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  • Mountain Home

    here's a little story i wrote a few years ago. it's not finished but i'm still working on it. PLEASE tell me what you think...reader feedback is more important than most people know. i'll try to post a chapter every few days if i can.

    "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

  • #2
    Chapter 3

    The next morning, Jack woke up, fully aware of the girl lying next to him. As he got up she woke up also, looked up at him, and smiled. "Good morning" she said, in a way that made Jack uncomfortable. Jack mumbled "good morning" and stumbled away to find a tree. When he returned, Pam was up and putting the sleeping bag and blankets away. When she saw him, she went to him and gave him a long hug. Jack hugged her back for a second, and then Pam turned her face up to his and tried to kiss him. Jack immediately let her go and stepped back. "Pam, I don't think that's such a good idea right now.”

    “Why Jack, we're all alone and there's no reason not to, it's not like we're likely to find anyone else to be with.”

    "I know that Pam, but we've both been through a traumatic situation, and we may not be thinking clearly just yet.” Pam looked hurt, and Jack tried to ease up a bit. "Look Pam, after we get to know each other a little better, maybe things will work out like that, but there's really no rush, right? I mean, we'll likely be together for a very long time, why jump right into this?”

    “I guess you're right, Jack.” Pam said, all the time thinking to herself 'I'm not going to give up Jack, I'll get together with you yet.’ Pam backed away and Jack moved off to get breakfast together.

    After breakfast, they gathered up their stuff and started off down the road. Pam was thinking about the guy who attacked her, and said to Jack "who do you think that was last night?” Jack looked over at her and said "probably just someone desperate for food. All he had was a golf club, but if I hadn't shot him when I did he'd have hit you with it. He looked to be wearing the remains of a suit, so I'd guess he was some sort of a businessman before the plague.”

    Pam thought about that, and then said "well, I’m glad you stopped him when you did Jack, you saved my life.”
    Jack looked at her and smiled. "No problem kid, I’m sure you'd do the same for me.”

    Pam took exception to being called 'kid'. She realized she had no chance with Jack until he saw her as a woman instead of a child.

    They drove the rest of the day, never seeing another soul. Back when the plague had first struck, Jack had heard on the news that as much as 90% of the population of the world was infected. Since everyone who got sick up to that point had died, and it was unlikely that anything had changed since then, it wasn't unusual that they hadn't seen anyone. People were going to be very scarce for a long time to come.

    At the end of the day, after finding another place to stay for the night, they set up camp and started getting ready for bed. After they had eaten, Pam crawled into her bag, and Jack got under his blankets, making sure to lie down at least five feet away from the girl. Pam noticed and didn't like it, so she tried the same trick from the night before. "Will you hold me Jack?” He looked at her and said "not tonight Pam, I think we need to relax and keep to ourselves tonight.” She wasn't happy with that, but decided that she'd just have to prove herself to him, so she rolled over and went to sleep as if it didn't matter a bit to her. Jack was surprised at her reaction, and decided that maybe he'd been wrong about her intentions. Feeling easier around her than he had all day, Jack also rolled over and went to sleep.
    "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

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    • #3
      Chapter 4

      The next morning they got up early, ate, and immediately packed away their gear. Jack said "We should be able to get to my place by tonight if everything keeps going so smoothly, we're only about twenty miles away now.” Pam was happy to hear that, as she was tired of traveling.

      They got moving, and by that evening had arrived at Jack's home. At first Pam didn't realize they had arrived, as she didn't see any sign of a house. "Where's your house Jack?" she asked.

      "It's under us Pam, I own an old missile silo. I bought it years ago and converted it into a home. It can withstand a direct hit from a nuclear bomb, and I thought it'd make the perfect shelter."

      Jack walked over to a concrete pad in front of where he'd parked the truck, and opened a metal cover. After punching in a code the heavy concrete doors that covered the silo started to open. When they had opened all the way, an elevator rose flush with the top, and Jack was able to drive the truck right on to it. After he stopped, Jack pushed what looked like a garage door opener mounted on the dash of the truck, and the elevator started to sink. As they descended to the parking area inside, the doors began to close back over their heads.

      Pam was impressed, this was just like something from the movies! When they had stopped, Jack turned off the truck and got out, motioning for her to follow. As soon as the doors had closed completely, the lights went on overhead. Pam guessed that a switch was activated by the closing doors. Now that there was light, she could make out details in the room. Jack told her this was the garage silo, the elevator was part of the original equipment, but, like the doors, had required extensive reworking to get it to function again. He said "this is one of three silos in the complex, it used to hold Titan missiles about 50 years ago. The other two missile silo's have been converted into storage, and don't open anymore. There are also a couple of silo's that were used to house antennas at the other end of the complex, and I converted one of them into the primary entrance." as Pam looked around, she saw that the doors were a good thirty feet above her head. There were two other levels they had passed on the way down, and Jack told her they held other equipment. The room was about forty feet in diameter, and had several levels below this one. Ahead of them was a large opening, and Jack said that it used to hold fuel for the missile, but he had converted into a garage where he could work on the truck. To their right was a smaller opening, and it was through there that Jack was moving.

      As they emerged from the side tunnel into the junction, Pam got an idea just how big this place was! The main tunnel seemed to go on forever in both directions. Jack saw her look of wonder, and said "The main passage is about a quarter mile long, and twelve feet in diameter. To the left are the other two missile silos, and to our right is the main house.” As they turned right and began to walk down the passage, Jack said "The entrance to the house is about a hundred and fifty yards down from here. If we kept going down this tunnel we'd eventually get to the two antenna silo's, one of which is the main entrance. The original entrance tunnel was filled with debris and capped when the military closed the base."

      Pam was looking around herself in amazement and asked "how many people could this place hold? It’s huge!” Jack replied "well, when it was operational it was supposed to be able to hold a hundred and fifty people for up to thirty days, but that was when it was filled with equipment. Now that most of the equipment is gone, I'd guess you could triple that easily.” Pam was shaking her head when they reached the next junction. Turning right, Jack and Pam walked down the short passage to a door. As Jack opened it, Pam stopped and stared in awe. Jack said " this is the main house, my apartment is on the next level up. I had originally set this place up to house several friends of mine that I knew from the internet, like-minded people that were Christians and preparedness minded as well. Unfortunately, as far as I know, none of them survived the plague, although I'm still hoping some will show up some day.” Pam had closed her mouth by this time, and was able to ask "how big is this place?” Jack looked at her and smiled, saying "well, this used to be the control dome. The dome itself is forty feet high and one hundred feet in diameter. This bottom level is divided into four apartments, and the whole top floor, about sixty feet in diameter, is mine.” By this time they had reached the end of the hall and stopped before an elevator. Jack pushed the button, and the door opened immediately. They both got in, and Jack pushed the button for the upper level.

      As the doors opened, Pam looked out onto a conservatively decorated living room. Stepping out she saw that around to her right was a small kitchen area, and to her left was what she decided must be the bedroom. On one side of the living room several couches were arranged in a conversation area. On the other side was a computer station. Against one wall was a large flat screen television. Pam asked about it. Jack said "well, there's no TV signal anymore, of course, but I have an extensive video library. All the TV's and Computer terminals in the complex are networked together, with a central server. Part of that network includes several thousand movies stored in their own server. To access a movie, just use the remote to choose from the selection provided, and hit "play.” Also, since all the terminals are connected, we don't have to be in the same room to play games or talk.” “Cool" Pam said. Jack said " all the apartments have their own terminal, as well as a TV. Speaking of which, we need to get you set up in a place of your own."

      Jack led the girl back to the elevator. "There are more apartments in the old power dome, but I think you'd prefer one of the nicer ones on the bottom level of this dome.” Getting off the elevator they went to the first door on the right and entered the apartment. It was nice, also conservatively decorated, and about eighteen hundred square feet in all. Pam was impressed, and said "I could get lost in here.” Jack told her they could eat together at his place, but this was a space she could call her own and get away when she needed to. Pam looked around and thought 'I could do worse...a LOT worse.’ She told Jack that it was perfect, but if he didn't mind, she'd prefer to stay with him when she wasn't sleeping. Jack said he understood, and he also felt the need of companionship strongly right now. Pam thought about something Jack had said, and asked "where is this 'power dome', and how big is it?” Jack told her it was across the main junction from this dome, and was even bigger. It was sixty feet to the top of the dome, and the bottom floor was a hundred and twenty feet across. "It's divided into three floors. There are six apartments on the bottom floor, along with the main dining room and a small control room. Also, the main armory is there and a clinic is in a tunnel just outside the entrance to the dome.” Jack said. "The second floor has eight small apartments, and the top floor has the chapel, along with a recreation area. All in all, we're set up to house about eighteen families, or around a hundred people."

