Chapter 5 :THE LAST COUNTDOWN

Ten days.

This was the only time that I had left. This wasn't an apocalypse that was coming in a month, it was coming next week. It was now a matter of seconds.

It was just before dawn when we arrived at my grandmother's farmhouse. It was just like I remembered a two-story wooden house with a porch that went around the house, a stone well and a root cellar that was dug deep into the hillside. There were no buildings in sight and 50 acres of open land in all directions, with a view of the valley below.

It was isolated. Defensible. Perfect.

I turned off the car, "This is it.I pulled over and shut the car, "This is it. "Our new home."

Adrian limped out of the jeep and looked around the land. “It's far away and no neighbors for miles, “good.”

Well, let me take the load, we have a good amount of time!"

In the morning we spent securing the property. I boarded up the windows on the bottom floor, reinforced the front door with steel bars and brushed around the front and perimeter so that nothing could creep up from the side. Adrian installed a perimeter alarm: tin cans and fishing line worked and it's really simple.

At midday we headed back on the road to the nearest city.

I gave Adrian a list and said, "We need supplies. If you've got questions, just buy it!

He quickly looked through the list and raised his eyebrow. "This is a lot."

I know, that's where I am at.

Visited all the stores in the city. Hardware stores. Grocery stores. Pharmacies. Sporting goods shops. We break up and drive further and further and meet back to unload the load into my space every hour.

Instant noodles. Rice. Canned meat. Dried fruit. Protein bars. Bottled water. Water purification tablets. A portable stove. Fuel canisters. Batteries. Flashlights. Rope. Duct tape. Medical supplies. Antibiotics. Painkillers. A hunting knife. A machete. An additional set of bolts for use in a crossbow. Two hundred rounds contained in a shotgun.

I purchased a power generator. A solar panel. A water pump. Seeds for vegetables. A coop and six live chickens. A pair of goats.

Adrian was there to watch as I held a hand to each, and it flickered out of my 10 square meters. That wouldn't get old," he mumbled.

I said, "It's functional. "Nothing more."

When it was time to go home, my space was almost filled. The food and water lasted for 6 months for 2 people. I was armed, medizin was with me, tools were with me. I had all the tools to survive with me.

There was something still missing though.

I said, in a rush, "Clothes.I blurted out, “Clothes.” Wear warm clothing and within the first week the power grid will collapse, winter is coming.

Adrian nodded. I'll go to the stores at the department store, you'll take care of it here.

We separated again. I went to the outskirts of town to a military surplus store to get some tactical gear and camping supplies. The man who owned it was an old pro who had a hard-boiled tone in his voice and a look that was suspicious.

As I was loading the counter with gear, he said, "You're buying a lot. "Expecting something?"

I said, "Just getting ready.

He snorted. "For what? Did the end of the world come?

I looked him in the eye and said a smile. "Something like that."

He didn't ask any further questions. He simply took my money and assisted me with loading all of my things into my jeep. When I was finished the sun was setting, and my space was overflowing.

After dropping back at the rendezvous, I saw Adrian with three duffel bags packed with winter outfits.

“That's all,” he replied. We should go back," they said.

I told him, "One more stop.I said, "One more stop.

The gas station was a quiet place. I filled 3 jerry cans with fuel and loaded them into the back of the jeep. Adrian was on guard, watching the dark road.

We don't need so much fuel to run the generator," he said. "How long will it last though?

"I know, that's why we installed those solar panels and the well.

He nodded, but I could see that there was something on his mind.

"What is it?" I asked.

The virus," said he softly. I'm in here and I saw the news, it's not going away that quickly. Three cities in the NORTH have reported outbreaks, the government is calling it a 'severe flu', they're lying.

My stomach tightened. "How long?"

“48 hours, perhaps less.”

Then I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Two days. I still had 2 days before I could go back home.

Then, we go back to the farmhouse tonight," I said. “Barricade ourselves in and wait.”

Adrian hesitated. "There's something else."

"What?"

He retrieved his cell phone and shared an alert with me. My blood ran cold.

BREAKING: Weird Explosion at Military Research Lab in the north. Casualties Unknown. Containment Protocols Initiated.

That's the place I worked at," said Adrian. “They're taming the narrative; the virus is already out there.”

I looked at the screen and my mind whirled. The apocalypse was no longer something that was far away. It was here. It was happening.

Still out there was Jason.

I remember his face and his bitter laughter and how he abandoned me to burn. Little did he realize what was in store. He was still living his life, he was still planning his wedding, he still thought that he had won.

But he hadn't won. Not even close.

Let's go," I said, getting in the Jeep. There's work to be done.

Silently we returned to the farmhouse and the knowledge of what was to happen weighed on us. But the world was about to come to an end! Then, when it did, I would be waiting.

But as we drove up the driveway, I noticed something right in front of my headlights that caused my heart to freeze.

There was a man outside on the porch.

Waiting for us.