He grinned as Kyle, Liz, Derek, Sandy, and Edwin filed into the room.
“Well?” Liz asked.
“Looks good to me. Let’s check the other entrances and make sure we didn’t entomb ourselves,” Luke said.
The group walked through the shelter to the main entrance they’d been using. Luke pushed open the door. It only moved a couple of inches. Snow partially blocked the opening.
“Not too bad. I can still see sky, so we can dig out,” Derek said.
“Let’s check the other exit,” Kyle said.
“Lead the way, son.”
Kyle smiled as he ran ahead of the group. When they reached the other room, they opened the door. It was clear. They still needed to find a way to camouflage it, but they didn’t want to blow this exit. They needed two ways in out. Since they hadn’t seen anyone when they’d gone out on recon, Luke wasn’t in a hurry to deal with that exit. They’d get to it soon enough. They were about to have all the time in the world.
Luke was about to pull the door closed when he heard a bark.
“Justice?” Luke’s eyebrows raised.
“Woof!” Justice came barreling through the doorway, nearly knocking Luke down in the process.
“Justice!” Kyle threw himself at his dog. He wrapped his arms around the filthy mutt and laughed while Justice peppered him with doggie licks.
“I can’t believe he’s back,” Liz said. “It’s a miracle.”
“The first of many, I hope.” Luke wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her against his side.
“This is the best day ever!” Kyle beamed.
“We should celebrate! How about some lunch?” Sandy asked.
“Sounds good, honey.” Edwin rested his hand on her lower back as they headed into the hall.
“Let’s break open some of those cans of meat,” Derek suggested. “We might not be able to have a big party, but we can at least change things up a bit.”
“Good idea. I was getting sick of C-rations,” Luke said.
“Me too, but nasty food is better than no food.” Derek laughed.
“True story.” Luke slapped the other man on the back.
They gathered in the central room. While Sandy and Liz worked on heating the food, Kyle chatted on about how much he missed pizza. Luke missed it, too, along with everything else he’d taken for granted in his old life. He’d never do that again. From now on, he’d focus on the most important thing—his family.
As he looked around the room at the small group of survivors, he couldn’t help but notice Sierra’s absence. She’d been a good kid, a bratty teen, and an irresponsible adult. But it didn’t matter. He’d always miss her and wonder what her life would have become if only she’d survived.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“How long do you think it’ll be before everything goes back to normal?”
Luke shrugged and shook his head. He didn’t have an answer to that. There were far too many factors to consider. Could the government get things back on track quickly? Maybe. But given its history, it wasn’t likely. Luke wouldn’t wait around for help. He’d make sure his group continued to help themselves.
“Here is some delicious mystery meat,” Liz handed him a tin cup. “My guess is it’s some kind of beef stew. I’m hoping the white things are potatoes.”
“Thanks, babe.”
She sat by his side and poked at her food.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
“Are we going to be okay?”
He sighed. He wouldn’t lie to her and tell her everything would be fine, but as long as he was around, he’d make sure he could get whatever he could for his family.
“If we stay smart and make sure we’re rationing supplies, we’ll make it to spring.”
“Even if spring is two years away?”
“God, I hope it isn’t, but you know what we’ve got here. We can make it two years. Maybe more if we go back for the rest of the supplies at the preacher’s place.”
“Why didn’t you and Derek bring all of it back?”
“Too much to carry, and the more trips we take, the more likely we are to run into other people. We can’t risk giving up this location. It’s all we got. The snow’s getting deeper, and food will run out. People will get desperate. We’re lucky we got the water purification system running and we’ve got food and medical supplies. Other people out there aren’t so lucky. They’re going to die.”
“Do you ever feel guilty about leaving other people out there to fend for themselves?” she asked.
“No. We prepared. We also got really fucking lucky with this place.” He gestured around the room. “But we might have been able to make it on what we had back at the cabin.”
“What’s going to happen when spring comes?” She spooned some of the mystery meat into her mouth.
“We’ll start a garden. Maybe take a scouting trip into town to see who’s left. To see what’s left. I don’t know. We’ll have time to come up with a plan.”
“You saved us.” Liz’s eyes brimmed with tears. “You came back for us, and you saved us.”
“Aw, honey.” He set his lunch aside and pulled her into his arms. “You save me every day. Without you, there’d be no reason to live.”
“Hey, what about me?” Kyle asked.
“You too.” Luke laughed. “All of you. I know things are going to get harder before they get easier, but we’re together now. As long as we work as a team, I know we’ll survive this.”
“Hoorah,” Derek said.
“You can count on us,” Sandy said.
“I’m ready to work on whatever needs to be done,” Edwin said.
Luke smiled. With a group of like-minded people, anything was possible. The road ahead might be tough as hell, but he had a good feeling about his companions.
No. They were a
