Free The Omega Protocol Chronicles (Book 1): Exodus by Courtney McPhail

boomed loud from the station, giving them the all clear. She looked to Jenny and Trey, realizing they had been just as startled. Laughter bubbled up out of Jenny and Kim was quick to follow suit, Trey joining in too. The three of them enjoyed the moment of levity as they climbed out of the pickup.
    Malcolm was happy as well, coming around the rear of the van with a smile on his face.
    “The place is empty but the pumps are still working. There’s enough to fill up all the tanks and jerry cans. Travis, Alan, you two can work on the fuel.”
    “The building is split into the gas station and a diner,” Malcolm told them, “Craig and I will see what we can find in the gas station. The rest of you can go through the diner, gather up anything we could use. There’s a bathroom so might as well get the kids in there. Once we leave here, we’re heading straight for the park, no stopping.”
    Everyone nodded and took off on their marching orders. The diner was a simple greasy spoon with a Formica counter stretching across one side of the room, several red vinyl stools tucked underneath and a serving window to the kitchen behind it . A few booths covered in faded red vinyl were against the windows of the opposite wall, silver napkin dispensers glinting in the sunlight that filtered in. The place smelled of old grease and stale air punctuated by the faint odour of rotting food, probably from the refrigerators in back.
    As Janet led the kids to the bathrooms, Kim noticed a piece of white paper in the middle of the counter, almost glowing against the faded grey linoleum.
     
    Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it onto me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Matthew 25:45-46
    The gas pumps are still on. There is food in the kitchen. Take what you need and God bless.
     
    She took another look around the diner and noticed the crosses that were over the doors and the serving window. There was also a small statue of a saint next to the old cash register. Obviously the owners were religious. Kim figured that it was lucky for her group, they were bound to find less and less charity in this world as time passed.
    “How kind of them,” Ana said, having come up beside Kim to read the note.
    “It’s kinda passive aggressive if you think about it,” Trey said looking over her shoulder at the note. “It’s talking about Judgement Day and how the good people are taken up to Heaven and the bad people stay behind to be punished. The people who wrote that think they are going to be called up and they are helping out the heathens left to be tortured. It’s like a condescending pat on the head for us.”
    “Such a cynic,” Kim said, her voice equal parts exasperated and affectionate. “Maybe they were just being charitable without any other agenda.”
    Trey merely rolled his eyes at her optimism but Kim didn’t take it to heart. This wasn’t anything new. In the last few years, he had taken up the typical teenage mantle of bucking all authority, from the school administration to the Church. Everything and everyone that thought they knew the right way was up for questioning.
    “Come on, let’s get our business done here. Malcolm will want to be heading out as soon as possible,” she told him and they went back to the bathroom where the twins were standing with Jenny, waiting on Janet and Ruthie.
    “Any of you ladies have a tampon?” Janet called through the door. “The dispenser in here is empty.”
    “Gross,” Trey said and Kim nudged his shoulder, frowning down at him.
    “Come, let’s check the kitchen for anything we can use.” Jose came to Trey’s rescue, the two of them disappearing behind the swinging door.
    Kim realized that postmenopausal Ana and pregnant Jenny weren’t going to be any help on this one. “I’ll go check my bag in the truck. Be right back.”
    Despite the extensive depths of her