Free Into The Darkness by Doug Kelly Page A

Kevin.
    “Let
me explain,” said Dylan. “My house is in suburbia. I wish it was a rural setting
but it’s not, so I’ll have to deal with that. However, I’m away from the urban
area. My subdivision is located close to farmland and an enormous county park.
That open parkland is next to my house. It’s a new subdivision and not all of
the lots are developed. Therefore, I’ll have the advantage of low population
density. The parkland I’m next to has an artificial lake. The lake is fed by a
small stream a short distance down my street. I’ve seen deer, turkeys, geese,
and ground hogs, you name it and I have seen it walking through my backyard.
That’s food and water, Kevin. Let me tell you something else. I’ve been
stockpiling food, the kind of food that will last for years, and seeds, too.
We’ll have time to learn to grow our own food.”
    “Will
you help me get my wife?” asked Kevin.
    “Yes,
I’ll help you get your wife and bring her to Kansas City with us.”
    “I
like your plan,” Kevin said, nodding with approval.
    Both
men hung their heads and thought about what they had discussed. Traveling and
surviving with a group could have its advantages. To survive, they needed every
advantage they could get. Dylan’s proposal offered several safety advantages
and Kevin could not think of any reason not to accept the offer.
    “What
did you say?” asked Kevin.
    “I
didn’t say anything. I’m just thinking about how we can make this work and I’m
glad you agreed,” said Dylan.
    The
men continued with their private thoughts, each thinking about travelling home
and all the obstacles they would need to overcome.
    “What?”
Kevin asked again.
    “I
didn’t say anything. Get some sleep, you’re hallucinating,” Dylan said, with a
chuckle.
    “Shhhhh…”
Kevin held his index finger to his lips.
    Dylan
froze in place. He could hear the voices now, too. His eyes were wide open and
he could feel his heart trying to beat out of his chest. One of the voices
sounded like Richard, very scared. The other was a deep voice, giving commands.
In the dark of the night, Dylan reached for the pistol hidden on the floor of
his raft. His hand coupled with the handle of the pistol like they were old
friends. Positioning the pistol in front of him and away from Kevin, he brushed
his trigger finger across its safety. The pistol was now ready to kill, and
Dylan dreaded what he slowly began sneaking towards, still hidden by the brush.
Stealthily, Dylan and Kevin edged forward, inch by inch, on their bare feet,
toward the voices. Each step felt like an eternity as their toes felt for dry
twigs that might snap and reveal their presence. From a crouched position,
Dylan leaned around a bush and saw Richard cowering in his raft. There was
enough light from the campfire for Dylan to see a tall skinny man with tattoos
on his arms, brandishing a machete at Richard.
    “Where
are the others?” said the tattooed man with a threatening voice, while pointing
the machete at Richard.
    “I
don’t know! What do you want from me?”
    “I
saw you fellas hav’n some trouble with your rafts on the lake. I saw you come
down here, too. I was think’n that since you didn’t know how to use ‘em right,
I’ll just take ‘em off your hands…and those supplies, too. Get your ass up!”
    The
stranger never heard Dylan’s panther-like approach. He did notice Richard’s
facial expression change as he glanced past the tattooed man and toward the
dark woods. Richard saw Dylan with the pistol leveled at the intruder’s head.
It was dark, but Dylan had crept so close, a blind man could have got a perfect
headshot. It was doubtful that the intruder had a chance to see Dylan at all.
Most likely, he never even saw the orange muzzle flash from the pistol. He was
dead before he hit the ground.
    “Richard,
are you okay?” asked Dylan.
    “Yeah…I’m…okay.”
Richard held his hands up and looked at them. They were shaking violently.
Kevin came