We Survived Tomorrow

By Steven Hunt

In the not-too-distant future, after a worldwide catastrophic event, the remaining human inhabitants are struggling to survive with no laws or rules. A group had secretly planned for the possibility of needing and learning to do things for themselves and prepared for the worst. They learned they needed to do whatever was necessary to survive and protect their new way of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684989362

Book preview

Introduction

The year is AD 2088, but because of the failings of the most destructive mammal on planet Earth, it is easier to say year 2. That is how long it has been since the reality of Mother Earth resetting to control the infestation that was destroying her took place. Keeping track of time is a low priority as food and shelter are the main priorities of most of the remaining population worldwide. For hundreds of years, it was an established fact that if any specie’s population got too large for the environment to support, a natural adjustment happened: the dying-off of most of that specie. For this time of adjustment, it is the human population that is being reduced.

Day 1

As Steven drew a bead on the stranger that did not yet know Steven was there, Steven inquired who the stranger was.

Clearly startled but smart enough not to raise his weapon, he said, I am Stuart from Denver, as he slowly turned. I am scouting for a safe place to try to survive hopefully in peace, and I have a wife and two couples in tow.

Steven replied, I inherited a rather large piece of property here from my grandfather, who was a man with great foresight. I need to meet the rest of your party before I decide to allow you to stay and be part of this survivors group. I do have some strict requirements for being part of this group. The most important is ‘Work or leave,’ and you have to be willing to defend against those that would try to kill and steal. And seriously defective children that can never fend for themselves are to be terminated. Go back to your group, and if they agree to these three requirements, then bring them back here in two hours.

Stuart replied, I would agree to that, but I don’t believe I can get them here in two hours as they are a ways back.

Steven replied, How about two hours after sunrise, then?

Stuart said, Two hours after sunrise, if they agree, sounds more than fair.

Steven asked, Do you have food and water that you can have without a fire tonight? As having a fire as a beacon could be dangerous for you.

Stuart said, Water and raw rabbit doesn’t sound too good.

Steven raised his hand with all fingers extended then closed and held up one finger. He said, One of my people is bringing some jerky and salad for you to make it through the night without a fire. Fortunately for you, it is not that cold.

Gene appeared seemingly out of nowhere and handed Stuart the food.

Stuart took the food and said, Thank you. See you after sunrise, then turned and headed back to his group.

Gene asked, Ya think they will show?

Steven said Time will tell.

Gene then said, Your shift is almost over. Go ahead and head in.

*****

Arriving back at his camp, Stuart greeted his group with I met a man that seems to have a plan.

Gary, being the son of a wealthy man and never really needing to work for anything, started in, accusing with So you were out having a good time while we were here, busting our balls, setting up camp.

Stuart replied with Well, to tell the truth, asshole, if you think making a small fire is setting up camp, then you could just be the reason we won’t be allowed to be able to settle in here!

Gary replied, If it wasn’t for me, you would not have made it this far. Those thieves would have killed us all and taken what little we had!

Stuart closed the conversation with Right, you squealed like a pig as the first shot was fired. Then you hid and never returned a shot. Whether hitting anything or not, Lucy at least shot back! This is a kill-or-be-killed world now, and I, for one, would like to be able to forget about that even for a short time. We may have a chance here to have some normalcy. Stuart told the group about the requirements and meeting time as he handed out the food.

Gary jumped up and said he wanted the rabbit cooked over a fire, which would also keep him warm all night, and that the jerky was probably poisoned anyway.

Stuart stated rather firmly, If you want a fire, then go over the next hill!

Gary, grabbing his belongings and a rabbit, hissed, Okay, freeze your asses tonight. See if I give a big hairy rat’s ass. Come on, Lucy, now.

Lucy, Gary’s wife, replied, Gary, you are such a self-centered ass sometimes. Think about that while you are over there with your fire tonight all by yourself!

As Gary heatedly stomped off, Mary, Stuart’s wife, said, Wow, finally found your voice, huh, girl! What made you decide not to go sit by a warm fire with your husband?

