The Damaged Climate (Book 1): Tornado Warning by J.R. Tate

Author:J.R. Tate [Tate, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | Dystopian
Published: 2016-05-27T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The sun was setting over the mountain range and the heat of the day was finally fading. It made for cooler nights, so Ryan found a spot under a grove of trees that hadn’t been completely destroyed. He gathered wood from the fallen limbs and dug a small hole to start a fire. His stomach growled from hunger, and with the new food, he’d eat a little more to get his strength up.

Pulling the lighter from his bag, he struggled to get the fire going. The wood was wet from the recent rain. If he had some lighter fluid or something flammable, it would help, but nothing would work.

“We might have to do without a fire tonight.”

Steve didn’t say much. He had been quiet for most of their hike, which Ryan didn’t mind. Too much talking wasted energy and with as frustrated as he was, would probably grate on his nerves.

Rolling a few pieces of gauze from the small first aid kit he had made, he balled it up under the wood and lit it. It smoked for a bit and finally caught some pine needles on fire. It smoldered and Ryan gently blew on it. A few flames licked the twigs and with patience, a small fire finally started. It wasn’t big enough to do much, but if they stayed close, it would provide some warmth. His coat would help, but Steve didn’t have anything but the clothes he was wearing. They’d need to try and find him something for protection soon.

“You can sit closer to the fire. If you need to, I can let you use the coat and we can trade off.”

“I’m fine. It’s cool out, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Ryan opened the bag of beef jerky and offered him a piece, and he gladly accepted. The temperature outside was tolerable for the time being, but with the extreme fluctuation in the climate and atmosphere, Ryan feared that they’d come across weather where Steve would be vulnerable. Even the coat he had wasn’t made for winter type stuff. It was spring and by this time, any chance of a freeze was pretty much over, but things weren’t even close to being normal now. Nothing would seem strange after what they had been through and anything seemed possible.

“So, what did you do before the world decided to go ape shit on us?” Steve asked, tearing a piece of the jerky off with his teeth.

“I’m a mechanic. Own a shop in Harper Springs.”

“Yeah? That’s a good skill to have.”

“What about you?” Ryan washed the jerky down with a gulp of water. It tasted so good, but he resisted the urge to drink too much. At least the jerky was extinguishing the sharp hunger pangs.

“I’ve been a farmer all of my life. I heard cotton and milo did well down here, so I figured I’d try my hand at it. And grapes. I didn’t realize there were so many vineyards down here.”

“It’s a new industry that’s just getting started in this area.

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