THE END

Chapter 8

"The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls."

-Edgar Allen Poe.

Dad spreads out an old worn out map on the kitchen island silently. He points to a corner on it "This is us. The bunker is built here. Against the hills."

Laodecia Hills.

When I went out two days ago, I didn't notice we were in the hills but it makes the most sense to have the bunker built into a hill. It makes it more insulated.

"This is where we're going." He points to a spot down the map, not too far away from where we are.

Almeda Town.

"Our old house is tucked into a corner in Almeda Town just down the hills."

"What's this?" I ask, pointing at some sprig-ish shapes that stand between us and the town. The writing on the map is faint and faded from time so I can't make out the words.

"That's Laodecia Forest. 1830 acres of coast redwood forest. Now it's nothing but woods."

"What happened to it?" I ask him.

Dad shrugs. "After the war, all plants, flowers, trees, basically all life forms just shrivelled up and died. It's like all the life in them got drained out."

"How come you never took me to the old house dad? I've gone into the town with you a few times but you never mentioned it. I didn't even know the house was that close."

Dad sighs. "It just never came up I guess. We had no real reason to go there so we didn't."

"How long will it take to get there?" I ask.

"Depends on how fast our party is, but it shouldn't be more than two hours. An hour to an hour and a half hike down the hills, and twenty to thirty minutes to get to the town."

"Wow, it's even way closer than I thought."

Dad smiles a little. "Your mother and I didn't want to be too far away from home," He deftly rolls the map up, "I have two more of this somewhere, I'll go get them so we each have it in case we get separated. You girls should go pack your stuff and get ready. We leave in two hours."
Bekah and I stand up to get ready.

"Oh and girls?" Dad calls when we get to the doorway. "Pack only what you need, things that are absolutely necessary and essential. Nothing else. A single backpack should be enough."

I change my outfit into an all black tactical gear that's been collecting dust at the back of my closet since dad gave them to me. Black cargo pants, t-shirt, and black ankle boots that give me an additional 2 inches to my height. I contemplate putting on a jacket but decide to see what the weather outside is like first.

An hour and half later we all convene into the kitchen with a backpack each. Dad and Bekah are also wearing outfits similar to mine.

Dad drops a duffel bag on the island with a light thud. "I hope you both have your holsters on." He says as he unzips the bag.

Bekah and I exchange glances.

"I have mine on." She pats her right ankle where sure enough a black holster blends with her black pants, right above her boots.

I clear my throat. "I forgot."

Dad gives me a look. I grimace as I run back to my room to grab the holsters I left on my bed. I wear them on both thighs and go back to the kitchen.