me to both protect and care for our neighbors. None of us asked for this, and we’re all trying to find a path forward that is both safe from the criminal element and sustainable by providing basic necessities to those who need it most.”

“I bet you never imagined something like this when you were elected mayor,” said Hank.

He was making a point that she may or may not have understood. Politicians need to be more than the people who spend tax dollars. They need to be visionaries of progress and collapse. To Hank, it’s easy to be a politician when a nation or community is at its best. It’s when the society begins to decline, and they all do, as history has proven, that the real leaders step up to shepherd their constituents through it.

“You’re right about that,” she replied before getting back to her agenda. “In any event, we’ve made great strides in removing nonresidents and preventing any newcomers from entering the Keys through our implementation of checkpoints. This has also enabled us to keep our law enforcement professionals like Jessica and Mike fully employed.”

“They’re very grateful for that. I imagine their paycheck will be pretty big when the county is able to actually deliver it.”

Hank wished he’d never made the statement. He resented his family having to leave Driftwood Key when armed gunmen were roaming around with nefarious intentions. That said, they’d both impressed upon him the importance of having access to the world beyond Driftwood Key to gather information and acquire necessary supplies.

The mayor bristled at the implication the county’s essential employees