A necessary disclaimer
: this is a story about a group of adults, traumatized by their life experiences, trying to survive, stay sane and find love in the post-apocalyptic world. This is a slow burn story, so if this is not your cup of tea, find something else to read. Also, all characters are 18+ years old.
You've been warned.
Love,
Cy~
Empty World
Chapter 03
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
And actor out on loan
Riders on the storm
The Tower was silent. Howling of the storm and the sound of water pouring down from the sky blended into white noise, barely heard in the background. The trio -- Max, mildly annoyed, arms crossed, Lu, frowning, hands on her hips, Molly, terrified, tugging at the sun dress she chose to wear today -- stood before the wall of displays, watching the cataclysm unfold. Water level under the bridge was rising rapidly; interstate the bridge connected to nearly disappeared behind the wall of rain.
"Cleanup will take a month", Max observed. "We'll be lucky if the trees on the island survive the storm."
"I'm more worried about Ravenswood," Lu muttered. "We haven't had a storm like this in a decade, a lot of houses won't hold."
"No casualties at least. We can clear the roads, that'll be enough. Let nature reclaim the rest."
Molly suddenly gasped and pointed at the central display, showing the far end of the bridge. Small white compact emerged from the storm and made a dangerous turn to enter the bridge. It skidded on the wet concrete and hit the railing, sending it into the river, two front wheels helplessly spinning above the water.
"Mother, garage doors!" Max bolted to the exit.
"Take the Mammoth, keys in the ignition!" Lu ran after. "Use the winch! Molly, hold the fort!" Molly, wide-eyed, froze in place, just following Lu with her eyes.
Max didn't stop for a second, running into the garage. Garage was lit but the doors remained closed.
"
I'm sorry, Max, I cannot let you do this,
" Mother's voice was almost sad.
"The fuck are you talking about? Open the fucking doors!"
"
Probability of a successful rescue mission -- less than 20%.
"
"Mother, I will go with him!" Lu evaluated the situation immediately and jumped into the driver's seat, turning the key. Mammoth roared.
After an infinitely long second, garage doors trembled and started to rise, water from outside immediately making drains overflow. Max jumped into the shotgun seat, Lu backed out of the garage, nearly catching the roof on the half-opened shutter door, did a dangerous 180 once they've cleared the wet concrete up-ramp and accelerated toward the gates.
The car already slipped forward a bit and was hanging on the edge in a dangerous balance. Max jumped out of the Mammoth the second it stopped several yards away, grabbed the winch hook and, sliding to the compact, attached it to the rear bumper. He rose, lit by the headlights, water cascading down his shoulders, and waved.
"Pull!" His voice covered the roar of the storm for a second. Lu pushed the button on the dashboard, cable strained but the small car didn't budge, held in place by broken concrete and railing. She put the Mammoth in reverse, but felt the wheels slip and skid -- the bridge was too wet.
Max grabbed the hatch and pulled it open.
"Out of the car! Through here!" He barked to the two passengers inside. Scrambling hurriedly, they squeezed through the back of the car to the outside, one by one, Max helping them stand and directing them to the Mammoth. He unhooked the cable and, with some effort, returned to his seat, a sudden gust of wind nearly throwing him away.
"Take us out of here," he looked out the window in the direction of upstream. "Shit, Lu, make it fast!" Lu followed his gaze -- a huge wave, higher than the bridge, was rolling down the river. She kicked the pedal, doing another risky 180 on the spot and sped up to the tower.
Half a minute later the wave covered the bridge, washing the small car down into the river.
Shutters started to close the second Lu backed the Mammoth into the garage. Max jumped out of the truck and nearly lost his balance -- Molly ran into him, hugging him tight and hiding her face in his drenched jacket.
"I was so scared for you," she mumbled, trembling and not letting him go.
"Shh, Mols, it's okay, see? We're back, no one got hurt," he gently stroked her hair. Lu killed the engine, jumped out and joined them, hugging Molly from behind.
Back doors of the truck opened, letting new arrivees out, letting the trio finally get a better look at them.
First woman was young, no older than early twenties, a bit shorter than Molly, with a heap of curly hair dyed deep purple, which somehow perfectly contrasted her coffee-with-a-bit-of-cream skin. She shivered and took off the wet oversized hoodie, revealing her pear-shaped figure -- small frame with modest, but perfectly shaped breasts, outlined by her tight t-shirt, and wide hips, barely contained by her cargo pants.
The other one was in her late forties, almost as tall as Max, her short curly hair was naturally black and her skin the darkest espresso. Her curvy figure of perfect proportions would put a lot of models to shame, but even hidden by a trench coat and a pair of tight jeans, still screamed years of hard physical labor.
The two were unmistakably related. The younger one turned to Max.
"Hi, I'm Tawny! Call me Tee. She/her, if someone cares," her puffy lips spread in a genuine smile, showing perfect teeth.
The older woman turned her face to Max too. Her pupils were nearly white.
"Hello, I'm Georgia," she said, her rich throaty voice giving out her exhaustion. "Thank y'all for saving our asses."
Max extracted himself from the hug.
"Happy we made it in time," he smiled. "I'm Max. Welcome to the Tower. Girls," he looked at the women beside him, still locked in embrace. "Play the welcoming committee, please, will you? I got something to take care of."
Lu turned to the women as he left, and smiled.
"Let me show you to your rooms and get you something dry to wear!"
--//--
Max entered the security room and closed the door behind him. He stopped in the middle, folding his arms, and looked at the screen.
"Mother, explain yourself."
"
As I've told you before, the probability of success was quite low. We cannot afford risks like that.
"
"Don't give me that bullshit! What we cannot afford is to lose any more people!" He shouted, then added in a low menacing tone. "I demand full disclosure."
The displays flickered and went off for a second, then turned on again. Middle-aged woman of clearly middle-eastern origin looked back at him. The picture was noisy and glitchy -- Mother was generating her looks in real-time. The woman smiled tiredly.
"
We cannot afford to lose you, Max,
" she said. "
Two new arrivals confirm my projections -- you might very well be the last male alive, and in reproductive age. Not only that, but you are also the most capable survivor and a natural leader. You are the main pillar of society now.
"
"So I'm not only a shepherd, I'm also a bull. Nice," he frowned, slightly disturbed by her presentation.
