About an hour later while most of the men were busy loading the stolen food into their vehicles, Doug walked away from the scene. As soon as he reached the outskirts of the campground, he ducked behind the cover of a large tree trunk and waited for the coast to clear. Doug then slipped out of hiding and hurried toward the SUV.
Doug climbed into the front seat of the vehicle and closed the door quietly behind him. The vehicle had already been packed full of as much food as it could carry, including the passenger seat. Doug smiled. Lisa wouldn't be happy with him for stabbing her and the community in the back, but he couldn't have absconded with the entire stash on his own anyway.
With luck, none of the men would notice him taking possession of the vehicle until long after he had departed. If they did, well… he'd cross that bridge when he arrived at it.
He glanced briefly at the dashboard clock. It read 10:55 PM. With any luck, he should arrive back at his bunker by midnight.
For once, Doug felt hopeful that things were starting to turn around for him.
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Several hours later, Doug pulled into the driveway of his old house. After unlocking the gate to the backyard, he drove across the grass and stopped at the foot of the steps leading up to the back porch. He had been very cautious to ensure nobody had followed him and that nobody was in the direct vicinity of the neighborhood, and he had driven the last leg without his headlights on.
He got out and stepped up on the frame of the car, peering around to ensure as best as he could that nobody was watching. He then walked over to the disguised entrance to his bunker - a manhole cover hidden behind a bench in the rock garden with the word SEWER standing out in bold letters. He inserted his special key into the hole in the center, and with an audible click the hatch released and he lifted it open. The entrance revealed a 15-foot drop with rungs for a ladder. HE quickly descended, and opened the inner hatch door to enter his spacious fully-lit bunker. Crossing the main room to the back bedroom, he pulled out a large empty duffel bag from his closet and proceeded back to the entrance.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
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An hour later, he successfully unloaded the vehicle. Locking the manhole cover again, he needed to hide the SUV - and he knew the perfect place. One of his old neighbors around the corner was a mechanic with a shop out back, but he too had been a victim of the Rapture and so the house was empty - as was most of the entire neighborhood. Doug knew that he could park the SUV inside the spacious garage and nobody would ever know about it.
It wasn't until almost one o'clock in the morning before Doug finally returned to his bunker. Unloaded, refueled, and stocked with enough food to get him through several months at least if not longer, he entered the bunker and set the alarm system. He admired at the small mountain of canned goods he had absconded away with. There was so much that it completely covered half of the floor space in the dining area. His stomach rumbled in response, reminding him how hungry he actually was.
So many options! What should I eat? A nice hearty stew? Stewed beef and potatoes? Or maybe chicken noodle soup? Mmm...
After a quick shower, Doug decided to indulge himself with something delicious. Pulling out a can opener, he cut the top off of his favorite brand of chili con carne and poured it onto a plate. It wasn’t quite as satisfying as it would have been had he gotten the chance to heat it up. While eating, he checked the status board on the wall next to the kitchen table. Everything looked good except for two minor issues. First, the generator had shut itself down due to low fuel levels. Second, the water tank was close to depletion. Luckily, he now had several cases of bottled water in addition to the canned goods, but he hadn't planned on having to venture back out again in the morning.
While finishing his meal, Doug considered his future plans. Since his bunker had been designed to withstand nuclear blasts, it had plenty of room for expansion. He had originally intended to stay there indefinitely, but recent events suggested otherwise. Not only that, but the bunker was located near a major metropolitan city which meant access to fresh food sources and other amenities. Sooner or later, he would need to return home.
Deciding that sleep was better than worrying about his lack of preparedness, Doug crawled under the covers and went to bed. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
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