Future Apocalypse Beginnings-- Read online

  Copyright © 2019

  First Edition

  Copyright © 2022

  Second Edition

  Barbara J. Gilbert

  Edited by: Carol Rushing

  Cover Design by: Christian Bentulan

  All Rights Reserved

  Future Apocalypse is a work of fiction. Names, places, etc., are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, locations, or events, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the authors.

  Future Apocalypse – A Time Travel Series

  By Barbara J. Gilbert

  Book 1

  Beginnings

  Book 2

  Journey to the City of Technology

  Book 3

  Homeward Bound

  Dedication Page

  To my boys:

  Marcus and Thomas who accidently inspired me to write.

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I want to extend my thanks to everyone at NanoWrimo for their encouragement, support, and willingness to inspire everyday people to write those stories that lie within their minds.

  I want to thank the following author friends for their great advice and help.

  Lisa Ackers for pointing me to a book on how to write blurbs.

  Tom Abrahams for reading my book and giving me some sage advice, which culminated into a few rewrites and added sections. Thank you!

  Boyd Craven for sending me to his cover designer.

  Douglas Hogan & G. Michael Hopf for offering to promote my book once it was published.

  Robert Wilson, a new author himself, for dinging me on chat every so often and checking on my goals and progress, and for telling me to get up with T.L Payne. Thanks for the added push.

  T.L Payne for giving me great advice on how to market and promote my book and for sending me to a great Facebook group with tons of good information. BTW, I’m still combing through it all.

  Patti Glaspy for telling me about her aunt who is a great editor.

  Chris Pike & G. Michael Hopf for TOC help.

  Austin Chambers for giving me good writing advice.

  Kyla Stone for helping me with KDP select questions.

  I want to thank my beta readers for taking the time to read and help catch issues in my book.

  And most of all, thanks to my friends and family who supported me during this process.

  FREE GIFT

  It's been 230 years since the asteroid hit the earth and some feel it’s time to leave the mine shafts and go topside.

  The Mayor upholds the old rule that no one is allowed to go outside till he feels it is safe, so the rebellion has begun.

  The rebels have been planning and gathering supplies for years and are hoping to make their escape soon. Will they find a way out, and if so, will they be able to survive topside? No one is sure but they plan on trying.

  Download the free ebook at:

  https://bjgilbert815.wixsite.com/syfyauthor/year-of-reckoning

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 1

  Fall 2021

  Wilmington, NC

  Paulette stood looking out the living room window at the dark, ominous clouds as they swirled in a slow, counterclockwise rotation. Lightening pierced the sky with loud cracks of thunder soon after as Hurricane Jackson crawled its way closer to the North Carolina coastline.

  “This is Julie Reinhart coming to you from WRUZ with an important update about the hurricane brewing in the Atlantic.”

  “Sweetheart can you turn that up please?” Richard shouted from the other room.

  “Sure, hang on,” Mary hollered back.

  The sound of Paulette’s mom hollering snapped her out of the daze she was in.

  “Mom, just stay seated. I can get it,” Paulette said as she ran to the coffee table, brown hair swaying back and forth, and scooped up the remote, increasing the volume of the television.

  “Hurricane Jackson has built into a Category 2 hurricane with winds up to a hundred miles an hour. The Hurricane Center has assured us that Jackson will maintain its status, or at most become a weak Category 3 hurricane. Please stay tuned for any further updates.”

  “Thanks, darlin’,” Mary bellowed to be heard over the TV.

  “Welcome.” Paulette said as she strode out of the living room heading to check on her projects.

  “Hey, Dad,” Paulette said as her father passed her and walked into the living room having to duck to avoid hitting his head.

  He smiled at his daughter.

  Richard strolled over to his wife, bent and kissed her on the forehead.

  “Sounds like the hurricane won’t be too bad,” he said as he stood back up.

  “Probably not, but we still should get everything ready since you don’t want to follow the governor’s orders to evacuate.”

  “Oh dear, you know me. I’m too stubborn to up and leave my home for a measly little hurricane. We’ve survived worse than this. Why would this one be any different?”

  “That may be so, but you know what happened down in Florida when hurricane Michael hit. I just have a bad feeling about this one.”

  “Don’t be silly. This hurricane won’t be anything like Michael. Besides, we’ve lived through plenty of Category 3 storms before. Please, just relax and take a deep breath. You know I’ve got this.”

  “Don’t you roll those brown puppy-dog eyes at me like that. You’ve seen those clouds outside. They don’t look like ones from other hurricanes. You need to take this seriously.”

  “If you say so, dear,” he said laughing as he bent to help her with the final packing of the go-bags.

  Mary looked up with pools of water shadowing her sparkling blue eyes, then swiped a strand of blond hair out of her face, before punching him in the arm.