      Jack continued "And we have enough food and other supplies to feed that many for a minimum of five years, which means there's enough for the two of us for more than a century. We have two wells that open inside the shelter, all the equipment necessary to keep the air fresh and circulated, and enough stabilized fuel to provide back up power for up to a year if necessary.” Pam asked "where do you get the electricity you're using now? From that back up generator?” Jack responded "no, there's a small private hydro-electric dam about thirty miles from here. It was set up to provide electricity for a manufacturing concern, and I contracted with them for my power. It's not connected to the power grid, and was designed to be as maintenance free as possible. It should keep us in power for the foreseeable future.” “ Wow" Pam said "you have everything covered.” "I sure hope so Pam, I sure hope so.” Jack said.
      "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

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      • #4
        c'mon folks, make some comments!

        if ya don't, how am i supposed to know if anyone's even reading it? it really gets depressing to come here every day and never see any posts but my own.
        "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

        Comment


        • #5
          Chapter 5
          After showing Pam around her new apartment, Jack and the girl returned to his place. Pam wanted to know how he had managed to do all this, so Jack told her the story. "I've always been into preparing Pam, it's sort of a hobby of mine. For instance, I bought and rebuilt that truck we came here in, soon after I got out of high school. It took me more than a year, but I finally had something I'd wanted my whole life, a truck that could go just about anywhere. The first ten years of my life after that time were spent mostly on learning. I was into all kinds of preparedness, from how to survive a Nuclear war, to what to do if the Yellowstone caldera exploded. I joined a couple of internet bulletin boards that were created around the idea of getting ready, and I made a lot of friends that I am still close to today."

          "Then, about eight years ago, my parents and sister were killed in a mudslide that collapsed their house in california. It was a freaky kind of thing because it happened without warning, after a fairly light rain. It devastated me, and sent me into a deep depression. I had warned them about the potential for that sort of thing happening where they lived, but they had always thought I was strange for being into this 'survival' stuff anyway, and never listened to any of my warnings. They were what my internet friends referred to as 'sheeple'." At that, pam giggled. "Finally, with help and good advice from my online friends, most of whom are christians and have also had trouble in their lives and could therefore understand what I was going through, I started to work my way out of my depression.

          My father had been a businessman, the vice president of a large New York based corporation. He'd made a lot of money in that job, and had made a lot more in the stock market. He set aside trust funds for my sister and myself in an offshore account so the IRS couldn't get to it. Fifty million for each of us, but both came to me because Susan was killed also. I couldn't touch the principle, you understand, but the accounts were earning 16% and the interest now came to me." Pam was awed by the amount of money Jack was talking about. She figured she'd found the right guy to 'get involved' with. Then a thought occurred to her...with the collapse of society, money was worthless. this idea shocked her, and she sat stunned for a moment. Perhaps sensing what she was thinking, Jack said "of course, that's all gone now. But the good news is, what I built with it is still here for us to use." Pam thought about what he said, and realized he was right, and she was truly thankful that he'd found her.

          Jack continued his story "I'd always been intrigued with old government installations, the military in particular was always over-building things, and so I got on the 'net and started looking for government surplus properties. That's how I found this place. It wasn't much to look at when I first saw it, but the price was right when you consider what all was included, the complex and ninty acres of land for 1.5 million. Needless to say I bought it, along with an additional two hundred and fifty acres adjoining it." Jack stopped while he got soft drinks from the kitchenette for both of them. "The renovation was where the real fun started. First I had to hire a team to come in and remove all the asbestos and PCB's and stuff, mess the military had left when they abandoned the place. Then we had to drain the bottoms of the silos and put pumps into place to keep the water out as the bottoms and walls were being recovered with waterproof concrete to keep them from flooding again. Finally, we had to rework much of the machinery to get it to function. The military left most of it in place when they left, but age and damp conditions had taken their toll. all in all it took close to three years and more than twenty million dollars to get it to where it is today."

          Pam was impressed, she'd had no idea that so much work had been involved. The results certainly looked worth it though, especially considering what had happened in the world lately.

          "Mostly we left the complex itself alone, simply refurbishing the interior and reworking what equipment we could salvage" Jack said. "but after the main job was done, I added something I'd always wanted, an underground hangar for my planes." Pam's eyes lit up, "you have an airplane?!" Jack smiled at her. "Actually I have several, I kind of collect small military surplus and experimental aircraft." The girl was even more excited now, she loved to fly. "The hangar isn't built to the standards of this place" Jack said, "but we did the best we could without breaking the bank. We had a hole dug so the hundred by hundred foot steel building I wanted would sit with the roof only a couple of feet below the surface. then we covered the whole thing with eight inches of concrete, and filled the hole in with dirt. it won't support a lot of weight on top, but it hides the planes from view." "But, how do you get the planes up to the top to fly them?" "We built a hydraulic elevator next to the hangar and covered it with metal doors." Jack replied. Pam wanted to go look at the planes right then, but Jack said that it was getting late and they could do it the next day. "We both need to eat right now, then we can bathe and get ready for bed Pam. "Ok" Pam said, "but we WILL go look at the planes tomorrow, right?" Jack assured her that they'd do many things the next day.

          After they ate he told the girl to return to her apartment and get cleaned up and in the bed. Pam asked if he would come with her until she got to sleep, but Jack said he had a lot to do up in his place and that he'd see her in the morning. A disappointed Pamela agreed, and left for her own place.
          "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

          Comment


          • #6
            Chapter 6

            The next morning, Pam was up bright and early. She got dressed and pushed the button on the intercom for Jack's apartment. Jack, who'd been up for about half an hour, told her to come on up. when the girl arrived, Jack said "have a seat Pam, I'll have breakfast ready in a minute. You do like eggs, don't you?" Pam said that she did, and that the food smelled wonderful.

            After they'd eaten, Jack said "we have several things we need to do today, the first of which is to get you some clean clothes." Pam's clothes had seen better days. They were torn and dirty, and hadn't been washed in weeks. Jack said "there are a lot of sizes and styles of clothes in storage, why don't we go and find some things you like?"

            "sounds great Jack, lead the way."

            Most of the clothes in the storage area were made to be durable and long wearing, but Pam was still able to find some things she liked and could wear. After she'd picked out several sets of clothes Jack told her to go get changed, and bring him her old things to dispose of. Returning from her apartment to his, Pam looked like a totally different person. She was on the small size for her age, but even then the jeans and flannel shirt made her look more sure of herself. Jack told her he approved of her new look, making her feel better about herself.

            Next, Jack told her that, while she was here, she needed to be armed. He said "we need to find a rifle and pistol you can use in case you have to defend yourself, and teach you to use them." Pam smiled and said to Jack, "I already know how to use guns, my father and cousins used to take me to the range all the time. I even went hunting a couple of times." Jack was impressed. He asked "what kind of rifle did you hunt with?"

            "I usually used a .243 for hunting, but I didn't like it too much, it kicked a lot. I was a lot happier with my .22 rifle."

            Jack assessed the girl, she stood about 5 feet 2 inches tall, and didn't appear to weigh much more than a hundred pounds. "Well, if a .243 was too much recoil for you, I may have just the thing." going over to a cabinet set in one wall, he reached in and grabbed an M1 carbine. "This doesn't have much recoil at all Pam, but it's still a decent self-defence gun and effective out to a couple hundred yards with the jacketed hollowpoints it's loaded with." As he was showing her the rifle, Pam glanced into the cabinet. "Wow. Let me guess, you collect guns too, huh?" Jack laughed, "I guess you could say that. This is my personal collection, there are others in the armory that were supposed to be used by the group for defense of the complex, if that was ever needed." Pam took the M1, "this is light. You say it doesn't kick?" "No more than a .22." Jack replied. "We can go topside later and you can try it out for yourself. Right now though, I want you to take this belt that goes with it to your apartment. It holds ten fifteen round magazines for the rifle. Put it somewhere where you can find it quickly, but it doesn't have to be out in the open." Pam grabbed the belt and went to the elevator. "After you put that away, come back up here and we'll get you a pistol and then go upstairs and let you try them both out." "Ok Jack," she said.

