End of Days

Unwanted Visitors

(2)

It seemed as though my father had been elected the leader of our little group without really meaning to. After exiting the bunker, as instructed by my father, each of us had grabbed a backpack and filled it with a few cans of food, a couple changes of clothes, and a knife. He was worried about the kinds of people we would come across as we venture out of our little, seemingly empty, town. With just us, the Lawtons, the Kenleys, and the Blooms left, he figured we couldn't be too careful. Megan and Thomas Richards had come into the bunker with us, but after three days Megan became claustrophobic so her and her husband took their chances outside the bunker.

The Lawtons lived three houses down and across the street. They were a family of three: Franklin, Bree, and their daughter Samantha, or Sam as she preferred. Before all this Bree was a nurse at the hospital about a mile down the road and Franklin was an accountant. Sam had just graduated college and was prepared to start her own law firm.

The Kenleys lived right next door to the Lawtons, only two down from us. Dirk and Jenna had just recently gotten married, only a few months before this. Dirk taught 7th grade math and Jenna was a psychologist.

The Blooms moved into the house next door a couple years after we had. Griffin and Carla had two children, an adorable little girl named Maya who had just made it to 3rd grade, and the spawn of Satan Alec who had just graduated high school with me this past June. Griffin owned his own construction company and Carla taught 8th grade English in the same school as Dirk.

While my father managed the store in town, my mother worked as an architect. Her company was based out of New York, so she had to visit once in awhile but worked mostly in our basement. I didn't mind her trips to New York, she'd take me every once and awhile when I didn't have school. My eldest brother Nolan was shadowing the manager for Luke Mars, a goalie on the hockey team here, Minnesota Wild. He wanted to St. Louis and get a job managing one of their rookies. My brother James had just graduated college with a photography degree. He had always dreamed of moving to Paris and getting a job over there, but once the wars hit that was quickly squashed. I had just graduated high school and had no idea what I wanted to do, I hadn't even picked a college yet.

"What are we going to do now, Henry?" My mother asked my father as we all gathered on the street in front of my house. I glanced around at the houses surrounding us and frowned as I remembered those who use to live in them. Judging by what was left of the houses, it was safe to say a bomb was not dropped here, but it was evident that something caused everyone to clear out. At least I hope they cleared out.

"We don't know what or who is out there, which leaves us blind. I'll head out to town and see what's left of it. If we are lucky I'll run into more people or at least get some more supplies."

My oldest brother Nolan shakes his head and steps forward, "you can't go alone, you said yourself you don't know what threats are out there. For all we know The Republic could have already invaded us and is sitting in towns waiting for survivors to come out for supplies."

"If you're trying to get me to let you come, you aren't doing a very good job of it. You're right, they could be waiting for us, which is exactly why you are going to stay here and look after you mother and sister," my father said firmly. He was a loving man, but when he made his mind up there was no changing it.

Slightly offended by him suggesting I needed a babysitter I step forward, "I'm not defenseless, I don't need to be looked after. Like it or not Dad you're the leader of this little group meaning you're not expendable. Not to mention you haven't even been to half of the town, you only really go there for work. I should go, I know exactly which stores to go to and I'm faster than both of you. I can be in and out before you guys decide on which store to go into first."