Free Survival: After It Happened Book 1 by Devon C Ford Page B

as he retrieved the key from his pocket he told them the story of what happened at the camp.
    “The soldier knew his business, if he wanted to kill me I would never have known he was there. We need people like that, but he wouldn’t entertain joining us. He gave me these and told me never to come back” he opened the trailer and shone his torch inside, resulting in a low whistle from Neil. Penny looked alarmed and her mouth hung open.
    Dan retrieved his vest and carbine and locked the trailer again. He gave a spare key to the padlock for Neil and decided out loud on some more rules.
    “Only selected people will carry firearms. We decide on who they are. As it is, I don’t want anyone but us touching any of these, and all the other weapons stay in here. Penny, you have a shotgun for emergencies here. Neil, I want you to keep your Glock with you at all times and take whatever you want from here when you go out. Other than that, nobody has the experience to use one of these, which makes them more of a danger to themselves and others.”
    He flashed back to a conversation he’d had with Jimmy the day they met, he asked him about guns. Jimmy laughed, and said he’d be happier with a crowbar and a Kev.
    Dan waited for a nod of agreement from both of them and walked away to his caravan. He heated some water on the stove and poured a washing up bowl with soap in to wash. He stripped down and washed himself off, using the water to shave as the stubble was itching. He decided he should probably just give up and grow a beard in the long term. He dressed in fresh clothes, black combats and boots and a black polo shirt. Feeling clean always made him feel more refreshed. He came out to join the group drinking a bottle of water where Neil met him and introduced him to Cedric and Maggie. They had helpfully brought their own accommodation, and were towing it properly with a relatively new Discovery. It dawned on him that if this group had a sponsorship deal, it would definitely be with Land Rover.
    Jimmy sidled up to him with a smirk on his face and two cups of coffee in his hands. Dan looked around, as it was rare to see Jimmy without Kev 3 paces behind him. He saw Kev playing with Leah, and Leah was helping him make something. The café area indoors would have been better for their purposes now, but the smell inside was unpleasant for any length of time. To settle down here would be a bad move he thought, so pushed that out of his head.
    Jimmy asked outright, “Where’d you learn Kung-Fu?” which disarmed the serious nature of the question. Dan shrugged, not wanting to sound like a geek and explain the difference between different martial arts disciplines.
    “Well I’m just glad I never tried to do you with that crowbar when we met. Cheers.” He raised his coffee cup to Dan’s and left him in peace, realising that he wasn’t going to get any more answers than he already hadn’t.
    Dinner again was a quiet affair, with Penny calling order to the evening meeting as they tucked into their tinned peaches straight from the cans.
    “I think we can all agree that today has been a little stressful” that raised a few chuckles, and Dan thought that the group had accepted what he had done as a part of their new world. “I’d like to formally welcome Cedric and Maggie to our fold” nods and smiles all round.
    “I know this may sound a little official, and the temptation is to break from the bonds of normal life, but I think it very prudent to maintain as much order as we can. We are hoping to build a cooperative society, and not a dictatorship” She smiled, in a self-effacing way to show that she meant it as a joke, but seriously at the same time.
    “I’d like to hear from everyone as to their progress and ideas if that’s ok?”
    “James and Kevin, how are we faring on the ‘scavenging’ side” she invested the word with a bit of theatre, again to detract from the seriousness.
    “All good, Penny” replied Jimmy