            When she returned, she saw that Jack was putting some things into a green duffle bag. Jack turned and handed her a small black automatic. "this is a Walther PPK, it shoots a .380 acp, kind of a short 9mm. It doesn't kick too much, and is light weight and easy to use." The girl took the small pistol. "I've never shot a pistol before Jack, just rifles." "that's ok, I'll show you everything you need to know. The important thing to remember is, a pistol is only for fighting your way to your rifle, that's your real combat weapon. If it's in any way possible, only use your rifle to fight with."

            "How am I supposed to carry it?" she asked.

            "I'll get one of the shoulder holsters from the armory for you to wear. After we get you set up, I'd like you to have the pistol on you at all times, and keep the rifle available in your room."

            When they had her outfitted, they went down to the main entrance. Pam saw that they were going through one of two doors. "What's behind the other door?"

            "That's the other antenna silo. there were two that were used to launch the missiles. I've converted that area into an emergency wash down room now, it would have been used if there was a nuclear war and people needed to wash off fallout before they entered the main shelter." As they passed through the door, Pam saw that another elevator, like the one Jack parked the truck on, was waiting for them. As she stepped aboard, Jack pushed a button and the overhead doors began to swing upwards, causing the lights to go off as well. "Why do the lights go off when the doors are open?" Pam asked. "In different cir***stances, different defenses are needed." Jack replied. "If there was a war going on, possibly even one with our own government, we might not want to be seen by the outside world. If the lights stayed on as the door was opened, they could give us away. it's a small detail that could have saved all our lives." She nodded her head in understanding.

            Arriving at the surface, Jack walked a few feet away from the elevator, stopped and took a small folding canvas table out of his bag. After setting it up he put the bag down on it, and removed a couple of empty soda cans. He quickly stepped off seven paces, set up the cans a few feet apart and returned to the table. He went over the basic rules of gun safety with Pam, then handed her the pistol, after removing the magazine and clearing the chamber. After showing her how to manipulate the controls, he asked her to point it at one of the cans and gently pull the trigger a few times. When she was comfortable with the pistol, Jack explained that, after the first shot, it would be ****ed, and let her try dry firing it with the hammer back. Pam said she felt comfortable with the gun, so Jack gave her some ear plugs and put his in as well. Then, handing her the loaded magazine, he told her to load the pistol, chamber a round, and try to shoot the can.

            Pam's first shot went into the ground about half way between them and the cans. Jask said "relax Pam, take a deep breath and pretend the gun is still empty." Pam did as she was told, and fired again, kicking up dirt less than a foot from the can. "Good!" Jack said, "keep going." She was happy with Jack's praise, and kept shooting, eventually hitting the can. Jack was smiling at her, and said "you did great!" He handed her another magazine from the bag and told her to keep practicing. Stepping a few feet to the side, he drew his own gun, a Colt Python, and proceeded to put all six rounds into the other can. When Pam saw how good he was, she was determined to practice until she was just as good. Which was Jack's intention when he started shooting.

            After they'd spent about an hour with the pistols, Jack told her to load the Walther and put it away in her shoulder holster, and to wear it from now on. He said she could practice whenever she wanted, but he wanted her to get in at least an hour a day for the next week. Grinning from ear to ear, Pam said that was no problem, shooting the little gun was fun! Reaching into the bag, Jack pulled out and assembled a small metal frame. He attached a target to it, and then paced off a hundred yards and stuck it into the ground, before returning. Jack went over the controls of the carbine next, showing the girl how to change magazines, and how to charge and clear it. Next, he loaded the rifle and handed it to Pam, asking her to show him how good she was. Pam took the gun and, after a few practice shots to get used to it, proceeded to put ten rounds into the middle of the target. Needless to say, Jack was impressed, 'this girl was pretty good!' He said "Wow, you DO know how to use a rifle. consider it yours from now on." Pam was thrilled, she liked the little gun. The recoil was no worse than her .22, and it wasn't even that loud, at least, not like that .243.

            They continued to shoot for a couple more hours, when Jack said they needed to go back below and get something to eat. Packing up all their stuff, Pam said "thanks Jack, that was the most fun I've had in a long time." Smiling, Jack said "well, feel free to come up here whenever you like, just let me know first so I don't panic when I can't find you." Having finished cleaning up, they got back on the elevator and went back inside.
            "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

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            • #7
              to help everyone visualize this a little bit, here is a diagram of the Titan missile complex. the missile silos are at the top of the pic, the domes are in the middle, and the antenna silos are at the bottom.

              next is a map of the missile complexes around mountain home AFB. this story takes place at the northern most complex, marked with a red star and labeled "569c".
              Attached Files
              "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

              Comment


              • #8
                Good story. Keep it coming.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I also am also enjoying the story.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    *this next chapter took a lot out of me, it really came from the heart*


                    Chapter 7

                    After they had finished eating, Jack asked Pam to have a seat on the couch, he wanted to discuss something important with her. Pam got excited, thinking that he was about to suggest they get more 'involved'. She hurried to the couch and sat down expectantly. Jack was a little confused at her excitement, but determined to go ahead with what he needed to say.

                    "Pam, are you a christian?" he asked.

                    Somewhat taken aback by the question, Pam stammered out "uh...I guess so, my parents were I think, but we never went to church or anything."

                    "Do you believe in God?" He asked.

                    "Sure."

                    "Do you think you're going to heaven when you die?"

                    "I guess so Jack, I hope so."

                    "I'm sure you've heard of the Ten Commandments, have you broken any of them?"

                    Pam thought about that for a second. "I don't know, maybe."

                    Jack said "all right, let me put it like this. Have you ever taken anything that didn't belong to you?"

                    Pam was uncomfortable with such personal questions, but she wanted to see where Jack was going with this. She also remembered that he'd said this was important, and she trusted him. "A few times, mostly when I was younger."

                    "Have you ever told a lie to get someone else in trouble?"

                    She remembered back to a time when she'd lied about getting into her fathers liquor cabinet, and blamed it on her cousin, who was staying with them. She wasn't proud of what she'd done, and was embarrassed to tell Jack about it. "Yeah, I've done that." she said guiltily.

                    "How about this, have you ever looked at someone and had lustful thoughts about them?"

                    Now she was really embarrassed...just a few minutes ago she'd been doing that very thing to Jack. "I guess so." she said.

                    Jack said "you know, the Bible says that lusting after someone is the same as adultry, and is a sin, right?"

                    "I-I didn't know that." she said, not meeting his eyes.

                    "So, not to be blunt, but what you're saying is you're a liar, a thief, and an adultress, right?"

                    At this, Pam wanted to be anywhere but here with Jack. What must he think of her? She was all those things, and worse. How could anyone, even Jack, like her now?"

                    Jack continued "you said you believe you're going to heaven, why do you think that?"

                    Pam had no answer, all she could do was stare at the floor at her feet, remembering all the bad things she had done. After a minute Jack said, "is it because God is good?"

                    Pam perked up, that must be it! "Yeah...yeah that's it Jack, God IS good."

                    "You're right about that Pam, God is good. But tell me this, imagine that a serial killer was brought before a judge, having been convicted of murdering a bunch of people. Imagine that he said to the judge 'your honor, I confess to killing all those people, but I don't think you'll put me in jail, because I heard that you're a GOOD judge, and I know you wouldn't let that happen to me.' Now, if the judge is REALLY good, what will he do?"

                    Pam spoke immediately, this was an easy one. "He'd put the man in jail Jack, he deserved to go for what he'd done."

                    "That's right Pam, but that's also the problem. You see, God really is good, and it's that goodness that won't allow a sinner to go to heaven."