  “What was that for?”

  “I’m scared, like terrified of what will happen this time.”

  “Darlin’, there’s no reason to be afraid. I’ll keep you both safe.”

  “Okay, if you think it’s going to be fine, then I’ll try to be more composed.”

  Returning her focus to the tasks at hand, she hollered for her beautiful daughter. “Paulette, can you come in here please?”

  A moment passed before a shout from the other end of the house reverberated down the hallway. “Comin’.”

  Paulette’s brown ponytail swung wildly as she bounced into the living room, remembering to duck at the last moment so to avoid hitting her head on the door jam.

  “You called, Mom?”

  “Yes, darlin’. It seems that the hurricane will be a little stronger than we thought. We’ll need to get the shelter in the basement prepared for a short stay. Plus, we need to make sure the animals are secured in the barn and fed for the duration.”

  “Ah, Mom, do we have ta? I just got started with the 3D modeling of some of my time-travel invention ideas.”

  “Sorry, dear, but yes you have to. Please go outside and do as I ask. When you’re done there, come back inside and help your dad and me.”

  “Fine. You do know you guys take this prepping stuff a little too far,” Paulette said as she huffed, spun, and headed out the door.

  Mary shook her head. “What are we going to do with her,” she said, as she continued packing up the essentials that needed to go to the basement.

  Paulette tossed on her rain jacket and slipped her feet into her muck boots. Then gazing out the backdoor window at the sheets of rain, she shook her head, took a deep breath, turned the knob, and opened the door just wide enough for her to slop out into the soggy late afternoon.

  Head bowed to keep the driving rain out of her eyes, she made a beeline for the barn. However, the mud kept sucking her feet into the ground, making progress slow.

  “Dang mud.”

  The repeating sucking, slurping noises of the mud as she pulled one foot, then the other out of the mud slogging toward the barn, were grating on her nerves.

  She entered the barn, covering her eyes to the constant flicker of the lights until they adjusted to the bright interior. Once acclimated, she made quick work of feeding the horses and other livestock. Finished, she double-checked to make sure all the latches to the stalls were secure and began the arduous trip back to the house.

  The television blared with the emergency broadcast signal, causing all three members of the Brown family to jump.

  “What do you think that means, Dad?”

  “Won’t know till the announcement comes on.”

&
nbsp; “This is an emergency announcement. Hurricane Jackson has strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane. All remaining citizens are to seek shelter immediately. Tornadoes, strong winds, and flooding are projected to hit the area within the next few hours.”

  Paulette’s eyebrows flashed upward as her whole body began to tremble. With a look of utter dismay, she asked her dad, “What are we going to do now?”

  Her dad placed his hand on her shoulder, patting it, as he said, “Darlin’, there’s nothing to worry about. We have a good shelter, and we should be far enough inland to not have to worry about flooding.”

  “But the winds and the tornados?”

  “There’s always a possibility for that in any hurricane. I promise we’ll be fine.”

  “Mary, honey, we should finish getting the supplies to the shelter.”

  “I agree.” Mary clasped Paulette’s hand in hers as she dragged her daughter with her to finish the preparations.

  “Honey, did your dad remember to board the windows on the barn?”

  Paulette scrunched her face as she thought about the question. “I think so. I know all the house windows are covered.”

  “Well, let’s hope so.”

  They grabbed the remaining supplies off the kitchen counter and proceeded down to the shelter taking wary steps to avoid falling.

  Paulette and her mom stepped over the ledge at the bottom of the doorway to the shelter, making their way to the far back right corner.

  They each rubbed their lower backs as they stood straight after placing the boxes and containers on the floor. Without much direction from her mother, Paulette bent at the knees and grabbed the edges of one container and slid it over to the bottom shelf, just lifting it enough to place it on the shelf. She repeated this process till all the heavy buckets containing food and first-aid supplies were placed on the shelf.

  Meanwhile, her mother placed the lighter boxes and containers on the other shelves.

  “Phew, glad that’s done,” Paulette said as she wiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead.

  “Me too. Let’s go see if your dad is ready to come down here and batten the hatches till the storm passes.”

  “Okay. Mom, do you think dad will let me bring my projects down here?” Paulette asked as they turned to go back to the stairs.

  “Oh, honey, I don’t think there’s enough room down here. Sorry.”

  A frown creased Paulette’s forehead, and her lips puckered as she silently protested the unfairness of it all while they walked to the bottom of the basement stairs.

  As mother and daughter hiked back up the stairs, they ran into Richard making his way down.

  “Are we ready to stay in the shelter?” Mary inquired of her husband as she sidestepped to let him pass with the heavy load he was carrying.

  “Yup,” he mumbled through the boxes stacked against his face.

  “Well, Paulette, it looks like we are going back down, and this time we’ll stay in the shelter till the storm passes.”

