Free Born In The Apocalypse by Joseph Talluto Page B

windows had shutters on them that were closed.  The porch had leaves and debris on it, but it looked okay.
    The front door was closed, and my dad walked slowly to the windows and looked in, trying to see if anything was inside.
    Finally, he shrugged and tried the door.  It was locked but loose.  Dad pulled out his pocketknife and worked the point into the space between the door and the jam.
    “These old locks are pretty simple, Josh.  The door is actually open; the only thing the lock does is keep the exterior handle from turning.  All you have to do is move the latch out of the way.  Use the point of your knife, and push it to the side.”  Dad pushed and levered something in the door. “Like so.”  He pushed the door, and it swung open without protest.
    Huh.  I’ll have to remember that one.  Handy.  “Does it work with all locks?” I asked.
    “No, just certain ones.  Sometimes if you’re in a hurry, it’s easier to just smash the silly thing in,”  Dad said.
    We stepped into the house and it was nicely furnished, although somewhat sparse.  Dad called out again, but we didn’t receive any reply.  We walked through the house, and there was a fine layer of dust all over everything.  No one had been here in years; maybe even before the Trippers arrived.  I went upstairs and looked around.  Two of the rooms were completely empty, and the third, the master bedroom, had a bed without covers, a dresser, and a small dresser near the bed. 
    I looked in the closet and didn’t see anything, so I went over to the window to look out across the land.  Flipping open the curtains, I coughed as the dust flew in my face
    “Glad I did that,” I said reproachfully to myself as my eyes watered.  The open curtains showed me that I still had to open the shutters, and to do that I needed to open the window.  I almost gave up but decided a look was worth it.  Cracking the window open, I reached through and pushed on the shutters.  Nothing happened.  I looked it over and saw there was a latch on the shutters.  That made sense.  Opening the window further, I flipped the latch and pushed the shutters wide open.
    Sunlight poured in through the window, and all the dust in the air sparkled like an indoor snowstorm.  I waved my hand through some of the dust, swirling it around, and watching it hover in the air.
    Outside, the landscape stretched before me.  I could see for miles, and it was fascinating.  I had never been this high above the ground before.  I could see a highway and a small town off to the east, but not much further than that.  I could see several other farmhouses in the distance, and some had big silver buildings that shone brightly.
    I turned back, and as I did I looked into the closet again.  Up in the corner of the shelf was a small box I hadn’t seen before.  I went over and had to reach up as high as I could, but I managed to grab it. 
    The box was redwood, and was secured with a simple lock on the front.  I had no clue where to look for the key, so I just left it alone.  The box had more dust on it than everything else, so I figured it had been there for a long time, before even the end times.
    I took the box and went back downstairs where I found my dad waiting at the kitchen table.  He had broken out some jerked beef, some water, and a few corn biscuits.  There were dried apples, too, so we were eating well.
    Dad’s eyes found the box immediately.  “What do have there?” he asked.
    “Don’t know.  I found it in a closet upstairs.” I handed it over to my dad, and he took it carefully from me.
    “Heavy enough.  We’ll take a look in it later after lunch when we stop again.”  Dad brushed the dust off the box and found a place in his backpack for it.   He resumed his lunch, and I ate mine.  We didn’t talk much, and that was okay with me.  Sometimes I found it better to be quiet and let other people fill in the silence.  I had learned that trick from my dad who