An Apocalypse Family (Book 1): Family Reunion Read Online Free PDF Page B

could after tossing the laptop and all its accessories back in the trunk. Even if there was some chance I might be able to use it again, it was just shit taking up room. Right now, I needed food, water, and ammunition. I had a one-liter water bottle in my pack, and I knew that water was number one on the list of things I had to find. I thought about going back to get the bleach, but the mere thought of facing the unknown darkness made me forget that idea as quickly as it formed.
    Finding an old, rusty ladder that I could reach on the pier, I climbed up with a great amount of huffing and puffing. I was tired and sore and hurt in places I didn’t even know existed, but there was no rest in sight. I had to find some transportation; I had to get to Sarah’s house.
    It was eleven o’clock before I found a vehicle with the keys in it. As an added bonus, it had nearly a full tank of fuel. On the downside, the previous owner had expired behind the wheel. The mess he left me was disgusting, but I dragged him out and cleaned off the seat as best as I could. I found a blanket in the back and used it to cover what I couldn’t clean. Contrary to the story about Los Angeles I’d read on the Internet last night, the roads were fairly clear. I didn’t have a clue as to why, but I wasn’t about to complain.
    The car was a Chevy Malibu with a built-in GPS navigation system. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but after typing in my niece’s address, it came right up with a route. As it turned out, the ferry had beached just north of Edmonds. The pier was no longer in use; there wasn’t even an access road. I’d had to climb a fence, cross two railroad tracks, and climb another fence before I’d arrived at the parking lot. A sign identified the place as Haines Wharf Park.
    The GPS indicated that it was only half an hour to Woodinville, where I hoped to find Max, Lisa, and Sarah’s family. The trip was uneventful and enlightening. The only places with any congestion appeared to be off-ramps leading to hospitals. Once I hit the 405, I could maintain about thirty miles per hour through the mess. Slowing to miss a few abandoned crashes and several bodies cost me some time, but I pulled up to the house just after noon. The garage door was open and there was a single SUV parked in the driveway.
    Looks like Max didn’t get my message , I thought, pulling in. I sat in the car, hoping someone would come out of the house to greet me. After ten minutes with no sign of life, I got out of the car. The entire neighborhood seemed abandoned. I saw the curtains in the front window of the house move.
    Did I just see that or am I losing it? I thought, as the front door opened and Max stuck his head out.
    “Hey, little brother!”
    I ran around the car and bolted for him. I was never so glad to see anyone in my entire life, and I planned to bear hug him.
    “Whoa man, hold up,” he said, holding up both arms, palms facing me.
    I skidded to a stop. “Why? What’s wrong?” I asked, confused.
    Still holding up his arms, he said, “Sarah left a note. Tim and Peter died two days ago. Sarah and the other three kids left the same day and went to Meg’s.”
    Then he hung his head. “Lisa is sick, man. She looks real bad… I don’t know.”
    His shoulders shook as he stood sobbing. I walked up and grabbed him into that bear hug. He tried to pull away, but he was in no shape to rebuff the support I offered.
    He whispered, “I don’t think she’s going to make it, Ryan, and I don’t know if I want to.”
    Just then, a plane roared overhead. I ran back into the yard, waving my arms. There was no use shouting, as I knew from my time as an air crewman in the Coast Guard. The aircraft didn’t turn or acknowledge that it had seen me. I turned around and walked back to the house. Max said that I shouldn’t be there, that I would be exposed to the flu if I came in.
    I chuckled and put my arm around his shoulder. “Max, as you always say, ‘in for a