EMP Catastrophe , Hamilton, Grace [crime books to read txt] 📗

good humor made Matthew want to jump for joy. He opened the almonds, and they ate in silence for a few moments. Finally, Matthew cleared his throat and said, “The good news doesn’t stop, by the way. We’re close to Galena. If we can keep up a good pace, we can get there in a day or two. But we shouldn’t push you. Last night was touch and go. We don’t have enough supplies for you to backslide. I don’t think I have the mental fortitude to see you backslide, either.”

David smiled at him and took a drink of water. “What are we waiting for, then? Let’s get at it.”

“Take it easy, Dad. We have all day. No use overexerting yourself.”

“Can you imagine your mother’s face when she sees us?” David said. “I bet she’s worked herself into a state wondering where we are. I can’t wait to see her.” He let out a sigh and looked in the direction they would be heading. “I’m ready to be home, Matthew. I’ve had enough of crap food and sleeping on the side of the road.”

“Me too,” Matthew said, “but you really scared me last night. Let’s not put gray hairs on my head if we don’t need to, okay? Give me a break, if not yourself.” He began repackaging the food into their pack, along with the rest of the medical supplies. Then he stood up and offered David his hand.

David sat up straighter, and took Matthew’s hand. Once on his feet, he staggered and Matthew thought for a moment he would fall over, but then David found his balance with a small grin of relief. “I could climb a mountain,” he said. “Sickness? No problem. Gunshot? No problem.”

Matthew slung his pack over his shoulders. He didn’t want to ruin David’s good mood with suggestions that they take it slow, but he would keep a watchful eye on his father as they continued to walk. If David showed any sign of distress, Matthew would insist they rest.

But for now, as he stood shoulder to shoulder with David, he was simply relieved to have his father back.

30

Ruth woke from her doze still sitting on the couch with a crick in her neck and numb legs. Patton snoozed with his head pillowed on her thigh. He clutched a small hammer in his hands as if it were a toy. By the light, Ruth could tell it was early morning, and that the sun had just barely risen. They’d been asleep for an hour, perhaps two. From where she sat, she could see the haphazard patchwork they’d done of the windows and she stifled a sigh: in the dead of the night, amped up on adrenaline, her hammering and taping skills had not been at their finest, and only now could she see the numerous flaws. Even from her vantage point on the couch, she could detect where the plastic sheeting hadn’t quite matched up, leaving small but numerous triangles of space which let cold air inside the hotel. The plywood needed to be adjusted and rehammered. She shivered and tried to pull her shawl tighter around her. It looked like they would have an arduous day in front of them.

She ran her hand through Patton’s sleep-mussed hair, making it stick up at all ends. He groaned and sat up. “Good morning,” Ruth said to him softly.

He yawned. Dark circles marked his eyes and he rubbed them hard. “Morning, Grandma. No one came in last night?”

She shook her head. “No, but we need to figure out what to do with those broken windows. We’ll need to redo our patching job.”

He peered around her, a frown already on his face. “We didn’t do a good job, did we?”

“At three in the morning? I could barely function,” she said, standing up and stretching. “We’ll get it fixed up this morning and it will be much better.” Her joints popped. An ache had settled in her lower back. Her arms were tired from the previous day’s activities and the events of the night. Now that the sun was out, things didn’t seem as terrifying, but the broken windows were a big obstacle. She couldn’t call someone to help her or set up an appointment for a repair shop to order new panes. She hadn’t heard from Matthew or David in days. The best thing to do would be to board up the windows a second time, and then go into town to look at replacements. If anyone was even open, that is.

“I think I saw some bigger plywood boards in the garage last night, but it was too dark to tell,” she said. “We’ll have to take down what’s up there and reposition it. Cover everything up. Re-tape the plastic over the smaller pieces that don’t line up.”

Patton nodded with another yawn. “Sounds good to me, Grandma. Boy, am I sore, though.”

“After breakfast,” Ruth added. “I need some coffee. You’re a good sport to help me out with all of this.”

Patton nodded, but as they walked back down to the kitchen, he still kept the hammer close.

After a quick morning meal, Ruth and Patton searched through the garage and shed. Ruth was thankful they had the sunlight to see by and was pleased to find some more suitable pieces of plywood and another pallet that they tore apart. Then, they brought everything back inside and began tearing down the plastic sheeting and cardboard, repurposing what they could and readjusting until both large windows had been relatively covered.

Patton nailed the plywood to the window frames. Ruth followed behind him and taped plastic sheeting over the holes. She then stood on a stepstool and ladder to hold the plywood in place if it was too far up for Patton to reach while he handed her nails and a hammer. Finally, she climbed down and stood back to survey their work. No one would be able to get into the hotel without some effort, and that included