Obliterated - Would You Know How to Survive? by C. J. Hall

Author:C. J. Hall
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Action & Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9781477526033
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2012-06-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21 – Allen’s camp at his van

It was just past noon when Kim arrived at Allen’s van. She didn’t see him at first and wondered if the caves he went to explore had been farther than he remembered. But soon she saw him coming from the direction of the corral, and she greeted him with a hopeful expression.

Allen shook his head “no” when he saw her waiting for him by the van. “No sign of them yet,” he said in a voice he hoped sounded calm. And then added with forced cheerfulness, “They’re probably taking the scenic route back.”

Kim nodded and gave him a smile, showing her appreciation of his attempt to reassure her, and asked: “So, how did the littler caves shape up for a possible home?”

“Not too bad,” said Allen as he took a seat a few feet from Kim’s perch on the upside-down bucket. “The opening is small on the best of the two; you have to crouch nearly to a waddle to get in. But once inside, it’s roomy. I’d guess maybe 12 to 14 feet wide and a good 20 feet long. The backside has a couple of openings high up on the rear wall. But that’s probably good for ventilation, especially to have a fire inside during the winter. Some minor interior modifications could fix drafts and keep the rain outside. The floor is more sand than rock, which could be just fine. I think James and I can dig out some soil and loose rock at the entrance to make it a bit easier to get inside.”

“Sounds…homey,” Kim winked. “Maybe our contractor friend will have an idea for making some primitive concrete, and you could have a hard floor in your future. Or eventually you could use sections of cut-up utility poles.”

Allen described a little more about the preferred cave and possibilities for the smaller one near it, then Kim pulled out her diagram of the Cave Creek cave and its ledges. She had thought of several ways to make it a more comfortable shelter for the two couples. She showed Allen her ideas to construct an interior wall system that would prevent most of the heat and light from their winter fires from leaking to the outside and keep them cozier at the same time.

Allen and Kim were munching a late lunch when they heard the sounds of a horse-drawn wagon approaching on the paved street below. After a quick look at each other to see if they were both hearing the unusual noise, they took off at a trot for the open meadow and roadway. They laughed with delight to see Sharon and Greg on the wagon seat, driving two draft horses like old pros. Sharon was waving a big hello.

Greg drove the team to the corral, and Kim and Allen met them there to help unharness the team. The horses were turned into the corral, and Allen threw a wedge of the baled hay inside the fence. Kim had taken the large bucket to the pump and filled it with fresh water.

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