Lucy replied, I think safety in numbers is good, and as Stuart said, fire in the middle of an open field could be an invitation, good or bad.

Stuart said, We need to sleep on what we want to do and make our decisions in the morning. Meanwhile, we need to get this fire out and get ready for some sleep. I will take the next watch.

*****

Using his flint, Gary started a fire next to a small creek trickling by at the bottom of a hill several hundred feet from the others. Being used to someone else taking care of him and with Lucy being a bit pissed at him, Gary burned his fingers a few times while cooking the rabbit, whose hide he had failed to take off. After a meal of partly burnt and partly raw rabbit, Gary prepared his bedroll as he cussed to himself about the group and Lucy.

After finally falling into a fitful sleep, Gary was awakened in the middle of the night to his throat being cut. After Jerry finished with Gary, he asked Ray if they should dress him out.

Ray responded with Shit fire, you gotta be kiddin’. This one was so dumb he didn’t know how to cook a rabbit. I don’t want any of that dumb rubbin’ off on me. Leave it fer the wolves!

Jerry and Ray enjoyed the fire as they looked through Gary’s things, removed his clothes, and hung him in a tree for easy pickings for the wolves.

Day 2

Stuart awoke at first light with an uneasy feeling, relaxing a little when he saw Jim keeping an eye on the perimeter. Stuart started waking everyone and reminding them not to make a fire, at least not yet. Stuart told his brother-in-law, Jim, he would go check on Gary right after he got in his morning crap. Arriving at the top of the hill where he last saw Gary, Stuart froze at the sight: no fire, no usable equipment, and Gary tied to a tree, naked, genitals gone. Large chunks were being ripped off as wolves tore at his flesh. No one else was around. Stuart decided that it would be best not to shoot the wolves and draw attention back from whoever had done this. Besides, it would be a waste of bullets. You can’t save a dead man.

*****

Arriving back at the little camp, Stuart asked if everyone got their morning gotta-go taken care of and added, We really need to get moving and have breakfast on the move.

Jim, having been up and ready to go, asked, So you are just gonna let Gary sleep and find us gone because you two had a bit of a tiff last night?

Stuart requested that Jim go take a look but be quiet.

Jim, getting to the top of the hill, took in what used to be Gary and had to fight hard to not throw up. As Jim returned with a serious and you-are-right look, Mary’s sister, Marleen, finally found her voice and asked, What’s the matter, and where is Gary?

Stuart quickly moved to Lucy, put his hand over her mouth, and held her tight as he quietly said, Lucy, please don’t scream when I tell you what I saw! Then Stuart described what he saw and why they should try to be quiet as they moved on. When Lucy finally stopped writhing and trying to scream out, Stuart released her, and she dropped to her knees, crying. Stuart added, We really need to get moving! There is absolutely nothing we can do for Gary now that would not put ourselves in more danger. Is anyone not willing to give this guy I met yesterday a chance?

Lucy said, If I had gone with him, I would probably be dead now also, and I have nowhere else to go. I guess I’m in.

Mary asked, But what if that thing with Gary was done by some of the people involved with this guy that we don’t know?

Stuart calmly said, I believe that if he wanted to do harm to us, he would not have given us food and warned about using a fire. I’m in!

The rest agreed to at least talk with this stranger and get moving.

*****

Arriving at the meeting area was not difficult, and the travelers breathed a bit of relief even though there were several more armed men around the area.

Stuart inquired, We did make it, but we don’t even know your name.

Steven replied, I am Steven, the present leader of this group. You said you had six in your group, so is one off in the distance as a sniper?

Stuart told the story of Gary and then introduced his wife Mary, his sister-in-law Marlene, Marlene’s husband Jim, and the recent widow Lucy. I then asked if each could live with the three rules and got an all yes reply. All right, then, there is one more absolute rule, and that is, once you join and learn about this group, you can never leave.