                    Pam sat stunned, feeling lost and afraid. She was so sure Jack would show her a way to get away with what she'd done, but now she realized that she deserved to be punished for her sins.

                    "Ok Pam, now imagine this. It's you in the court room. You've been convicted of a terrible crime, and the judge looks at you and says 'you have been found guilty. It is the sentence of this court that you either pay a 25 billion dollar fine, or serve 25 years in prison.' Now, you KNOW there's no way you could ever pay such a fine, so you're resigned to your punishment. but as you start to leave the court room, the judge says 'wait, I have just been informed that someone you don't even know has paid your debt...you are free to go.' How do you think you'd feel?"

                    Pam was still thinking about her sins, but seeing a glimmer of hope, she said "I'd feel great."

                    "Well Pam, that's just what Jesus did for you!" You see, God made the law, and you broke it by sinning. But God loves you SO much that he sent Jesus, His son, to come to earth and pay your debt.
                    The Bible says 'the wages of sin is death' Pam, that means that in order to pay for your sins, Jesus had to die...and He did, He went to the cross and died for your sins. All you have to do is confess your sins to Him and ask and He'll forgive you and save you from hell. Remember, He already knows about your sins, He wants you to confess them for your good, not His."

                    Pam couldn't believe this. Here she had been thinking she was going to hell, and deserved to go, and now she'd found out what God...what Jesus had done for her. She just sat there, unable to speak. finally Jack said "Talk to Him Pam, Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with you. All you have to do is talk to him in your own words."

                    Pam slid off the couch and onto her knees. With tears streaming down her face she began confessing her sins to God, asking for forgiveness and salvation. After a few minutes she stood, still crying, but with a smile forming as well. She looked at Jack and said "I feel different Jack, like I was a different person." Jack knew she needed a hug, and opened his arms. as he held her, he said "you are a different person Pam, the Bible says that when you're born again the old you is gone and you are a brand new person."

                    Stepping away from the girl, Jack went to a book shelf and picked up a Bible. "This is for you Pam, it's God's word. This will tell you everything you need to know to begin a personal relationship with your Savior. Jesus wants to have a relationship with you, but it was up to you to make the first move."

                    Pam took the book. She hadn't even held a Bible since she was small, but now there was a yearning within her to read it, to find out what God wanted to say to her. Jack suggested she go to her apartment and start reading. He even marked where the Gospel of Matthew started and told her to begin there. He said the Old Testament was important too, but the New Testament would have some answers for her. Pam said she'd start reading it right now. She gave Jack another hug and said "thank you so much for sharing this with me Jack, I never realized how much I needed Jesus, I think you have changed my life." Then she left and went to her place to start reading.

                    Jack knew she'd be busy for several hours, so he took the time to go back to the garage and take care of a few things. First he decided to empty his friends' stuff out of the back of the truck. He put the personal stuff in one pile, and the guns, tools, and other useful items in another. After it was all out he gathered up the personal stuff and took it to his apartment, storing it away in a closet. Returning to the garage, he gathered up the tools and other stuff and took them into the maintenance area. With that done, he checked over the truck, making sure all the fluids were topped off and that it was ready to go if needed. He went over to one wall and flipped a switch, turning on the diesel pump. Then he grabbed the fuel hose from it's wall mount and filled the trucks' tanks. With these jobs taken care of, he returned to his apartment to get cleaned up and start dinner.

                    When dinner was ready he went to the intercom and called Pam, and a minute later she stepped off the elevator. Jack was amazed, the girl positively glowed! She really did seem like a totally different person. As they sat down to the table, Jack said grace. For the first time, Pam said Amen. When dinner was over, they sat on the couch and talked. Pam was full of questions, and Jack did his best to answer them, referring to scripture whenever he could to show her the verse. Pam soon asked for a pad and pen so she could write down the verses and read them later. Encouraged by her enthusiasm, Jack got them for her.

                    "One question I have Jack, is about baptism." Pam said.

                    Jack said "now that you're a believer, we do need to take care of that. You do understand that baptism itself has nothing to do with salvation, right?"

                    "But then why do we do it?" She asked.

                    "We do it because Jesus told us to Pam, but baptism itself is symbolic. it symbolizes the washing away of our old selves and the birth of our new."

                    Pam said she understood. "so that's why the man on the cross next to Jesus was saved, even though he wasn't baptised."

                    "that's right Pam. Baptism doesn't save you, and it isn't necessary for salvation, but we are told by the Bible to baptize everyone if possible. Since we are servants of Jesus Christ, we do as He asks us.

                    "Ok. So, are you going to baptize me?"

                    "Sure, we can do that right now." With that, Jack got up. He led the girl into his bathroom, which had a large whirlpool tub. He filled the tub with warm water, and when it was full he asked Pam to get in. She felt strange getting into the tub with clothes on, but knew there wasn't any other way. She really wanted to do this, it was almost a need. after she'd gotten in and settled on her knees, Jack put one hand on her nose and the other behind her head. He said "Pamela, you have confessed Jesus Christ as your savior in my presence, and stated your willingness to be baptized. You have said you understand the symbology of this act, and that you are fulfilling the command of Jesus, is that correct? She nodded her head. Jack said "then I baptize you in the name of God the Father, His son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit." With that Jack pinched her nose closed and leaned her forward until her head was under water. He quickly raised her back up, and as she came out of the water she smiled from ear to ear. "Pamela, you are a new creature in Christ, welcome!

                    Pam got out of the tub, gave Jack a big hug, then went back to her apartment to change into some dry clothes.
                    "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Chapter 8

                      The next morning, Pam awoke feeling wonderful. As she lay there enjoying the feeling, still half asleep, she started thinking about Jack, imagining what it would be like to wake up in bed with him. After a few minutes however, she realized she was falling into the same routine as before, and that what she was doing was lusting, and it was sinful. Suddenly she didn't feel so wonderful anymore, she felt remorseful instead. Getting out of bed, she dropped down on her knees, and begged God to forgive her, although she wasn't sure if He would. After all, she was supposed to be different now, right? That meant she wasn't supposed to think like that anymore. Unsure of what to do, and needing answers to her questions, she suddenly felt the need to confess her thoughts to Jack.

                      Pam stepped off the elevator, intent on talking to Jack. As she stepped out she saw him on the couch, with his head in his hands. Suddenly concerned that he was upset or sick, she quickly crossed the room and sat on the couch across from him, asking "are you ok?"

                      At the sound of her voice, Jack looked up and asked her to hold on a moment. then he bowed his head again, and she heard him say softly "these things I ask in Jesus name, amen." Looking up at the girl, he said, "yeah, I'm ok, why do you ask?"

                      Pam said, "I thought you were upset or sick, the way you were sitting with your head in your hands like that."

                      "No, I was praying. I try to read the Bible and pray every morning before I start the day. You might want to consider doing that also, it really helps to get you focused on serving God every day."

                      Pam was relieved, and said, "ok, I'll try that." She looked at him and hesitated, then said "I have a confession to make Jack," she paused, "I've been having...thoughts, about you..." He kept a neutral expression on his face, waiting for her to continue.

                      "Sexual thoughts..."

                      Jack smiled gently at her "I understand Pam, and I was aware of it."

                      "You were?"

                      "Yes, but now you understand that it was wrong, don't you?"

                      "I know, but the thing is...I had those thoughts this morning also."

                      "And?"

                      "And I thought I was supposed to be a new person. What happened Jack, did I mess everything up? I asked God to forgive me again, but I don't know if He will. I'm so confused." Pam was becoming distraught.

                      "No, you didn't mess everything up Pam, what happened to you is normal, all new believers, and a lot of old ones, go through this. Of course God forgives you, what's important is that you recognize that what you were doing wasn't right, and repent of it."

                      "Repent? what's that?"

                      "Repent means to turn away from your sins. Think about it like this, God stands at one end of the road, and sin stands at the other. When you're following sin you're walking away from God. When you repent, you're turning away from sin and walking to God."

                      "Ok Jack, I understand. but how many times can I repent? is there a limit?"

                      "No, as long as you truely repent, God will always forgive you. Sometimes we christians make the same mistake dozens of times, even hundreds, But God is ALWAYS faithful to forgive us. Remember, we are God's children. When a child makes a mistake, like spilling his milk, does his mother or father hate him, and turn him away? And even if he makes that same mistake many times, as long as he's sorry the parent will always forgive him, right?"

