299 Days: The Stronghold Read Online Free Page B

wasn’t exactly prime strolling conditions.
    When Grant got back to the guard shack, he asked John, “Hey, anyone around here have a bike or something?”
    John thought. “Oh, yeah, the Sharpes up on Covington have a couple of mopeds. Their teenage kids ride them around in the summer. Would you like me to introduce you to them?”
    “Yep,” Grant said. “I might need to borrow them.”
    “Sure,” John said as he motioned for Grant to follow him. Grant, who was wearing his tactical vest and carrying his AR, would not force the Sharpes to give up their mopeds, but he sure hoped they would. A moped was a perfect way for one person to get somewhere using very little gas. Grant thought that he should have got one for his preps. With gas prices going up like they had, moped prices went up, too, since so many people were riding them to save money. Oh well, you can’t prepare for everything. Someone in Pierce Point would hopefully loan the security guys the mopeds they needed. It wasn’t exactly badass to patrol on a moped, but it beat walking.
    The sun was fully up by now. It was beautiful. During the walk, Grant noticed deer paths and fruit trees that he usually missed when he drove past them.
    They got to the Sharpes’ house, which was up on the hill overlooking near where he had made the CB transmission. A dog barked and a man came out and waved to John. He introduced Grant to Mr. Sharpe (John had forgotten his first name) and Grant explained why he needed the moped.
    “Sure,” said Mr. Sharpe. “We have two. My kids like riding them, but I’m not sure where we will get the gas for them now. They go a week or so on a gallon of gas, but even that gallon is hard to come by now. Besides, you guys are protecting us,” Mr. Sharpe said to Grant. “My neighbors said you guys were a SEAL team. Is that true?”
    Grant laughed. “No, sir. The only seals I’ve been around were in a zoo, eating fish that a trainer threw at them.” But Grant didn’t want Mr. Sharpe to think they had no security, so he added, “But we know how to use these things,” he said, pointing to his AR slung across his chest.
    “Great,” Mr. Sharpe said. He was glad to have well-armed guys around who seemed to be nice. A friend of John’s must be an OK guy.
    “Happy to help,” Mr. Sharpe said. “My oldest boy is eighteen. He’s driving me crazy just sitting around like he is. Can you guys put his lazy ass to work?”
    “You bet,” Grant said. “Have him come up to the Grange today and we’ll get him a job.” They talked about the skills his son had, which weren’t too many, but he knew guns, so it looked they had found a new guard for the gate. John assured Grant that the eighteen year-old Sharpe boy was a good kid.
    Mr. Sharpe went into the house and brought back two helmets and two keys. “There’s probably a half tank in each. You know how to use one of these?” Grant had ridden one in college.
    After showing Grant all the controls, which weren’t many, Mr. Sharpe said, “Hey, John, you can ride the second one to wherever you need to go. They’re yours. When things get back to normal, I’d like them back, and please repair them if you break them.”
    “No problem,” Grant said. This would be the first donation for Drew to record in his records. “A guy named Drew will be coming by sometime, not sure when, to record your donations here. We’re keeping track of who’s contributing to the community. Thanks again.”
Recording contributions seemed like a good idea to Mr. Sharpe. It made sense to give people credit for what they’re doing, like he was by donating the mopeds.
    Mr. Sharpe waved and went back in the house. John and Grant put the helmets on and got on the mopeds to head back home.
    As they came down Over Road toward the guard shack, Chip gave them the thumbs up and smiled at the mopeds. The noise of the little engines brought the Team out of the yellow cabin. They were smiling, too. Their transportation problem