Endured by D. Laine

Author:D. Laine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Desni Dantone

15

Dylan

Considering it was located in the middle of a desert, hours from any major metropolitan area, this was one of those towns that had a little bit of everything in small quantities. Because who wanted to drive an hour to get groceries? A beer? Or fix a flat tire?

We had the cozy general store that still had most of the food on its shelves. The perishables had already been hauled off and the extra provisions that had been scavenged were neatly tucked away inside. Also lining the main street were the bar—which still carried an assortment of liquor on its shelves—the hardware store, the animal-turned-human hospital, and a laundromat, above which was the small apartment our group had called home for the past twenty-four hours.

Stepping off the dark and musty stairs and walking through the open room that housed half a dozen inoperable washers and dryers, I smelled the hint of fabric softener that lingered in the air. Though the machines were out of commission, the building was still used as the laundry center. Dirty clothes and sheets piled up in one corner. Washed and damp clothes hung from lines strung across the ceiling. It would take an eternity for them to dry, but they would be clean.

While the small stream that ran along the outskirts of the town wasn’t safe to drink from, it was suitable to wash our clothes—and ourselves—with. The group had been out there nearly all morning, enjoying the privilege of using soap.

They joined us in the street now, where Lieutenant Anderson greeted us with a brusque nod. He didn’t bother with pleasantries. He got right down to business, and I liked that about him.

“We keep track of which areas we search,” he explained as he smoothed a map out on the hood of an ash-covered vehicle in the street. Sections of the map were covered with small red X’s. “We search everything. Businesses and homes. We’re looking for survivors and supplies. Priority is on water, but anything helps.”

I studied the locations of some of the X’s, and quickly connected these guys to the dead tags we had found in the grocery store in Wendover. That had been . . . a little over a week ago? I supposed it was enough time for a group of well-conditioned men to travel the length of Utah, but while carrying supplies?

I counted over a dozen X’s on the map. Some several hundred miles away.

Something wasn’t right.

“What are you using for transportation?” Jake asked, stealing my question. When Anderson didn’t immediately answer, Jake pointed at the map. “There’s no way eight of you have managed to search that much, travel those kind of distances, and still protect the town without some kind of help.”

“You’re right.” Anderson nodded. “I’m about to let you in on our secret.”

There was a hint of a smile on his face when he turned to lead us across the street toward the gas station, where one sad looking pump waited for customers that would never come.

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