                      "Oh, NOW I understand! Thank you for explaining it all to me, I'd be lost without you to help me."

                      "No you wouldn't, because you have God to answer your questions now. All you have to do is pray and read your Bible, and God WILL give you all the answers you need."

                      Pam was feeling better now, and soon their conversation turned to other things.

                      "What are we going to do today?" she asked. Jack replied "How would you like to go flying? I thought we'd take one of the helicopters and have a look around town, and even look at the base."

                      "Really! That'd be awesome!" the girl squealed.

                      "I thought you'd like that" Jack smiled. "Ok, after we eat, we'll get ready and go. As soon as we're done here, go get your rifle and that belt of magazines and come back here."

                      A little while later they were walking down the tunnel to the hangar. Jack had a rifle also, an M1 Garand and a bandoleer with several clips in it. He also had a 1911 in a shoulder holster. The door to the hangar was about half way between the dome and the entrance to the complex. Upon entering the large room, Pam stopped and stared. Before her were at least a dozen planes, most of which were small, but one large one was near the front. "What's that?" She asked, pointing to the large craft.

                      "That's a C-2 Greyhound. It's a passenger version of the US Navy's E-2C Hawkeye airborne radar plane. It's the largest plane in my collection that can fit on the elevator, and only then because the wings fold back."

                      "Are we going to fly that today?" Pam asked

                      "No, it's more for long distance flying. I thought we'd take the Scorpion."

                      "Which one's that?"

                      "It's the small helicopter near the elevator. It's a nice reliable homebuilt that I put together several years ago. It's pretty strong, and lots of fun to fly. Also, since it's near the door we don't need to move everything around to get it out." Jack winked at her.

                      "Ok, cool." Pam said.

                      Before going to the craft, Jack went over to a rack near the entrance door. From it he removed a couple of boxes, handing one to her. "Put that on your belt Pam, it's a combination radio direction finder and emergency locator beacon. If anything happens while we're out, and we get separated, turn it on and point the antenna all around you until you find the strongest signal. That'll be the shelter, here. Once you have a signal, follow it and it'll take you home. If you get hurt or trapped, lift the red cover and push the button underneath and it'll activate a signal that I can use to find you."

                      Pam took the unit and clipped it to her belt. Jack said "there's an emergency pack beneath the seat in the chopper also, in case you need it."

                      They walked to the doors, and Jack pushed a button to open them, which also opened the doors above the elevator. Then he went over to the tail of the helicopter and, pushing down on it, caused the nose to lift so he could roll the small craft onto the elevator. Once there he pushed a button labeled 'up', and they began to rise. On the surface he quickly cleared the tie-down strap, and told the girl to get in. Starting the craft, they were able to take off a few moments later.

                      Jack brought them up about fifty feet, then angled towards town and tipped the nose over, quickly gaining airspeed. Pam was thrilled to be flying, and had her face stuck to the canopy, watching everything around them. After a few miles of fairly open country, during which time they'd risen to about a hundred and fifty feet, she saw that they were starting to pass over more and more homes and businesses. Within twenty minutes they had arrived near the town proper. Seeing a population area for the first time since the plague, they both felt ill at ease. It seemed to Jack like they were flying over an empty motion picture set, or a ghost town. They didn't see any people at all.

                      Circling downtown a few times, Jack decided to land. He flew over to main street near the center of town, and found a spot clear of power lines to set it down. As they came close to the ground however, the stench overcame them, the smell of death and rotting corpses. They both began to gag, and Jack quickly increased throttle and altitude until they were again above it. Back in the clean air they looked at each other, knowing that, in this town at least, they were likely the only living people around. Starting to feel a little better now that they were above the smell, Jack told Pam he still wanted to check out the airbase, so he turned towards the southwest and they started off at a sedate pace, still looking for signs of life below.

                      The area of the town they were travelling over now was different than the way they'd come, and they could see the occasional body out in the open. Also, they could see a few animals around, and signs that some of the corpses had been partially eaten. The sight made Pam sick again, and she asked Jack if they could go home. He said they could as soon as they checked out the base, and increased speed, gaining even more altitude until the details below were harder to make out.

                      At the airbase, the smell was even worse. Jack realized that it was blowing in from town on the prevailing breeze. Realizing there was no reason to continue until that smell had gone away, he turned around and started for home.

                      Arriving back at the complex, Jack circled the property to assure himself that no one had come up while they'd been gone. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he landed on the elevator and shut down. As soon as the blades had stopped turning they got out, and Jack secured the rotor with it's tie-down strap. then, hitting the 'down' button, they descended back to the hangar. Upon reaching the bottom, Jack wheeled the Scorpion back to it's parking space. Telling Pam to return the direction finders to the rack, he walked over to a small electric aircraft tug, which was attached to a fuel trailer, and drove it over to the bird and topped off the tanks. when he was finished he returned the tractor and the two of them walked to his apartment.

                      "Well, that was disappointing." Jack remarked.

                      "It's so sad...all those people." Pam mumbled.

                      "I wonder how many are left, around the world, I know that Mountain Home isn't a good gauge of the rest of the world, but I have to believe that there are at least a few groups of people left, somewhere."

                      "Do you think we'll ever find any?" Pam asked.

                      "I don't know...I hope so. This world would be mighty lonely with just the two of us."

                      When they got to Jacks apartment, he got them a couple of cokes and they sat and talked. Both were somewhat depressed after their trip, although they both had known it'd probably be bad. After a bit, Jack stood up and said "it's too early for lunch, and I don't think either of us has much of an appetite after that, so why don't we take a walk and I can show you some of the rest of this place?"

                      "Ok Jack, that sounds good."

                      They stopped by her place so she could drop off her rifle. Jack had put his away when they were upstairs. Then they walked down the tunnel, towards the power dome. As they passed the junction they came upon a door to their right. "This was the original entrance," Jack said "but the military filled it with debris and capped it with concrete when they left. I guess we could have cleared it, but there wasn't really any point as I intended for the antenna silo to be the main entrance." A little farther on they came to the first of two doors on the left side of the tunnel. Jack opened it and they went inside. Pam looked around and saw that the room was a tunnel section about a hundred feet long, and filled with a massive engine.

                      "This used to be one of two water storage areas. I opened it up and now use it to house the emergency generator. The complex used to be powered by four eighteen cylinder diesel generators that were housed in the power dome. Without all the equipment we don't need nearly that much power, and I had plans for that dome, so I had this area converted. The engine and generator came out of a locomotive, and can put out as much as three megawatts of electricity if necessary." Pam looked at the huge engine and was impressed. "If you're down in this part of the complex, once in a while you may hear the engine crank up and run for a few minutes. It does that automatically to keep the engine from sitting idle too long. It'll definately startle you when it happens, but it's nothing to be concerned about."

                      At the next door Jack showed her the clinic. "this room is the same as the last, an old water tank. But as the clinic, it can serve as a dentist's office, emergency room, and even a surgery if necessary. One of my friends who was supposed to come to the shelter in case of an emergency was a practicing veterinarian, he was going to be our doctor."

                      Pam made a face and said "a veterinarian?! Why would he be the doctor?"

                      "Think about it," Jack said "most people doctors are either specialists, or general practitioners. A specialist only really knows his area of expertise, and a GP rarely has any experience with anything other than viral infections, bumps and bruises. But a good country vet often has dealt with bullet wounds, major trauma, and all manner of diseases and ailments that animals get into, but that any other doctor would likely never see in his career. Also, a vet has to have a working knowledge of a dozen different anatomies instead of just one, and switching from them to human isn't all that difficult."

                      Pam thought about it and, even though it made sense, it still sounded weird. They walked on, and soon came to the door to the power dome. Inside, Pam saw that the room was a partial circle, with tables and chairs around. "This is the main dining room. the kitchen is off to the left, and to the right is the control room and armory. straight ahead is an elevator to the upper floors and also a passage to the apartments on this level." Pam was looking around, realizing how many people were supposed to be using this place, and started to feel a little bit lonely.

