Page 44 of Waves of Fury

Holy shit.

The Bay Area wasn’t the only place underwater. Apparently, the entire Californian coast right up to Mariposa’s doorstep was.

Someone crudely wrote in Sharpie over the sign:

Gerty got us.

I’m starting to think Gerty goteveryone…

Kellen

Barb’s gone.

The pain of losing another one of my employees is sharp and unrelenting. Her death has really messed with Kyle the most, though, as they were close. Ever since we left her at the wreck site thirty minutes ago, he’s been mournfully quiet.

Our exhausted band of survivors clomps down the road in general silence. Gerry has fallen back, keeping near Kyle, and I’ve taken up the lead. Tyler trots up to my side and gives me a grim smile, illuminated by the partly clouded moon.

“Not a sound coming from anywhere,” he says in a whisper. “Kind of creepy.”

I nod in agreement. “Everyone probably evacuated when the tsunami flood waters hit. They’re probably in the next town over, holed up in hotels.”

“Too bad we can’t find a hotel,” Tyler says with a grunt. “I’m so fucking tired.”

I clasp a hand on the back of his neck and give him a comforting squeeze. “We won’t walk for forever.”

It continues to drizzle off and on as we walk, making it impossible to feel warm. My dress shoes are rubbing blisters on the back of my heels and the sides of my big toes. I’ll be glad when I can get out of these clothes and into something more practical for the end of the world.

“What’s the plan?” Tyler asks, gesturing ahead at the dark road. “After we regroup, I mean.”

“If I remember correctly, the Sierra Nevada Mountain isn’t far from here. Our best bet is to get there where we’ll have the natural barrier to any more flooding. After that…” I trail off and shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

We come to a road that intersects the one we’re on, where a big wooden sign with the word “Hank’s General Store” and an arrow that points to the right beckons for us. Below it is another sign pointing to “camping area.”

A quarter mile to Hank’s.

A mile to the camping area.

Stopping, I turn around to face our weary group. “What do you all say we check out the general store?”

Murmurs of agreement ripple through the group. Pleased with their answer, I gesture for Tyler to follow me down the road. The trees here are thicker, hanging over the road and blocking out what little moonlight we have, and the asphalt isn’t as wide as the main road. If the last road was creepy, this one definitely surpasses it.

The road eventually opens up to a small general store and decrepit parking lot. Unfortunately, not a light is on. I stride ahead, wincing slightly at my painful blisters, to make it onto the porch of the store. A sign with their hours is plastered on the door, proclaiming they’re open from eight to eight.

“Do we break in?” Jesse asks, coming up the steps to peer inside the glass door.

“We can’t break in,” Elise mutters from nearby. “We’ll go to jail.”

I exchange a glance with Tyler. His brows are pinched together as he frowns.

“What do you think?” I ask him, voice low.

“I mean, if we break in and an alarm goes off, the police will show up. They can help us get to safety,” Tyler says. “If nothing happens, we’ll have the supplies we need.”

“I can leave my credit card with a note,” Dan offers, also joining us on the porch. “We’ll be careful to keep things nice inside the store and not break anything.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll break in, take what we need, and promise to repay the owners.” I turn toward the group. “Any objections, raise your hand.”

The only one who raises their hand is Elise. When she realizes she’s alone, she quickly jerks it back down.

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