Conflicted Home (The Survivalist Book 9) by A American (learn to read books TXT) 📕

back up,” I replied as I sat down on the edge of the bed.

“How was your trip?” She asked as she slid under the cover.

Untying my boots, I said, “It was actually good. Very uneventful.” I stood up and slid my pants off before lying down on the bed. “We drove back on the same route I walked to get home.”

“Really?” She replied, leaning on her elbow.

I was staring at the ceiling and shook my head. “It was really weird. Seeing all those places again. I mean, I saw my car. It was still sitting on the side of I-10.”

She reached over and rubbed my chest. “Really? What’d it look like?”

I snorted, “Like shit. The doors were open. It was dirty as hell.”

“Well, you’re home now.”

“Again,” I quipped.

She laid her head down on the bed beside me. “All that matters is that you’re still here.”

I leaned over and kissed her. “Yes it is. Yes it is.”

Chapter 6

I slept in a little late. Mel was already up when I came out of the bedroom. Little Bit was sitting at the table eating a pile of pancakes. I had to take a second look to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was.

“Where’d those come from?” I asked.

“Mommy made them. I have honey on them,” she replied as she stuffed an overloaded forkful into her mouth. Adding, “They’re so good!”

I stepped into the kitchen to see Mel at the stove cooking yet more griddle cakes. “You hungry?” she asked.

I hadn’t considered it, but the smell of them was indeed making me ravenous. “Yes, I am,” I replied as I returned to the table and took a seat.

Mel slid a pile of cakes in front of me and I picked up the jar of honey and poured a generous portion on top of them. “Where did this come from?” I asked.

“From the stuff you got yesterday. Everyone is out there going through it. There’s so much. Things I didn’t think we’d see again.”

I packed the hot cakes into my mouth and asked, “Like what?”

“Feminine pads. Disposable pads. I can’t believe you remembered.”

I looked at her sideways. “I’m married to you and have three daughters. Why wouldn’t I remember?”

She smiled and replied, “I guess you’re right. Want some tea?” With my mouth full, I couldn’t talk, but nodded my head. She went to the fridge and poured me a glass.

Noticing the light was out, I swallowed the wad of dough and said, “I’ll go out and start the generator in a minute.”

“Finish your breakfast,” she replied as she set the glass down in front of me.

I pointed with my fork towards the door. “Who’s out there working on that?”

“Everyone. They’re going through it to see what’s in it, setting some aside for us and loading the rest to take to town.”

“Why didn’t someone wake me up?” I asked.

She shrugged. “There’s enough people out there. You were asleep, so I left you alone.”

“Daddy, I want these for breakfast every day!” Little Bit shouted.

“I told you,” Mel replied to her, “we can’t have them every day.”

“But I love them!” Little Bit replied as she forced another forkful into her mouth, smearing honey on the side of her face as she did.

I smiled at her and rubbed her head. “They are good, aren’t they?” She smiled broadly and her head bobbed up and down in an exaggerated display of agreement.

I finished my breakfast and carried the plate to the sink. When I turned on the water to rinse the plate, nothing happened. “Water’s out too,” Mel said.

“Alright. I’ll go start the generator right now. Then I’m going to see what’s going on.”

Little Bit began to wiggle out of her chair. “I’m going with Daddy!”

I went outside and pulled the generator out of the shed. The gauge showed it was about half-full, enough to get the charge back up now that the sun was shining through scattered clouds. I checked the oil quickly, then started it, relieved when it fired up on the second pull. While it warmed up, I connected the cord to it and flipped the breaker on. The generator took up the load nicely and was soon running smoothly.

Back inside, Little Bit was dressed and ready to go. She had on a large straw hat, much too big for her small head. I smiled at her and asked, “You ready to go?”

“Yep!” She replied.

I went into the bedroom and put my shoes on. I didn’t feel like wearing that vest, and instead, I put a holster on my belt and secured the Springfield in it. Walking back into the living room, I called out, “We’ll be back in a little bit. The generator is running, so you should be able to run water.”

“Okay,” Mel replied, “see you later.”

We walked down the road, holding hands. The sun felt good on my face after not seeing it for so many days. I hoped it meant the tropical depression had moved on. As we made our way up the road and the bunker came into view, I could see the trucks. And it was quite a sight. There were mounds of goods stacked around them. More than I thought could possibly fit in the trucks we carried it here on.

Pallets had been scrounged up from somewhere and all the supplies were being sorted and stacked. Sarge was sitting on the hood of his Hummer watching the work. It was Kay who was in the thick of it. She was directing where to put things and keeping a running tally on a notepad. And it seemed everyone was there.

I went over and leaned on the hood of the Hummer. Little Bit didn’t hesitate and dove right into the work. “Damn,” I said. “I didn’t think there was that much.”

Sarge looked over and said, “You told him to give until it hurts. Looks like he did.”

“If they gave us this much, can you imagine how much they actually have?”

He pointed at a