BroccoliRiceTofu on Nostr: THE REUNION OF DARKNESS Chapter XVI. It’s the next morning. All the people in the ...

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS
Chapter XVI.
It’s the next morning. All the people in the house huddled their sleeping bags together to stay warm through the night. Everyone expected for the sun to come up, but through the thin rows between the blinds, they could tell the sun is still not up. It's extremely dark, even though it’s supposed to be sunrise. The clouds of ash and smoke make it impossible to tell what is happening.
The families all open their bags and pull together breakfast made out of emergency supplies mixed with the items that were not spoiled in the fridge yet. They used a camp stove to boil enough water to mix in the dried packages. And sat together to pray. They were all grateful to be together after a long day, and happy to be safe. As they sat around, they shared some laughs, some hopes, and some dreams, taking the time to escape reality and break bread.
Even though it still looks like night outside, the men decided to head out to get some water because they didn’t know how long this would last. If they were going to survive this, they had to ensure they had enough water for each of them; and since water weighs about 8 lbs a gallon, they would need to all team up to carry it. They decided to head over to the local recreation center about a half-mile from the house. They know that they could get some water from the pool, and with the filtration system they had at the house, it would be safe to drink. They also emptied their packs, in hopes to break into any vending machines that were still stocked.
They headed out, and everything was eerily quiet. The sky was darker than they had ever seen, it was much worse than even the day before. They decided to stick along the main road, and walk in the middle. This would give them the best view of the surrounding areas, even though they felt they would be exposed. Chesty led the pack, and grabbed a stick off a tree to check any bodies for life as they went.
They made it to the recreation center fairly quick, as their adrenaline had them all pumped. As 2 went to the pool, 2 looked for snacks, and 1 stayed at the door to keep an eye out. The vending machines were nearly all broken and smashed, there were only a few soda and sports drinks that they could acquire. The others that went to the pool were also very quick, they filled the jugs of water by dunking them in the pool. Brought them to the door, and went back to fill another round.
Buckley whistles, they see the group of 4 masked men coming their way. They looked very similar to the guys they encountered the day before. They hid the water jugs and packs of food behind the check-in counter, and took positions preparing to fight. As Buckley backs to the office door, it swings open and he sees a figure in the corner. As he turns to look, he sees a lady hanging by her neck. He checked, and her body was cold, she must have been dead for many hours by this point. He grabs a fire extinguisher and takes his place by the door as the men start to come into the building.
The echo of the first shot rings out through the hall, followed by an immediate ringing in Buckley’s ear. The first man through the door falls over and curls up as he lays in a pool of fresh blood coming from his chest. The 3 remaining masked men pull their firearms and get into formation. They return fire and take down one of Chesty’s friends that came with us. They throw 2 smoke flares, and continue going forward.
Another gunshot, and the formation breaks, a pig mask is thrown to the ground as the man grabs his leg and screams, with a second shot his screams stop and he falls to the ground.
The 2 remaining masked men begin moving forward and start shooting back at them. Buckley is nearly hit, but his position is well covered. As they get closer to the door, he sprays the fire extinguisher in their direction, and the men cough. Another gunshot rings out, and another pig masked man flies to the ground grabbing his left shoulder. Buckley is face to face with the final gunman, and he quickly grabs the gun and pushes the aim to the side. The barrel is hot, and burns his hands immediately, but he is forcing himself to hang on. A final gunshot rings out, and before Buckley can react, the splatter of blood covers his face. He can barely breathe as he is now in a state of shock and he falls to his knees. Chesty’s years of service and top in class shooting, just saved his life. The others rush to attend to the one that was shot, but are saddened as they realize he is gone.
As Buckley slowly shakes his head in disbelief, he notices the masked man on the ground has some kind of patch under his shirt. As Buckley reaches out and rips it off the shirt under his coveralls, he recognizes the seal. The man was stationed as a zone guard. He calls out to the others, and they come down to check the rest. They all have the same patches and uniform under their clothes. Seeing this, they decide the best action is to head back to the house and bunker down, and the dread of telling the man’s wife that he was gone hovered over them as they headed out.