United States Of Apocalypse by Mark Tufo, Armand Rosamilia Read Free Book Online Page A

she’s fixing a meal fit for a king in there. It’s the best way Pheebz knows how to deal with a crisis: by cooking for an army.”
    “I’ll wait to call,” Darlene said, glad for the reprieve. Her stomach was growling, anyway. She sipped on her coffee and tried to relax.
    Herbert sat down on his recliner with his own cup of coffee and stared at the television.
    “I’ll go with you to the gas station to help load up,” Darlene said.
    “Yeah, I appreciate it. I’m too old to be lifting all of that on my own. I really need to make sure I take all the Tylenol and Aleve, too. My back will be on fire tonight,” Herbert said.
    Darlene heard a door shut in the back of the house and heard suitcases being dragged down the hallway.
    “Uh, thank you very much. We really appreciate it. We’re leaving now. Good luck,” John’s wife said.
    Darlene didn’t even know if she’d caught the woman’s name. Not that it mattered now. She was going to run off and get herself killed. She called out a faint goodbye and went back to watching the nightmare on the TV.
    Herbert led them out and came back a minute later without a word, although Darlene could see the disturbed look on his face. Obviously, the couple driving away was a stupid idea but Herbert had no control over it.
    When the talking heads on CNN repeated the same scant information for the third time, Herbert changed the channel. “There has to be more information somewhere.”
    CNBC newscasters were following an unverified story that the attack had come from the Middle East. Three different radical groups were claiming the victory and promising even more attacks on American soil.
    The public panic added to the confusion. A foreigner was beaten in Chicago when people on the street mistook him for a terrorist. Even though he was of Pakistani ancestry, he was born in Peoria and had lived in the U.S. his entire life. Taxi drivers in New York City were pulled out of their cabs and beaten as well.
    “The world has gone mad,” Darlene said. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear multiple attacks had crippled every major city. People were immediately reverting to selfish animals, trying to snatch everything they could before the next person got it. Sickening.
    “Breakfast is served,” Pheebz yelled from the kitchen.
    Herbert stood and let Darlene go ahead of him. “Grab what you can, Darlene. There’s only enough food for thirty people.”
    “Hush up,” Pheebz said with a grin. “I do like to cook. We’re going to need essentials, dear. Bread, butter, eggs, and milk.”
    “I’m not heading into Chico,” Herbert said, folding his hands.
    Darlene scooped some scrambled egg onto her plate and was about to shovel it into her mouth when she noticed Pheebz also folding her hands and sitting patiently.
    Dad would kill me if I started eating , Darlene thought. She put down her fork and joined the couple in prayer. She was feeling out of sorts. She hadn’t said grace since her dad had passed. It wasn’t because she had feelings either way about God; it was because she had done it for her dad.
    He’d always done it for his wife, who went to church every Sunday like clockwork. While Darlene’s dad wasn’t a religious man, he would always go with his wife on holidays and never said a disparaging thing about religion. His response when Darlene had asked him as a little girl whether or not he believed in Jesus and God was simple. I’d better, just in case, right?
    When Darlene opened her eyes, the couple was staring at her. She realized she’d probably been sitting with her eyes closed and hands folded for a couple of minutes. She felt her face get red and put her head down, picking up her fork and eating.
    “This is delicious,” she said around bites. She wasn’t just trying to make conversation; it was real cooking.
    Pheebz held the plate of bacon near Darlene. “You’d better grab another couple of pieces before my husband finishes it. He could eat bacon