The Geostorm Series (Book 6): Geostorm [The Pioneers] Page 3

  “Grandma, we’ve heard that word before,” said Jesse. “It ain’t nothin’—”

  “Isn’t,” Sarah quickly corrected. “And, young man, you probably heard it from your father.”

  “No, ma’am. It was Grandpa. Do you remember the time he was milking the cow and it shit on him?”

  “My god, what has happened to my family?” lamented Sarah as the group laughed at the eight-year-old’s constant cursing. “Where’s my lye soap? I’m gonna start washing out some mouths!”

  “Mama, I’ve gotta pee!” Rachel was desperate.

  “Me too,” said Isabella. She pointed toward the entrance to the parking lot. “Come on. There are bathrooms over in that building.” The two of them started across the parking lot while Carly scampered to retrieve a roll of toilet paper out of the Mustang.

  “Wait up,” hollered Tommy as he jogged to catch up to Isabella. “Let me check it out first.”

  He drew his sidearm and jogged ahead toward the restroom facility. The National Park Service had constructed a block and stone structure with a roof overhang that housed two restroom facilities and a utility closet. Underneath the roof structure, which measured forty-eight feet wide by twenty-four feet deep, were more maps and photographs describing the areas surrounding the Pinnacle Overlook. Under a large oak tree growing through a planter on the sidewalk, concrete benches and picnic tables were set up in the shade.

  There was only one vehicle in the parking lot, a pickup truck with a camper on the back of its bed. Upon arrival, they’d looked in the truck’s windows and into the camper, both of which were empty. However, Tommy suspected the owner of the vehicle had gone camping or hiking and could still be in the area.

  He entered the open-air men’s restroom first, allowing his weapon to lead the way. It was empty except for two toilet stalls and two ceramic sinks mounted to the walls. He made his way to the ladies’ room next and found it to be empty as well except for water that had puddled onto the floor from the constant rain downpours. With his boot, he kicked at some leaves and twigs that had accumulated near a drain. Within seconds, the water began to swirl in a circle and quickly disappeared through the small grate.

  “Just for grins and giggles,” he muttered as he walked toward the wall-mounted sinks. Because of the power outage, he didn’t expect the water to be working, but he tried it anyway.

  The knob squeaked and the plumbing gurgled. He shook his head, not surprised at what he heard. Then he smiled. A steady stream of cold water poured through the faucet. He looked under the sink and saw that only a single supply line fed both faucets, meaning there wasn’t any hot water. Nonetheless, he shouted to the others, “We have water!”

  Carly was the first to respond as she walked into the ladies’ room, sloshing through the remaining puddles of water.

  “Are you talking about this?” she asked as she playfully kicked at the two remaining inches on the floor.

  “No, look,” said Tommy, pointing to the sink. A steady stream of fresh, clean water was pouring out of the faucet.

  “Is it, um, okay?” she asked.

  “I hope so. I’ve already drunk a couple of handfuls.”

  Carly did the same, and by the time she’d finished, Isabella and Rachel had occupied stalls to do their business.

  Tommy respectfully waited outside while the women did their business, wandering to the right of the restroom facility and up a short set of steps to look behind the building. He noticed a path cut through the trees that led up the hill. It was once covered with mulch, but the constant rains had washed it away and created a deep rut down the center of the forest floor.

  “Whadya got?” asked Levi, who’d arrived unnoticed.

  “We’ve got water, my friend,” replied Tommy and pointed up the hill into the woods. “I’m guessing there’s a gravity-fed water tank up there somewhere.”

  “Or a well,” said Levi, who had spent his entire life on a farm with wells built throughout the property.

  Tommy shrugged. “How would it be powered? Solar?”

  “Yup,” Levi answered hesitantly. “Somehow, they must’ve protected the charge controllers and wiring from the solar storms.”

  Tommy glanced upward and saw that the sun was setting. “Tomorrow, we’ll check it out with Chapman. I gotta say, if we have a source of fresh water, that’s a major plus for staying up here.”

