Give Her Shelter: Book 2, The Nurse by Chase Jannock

Author:Chase Jannock [Jannock, Chase]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

"We're hoping this trouble passes quickly."

It was taking a long time to get back to Conner Pond. Driving in the dark on unplowed roads was dangerous and exhausting. Halfway there, I switched with Kayleen and took over driving so she could rest. Her SUV was smaller and more nimble than my truck. My appreciation for it grew with each mile.

The sun had barely risen when Lana and Merri called us. They had climbed to the ledge to get a signal. I let Lana know we were safe and would be back soon.

"We'll have a hot breakfast waiting for you," Lana promised. "Merri is an awesome cook."

"I've got a surprise for you, too," I said, thinking of the cocoa in the back of the SUV. "See you soon."

We kept the radio off, but Kayleen browsed the Internet as I drove. She downloaded helpful articles and videos, saving them for when we lost signal at the cabin.

The snow lessened a bit as the morning passed. By the time we were back on the road to Conner Pond, the sun was up and visibility had improved.

"Shit, BJ! Look at that!"

Kayleen pointed at the gas station ahead.

"Goddamn," I said, gawking.

The gas station was a wreck. The security window the old man had sat behind was riddled with bullet holes. The doors had been kicked in and the front of the building was scorched black. Thin tendrils of smoke drifted out of the door, rising into the cold air.

"I guess he tried to price gouge the wrong person," I said.

"Serves him right."

A few miles later, we passed the pot shop.

"Wait!" Kayleen shouted. "Pull over."

I hesitated. "What is it?"

"I think there's someone in that store."

"The pot store?"

"No! The Asian place."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I saw something."

I eased the SUV over into the parking lot. Kayleen and I walked up to the front door and peered inside. The store was almost empty, the shelves bare except for a few scattered items. A young Asian man was standing behind the counter, holding a flashlight.

"Hello?" I called out, knocking.

He turned towards us, startled. "What? Who's there?"

"Good morning!" I said. "We were passing by and we saw you in here. We could use some groceries. Are you open?"

He hesitated, then came and opened the door for us. Kayleen and I stepped inside. The store was dimly lit by the morning light, the electricity still cut off.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"Whatever you have," Kayleen said.

"We don't have much," the young man said apologetically. "Delivery has been slow for weeks. Our suppliers just abandoned us."

I glanced at Kayleen. She had said this crisis had been going on for a while now. Most of us just hadn't noticed.

"We got wiped out by shoppers yesterday," he continued. "Not too many people, but those that came bought a lot of groceries."

"Smart," Kayleen said quietly.

"You're lucky to pass by when you did. I just came in to fetch a few things for my family before locking the store down for good."

I looked around at the bare shelves.

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