Pandemic: The Beginning (Pandemic Book One) Page 10

  She’d made the children stay back and now she was glad. She didn’t want them to see their father killing a man.

  Then she saw Matt look at Derrick before taking the gun away from the man’s head. Exhaling in relief, when she saw Derrick pull the man to his feet, she unlocked the door and slid it open before stepping onto the patio.

  “Matt?” she said as her gaze went to the man whose hands were tied behind his back. “What’s happening?”

  Matt looked at her, his face a kaleidoscope of emotions.

  “We’ve got it under control,” Derrick said.

  “Whoa,” Dylan said from beside her.

  “What’s going on?” Kayla asked. “Is Dad okay?”

  With a glance at her daughter, Jessica said, “He’s fine.”

  Matt stepped toward her and she rushed forward, overwhelmed by all that had happened, was still happening. He drew her into his arms. Savoring the feeling of security his embrace sent over her, Jessica whispered, “What happened?”

  Matt pulled away and looked at her with a frown before telling her about how the man, Charlie—someone from their own neighborhood!—had planned to break in and had gotten as far as breaking a window.

  Shocked, Jessica looked at the man, vaguely recalling him from the earlier meeting. “What’s going to happen now?”

  Matt looked at Derrick, who said, “Your husband and I will take him somewhere where he can’t cause trouble. In the morning the neighborhood will have to figure out what to do with him.”

  Jessica shifted her eyes to Matt. She spoke in a low voice so the kids couldn’t hear. “You’re leaving me alone? Now? What if…” She looked at Charlie. “What if someone else tries to do the same thing?”

  Guilt and concern swept over Matt’s face, but before he could speak, Dylan placed a hand on her arm. “I’ll keep you safe, Mom.”

  “No,” she said as she turned to him. “That’s your father’s job.”

  Dylan’s eyebrows pulled together. “He has to patrol.”

  “Dylan’s right,” Matt said, which annoyed Jessica. Yes, she cared about the neighborhood, but didn’t Matt think his own family came first?

  “Look,” Derrick said to the group, “I’ll grab someone else to take Matt’s shift. Tonight.”

  Relieved, Jessica smiled at Derrick. “Thank you.”

  “I suggest you come to the weapons training tomorrow,” he added, his gaze right on Jessica.

  “I was already planning on it.” Hating the feeling of being helpless and vulnerable, she was determined to learn how to protect herself.

  Derrick grinned, his teeth gleaming white in the moonlight. “Awesome. See you in the morning.” With his hand firmly gripping the man’s arm, Derrick walked out of their yard and into the night.

  Kayla pointed to the broken window. “Can we cover that up?”

  Matt frowned. “I don’t think I have enough plywood, but I’ll check.” With flashlight in hand, he went inside with Dylan right behind him.

  Jessica led the girls inside and a few minutes later Matt was back with a small sheet of plywood.

  “You had one?” Jessica asked, grateful her husband enjoyed woodworking, which is why he had random pieces of wood on hand.

  “Yeah,” he said, “but it’ll only cover half of the broken window.”

  “Better than nothing,” she said, although the idea of anyone being able to climb through the glass without them knowing set her nerves on edge.

  Matt must have thought the same thing, because he said, “I’ll keep watch tonight and tomorrow we’ll get more plywood.”

  Too tired to think about what they needed to do the next day, Jessica nodded, and after Matt and Dylan nailed the plywood over half of the broken window, she gave Matt a kiss, then led the kids upstairs where they all went to bed.

  It took a while for her to settle back in for the night, especially without Matt by her side, but eventually she drifted off.

  Early the next morning when the sun streamed through the window, she woke abruptly. She hadn’t slept well—she’d been on high alert all night listening for any sounds that didn’t belong. And with the power out, every little creak of the house woke her. But now, in the light of a new day, she felt better, less worried.

  At breakfast, as the five of them sat around the table eating, Jessica turned to Matt. “Should one of us stay here and, I don’t know, guard our supplies? I mean, after last night I’m worried that someone else will try to break in.”

  Matt, who looked exhausted after keeping watch most of the night, nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. You and the kids go to Derrick’s training. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things.”

  Though Jessica would have preferred that Matt come with them, she knew his suggestion was the best one. She and the kids needed this training. How else to defend themselves and their home?

  She placed her hand on his and smiled. “All right.”

  “Can you ask Derrick to stop by later?” Matt asked as she and the kids were walking out the door.

  “Sure.”

  Wearing face masks, Jessica and the three kids walked the half mile to the school. When they arrived, Jessica saw a small group of people, many of them wearing something over their mouths and noses. Jessica wondered if the virus was still running rampant or if it was burning itself out.

  “Everyone circle around,” Derrick called out to the small crowd, his mouth and nose covered by a bandana. A number of different size guns were lying on a small table beside where he stood.

  Once it looked like everyone had arrived, he began.

  “Rule number one,” he said as he lifted a gun from the table and pointed it at the ground, “always assume a gun is loaded.”

  Everyone listened with rapt attention as he discussed several other safety tips and then let each person who wanted to take a turn hold whichever gun they wanted.