Stuart stated clearly that trying to survive as a small group would put them at a high risk of ending up like Gary, so he was okay with the rules.

Mary said, Where you go, I go, so I’m in however it may work out.

Marlene and Jim quietly talked it over, decided joining would be better than being alone, and said, We are in.

Lucy said, You folks have not lead me wrong and protected me when I needed protection, so hell yea, I’m in.

Steven said, In that case and since you may have been followed, we need to get into a safer place. Hang on to your weapons as you may be called on to guard every now and then. Follow me!

Walking behind a large boulder, Steven seemed to disappear as the new band of survivors followed. All but one sentry followed the rest into the tunnel hidden behind the boulder.

After traveling through several hundred feet of tunnel that somehow was illuminated with electric lights, the group entered a room about fifty feet by seventy-five feet and a twenty-five-foot-high ceiling. The room looked like it was just a natural cave but was furnished with electric lighting and tables with chairs. On the table were five place settings with the makings for simple sandwiches along with coffee or tea.

After the amazed looks subsided, Stuart said, You realize that for us, this is a virtual feast, and we have no means to pay for this.

Steven said, This is just an introduction room, and you will not be required to pay for this food.

Mary suggested, Then we would be made slaves or perhaps butchered after we were fattened up?

Steven laughed heartily and said, I had not had a good laugh for some time. Regardless of what happens out there, we are not cannibals. Just enjoy your meal, and we will continue when you have finished. He left the room so they could eat and relax as they had various banter about what to expect next.

Steven returned in thirty minutes and asked, Was the food okay, and does anyone need a short nap before continuing on? With no takers on a nap, he continued, At this point, you may leave the same way you came in, but you will not be allowed reentry should you chose to leave. If you chose to stay and continue, your word is your bond. There are no written contracts as a handshake is binding. We live by our word. Leave or continue?

All chose to continue.

Stuart said, I have several questions. Why were we allowed to keep our weapons? We could have shot you anytime.

Steven replied, I think you knew deep down you would have been dead before I fell to the floor.

Stuart, Yea, I think I did realize that, but what is in store for us was more intriguing. How the hell did the people in here know how many settings to place? How do you have electric lighting? How has this place not been contaminated?

Steven said, I will answer any and all questions in good time as some are a bit involved. The first question about how many settings is easy. There is an ancient military hand-crank-powered phone from the entrance to several places inside. And just so you know, that tunnel is the only way in or out unless you have an addiction to rock climbing. Like I said when we talked yesterday, my grandfather owned a lot of property and had a good idea about how to survive. Right now I am guessing you are a bit overwhelmed and would appreciate a bit of rest. Some people will be along shortly to show you where you can clean up and rest for a bit. I will return in, say, two hours.

Sandy and Leron entered the room, and Sandy requested the women go with her while the men go with Leron.

Stuart, still being somewhat unsure, said, Divide and overcome, right?

Leron replied, I certainly understand your hesitance, but all of you will be in good hands. Come along now.

*****

Going with their escorts, the women found themselves in a sort of locker room with clean clothes hanging, a working shower with hot running water, and even a mirror. There were even a few cots with warm blankets.

Sandy said, Go ahead. Get cleaned up and relax for a bit. Your clothes will be taken to be cleaned, so if you have anything you want to keep track of, please set them aside. I will return in time to return you to Steven. Take a nap if you like.

*****

Stuart and Jim found themselves in a similar room where they could shit, shower, shave, and take a short nap.

Leron said, I have no idea how long it has been since you guys had a chance to get a bath and a change of clothes. No offence, but you both stink. So separate your weapons and other things you want to keep with you from your clothes because those will be taken for a wash or three. I will return in time to return you to Steven.

Stuart checked the shower, ripped off all his clothes, and jumped into the shower. Stuart said, Damn, this feels good. I don’t want to get out.

Jim said as he scratched his nude butt, waiting for Stuart to finish, "Hey, fella, leave a little warm water. I ain’t comin’ in there