“Hello inside. I’m going to take that trailer. I’ll empty the boxes and leave them on the driveway. If you don’t want me to take it. Please let me know. Otherwise, I hope you don’t mind. Thanks.” He said loudly. He waited a few moments, listening intently. Hearing nothing, he walked back to the trailer. He pulled the cartons out and set them on the driveway. He didn’t bother looking in them. Once the trailer was empty, he secured the doors. Getting back in his truck, he pulled up and around, then backed the truck to the hitch. Within ten minutes, he was back on the road. He smiled over at Cooper, who grinned back, his blue eyes crinkling.
Forty minutes later, he pulled into Lowes and parked near the entrance. The glass doors were standing wide open. Getting out of the truck, he went around and helped Cooper out.
“Stay close to me Coop. If you see anything, let me know, okay?”
“Okay daddy.” He piped up, his small hand reaching for Brian’s larger one. Brian grinned down at him and they walked in. Brian found a large cart and set Cooper up on it for a ride. First, he went to plumbing and got various PVC pipes and joints. Then he went over and found tools. He carefully chose what he thought he might need in the future. There was so much, he figured it would take a few trips of filling the trailer. He planned to build a couple of storage buildings. That way, he could put the propane tanks and other building material inside. They would be on hand if and when he needed them.
He wheeled the cart outside and began to neatly fill the trailer. Then he and Cooper headed back in. He stopped by one of the small refrigerators and got a bottle of water. He got a package of chips and handed both to Cooper who ate the snack as Brian pushed to cart to the lumber section. Then when he passed the wood stoves, he stopped. He looked at what they had and decided to pick up a small unit. It would heat up to sixteen hundred square feet. He knew that was overkill for the small cabins, but at least they’d be warm. He could also cook on it. He’d not need to use that much wood.
It took a bit of maneuvering, though the stove was small, it was still heavy. He got flashing and double insulated stove pipe for it as well. He wasn’t sure how much he would need, so he got extra. Heading back out, he loaded the trailer with the wood and stove. He looked down at Cooper.
“Maybe I should get one of the smaller stoves, just in case you decide to move out when you get grown. Set up your own place. Two is better than one.” He shrugged and pushed the cart back to the wood stoves. Two hours later, the trailer was jammed with building items.
“Guess we better find us a place to live with all this stuff. Good thing I grabbed that length of chain, I’m going to have to chain the cabin closed until we can move in permanently.”
Cooper nodded in agreement and Brian chuckled. He reached in back and pulled out a bag. He handed Cooper a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a juice box. He’d have to stock up on those while he could. Pulling out, he headed for the highway. He’d seen no one. It was a peculiar feeling, and talking to Cooper as well. He’d not spoke to another person in weeks. Cooper didn’t seem to mind and looked out the window as they went. Ahead, Brian saw a sign, Gary’s Guns and Ammo. He pulled off the highway. He didn’t know what the store had, but he figured he’d have a need for more ammo as well as something a bit more substantial than his Mossberg.
Getting out, he saw that the shop was closed. No surprise. What did surprise him was that the windows were still intact. He’d figured this would be one place to get plundered, but so far, he’d not seen a lot of looting. Perhaps people were still hunkered down for fear of getting the Vermilion virus. Reaching beneath his seat, he pulled a tire iron out and went to the door, leaving Cooper in the truck. He tapped around and the door’s glass began to spider out with small fractures. It didn’t take much for the door to then shatter.
He went back to the truck and then got Cooper out. He helped the child enter the store, careful of the broken shards of glass. Looking around, he was impressed with the stock. There was even a camping and fishing section. His eye was immediately drawn to an AR15. He’d never considered getting that type of weapon before, but figured he’d do well to have it in his arsenal. He went behind the counter and pulled it from the case. He was surprised at the light weight. Looking along the back shelf, where boxes of shells were neatly stacked, Brian began to pull boxes down. He also picked up more ammo for his Glock, Marlin and Mossberg.
“You can never have enough ammo. Remember that.” He said solemnly down to Cooper, who nodded a solemn agreement. Brian’s eyes crinkled up at the sides and he patted the blond head gently. He loaded the weapon and ammo into the truck. He thought about it and went back inside and chose a Glock 19, along with a handful of mags. He next went