  When it was Dylan’s turn, Jessica could see how excited he was to get his hands on a gun. Partly glad he wasn’t afraid, but also wishing he was, at least a little, she watched as Derrick worked with Dylan one on one on how to check to see if a bullet was in the chamber, which it wasn’t, and how to rack the slide.

  “Can we practice shooting?” Dylan asked, his eyes alight with interest.

  “Good question,” Derrick said, then he faced the group. “The best way to become comfortable with firearms is to use one. I’ll scout out a place where we can safely have target practice.”

  He pointed to a clipboard on the table. “If you’re interested in target practice, write down your name and address and I’ll make sure you’re informed of where and when.”

  When the lesson was over, Jessica waited until everyone who wanted to talk to Derrick had left before she approached him.

  “Where’s Matt?” he asked as he loaded his guns into a bag.

  “After what happened we decided it would be a good idea to, you know, guard our supplies.”

  Derrick frowned, then nodded. “Yeah. I can see why you’d want to do that.”

  She pictured the man who’d nearly broken into her house. “Where’s Charlie?”

  “In a secure location.”

  Jessica had no idea what that meant, but obviously Derrick didn’t want to get into details, so she just nodded. “Matt wanted me to ask if you’d stop by our place.”

  He hefted his bag over his shoulder. “Sure thing.”

  Chapter 25

  Matt

  When a knock sounded at the front door an hour after Jessica and the kids had returned from their training with Derrick, Matt’s heart hammered in his chest. Was it Derrick, or someone who would cause Matt and his family trouble?

  He’d been dozing on the couch, but the confident knock had jerked him awake.

  “I’ll get it,” he said to Jessica as he stood. She and the kids were in the kitchen stocking the pantry with food from the basement storage room. He and Jessica had been trying to figure out a way to secure their supplies so that they could leave the house
without guarding it. So far they hadn’t come up with a good idea.

  With a slight sense of trepidation, Matt approached the front door. “Who is it?” he called out.

  “Derrick.”

  Relieved, Matt unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Thanks for coming by.”

  “What’s up?”

  Matt invited him in and Derrick stepped inside. Neither of them were wearing coverings on their faces, but Matt felt confident that Derrick wasn’t sick.

  “I need to get some plywood for my broken window.” Not sure how Derrick would respond to his idea, Matt hesitated. Then he glanced toward the kitchen—he hadn’t told Jessica his idea either. “I was thinking you and I could make a trip to Home Depot.” He spoke softly so Jessica wouldn’t hear. No reason to get her upset until he was certain they were going.

  Derrick’s eyebrows shot up, then he glanced in the direction of the broken window.

  “I had enough plywood to cover half of the window,” Matt said, “but that’s not going to work.”

  Derrick rubbed his jaw, then he exhaled before nodding. “Yeah. I’ll go. I can pick up a few things myself.”

  Elated that he would have a strong ally with him, Matt grinned. “Sweet.”

  Derrick chuckled. “You might change your mind once we get there.”

  Matt tilted his head. “Why do you say that?”

  “It just might be a bit different than the trips to Home Depot you’re used to. I mean, I doubt they’re actually up and running.”

  Truth be told, Matt had assumed the same thing, but it was hard to picture what it would actually be like. “Right.”

  “When do you want to go?”

  “Now?”

  “Okay.” Derrick looked thoughtful. “We’ll take my truck.”

  That was fine with Matt.

  “We’ll need to carry.”

  Matt knew he meant they would need to bring guns. He already had his .45 in his waist holster. After all the craziness with Jack and then Charlie, he wanted to be ready for anything. “You think we’ll need to use them?” The thought was kind of nuts. He was running a quick errand, not going to war.

  Derrick’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Gotta be prepared for anything.”

  Matt nodded. “I just need to tell Jessica where I’m going.” He knew his tone broadcast that this trip would be news to his wife.

  Derrick’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay. I’ll be out front.”

  After Derrick left, Matt went into the kitchen. Jessica was on a step stool putting cans on the highest shelf.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “Good,” she said as she turned around. “What did you want with Derrick?”

  Here goes. “He’s going to help me get some plywood.”

  Her face brightened. “Great! Does he have some we can use?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  The kids all stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange.

  “Derrick and I are going to Home Depot.”

  “Oh.”

  “Can I go?” Dylan asked.

  “No,” he and Jessica both said at the same time.

  Huffing out a loud sigh, Dylan turned back to taking cans of carrots out of a box and placing them on the counter.

  Jessica came around the counter and walked into the family room, motioning for Matt to follow. “Is that safe?” She’d kept her voice low so the kids wouldn’t hear.

  He didn’t want her to worry, but he wasn’t going to lie. “I don’t know, but that’s why I wanted Derrick to come.”

  Her lips pursed. “Is there any other way?”

  “Besides knocking on every door in the neighborhood to see who has plywood they’ll hand over? No.”

  Her shoulders drooped like she knew going to Home Depot was the best option. Then she threw her arms around him. “Please be careful.”

  “I will,” he murmured in her ear.

  She stared at him a moment, then smiled. “Can you pick up packets of vegetable seeds?”

  Matt chuckled. “Anything else?”

