Shattered World: Horizon's End Book 3: (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller) by Justin Bell & Mike Kraus

Author:Justin Bell & Mike Kraus [Bell, Justin & Kraus, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2024-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Harbor’s End, Massachusetts

Day 05

9:35 p.m. Eastern

The fire burned in the Shorts’ backyard, a crackling churn of active flame and acrid smoke. Mason had helped gather some of the wood that blackened within the makeshift bonfire, a pale light settling across the grass-covered backyard. Within the glow of that firelight, Sherman, Jason and Marie Monnet toiled over a rectangular section of ground they’d spent most of the day creating.

“I still don’t understand the whole philosophy around tomatoes.” Sherman looked at Marie and scratched his head. The woman knelt near the freshly dug garden beds, holes dug from potting soil in a corner of the rectangle they’d carved in Sherman’s backyard. “We have seeds. Why are you planting full tomatoes?”

“You can grow tomatoes from seeds, but it’s better to do that indoors.” There was the slightest hint of frustration in Marie’s voice which brought a low smile to Mason’s lips. Sherman had asked a lot of questions, which was good, though clearly Marie was reaching her limit.

Marie returned her attention to the wide bowl sitting on the ground in front of her. Within the bowl, she’d cut the full tomatoes they’d brought home from the market into dozens of narrow slices. She was pressing the slices of tomato into the thick dark soil and covering them with dirt, moving quickly.

“You slice the tomatoes to expose the seeds, which helps them germinate more quickly. We just have to be sure to water these plants as much as possible, which is obviously going to be an issue at some point.” She turned toward the five-gallon jug that Jodie had taken from the RV dealership a couple of days earlier. It was three-quarters full but would definitely not last forever.

“Any bright ideas about that, Dad?” Jason asked.

“Matter of fact, yeah. At some point we need to try and track down some of those distribution centers we talked about. The storage warehouses and trucking lanes.” He directed that statement toward Mason.

“Interstate 95 is going to be a treasure trove.” Mason shrugged from where he stood by the fire, gently stoking it with a long, winding stick. “But that’s a long way from here and traveling isn’t so easy these days.” He focused his attention back on the fire. “We’ve got 195 to the south and 495 to the northeast, but we just so happen to be in a triangle of wilderness between them all. Normally that’s just how I like it, set off from the traffic and the people. But these days, that just means a little extra effort to travel.”

“Extra effort, but doable.” Sherman once more studied Marie as she worked.

“Is it? Last I checked, gas was a finite resource, too.” Mason set the stick down and made his way toward the garden. Jason and Jodie were standing almost shoulder to shoulder, watching Marie work, waiting for their next instruction.

“You’re a wizard at siphoning, Mason.” Jodie couldn’t help but smile.

“Easy for you to say. I still have the taste of that crud in my mouth.

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