                      Jack showed her the control room, pointing out the security monitors and alarm systems. He also showed her the controls for what the complex could use for defense. There were ten high pressure, remote control flame throwers around the outside of the complex. Jack said that each one had an aiming camera mounted on it, and was capable of shooting burning jellied fuel up to two hundred yards.

                      "They each have a two thousand gallon tank, which allows a full minute of fire, and they're set in such a way that their fields of fire overlap, giving us a major defensive weapon in case of attack. Each weapon is stored below ground on it's own hydraulic elevator, and can be raised in about ten seconds if needed to defend the complex. The reason I went with flame throwers instead of machine guns, is that the laws are very loose concerning them, as many farmers use smaller ones to clear brush. Machine guns and heavier weapons are difficult if not impossible to obtain legally, and for christians, the Bible tells us to obey the authority of the land, which means 'don't break the law'." Pam nodded her head in understanding.

                      "The security monitors and motion sensors, along with other kinds of sensors, are tied in to the computer network. if a sensor goes off a warning buzzer sounds from the computer terminal in my place, and the ones in both my second and third in commands' rooms. Also, this pager I carry has a wireless link to the system and will alert me. From any terminal I can access the monitors, and either issue basic defensive commands to the system, or call a 'red alert'. because of this, we don't need someone monitoring the system all the time. that's good, because no one was going to be here except me unless there was an emergency."

                      At the far end of the control room was the door to the armory. Within, Jack showed her one of the fifty sets of combat gear. Each set included a set of body armor, an H&K 91 rifle along with a dozen magazines, a set of load bearing equipment, and an M1911 .45 caliber pistol. He said that, if the place was ever attacked, this was their last line of defense. they'd try anything else they could first, but if push came to shove, the residents themselves would do whatever it took to defend the place and their families.

                      Leaving the control room, Jack explained that the entire second floor was made up of apartment units, so they instead went to the top. There, Jack showed her the small chapel, and the recreation area, which had a few comfortable couches and chairs scattered about, several computer terminals, and a cabinet with games and books. "The computer has a library of nearly twenty thousand books you can read from any terminal, but some folks still prefer to hold the book in their hands, so we have some of them as well."

                      Pam spent a few minutes looking through the games and reading the titles of the books, when suddenly, Jack's pager started buzzing.
                      "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Chapter 9

                        When his pager went off, Jack went over to one of the recreation room terminals and turned it on. As the screen came up he logged in and brought up the security system. A motion detector for the main gate had been tripped, and he selected the camera for that area and examined the picture. There appeared to be a beat up old truck not far from the gate, and he could see a couple of people moving about. He said to Pam "looks like there's someone at the front gate, but I can't make out who it is from here. let's go to the control room and see if we can zoom in on them." With that, the two went back downstairs.

                        Arriving at main control, Jack went to the monitor station and selected the gate camera for the large monitor. Zooming in on the truck, he saw that it was old and rusted, and the bed was piled high with stuff. He counted three people moving about, looking like they were discussing something. Two of them he was sure he'd never seen before, but the third looked familiar. after a minute it came to him, that looked like Melissa!

                        Jack said "I think I know one of them, that looks like the wife of one of my friends who was supposed to shelter here. I don't know the other two, but they don't appear hostile, they seem to be discussing something as equals." Thinking for a moment, he continued "Pam, stay here. I need you to watch my back. I'm going to go out there and try and bring them in. I don't think it's likely, but Melissa may be being held against her will, being used by the others to get in here. Sit here and watch the screen, they're not in range of the nearest flamethrower yet, but if they shoot me and come inside, as soon as they get past that orange post next to the road, they will be. Remember, it takes a few seconds for the weapon to raise up and get in firing position, so wait until they get about half way between the post and the flamethrower before activating it, so they won't have time to retreat even if they see it. as soon as it's up, hose them down." Jack quickly showed her how to operate the weapon control station and select the appropriate gun, and said he'd try to keep out of it's area of fire so she wouldn't toast him as well. Pam was nervous and very serious, realizing that this wasn't a game and that their lives were on the line.

                        She said "Jack, do you have to go? If anything happened to you I don't know WHAT I'd do. I think I'm falling in love with you, I don't want to lose you now." She pleaded.

                        He looked at her. "I care about you two Pam, and I'll be careful. But those are people out there and even if they're not the ones I'm thinking of, there are dang few people left. We as christians have to do everything we can to help others, if we were to lock ourselves away from others who need our help, how could we face God when the time comes? Besides, if that IS my friend, we'll be a lot better off with her and her friends in here with us."

                        Pam knew he was right, but she was still scared and worried for him. still, she said OK, and watched nervously as he left the room, stopping at the armory first and picking up a rifle and vest. She wished that she'd asked him to hug her goodbye, but she didn't want him to think she was trying to come on to him again. Suddenly he walked back in again, and Pam's eyes lit up. He said "I almost forgot" and reached for a couple two-way radios in a charger along the wall. Handing one to her, he said he'd call her if he needed her. With that, Jack walked back out of the room. Pam slumped back, she'd been sure he was coming back to give her a hug.

                        Walking out into the tunnel, Jack was thinking about Pam. 'Maybe I should have given her a hug to reassure her before I left,' he thought, but he didn't want to send the wrong signal to someone who had so recently confessed to having a problem lusting for him. Putting thoughts of the girl out of his mind, he walked towards the garage silo.

                        Entering the garage, Jack contemplated driving the mog out to the gate, but decided that it might scare whoever was out there, if they weren't who he thought they were. Deciding that keeping it low key was best, he got in the truck and drove it into the tunnel that led to the maintenance shop, clearing the elevator. Then bringing the elevator up to the next level, he selected one of the Max six wheel drive vehicles and, climbing in and driving onto the pad, he hit the button that opened the doors and raised him to the surface. Exiting the silo, he made his way towards the main gate, being sure to detour far enough out so that he wouldn't cross into range of the flamethrower. As he approached the gate, he saw that the people there apparently had heard him. there was a flurry of activity as they dove for cover, and a second later a shot rang out!

                        Jack immediately dove off the Max, the vehicle continuing on a dozen yards until it came to rest, idling. As jack tried to make himself one with the ground, he called Pam on the radio, letting her know he wasn't hit and telling her to remain alert. Then he called out "MELISSA!, IT"S JACK. STOP SHOOTING!"

                        Immediately he heard voices from the gate, then "JACK? IS THAT REALLY YOU? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD."

                        "Well I'm not yet, but I WILL be if people keep taking shots at me!"

                        The woman called back, "we're coming out Jack, please hold your fire." and with that, all three of them stood up and put down their guns. Jack stood as well. He walked over to the Max and got aboard, driving it cautiously over to the gate.

                        As he pulled up, he said to Melissa "thank God you're alive! Are Jerry and the kids..."

                        "They're dead." Melissa said sadly "They died a couple of weeks ago from the plague."

                        Jack opened the gate, quickly going to the woman and holding her for a moment. Stepping back he said "I am so sorry Melissa, I know how much you must be hurting. I wish I could do something to ease your pain."

                        "It's ok Jack, God is helping me to get through."

                        Trying to change the subject, he said "who are your friends?"

                        Visibly pulling herself together, she gave him a weak smile and said "This is Eric Williams and his friend Robin Jeffrey. We found each other on the way here.

                        "Nice to meet you two. Well, why don't we get inside, I'm sure you're all tired and hungry. After you've had a chance to rest you can tell me about your journey."

                        "Sounds good to me, I've been trying to get here for more than a week." The woman said.

                        Jack called Pam on the radio to let her know everything was ok and they were coming in. Pam immediately replied "thank God! I was so worried." At the sound of a female voice coming from the radio, Melissa gave him a curious look, but said nothing. After they pulled their truck through, Jack closed and locked the gate. Then he led them back to the silo.

                        Jack instructed Eric to pull onto the elevator pad, and to stay to one side so he could get the max on as well. When they were set he pushed the button and they descended into the complex. Jack stopped them at the second level and put the Max back where he'd gotten it, then comtinued down to the third and told the group to grab their stuff and follow him.