  “Potting soil and seed starting trays.”

  “Will do.” He gave her a kiss, then, after grabbing two face masks, two pairs of gloves, and two flashlights, he went out front and walked toward Derrick’s truck.

  It was an older truck, not fancy or expensive. In fact, Matt could see a spot of rust here and there. There was a hard shell over the bed of the truck. He just hoped the engine was in decent shape. Though the Home Depot was only a few miles away, he didn’t want to have to carry a sheet of plywood home.

  He climbed inside the truck and held out a face mask and pair of gloves to Derrick. They both put them on, then Derrick turned on the engine and pulled away from the curb.

  As they drove out of their neighborhood, Matt was struck by how quiet everything was. No one was outside on this beautiful April morning. But even more striking was the lack of cars. Normally there would have been moderate traffic. It was spooky.

  “Weird that no cars are on the road,” Matt said.

  “Yeah,” Derrick said.

  “When was the last time you were out of our neighborhood?” Matt glanced at Derrick, then went back to looking out his window.

  “I guess about five days ago. When I figured out how bad this flu was I decided to hunker down at home.”

  Matt turned and looked at Derrick. “With your family?”

  Derrick smiled. “I’m single.”

  “Where are your parents?”

  His jaw clenched. “Los Angeles. But, uh, last time I spoke to them, they were both sick.”

  They both knew what that meant. “I’m sorry.”

  Derrick nodded. Both men were quiet as they turned onto the road that led to Home Depot.

  A block away from Home Depot Derrick pulled to the curb and shut off the engine. “We should approach on foot,” he said. “See what’s what.”

  Matt nodded. Derrick had combat experience whereas Matt’s experience was sitting in front of a computer pounding out code. Yeah, he’d defer to Derrick.

  They climbed out of the truck and made their way to the parking lot, keeping close to the fence. Moments later the parking lot came into view. A handful of cars were parked there, but not a soul could be seen. Across the parking lot was a Best Buy electronics store. The glass doors that led inside were smashed.

  Derrick did a chin lift in that direction. “Idiots looted an electronics store.” He snorted a laugh. “Now they can stare at their big screen TVs that don’t work.” He shook his head and moved forward, keeping close to the building.

  As they got closer to the sliding doors, they saw that they were smashed as well. Matt wondered what the looters had left. He hoped there would be at least one sheet of plywood. When they reached the doors, Derrick, who was leading, stopped. Matt stopped behind him. Then, with his pistol at the ready, Derrick stepped through the opening made by the broken glass.

  After a brief hesitation, Matt followed. After the bright sun, the interior was dim, but with the skylights in the ceiling, he could still see well enough. Derrick had stopped just inside the door so Matt stopped beside him.

  Home Depot was a home improvement enthusiast’s dream, a giant warehouse with aisle after aisle of hardware, tools, and other supplies for repairs, construction, and any other project around the house. Matt’s gaze swept the immediate area. It looked like looters had a made a mess of the store, throwing what they hadn’t taken onto the floor.

  As Matt frowned at the mess he felt Derrick tap his shoulder. He looked at Derrick who touched his ear. That’s when Matt heard it. The sound of people doing something somewhere in the enormous store.

  They weren’t the only ones inside.

  Chapter 26

  Matt

  Derrick motioned to the right, then he pointed at Matt and motioned to the left. With a nod, they split up, and as Matt moved to the left, he gripped his .45, keeping his finger off
of the trigger but at the ready. The last thing he wanted was to shoot someone, but things were different now. Law and order had broken down. He would do what he had to do.

  As he made his way down the main aisle, his ears strained to tell where the activity was coming from. He wasn’t going to lie. He hoped Derrick would come across the person or people first. He was much better equipped to handle conflict. But Matt knew he had to learn. Things were only going to get tougher, and with law enforcement non-existent, he would have to up his skills to include defense.

  “Toss that over here,” he heard a man call out, followed by a loud thump.

  How many were there? More than one, it seemed. And they were close.

  Matt moved forward, and when he remembered the way Derrick had snuck up on him the night before, he kept his head on a swivel.

  Movement caught his eye. He eased closer, peering around the end of an aisle.

  Two men were at the other end loading a ladder onto a flatbed cart that was already filled with a variety of other items. Maybe they were like him, needing a few things to secure their homes. Harmless.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” a man said from right behind Matt, then Matt felt something cold and metal pressed into the base of his skull. This time it wasn’t someone’s fingers.

  Squeezing his eyes closed, Matt’s first thought was that Derrick was going to kill him for not having enough situational awareness. But he’d been paying attention, so how had this man snuck up on him? And how dangerous was he?

  “Drop your gun,” the man said.

  Matt had almost forgotten he was holding his .45. Without arguing, he let it fall to the floor.

  “Kick it away from you.”

  He did.

  “Now, turn around slowly and keep your hands where I can see ‘em.”

  This man was all business. Would he shoot him?

  Heart slamming against his ribs—where was Derrick?—Matt slowly turned to see a man who looked to be in his forties, slightly overweight with short hair and glasses. Not your typical bad guy. The man pointed his gun at Matt. “Why are you spying on us?”