  Paulette jumped at the sound of the door clanging shut. She spun around and glared at her dad.

  “You could have waited till I was looking your way before shutting the door. You know I don’t like loud noises.”

  “Sorry, sweetie. I didn’t think about it. Can you turn on the battery-operated radio so we can keep abreast of the hurricane?”

  Pouting, she ambled to the shelf near the food and medical supplies and flipped the switch on. Static greeted her ears. “Ergg, darn radio.” She twisted the dial until she picked up the weather channel.

  “Thanks. Can you turn it up just a bit more?”

  “Sure, Dad.” Paulette turned the volume up so they could hear the latest information.

  Everyone commandeered a cot and laid out their sleeping bags and pillows. The cots lay adjacent to the left and right walls of the shelter, with one cot up against the back wall near the supplies. The shelter was equipped with electricity backed by a generator, and if that failed, they had battery-powered lanterns. Richard had installed a ventilation system to keep fresh air circulating in the small space, also making it possible for them to use a small camp stove to cook meals.

  “Dad, I have everything ready. What would you like me to do now?”

  “Why don’t you prepare some dinner for us?”

  “Ah, can’t Mom do that?”

  “No, you need to practice your skills.”

  “You’re right, Dad. Sorry.” She turned, rolled her eyes and went to the supply shelf to pick out their meal for the night.

  Paulette opened one of the food supply bins and pulled out a package of Homestyle Potato Soup, a Food 4 You dinner that was supposed to taste just like the real thing. She heated up the soup, placed even portions into three bowls, and handed them out.

  “Thanks, sweetie,” her mom said as she carefully took the bowl, holding it around the top edges to keep from burning her hands.

  Her dad just grunted as she placed his bowl next to him. He was busy fiddling with something she couldn’t quite see.

  Just before finishing their quiet meal together, the radio squawked, and they heard the newsman clear his voice before proceeding with the announcement.

  Rapt with attention they listened.

  “Umm ... folks. Uh ... I don’t even know how to describe this, but ... ahem ... the hurricane forecast center has just advised us that Hurricane Jackson is now packing winds of over two hundred fifty miles an hour. This goes beyond the current ratings for storms and is stronger and deadlier than a Category 5 storm. We strongly recommend you seek shelter on higher ground. The storm surge is said to be over thirty feet high and has already flooded most of downtown Wilmington. This is unprecedented. May God watch over us and keep us safe. This will be the last broadcast from this location.

  Oh, my word. What is that? No, it can’t be ”

  They heard glass shattering and gurgling noises as the broadcaster went silent.

  Paulette shook violently and turned her tear-stained face toward her parents. “Mom, Dad, did he just die?”

  Their mouths hung open and eyes were wide as they faced their daughter. Her father’s voice trembled.

  “It seems that way. This storm is much worse than I could have ever imagined or prepared for. Mary did you remember to grab our important papers?”

  Her pencil-thin eyebrows scrunched tight as she tried to recall. “Oh, my word. I forgot to grab them from your office. What are we going to do now?”

  “No worries. I’ll run up real quick and grab the Ziploc bag that has our papers in it and bring them back down here.”

  “No!” Mary and Paulette blurted at the same time.

  “It’s not safe, honey.”

  “I’ll be okay. It won’t take but a few minutes. You two stay here no matter what. Understood?”

  They nodded.

  Tears welled up in Paulette’s and Mary’s eyes as they stared at Richard’s back when he waltzed out of the storm shelter, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “Honey, quit pacing and sit down. You’re driving me nuts.”

  “But Mom, Dad has to be back soon, right?”

  “He said he would be back. He may have had to take shelter elsewhere temporarily.”

  “Maybe, but I’m worried. What if he doesn’t come back?” She wiped away the tears streaming down her face.

  “He will, honey. I just know it. Now sit down and rest for a while.”

  Paulette took one more forlorn look at the shelter door, then whirled around and stomped over to her cot and sat down. Hanging her head in her hands, shoulders trembling, she sobbed. Eventually, she lay on her cot and fell into a fitful sleep.

  A loud thump startled her awake. She bolted upright in her cot and frantically looked around before she realized she was in the shelter.

  “Mom, what was that noise?”

  Fear fleeted through Mary’s eyes as she looked toward her daughter. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound good.”

  Shaking the cobwebs of sleep from her head, she looked around and noticed her dad was still missing.

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “I’m sorry, honey, but he hasn’t come back.”

  That’s when Paulette noticed the dirty tear tracks on her mother’s face. “What do you think happened?”

  “Sweetie, I don’t have the answer. All we can do is hope he’s safe. The weather people said the storm should pass by the tenth of October. Then it should be safe for us to emerge from the shelter and search for your dad.”