  Levi stopped him and looked around before adding, “You’re thinkin’ like me. This looks like a pretty good spot, but it has its shortcomings.”

  Tommy gestured toward the road that led to Pinnacle Overlook. “It’s natural that others would have the same idea we did.”

  “Yeah, but the mountain collapsed down below.”

  “Did all of it?” asked Tommy before continuing. “We were running for our lives. There may be a way for others to make their way up here. I’m just saying we could have visitors.”

  Levi nodded back toward his wife and Isabella, who were leading Rachel out of the bathrooms.

  “I agree, but let’s have a good night before we even bring up the idea of moving on. Besides, did you see that water down below us? This may be the best we can do until it goes down.”

  Tommy rolled his head around his shoulders. “IF it goes down.”

  The guys, who were deep in their conversation, didn’t notice Carly approach from behind.

  “Boys, y’all seem awful serious.”

  Levi managed a smile. “No, not serious. We’re just trying to decide how to protect ourselves up here.”

  Carly furrowed her brow, sensing her husband was trying to deflect from the real purpose of their conversation. “Well, as they say in the movies, we’ve got the high ground. I swear, I feel on top of the world up here, even though it’s only twenty-four hundred feet above sea level.”

  “How’d you know that?” asked Levi.

  “It was on one of those posters. There’s a higher peak to the northeast of us near a place called Butchers Gap. It’s around twenty-eight hundred feet.”

  “Hey, we’ve got some brochures that were found in that tractor trailer rig,” added Tommy. “This might help us consider our options.”

  “Options for what?” asked Carly.

  Levi thought quickly after Tommy slipped up. “Um, the location of some flat terrain to grow crops. It seems kinda hilly and rocky up here; plus, you know, this massive parking lot takes up a lot of space.”

  Carly looked around. “Yeah, I see what you mean. They scalped the top of this mountain to make way for the overlook. This would be crappy to try to plant a garden.”

  Levi shot Tommy a glance and then escorted his wife back to their vehicles. Isabella arrived by Tommy’s side as Rachel skipped ahead to catch up with her parents.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked, studying the concerned look on Tommy’s face.

  Tommy shrugged. “I may have opened up a can of worms.”

  “Can of worms?” asked a confused Isabella.

  “Um, sorry. A topic of conversation that was best left for another day.”

  Chapter 3

  Pinnacle Overlook

  Cumberland Gap

  Southeast Kentucky

  The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was established in 1940 and was maintained by the National Park Service, or NPS. It was considered one of the most pristine, undeveloped regions of the Eastern United States, as ninety-seven percent of the park was forested. It was also renowned for its sources of water. The park contained over sixty-two miles of streams before the Flood, all of which originated from within the park’s boundaries. Encompassing over twenty-four thousand acres, it was among the largest national parks east of the Mississippi.

  Although the Pinnacle Overlook was not the highest point in elevation, it was the only one that had been developed by the NPS. Designed for visitors to get a clear, unobstructed view of the Cumberland Gap and the three states that met at a point nearby, three-quarters of a million people visited the park annually. Today, at the overl
ook, there were nine visitors in the Boone party, together with a chimpanzee, seven horses, and Wonky Donkey.

  Levi took charge of the security detail. He’d learned from his many conversations with his grandfather about how the early pioneers had protected their settlements from Indian attacks. Back in those days, travelers into the West didn’t fear other pioneers. The Indians would attack settlers from time to time, and therefore protecting their camps at night was always a priority. While Sarah spearheaded the preparation of the meals, Levi explained what he’d studied since the days his grandfather had told the stories of Western expansion.

  “Basically, the farther away we extend our perimeter from base camp, the more difficult it is to protect. The good news is that we’re bordered on one side by a severe drop off the ridge, and there is only one road leading up to the parking lot.”

  Tommy added some broken tree limbs to the fire they’d built in the middle of the parking lot. “I’m pretty sure the roads collapsed behind us at the bottom of the mountain, but just in case, I was thinking about parking the Mustang sideways across the entrance over there. Just in case someone does manage to drive up the hill.”