                        At the junction to the main tunnel, they were met by Pam. She jumped into Jack's arms nearly hysterical, saying she'd thought he was dead when that shot was fired. He reassured her that he was fine, calming her down, but aware of how nice it was that she'd been so concerned for him. When she'd regained control of herself, Pam turned to the newcomers and said "I'm Pamela."

                        Jack, remembering his manners, introduced the others to the girl, and they started walking toward the dome, Pam sniffling and trying to dry her tears.

                        Arriving at his apartment, Jack told the others to have a seat while he got lunch together. As he went to the kitchenette, Pam followed him saying she'd help. Jack was aware that she seemed to be sticking close to him, and figured she was just a little shy around the others.

                        Serving lunch, Jack said "So, tell me about your trip Mel.

                        "Well, after Jerry and the children passed, I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to die myself, and I figured it'd happen pretty soon. After a few days had passed and I still didn't get sick, I thought about forcing the issue. I was just so torn up about losing them. In my depression I actually prayed for God to kill me too, but while I was praying, God gave me peace instead. It was then that He led me to understand that He wasn't through with me yet, that He knew I had suffered greatly, but He still had plans for me. After hours of crying and praying, I pulled myself together enough to make some plans. Our plan was always to get here if we could, so I tried calling you, back before the phones went out. I couldn't get ahold of you, no matter when I called, day or night, and finally figured you'd died of the sickness as well. Finally, after praying about it, I got my things together and started trying to get here."

                        "The going was rough at first. Apparently something had caused a mass evacuation panic in Eugene. The roads were jammed solid, not just the highways, but the secondary streets as well. I ended up driving through yards and parking lots, and it took me three days just to get out of the area. Then, as I made my way through the mountains, there were occasional accidents that sometimes blocked the road completely. some of them I was able to clear with the winch, but others were too bad, and I was forced to backtrack and find other ways to get through. Eventually the road became clearer, and I was able to start making good time. That is, until I got to a small town called Harper. While driving through the town, someone started shooting at me from among the buildings. I heard a shot hit the truck, and floored the gas, trying to get away from the area. After a bit the truck got hard to control, I think they hit one of the wheels. Anyway I kept going a couple of miles, but ended up losing control and hitting a parked car. The truck wasn't fixable quickly, and I didn't want to stay in that area, so I grabbed what I could carry and headed off into the brush. After a while I decided that no one was following me, so I took off down the road. Coming to the next town, called Vale, I started looking for a place to spend the night."

                        Jack had been through Vale a couple of times, it was just across the border in Oregon, a tiny berg on an old state road, with nothing to make it stand out.

                        "I hadn't seen anybody the whole time I was traveling, unless you include the person who shot at me, and I didn't even SEE him. So, when I finally got to Vale I just went to the first store I came to, which was a gas station. I tried the door, and it was unlocked. It was getting dark, so I went in and locked the door then went to the back and got out my sleeping bag. I got into some candy from a rack, and lay down and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up because I heard glass breaking. I looked out into the store, and saw Eric and Robin standing just inside the door. When I spoke to them I thought they were going to jump out of their skin, but after talking for a bit they calmed down. They told me they were hungry, and just looking for food. I told them to help themselves to what was there, and they went right to it, stuffing themselves with the candy like they hadn't eaten in a week. Afterwards they told me they were all alone, and had nowhere to go. I told them I knew of a place that had food and supplies, and asked them if they wanted to go with me."

                        At this point, Eric spoke up. "After my parents died, I didn't know what to do. When I'd eaten everything there was in the house, I started looking in the other houses in town. That's how I found Robin. She was hiding in her home, having lost her whole family as well. We'd gone to high school together but in different grades, I'm a senior and she's a freshman, but we knew each other at least. We started looking for food together, and had just about decided to try to get to another town, when we found Melissa in the 'Stop 'n Go'. When she said she had a place to go, we both were so relieved, we jumped at the chance to go with her. I had my truck outside, so we helped her get her stuff together and in the truck, and left."

                        Mel spoke up again "we traveled all that day, and ended up in Boise. Knowing we needed some guns, we found a pawn shop there and got a couple."

                        Jack had seen their guns, a .22 rifle and an old Marlin .30-.30.

                        "There wasn't much ammo in the pawn shop, but there was enough. I gave the 30-30 to Eric, and took over the driving for the final leg of the journey. When we pulled up to the gate, I realized I'd forgotten the code to unlock it. As we were trying to decide what to do, we noticed you coming this way. I thought you were dead, and didn't know who would be coming towards us from the inside, so I told Eric and Robin to get down behind something."

                        "I'm sorry I shot at you mister, but Melissa said that there wasn't supposed to be anybody here. Anyway, it was just a warning shot. Heck, as bad as I was shaking, I doubt if I coulda' hit ya' even if I was tryin'."

                        Jack said it was ok, he understood. "I might've done the same thing in your place Eric."

                        Eric looked relieved.

                        "Well, that's our story. Now, what's yours?" Jack told them that he'd been staying with some friends in Butte when it all started. Then he gave them a rundown of the events up until that time. When he was finished, everyone decided it was time to call it a night. Jack showed Melissa to the apartment across from Pam. Then Eric and Robin, who said that, while they weren't a couple, they didn't want to be apart right now, to one further down.

                        Lying in bed that night, Pam was having trouble sleeping. She kept remembering the sight of Jack diving off the ATV, and her thinking he was dead. Then, after learning he was ok, she'd felt something totally different when she'd watched him on the monitor, walking through the gate and hugging this new woman. She'd been watching that woman since she'd come out from behind the truck. She appeared to be in her mid thirties...like Jack. Then, when she saw Jack hugging her, Pam felt something kind of like anger inside herself, and she realized that Jack would never want her with a grown woman here.

                        It was a long time before Pam got to sleep.
                        "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

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                        • #13
                          Chapter 10

                          Early the next morning, Pam got up and went up to Jack's place. Stepping out of the elevator she realized that Melissa was already there, and she heard them talking and giggling as they got breakfast together. Hearing the elevator door close, Jack turned, saw her and said. "Good morning sleepy head, did you have a good night?"

                          Feeling jealousy rise up within her, Pam got a sour look on her face and mumbled "guess so." Then went over and sat on the couch, picking up the remote and flipping on the TV for the first time since she'd been there.

                          Somewhat curious at her gruff reply, Jack started to walk over, when Mel caught his arm and turned him back, pointing to the eggs and saying "don't let them burn, Jack." Turning back to what he was doing, Jack decided to let it go. She was probably just not feeling well or something.

                          After a few minutes, Eric and Robin appeared also. Mel said, "good morning. Have a seat, breakfast will be done in a minute."

                          Seeing Pam, Eric shyly said "hi." Then sat with Robin on another couch, the two of them remaining silent as Pam browsed through the selection of movie titles.

                          Calling everyone to the table a few minutes later, Jack said grace and they all started to eat. He noticed Pam was refusing to make eye contact with him, but pretended not to. After they'd started eating, He spoke up "folks, I really enjoy everyone meeting up here and hanging out, but for meals, there really isn't enough room. These apartments weren't designed for dinner parties. I think we'd all be more comfortable eating in the dining room from now on." The others looked at him a little taken aback, but realized there really wasn't much room at the small table.

                          "Where is the dining room?" Eric asked.

                          "It's in the other dome, not far from here. I'll take you all over to see it after we're done eating.

                          After the meal, while walking to the other dome, Jack tried to talk to Pam and find out what was wrong. Still feeling hurt and resentful, she refused to say anything, quickening her pace slightly and moving away from him. Seeing what he was doing, Mel moved closer to Jack, preventing him from pursuing the girl. Mel was very much aware of the situation. It was obvious that Pam was jealous of her, and equally obvious that Jack was interested in the girl. Determined to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand, She made a point to try and keep Jack away from her.

                          Entering the other dome, Jack began pointing out the various areas of interest. Mel asked about the kitchen, and he led the group off to the left side of the room. The door to the kitchen led through a short tunnel to what Jack said used to be the ventilation room for the power dome. "When this place was operational the four large diesel generators put out a lot of fumes, and the builders solved the ventilation problem by building intake and an exhaust rooms, one on either side of the dome. The exhaust room was converted into the control room and armory, and the intake and filter room into the kitchen." Looking around, they saw the room was about twenty feet square, and had a door leading off to the left. There were stainless steel counters, sinks, and a huge range around the walls, with a large oven and a rack of pans and utensils in the middle. Jack told them that through the door was a walk-in cooler and freezer, with dry storage beyond that. He said that this was only short term storage, long term was in silos two and three at the far end of the complex. When necessary, one of them could use a small electric cart to bring in fresh supplies, but the food that was already here should feed them all for several months at least.

