An Apocalypse Family (Book 1): Family Reunion Read Free Page A

uhhh,” Max stammered his reply.
    The colonel ordered his men to cut the ties and stand him up. He approached to within inches of Max’s nose.
    “If I were you, I would get back in that fancy SUV and depart the area before I decide to use my discretion and shoot your dumb ass!”
    *****
    After hanging up with Max, Lisa looked out the large windows in the front of the building. Knowing her dad, and knowing how he thought, she immediately scanned the room for a way out. She could see her dad showing up in an ambulance, a SWAT van, or something equally as outrageous in an attempt to free her with some kind of bullshit story. While her confidence in him was high, it was also realistic. She remembered the stories her Uncle Ryan always told about his antics. No matter what the story was, they all had the same ending. The success rate of his schemes was notoriously low.
    “You can’t steal a base if you’re afraid to try!” her dad would say.
    The meaning of that saying was, as he would go on to explain, that Ty Cobb held the record for stolen bases for many years not because he was fast, but because he was willing to try.
    “Do you know who Brady Anderson is? No? Exactly. Brady Anderson has the highest percentage of stolen bases ever, but nobody knows who he is because he only stole a base when he was ninety-nine percent sure he would make it,” he would continue.
    With that in mind, she casually walked to the baggage conveyor and sat down next to the luggage chute. Keeping her attention focused outside, she wasn’t surprised when, several minutes later, a black Land Rover squealed to a stop in front of the building and her dad jumped out. She watched as he started yelling at the guy in charge, making a whole big scene. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but it was apparent he was trying to get her freed. Everyone in the quarantine area watched the display out front, including the young guardsmen who were supposed to be watching the detainees. With everyone’s attention on her dad, she eased onto the carousel and positioned herself right below the conveyor belt, and waited.
    BANG! A shot went off. She jumped to her feet to get a better view, fearing her dad had gone too far and got himself shot. She was relieved to see him still standing and apparently unharmed. Taking two steps back, she disappeared down the conveyor belt and out of view. She huddled at the bottom of the conveyor, listening for the yells that would indicate her escape attempt was known.
    *****
     

Ryan
3:00 a.m.
Cathlamet Ferry
Puget Sound, Washington
     
    The Wi-Fi dropped. Fricken great! I thought. Now I’m in the dark, both literally and figuratively.
    I turned off my phone to save the battery life, which was hovering around thirty percent. There was no use having it on without a signal or connection. I hadn’t heard anything outside for about an hour. Did I mention that I have a problem with claustrophobia?
    I had to get out of this damn storeroom and back to the car. I carried a few survival items in my laptop bag, my knife among them. I’d been surprised when I opened the pack earlier and saw it. I’d completely forgotten it was there when I packed and headed to the airport.
    So much for the thorough searches of the TSA .
    The survival knife was a small folding job with an LED flashlight, a whistle, and a fire starter all built into it. Thinking that I should probably find some kind of weapon before I tried the door, I found the light switch and flipped it… nothing. I guessed the power must be out; that would answer why the Wi-Fi dropped. I fumbled around the closet, feeling for something, anything, to use as a weapon. With a shake of my head, feeling a little stupid, I pulled out my phone and turned it back on. Using it as a flashlight, I examined the interior of my hideout. I’d been sitting on the edge of the janitor's sink this entire time. Across from me was a metal cabinet. I opened it, thankful it didn’t squeak on its hinges.