Going Home (Completed)

Chapter 8

It had taken Max awhile to realize all the things the world had lost. It wasn't just the obvious and inconvenient things like delivery pizza and Netflix. There were no more hospitals, no pharmacies and the gods only knew where a doctor could be found. There were no more trucks rolling into town to resupply stores. This was what he had to work with - no more and, thankfully, no less.

He took a day to empty the SUV and then seriously think. He roamed his property considering the things he and Tul might need. He already had a wood burning stove in the cabin. Eventually, the propane his stove used would run out. The wood burner provided for cooking and heat. Out back there was a water pump so water was good to go. Now what else did they need to survive...

He started two lists. One for items they would need like medical supplies, gardening tools, and winter blankets. The second was titled 'With Tul'. The first item was building some sort of greenhouse. Maybe heat it with a wood stove? Tul was the architect and Max had faith in him. Together, they could figure out just about anything.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

~~~~~

Max looked through the windshield. Trees. Only trees. He closed his eyes and turned the key. He paused a moment, deep breath, then peeked. Trees. Only trees. He smiled. Good coffee. No soldiers. No guns. Good morning.

Today, he had two stops planned: the nursery and one of the two pharmacies in town. "Time to make the donuts." he said quietly to himself with a small grin and headed out.

Max went through the nursery. No people so he got to work. Loading tools, seeds, seedling trays even several bags of enriched potting soil into the SUV. Whatever he thought would be of use.

He never realized he was being watched.

~~~~~

The tallest building in town was the four story hospital. It was only a little over a mile from the nursery. From the fourth floor, two narrowed eyes watched Max loading the SUV. "Handsome boy. Plenty of muscle. Energetic. He should do nicely." The binoculars were laid to the side. A delicate antique teacup was raised. A sip and a smile. He would do nicely indeed.

~~~~~

The nursery hadn't been touched by looters. The pharmacy had been stirred, tossed and thrown into a blender for good measure. Max had to shuffle in places because so many of the products were on the floor. It took him an hour to gather the first aid supplies.He had even found a book on first aid that ranged from paper cuts to gunshot wounds. Any kind of medication dealing with fevers, or flu symptoms were long gone. He'd have to trust to his luck while collecting to find some of those items.

Focused on working, one o'clock had come and gone several hours ago. "Damn." Max growled as he turned on his phone. Nothing. Still. Down deep, where he was honest with himself, he knew there would be no texts. There would be no calls. But he had to hope. Hope that his family was safe. That they would come to the same conclusion as Tul and head to the cabin. That Tul was okay despite it being over three weeks since he had said he was coming.

"Make the donuts, Max. Make the donuts." he muttered. This time there was no smile as he returned to work.

~~~~~

The eyes could see the white SUV but no sign of the boy. Fingers tapped the window sill. Standing on the opposite side of the hospital so the surveillance could continue. There was a brief regret the tea was in the other room. Soon, the boy would leave and head back to wherever he was holed up. And having that information was worth waiting for. A spiteful smile and the binoculars were raised again.

~~~~~

Max felt exhausted as he drove home. He'd have to hurry. It was just shy of dusk and he didn't want to turn his headlights on. They would stand out like a sore thumb in all of this power outage darkness. Once he hit the dirt road, he had given in and turned on his parking lights. Just enough light to keep him out of the brush on either side of the road.

Tomorrow. The SUV could wait until tomorrow. Max walked directly to the water pump and filled the two buckets next to it. He put them on the deck and went inside for a moment. Soap and a towel in hand, he stood at the edge of the deck and stripped down.

A deep breath and he poured the first bucket on himself. As he was scrubbing, he thought about his day. He was pleased with what he had found. It was good start. 'If only the buildings weren't so hot and stuffy.' he thought. The nursery, with its open lay out, still got air flow. The pharmacy was a dusty, stuffy, airless box.

Bathing on the deck with a fresh cool breeze was a good remedy. Cleared away the sweat from his body and the stale air from his lungs. Done with his head to toe scrub, he carefully rinsed with the remaining water. A quick rub with the towel and he was reasonably dry. He could probably survive sleeping with damp hair just this once. A smile. His mother would have fits if she knew he was planning to sleep with damp hair.

He looked up. One thing that had changed for the better was the stars. In the cities, if he could see half a dozen stars, he counted himself lucky. Now, everyone would be able to see millions of stars, the Milky Way, even satellites whizzing by in their
orbits. He hoped there were other people to see this glory.

Gathering his clothes and soap, he wandered back inside. A glass of water from the jug in the kitchen and a snack bar made a meager dinner but he just wanted to sleep.

He slowly dragged himself up the stairs to the loft and, more importantly, the queen sized bed waiting for him. Max slid into the sheets as naked as the day he was born and relaxed into slumber.

~~~~~

A single candle, a cup of herbal tea and a book that had been on the best seller's list before DV had struck. All three were being ignored as their owner thought. The boy had gone up the mountain. The location had benefits worth exploring. A bit more observation and everything could begin. A sip of tea and a hum of appreciation. Oh yes. It would begin very soon.

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