  “Good idea, Tommy,” said Levi. “Let’s empty it out first and load the supplies into the Scooby van and horse trailer.”

  “It’s gonna get kinda tight in there,” added Chapman. “We’ve got nine of us to find sleeping quarters for.”

  “Why don’t we use the bathrooms and the utility room to store stuff?” asked Kristi. “It’ll be out of the reach of animals and the rain while giving us more room to make beds.”

  “That sounds good,” replied Levi. “Here’s what I was thinkin’ on that. Two of us should patrol at all times, even during the daytime. Mom and the kids are exempt from patrols. If the three of them sleep in the back of the van, and two others take the horse trailer, that leaves two for walking the perimeter.”

  “We’ve got two left over,” said Chapman after doing the math.

  Levi pointed at the pickup truck with the camper attached to the bed. “That looks like deluxe accommodations to me.”

  “It’s locked up,” said Tommy.

  Levi laughed. “Oh, city boy, ain’t nothin’ locked up for a guy like me. Come on.” Levi reached down for the tire-changing tool that he’d retrieved moments earlier from the Scooby van. He led the guys to the camper using his lantern. They arrived at the back of the Chevy pickup with an Arctic Fox camper mounted in the truck’s bed.

  Pickup truck campers were a common sight in this area of the country, as many people enjoyed exploring the national parks and mountains without the burden of staying in hotels. This particular model was small by comparison to others since it was mounted on a short-bed pickup, but large enough to sleep at least four people.

  Levi took the tire tool and laid it across the door handle. He gripped the ends of the cast-iron tool and began to twist. Within seconds, the handle snapped the locking mechanism and the door swung open. The men were greeted with the stench of stale air and rancid, spoiled food.

  “Whoa!” exclaimed Chapman. “Nobody’s sleeping in there anytime soon.”

  “Tell me something didn’t die in here,” complained Tommy.

  Levi pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose before taking the lantern from Tommy. He was the first to enter. Within seconds, he found the source of the stench. It was a dead cat.

  He grabbed a towel off the galley sink and lifted the animal up by the legs. He carried it out the back and walked briskly toward the edge of the parking lot, where he flung its carcass into the woods.

  Tommy and Chapman entered the camper and wasted no time in opening the side windows to allow air to circulate throughout the interior space. Chapman tried the light switches and the water faucet, none of which were operable.

  After exiting, they walked several paces away from the smelly camper before taking in deep breaths of fresh mountain air. Levi glanced toward the camper and then joined them.

  “Guys, it reeks in there,” he said. “We’re gonna have to take out all the bedding. Heck, even the curtains, cushions, and anything else made with fabric.”

  “How long has that cat been dead?” asked Chapman.

  Tommy took a step toward the truck and shook his head. “A couple of weeks, at least. It was badly decomposed, from what I could tell in the dark.”

  “It was,” added Levi. “Seriously, I thought it was gonna fall apart as I carried it.”

  “What kind of asshole leaves his cat locked up like that?” asked Chapman.

  “Who knows?” responded Levi with a question. “They may have gone hiking and gotten lost. Or maybe even injured. Either way, the camper’s a no-go for tonight.”

  “Listen, Kristi and I can stretch out in the Mustang,” offered Tommy. “Chapman, do you guys wanna break into the front of the pickup and make do?”

  “No problem. We can figure out how to make camp tomorrow. Now, how do we secure this place?” Chapman was anxious to get back to establishing patrols.

  “For tonight, I suggest we stay on the hard surfaces and on the trails that are immediately adjacent to the parking lot. Don’t venture off into the woods. It’s easy to get lost, trip and fall, or meet a critter you don’t wanna be face-to-face with.”

  Tommy agreed. “Don’t forget, the animals have gone batshit crazy. Well, at least some of them. We’ve been lucky with Brooke and the horses.”

