Free An Apocalypse Family (Book 1): Family Reunion by P. Mark DeBryan Page B

wedged into the pier. Max wanted to pull the fence down so we could back the vehicles up to the pier.
    “Max, I think we ought to leave it up. Let’s check the ferry before we do something we can’t undo,” I argued, finishing the energy drink I’d taken from Sarah’s stash.
    “Why?” was his only reply.
    “Well, I thought we might be able to get the ferry running eventually… and even if we can’t, it’s a good place to keep as a secured area.”
    Max mulled that over for a few seconds and nodded. “Okay, so what’s your plan for today?”
    We discussed in detail how we should approach the situation, and came to an agreement. Lisa would stay with the vehicles and signal us if anyone else showed up while Max and I retrieved what we could from the decks of the ferry without going inside; once that was done, we would inspect the rest of the ship, time permitting.
    “Okay. Lisa, are you good with this?” Max asked.
    “It’s Raven, Chicken Two. And yeah, I’m fine.”
    I hadn’t explained our code from earlier to Max, so he wasn’t in the loop.
    “Chicken Two?”
    Lisa laughed. “Yeah, you’re Chicken Two and Uncle Ryan is Chicken One. I’m Raven.”
    Max’s only comeback was, “So why is he Chicken One?”
    I threw the empty can I was holding at him. “Come on, let’s get this done.”
    Max and I scaled the chain-link fences, cussing and bitching the whole time. We caught our pants and shirts on the loose metal ends and tried not to impale any important body parts. Once over the fences, we made our way to the ladder.
    “Man, what’s up with this pier?” Max asked as I climbed down to the ferry.
    “I read on the placard in the park that it was an old Coast Guard patrol boat station in World War Two. Some guy bought it and made it into a fishing pier that closed sometime in the late ’60s.”
    “Huh, learn something new every day,” Max said as he made his way down.
    We went around the vehicles to where the Humvee was located and began to move the contents up to the pier. It was hard, sweaty work, but after a couple of hours, we had four cases of MREs—minus what I’d already pilfered—the remaining six M4s, and the nineteen remaining grenades. In addition to that, I’d missed the 5.56 ammo boxes under the case that held the M4s.
    “How much of this ammo should we take?” I asked Max.
    “All of it. You never know if we’ll ever make it back here.”
    I blanched. “But that is like five thousand rounds, dude.”
    He just smiled. “Quit bitchin’ and start pitchin’, recruit.”
    “Okay, Chicken Two,” was the only comeback I could think of.
    It was two o’clock before we got it all loaded into the vehicles. The Malibu sat on its haunches like a cat pissing.
    “Looks like we need to find better transportation,” Max said, pointing at the Malibu while sitting back against the wheel of the Rover.
    “Well, I don’t think anyone is going to throw us in jail if we just go find a dealership and requisition a couple of trucks,” Lisa offered.
    “Another great idea, Lisa, we’ll do that,” I said. “Do you think it’s too late to hit the road for Meg’s?”
    Max shook his head. “I think we should go find a truck and transfer everything into it and go. Once we get out of town, we should be safer. Don’t you think?”
    I nodded. “I would still like to explore the ferry and see if it’s salvageable; but you’re right, the longer we stay in a populated area, the longer we will be surrounded by thousands of these freaks.”
    We loaded ourselves into the vehicles. I drove the Malibu and Max drove the Rover, with Lisa riding shotgun. As I drove, I couldn’t help but think about my family back in West Virginia. Were they still alive? Did Auddy make it home from South Carolina? I need to find out! How would I ever make it all the way home? I need to get to Meg’s house for now, then I can figure out what to do next.
    I came out of my reverie suddenly when I caught motion out of