The McClane Apocalypse: Book Two Read Free

he’d been considering lately anyways. If he could put enough space between himself and Hannah McClane, then maybe he could forget about her, move on and just concentrate on his siblings who need him. Maybe he could forget her strange, different-colored eyes. Maybe he could forget her bare feet that always stick out below her ridiculously long dresses. Maybe he could forget how just looking at her made his blood stir with lust. And then again, maybe he’d wake up tomorrow and all this shit will have just been a dream and he and John will still be in Syria getting ready to invade North Korea for setting off that first nuke that had led to all of this shit.
    It’s also the only reason he’s squatting on the McClane farm in the first place. His unit disbanded; he, Derek and John had deserted; and he is now the sole guardian of his much younger siblings. Cory and Em are too young to fend for themselves with their parents having been murdered. The country had fallen apart so fast that there really wasn’t much of an option other than to stay with Derek and John on the McClane farm. At least Derek belongs here, though, since he’s married to a McClane. He and John don’t exactly belong, but the family has welcomed them with open arms.
    The first place Kelly hit was the water troughs, making sure none of them needed topped off. Next, he’d fed the chickens and pigs, mostly slop and crap from the compost pile for the pigs. The horses are pretty self-sufficient as long as they have pasture grass to munch. They only get grain in the evening if they are ridden on patrols that morning. The grain is stored in massive, metal containers to prevent rodents from getting into it. The men rotate the animals about once a week to ensure the proper usage of the fields, grazing of the animals, and fertilizing of the farm. The cows are always the biggest burden of work, and he’d shoveled silage into a long, narrow feed bin of scarred old oak for them to push and shove their heads into. The smell of their feed has a pleasant, sweet tinge to it, and they are always grateful to be getting it. And now he’s sitting on the tiny stool milking a black and white Holstein in the cow barn. Sometimes it’s surreal how much his life has changed overnight, going from soldier to glorified farmer. He actually knows the different breeds of cows, horses and pigs on this farm. Before this he knew more about tanks, weapons and tactical gear. It’s not the most unpleasant change-up. There’s a certain amount of peace he feels here on this farm and in the simple act of keeping it functioning. It’s the problem with Hannah that is slightly less peaceful, mostly to his nerves.
    After about a half an hour, Cory joins him in the next milking stall over and starts with the Jersey.
    “Nice of you to show up,” Kelly says good-humoredly as he pumps away at his own heifer.
    “Sorry, bro,” Cory laughs. “These hours are kinda’ weird. I mean I used to get up for school but not before it was even light out. About the time we sit down and eat breakfast here is when I used to get up. And forget it on the weekends. Mom would let me sleep in. Me and my friends would stay up and play video games or go out to a movie and hang out. It was so different then. Feels like a long time ago.”
    “It’s cool. I was just giving you a hard time. And yeah it feels more like a hundred years ago if you ask me. Seems like yesterday me and John were trekking it out of the mountains of Turkey and then kicking ass in Syria,” Kelly tells the younger man. “Somebody always needed a good, solid ass kicking.”
    “Wish I could’ve went, too, like I planned on when I graduated,” Cory says quietly after he finishes laughing. The regret he feels is evident. For Kelly, there had never been any other options. He’d been born for the life of a military man just like John and not just because of his size. His ability to shut down his feelings and emotions to get the job done was a