Bitter Mayhem: Dakota Destruction Book 1 | America's New Apocalypse by Millie Copper

Author:Millie Copper [Copper, Millie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, apocalypse, Apocalyptic, Christian, survival, teotwawki
Publisher: CU Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-05-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

The sun is close to setting when I walk out of the building at the end of my twelve-hour shift. The cooler temperatures have me embracing the October weather, but with the shorter days, I’m missing summer. Sunset is around 1830 hours, giving me about half an hour to jog before going home.

And I need the jog.

Because of our MOS and rations, we’re only supposed to do physical training a max of three days a week. Today isn’t a PT day since it was a workday.

Running was something I started over a decade ago, and I still love it. Leo and I used to jog together, chatting and laughing until it was time to pick up the pace. I’ve found running to be the perfect way to release the stuff rattling around in my head. When my feet are hitting the ground, it’s all gone. It comes back later but seems to be easier to deal with, somehow changed by the motion—pounded out of me, maybe, and reintroduced as something manageable.

Before Leo fell, I’d have hustled home to him, to his arms, where I could cry about the awful day I’d had. He’d hold me and murmur all the right words. But now . . . I don’t know how he’ll react. With the way he’s been, he may say something awful about how people die, and I’d feel even worse than I do now.

I reach for the flashlight secured in the inside pocket of my light jacket. It’s a special kind Jake gave me before we left. It’s a little on the bulky side, but I’ve made sure to keep it with me daily.

In the early days of the collapse, my sister Sarah was attacked right at sunset and one of our friends was kidnapped. Sarah said she was so thankful her husband had insisted she carry a flashlight on her—it helped her get home and get help. Of course, back then, we had powerful small flashlights with a supply of batteries. This flashlight is still powerful yet doesn’t need batteries. It works by squeezing it a few times.

After making sure my flashlight is where it belongs, my hand drifts to my hip. The pistol is also in position, snug and tight in a belly band like it was all day at work. The old days of hospitals being gun-free zones are long gone. I’m not even sure there’s a gun-free zone anywhere these days.

In the early days of the attacks, I was surprised when Leo started carrying a pistol on his hip. Not that I had a problem with firearms. I’d lived half of my life in Wyoming, where the joke was there were more guns than people. I’m not sure it wasn’t true.

Here in Rapid City, it’s rare to see someone without a gun on their hip or slung across their back. Ammunition is doled out by ration chips, except in the case of organized hunting parties or by the Citizen Patrol or other law enforcement. Even so, it’s restricted.

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