                          Mel thought she could get used to this, she'd always dreamed of a kitchen like this! As she was looking around and asking questions, Jack asked Pam to show the others the rest of the place. Giving him a sour look that Jack was having trouble interpreting, Pam, thought 'great! A wonderful time for him to be alone with HER'. Nevertheless, she nodded her head and said "come on," leading the others out. When they were gone, Mel turned to him and said "what's going on jack?"

                          "What do you mean?"

                          "Oh come now Jack, it's obvious you've got a thing for her, what are your intentions with that child?"

                          Jack, beginning to get uncomfortable and not liking her tone in the least, said "oh I'd hardly call her a child Mel, especially after what she's been through."

                          "Uh huh, so how old is she anyway...fifteen?"

                          "She's sixteen, and that has nothing to do with it." jack replied in a low tone, he was starting to get upset.

                          "Oh, SIXteen, that makes ALL the difference."

                          "Mel, I said that has nothing to do with it. Look, you need to realize a few things. The first is, please remember who's shelter this is. Second, this is not the world we knew. Most of the world is dead, your husband and children among them. There are DAMN few people left out there, and we're going to have to set aside some of society's misplaced values if we're going to have a chance to survive as a race. And third, Pam ACTS like an adult, she has to make decisions like an adult, and she deserves to be treated as an adult. Do you realize that she was in the control room when I went out to meet you yesterday? She was manning the defenses, ready to burn you all to a cinder if you tried to storm the place. Well, if she's old enough to kill to defend her home, then as far as I'm concerned, she IS an adult."

                          If he'd slapped her in the face, Mel couldn't have been any more shocked. Suddenly she burst into tears, and Jack moved close to hold her. As she cried, she said "you're right Jack, I don't know why I'm acting like this. Everythings just so crazy now. Yes, if anyone can fight for their home, they're old enough to make other decisions. I guess I was just trying to pretend everything was the way it used to be. Please forgive me."

                          "There's nothing to forgive." He said gently. "You've been under a tremendous amount of pressure, we all have."

                          "Yes, we all have. You have too, and I haven't been helping. I've been acting like I own you when she's around, and that's why she's been acting so strangely. She's jealous Jack, I think she has a crush on you."

                          Jack was surprised, but it all made sense now. Still, he wasn't sure how to handle the situation, without leading the girl into more trouble. He explained his concerns to Mel.

                          "Don't worry Jack, I'll talk to her. I'll help her to see why I've been acting as I have, and let her know I'm no threat to you and her."

                          "Mel, I don't necessarily want to jump into anything with her right now, I just don't want her to hate me or be mad at me anymore. If later on we decide to get more involved, so be it, but for now we've all got too many other things to worry about. Also, Pam just became a christian and she's not too sure about a lot of things. What she really needs is a woman friend, someone who can help and guide her."

                          "I think I can handle that." Mel smiled.

                          After she got herself together, they walked out into the dining room to await the others.

                          A minute later the gang stepped off the elevator. Jack stood up and asked "who wants the grand tour?"

                          Pam, seeing the two of them together, said sullenly "I've already seen it, I'm going to my room." and stomped off.

                          Mel whispered to Jack, "I'll take care of it." And started after her.

                          ------------------------------------------------

                          Catching up to the girl, Mel said "got a minute? I need to talk to you."

                          Giving her a withering look, Pam said "what."

                          "I need to apologize to you Pam, I've been acting badly."

                          At that, Pam softened a little and asked "what do you mean?"

                          "When I was outside, trying to get here, I convinced myself that once here everything would be normal, back to the way it was. Then when we arrived and I saw the way you and Jack were acting towards one another, something inside me said 'that's not right', and I started trying to do something to stop it.

                          "There's nothing going on with us." Pam said defensively.

                          "I know there's nothing physically happening, but I've seen how you feel about him from the way you act. And, I think he may feel the same way."

                          Pam suddenly got embarrassed, but said nothing.

                          "Look, I thought I needed to do something to get you two apart, to protect you from each other, but while you were upstairs Jack pointed out a few things to me. The world's different now, and some of the things society used to believe, have changed. We're all going to have to get used to that, and one of those changes is going to have to be in how we treat each other. In this new world, we can't afford to hold young people back because they haven't reached a certain set age. Instead, if someone acts like an adult, we need to treat them like an adult. Conversely, no matter how old someone is, if they act like a child, we all need to treat them like a child."

                          Pam just looked at her, trying to understand what she was saying. "Do you mean that if I act like an adult, Jack will treat me like a grown woman, even have a relationship with me?"

                          By this time, they'd arrived at Pam's apartment, and both women went inside, continuing their conversation.

                          "Well, I can't say about the relationship part, all I can say is there's a chance. It's definately not an area where anyone needs to rush into anything, but, if you'll just be yourself, eventually it may happen. One thing that's started to drive a wedge between you two is the jealousy you've been showing. It's got him upset and confused, and that's not good for any friendship. Jack said you just became a christian. I've been saved for a while now, and I thought maybe I could help you to understand a few things."

                          Pam smiled, realizing both that she had a new spiritual sister, and that she'd found a friend as well. Maybe with her help, she and Jack could get close again.

                          "One thing that's going to be important for you to understand, is that selfishness is the core of all sin. Take jealousy for example. When you feel jealous, you're not thinking about my happiness or Jacks, but about your own. And that makes you do things that cause you more problems, like upsetting the man you're trying to get to like you."

                          Pam nodded, that made sense.

                          "A christian puts God first, and others above themselves. When you do that, you'll find that it makes you feel better, and those around you happier as well. Remember, anytime you start looking at self you're in danger of sin, and you're going to act in a way that makes others not want to be near you."

                          "I think I understand, thanks." She said, feeling within her heart that Mel was telling her the truth. "I also understand why you did what you did, you were thinking about what was best for me and Jack."

                          "That's right Pam, I want to assure you that I have no interest in Jack as anything other than a friend. I loved my husband dearly, and my children, and just lost them a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if I'll ever be ready to try again with anyone else, but if I do it'll be a really long time from now.

                          The two women continued to talk, stopping only when it was time for lunch. Getting up, they headed for the dining room together to prepare the meal for everyone. Pam knew she had a wonderful new friend, and was ashamed of the way she had acted earlier. She also resolved to apologize to Jack the next time she could get him alone for a second.

                          ---------------------------------------

                          While the two women were talking, Jack had been showing the others the rest of the complex. When they reached the maintenance bay, Eric got a big grin. "Man! you could do anything in here!" he exclaimed.

                          "Speaking of which, how's that pick-up of yours running?" Jack asked.

                          Embarrassed, he said "well, not too good, I never could afford to do much to it."

                          Jack had an idea. "Well, if you want, we could spend a few days taking a look at it and getting it back into shape." he suggested.

                          Eric's eyes lit up. "Could we? That'd be great Jack."

                          Smiling at the boy's enthusiasm, he said "good, why don't we get started after breakfast tomorrow." From the reaction he got. Jack thought he may have found a friend for life.
                          "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." - Clint Smith

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                          • #14
                            Keep it coming, very good.

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                            • #15
                              I like the story background (would like a litte more detail about the plague and ensuing meltdown of society for background filler) and the creativeness that you have expressed in the silo setup. The only part that I thought was a little to cliche was the part where she becomes a Christian. I have yet to meet a Christian that has come to Christ the way that she did. Majority of the time people come to Christ from a crisis or been raised in a Christian home but I haven't heard of or met a person that came to Christ with a little 2 minute conversation the way you layed it out. It reminds me of those films that they would show us at Youth retreats. This is just my opinion it is not an attack on you or your writing ability. I appreciate you sharing the story and I look forward to reading the rest of it. Keep them coming.
                              "It's a trap!!!!" -- Admiral Ackbar

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