Conflicted Home (The Survivalist Book 9), A American [top android ebook reader TXT] 📗

the fluorescent light fixtures. And then you secure them. When a breeze pushes air into them, it compresses it, cooling it.”

He thought about it as he drove. Then he looked at me and asked, “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s simple thermodynamics.”

He shrugged. “If you say so, professor.”

“Hey, let’s stop by the Market in Altoona. I want to let them know to spread the word that we’ll be giving out food.”

“Good idea,” he replied.

He wheeled into the market and pulled up beside Mario’s booth and I waved him over to the window. “What’s up?” He asked as he walked up.

“Do me a favor,” I said, “start spreading the word that there will be a food distribution here in the morning. We’re going to do one here, as well as in Umatilla and Eustis.

“I’m going up to Eustis later. I’ll deliver the news,” Mario replied.

“Food? What kind of food?” Shelly asked.

“All kinds of stuff,” Aric replied.

“Everything from flour and rice to canned meat. Plus, baby formula, diapers and some other stuff,” I said.

“No shit? Where the hell did all that come from?” Mario asked.

“We went up to Eglin Air Force Base and got it all there. I was surprised they gave us so much.”

“So, are things getting back to normal?” Shelly asked.

“Not yet. But we’re starting to get aid from other countries now.”

Mario shook his head. “Imagine that. The US needing international aid.”

“Does seem like we’re in an alternate universe now, doesn’t it?” I asked.

“To say the least,” Shelly replied.

“We got work to do. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” I said.

Aric gave the peace sign, saying, “Later, tater.”

We rolled up into the parking lot of Save-A-Lot and parked the truck right in front of the doors. I told Aric to grab the keys. I didn’t want to come out and find our ride home gone. He agreed, “That would suck.”

We carried the ladder in and set it down to have a look around. The place was totally devoid of anything that resembled food. As a matter of fact, it was missing anything that wasn’t nailed down. I had to laugh when I looked at the busted cash registers. The thought of someone trying to break into them for something as useless as cash.

“What in the world were they going to do with it if they found any?” Aric asked.

“When was the last time you saw any?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Last night. I actually have a couple of bills in my wallet.”

I stopped and turned to look at him and asked with a laugh, “What the hell are you doing with a wallet?”

“Sentimental,” he shrugged.

I looked under the counters of the register stands.

“What are you looking for?” Aric asked.

“Bags, I’m looking for plastic bags. Check the others and see if there are any,” I said as I pulled a full box of plastic shopping bags out and laid it on the belt that used to carry items to the cashier. It made me laugh, everything had to be made as easy as possible.

We found four and a half cases of bags and carried them out to the truck. “What are you going to do with these? More thermodynamics?”

“No,” I laughed. “We can use these to distribute the food and stuff. It’ll make it easier.”

“Good idea,” he nodded.

After going through the store, partly to make sure no one was there, I set the ladder up and asked Aric to keep a lookout. “You’re here for security,” I said.

“I got your back,” he replied as he turned to face the front of the store.

The bracket holding the lens in is held in place with two small clips. I used my Leatherman tool to open them because they can be a little stubborn and I wasn’t going to close them, so I didn’t care if I tore them up. Once open, the lens was easily pushed out. I let them fall to the floor. Moving from fixture to fixture, I removed about a dozen of them.

After carrying them out to the truck, I returned and picked up a few two-liter bottles I saw lying on the floor. Then I returned for the ladder and carried it out to the truck and secured it to the lightbar.

“You ready, boss?” Aric asked.

“I’m not your boss. But I am ready,” I corrected him. “Let’s ride over to the Umatilla market so I can let those folks know about the food tomorrow.”

We rode up to the market. It was busy after so many days of rain. People were out looking for food. We parked, and I got out and walked over to the old fuel island where the majority of tables were set up. Getting to the middle of the island, I called, “Hey, everyone, listen up! Tomorrow before noon, there will be a distribution of food and other supplies here! Let as many know as you can to be here!”

I was bombarded with questions from the few dozen people gathered. But I waved them off, “I’m not going to answer questions now! Just be here tomorrow!”

As I walked back to the truck, I was followed by the crowd as they continued to shout questions at me. I didn’t respond to any of them. Instead, I climbed back in the truck and we left, headed back towards the house. We stopped where everyone was still at work on the supplies. I grabbed a couple of boxes of the bags and carried them over to where Kay was still working on her inventory.

Setting them down on a stack of boxes, I said, “Kay, I thought we could use these to break the food down. People probably won’t have bags or anything to put the rice and flour in, so I thought this would be a way we could hand out smaller portions.”

Kay picked up one of the bundles of bags. The tops of them had a tab that was heat-sealed together. She pulled one loose and shook it open. “This is a great idea! We can actually prepare individual bags. This will make