Page 45 of Waves of Fury

“Great. We don’t need everyone to go. Tyler, Aaron, Dan, and myself will go check things out. Everyone else can stay out here and rest until we deem it safe.”

Tyler studies the glass front door as if looking for the best way to get inside while Aaron walks around to the back with Dan. There’s no easy way to break into the front without busting the glass. The last thing we want to do is open up the general store to actual looters or animals. There’s got to be another way in.

A cracking sound can be heard and then Aaron hollers, “Got it!”

Me and Tyler walk around to the back of the building to find a back door standing ajar. No alarms have gone off, which means the building is likely out of power. I fumble for a light switch once inside and after flipping it on and off a couple of times, my observation is validated.

We need light.

Seconds later, a light illuminates the space and then sweeps over to blind me. I squint against it until it points to the ground.

“There’s a whole bucket of mini flashlights,” Tyler says, handing one to me. “Let’s see what we can find.”

I take the offered light and then follow Tyler through the store. One side of the store appears to be your typical convenience store with food, souvenirs, and drinks. Beyond the food aisles, another opening leads to a second area of the general store.

“Jackpot,” Aaron calls out. “Camping gear and supplies. Boots and clothes and other useful stuff.”

Boots and clothes.

Thank God.

“Unlock the front door, Dan,” I instruct, “and tell everyone they can come in to grab what they need. We’ll take an inventory on our note to repay the owner before we leave.”

Dan splits off to bring in the others while me and Tyler make our way to the camping section. It’s just as big as the food side, which is great. I’ve never been so happy in all my life to see redneck camo T-shirts and Carhartt pants.

Eager to get out of my wet, ruined dress clothes, I waste no time slipping off my jacket. My side hurts, but I’d noticed earlier Tyler must’ve redressed my wound while I slept. I quickly unbutton my shirt, peel it off, and then gingerly begin pulling off my undershirt.

When I get a whiff of my own body odor, I groan in embarrassment.

Tyler laughs and shakes his head. “You’re not the only one, Kell. I’ll go find us some deodorant.”

His eyes linger on my chest for a beat, causing heat to flood through me, and then he abruptly turns to leave. I start looking through the racks of camouflage long-sleeved shirts until I find one in my size. Tyler returns with a stick of deodorant that he’s already opened and pulled the cap off. I graciously accept his offering and attempt to erase my stench before handing it back to him. Once I pull the wonderfully dry shirt on, I then set off to find a pair of pants.

The tan Carhartt work pants remind me of the ones I used to wear all the time back at the ranch. It feels like a lifetime ago. Since I don’t have replacement boxers, I’m forced to keep the still-wet pair on, but putting on the new pants feels great.

“Socks,” Tyler says, tossing me a small package. “They have some hiking boots in the corner. Not a huge style selection, but there does seem to be various sizes to choose from.”

I rip open the package with my teeth and swap out my soaked socks. My feet smell pretty rank too, but there’s nothing I can do about that until I grab a shower whenever the hell that may be. The socks are thick and warm, much to my delight.

As promised, the corner of the store houses the hiking boots. I find Kyle and Gerry already there, both eager to lose their dress shoes. I hope there are some that will fit Hope and Elise as well since they lost their heels a long time ago when the water first hit and tried to drown us.

I feel like a new man when I locate a pair of boots in my size and they fit perfectly when I get them laced up.

Kyle, having found his boots, saunters off to look at the clothes. Gerry remains to help Hope and Elise when they arrive. I leave the three of them to look for a backpack or something to carry supplies in. Luckily, there’s a whole wall of them. The camping and hiking gear in this store is a blessing.

I grab a backpack and pull out all the stuffing. Then I head back over to the clothes. Having a backup change of clothes will be nice. Once I gather a few items, I then check over the other hunting supplies. Food and water are important, but so are other things we may need should we be forced to stay outdoors. I snag matches, a couple of battery-powered lanterns, a hatchet, a sleeping roll I can tie to my backpack, a couple of pocketknives, and a few boxes of water purification tablets.

Tyler joins me just as I’m zipping up my bag and starts stuffing a new backpack, one much sturdier and made for outdoors than his current one, with similar supplies.

Bottles in the refrigerators on the other side of the store begin to rattle. It takes me a second to realize the ground is shaking. Tyler shoots me a panicked look as he grabs onto my arm. The shaking doesn’t stop but intensifies, sending various items crashing to the ground throughout the store. Several people cry out, making me wonder if they were hit by any of the falling goods.

Unlike most earthquakes that last a minute or so, this one continues to rumble. Everyone snaps into action, quickly finishing their shopping spree. Tyler tugs me out of the camping side and over to the food side. We grab what we can, topping off our bags, and then hurry out of the building before it crumples on top of us.

Outside, most everyone has already escaped the store. Aaron and Hope are the last to run out, their arms full of gear.

“We should get to more stable ground,” I call out above the grumbling complaints of the earth. “Camping is that way. We can always come back if we forgot anything.”

Elise staggers over to me, frowning. “What about the list for the owner? I don’t feel comfortable stealing their things.”

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