  “Um, about that,” began Levi. “Let me tell y’all something that I’ve not said to anyone, even Carly. Listen, up in Canada, when everything went to crap with the weather and the plane crash and the wolf attacks, I felt myself kinda losin’ it. I swear, there was a point where I just wanted to live up in the wilderness like some kinda mountain man.”

  “Not come home?” asked Chapman.

  “Yeah, um, I don’t know. It was just comfortable, you know? It was if my mind was telling me that was where I belonged. Eventually it passed, and obviously, here I am. But I have to wonder if this whole pole shift thing was messin’ with my brain like it was with the animals’.”

  Tommy patted Levi on the back. “That’s possible, but it seems to have passed, right?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been normal since we left the hospital.”

  Chapman laughed. “Normal. Sure you are. Man, you’ve never been normal.”

  Levi pretended to take a swing at his brother. “Don’t complain, weather-boy. I’m in my element now. This may sound nuts, but I really believe my entire life has led me to this moment. It’s as if I’ve been preparing for this since our grandfather took me under his wing when I was a kid.”

  Chapman fist-bumped his brother. “Kristi and I always said you’re the most Boone among us, even more so than Dad.”

  “Come and get it, guys!” shouted Sarah from near the fire.

  Tommy wrapped his arms around both of the brothers. “I’ll say this. If I have to live like a pioneer, who better to do it with than the Boone family.”

  Chapter 4

  Pinnacle Overlook

  Cumberland Gap

  Southeast Kentucky

  While the group settled around the campfire to enjoy a meal of ham, rice, apples, and saltine crackers, Sarah recounted some of her childhood days, at least the more pleasant ones. Her parents weren’t into parenting. Sarah, an only child and a descendent of the John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman family, learned the family’s history and way of life from her grandmother. Once the elderly Chapman died, Sarah simply held onto some semblance of a life until she met Squire and they married.

  “Granny gave me a book that had been in the family since the 1800s,” began Sarah as she reached into a duffle bag and retrieved the well-worn book. “I know it’s dark, so you can look at it tomorrow. It’s called Travels and Adventures, 100 Fireside Tales. It was written in 1896, and it helped me understand where my family came from. You see, like the Boones, we were pioneers. In a way, more like nomads wandering from community to community. Johnny Appleseed, as history knew him, belie
ved it was his destiny to teach people how to grow orchard trees, apples in particular. While the family traveled, they would stop for the night and tell stories—fireside tales.”

  She handed the book to Tommy, who examined it before passing it around. “These pages have been turned a lot.”

  “No doubt about that,” said Sarah with a chuckle. “I bet I’ve read those hundred stories a hundred times.”

  “I’ve read them, too!” added Jesse.

  “Me too!” said Rachel.

  “No, you haven’t,” Jesse countered. “You only look at the pictures.”

  “Well, I’ll read it soon enough. You’ll see!”

  Carly stepped in to stop the sibling spat. “That’s enough, you two. Go ahead, Mom.”

  “Anyway, I read these stories, but I also learned songs that Granny said were sung by the pioneers. Now, I don’t know for sure, but I do know some of them were kind of fun to sing when I was in Girl Scouts.”

  Kristi chuckled. “Hey, I never knew you were a Girl Scout.”

  “True story, for a couple of years, anyway. I’d go on camping trips and attend summer camp. Stuff like that. My second summer, I learned a camping song that Granny mentioned but couldn’t recall the words. It’s kinda silly, but it’s good for a few laughs.”

  “Sing it, Grandma!” insisted Rachel.

  “I don’t know,” Sarah said shyly.

  Kristi encouraged her mother. “Yeah. Come on, Mom. We wanna hear it.”

  “Okay, here goes,” she said as she set her paper plate on the asphalt behind her. She was sitting cross-legged on top of a blanket and adjusted her fanny to get more comfortable. She began. “I say boom—chukka—boom.”

  “What? Mom, really?” asked Kristi.

  Isabella started laughing as she enjoyed the interaction between Sarah and her family. She eventually stifled her laugh and regained her composure.

  “Okay, I’ll start over,” said Sarah in all seriousness. “Now, whatever I sing, you guys do it, too.”