The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5) Read Online Free

The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5)
Book: The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5) Read Online Free
Author: Deborah D. Moore
Tags: Action, Survival, post apocalyptic, disaster, survivalist, preppers, prepper survivalist, prepper survival, weather disasters, disaster survival
Pages:
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like it, not one bit.
    Out of desperation she pulled on the next
door, even knowing the last time it only moved a foot.
Surprisingly, the door moved easily. Elated, Christine stopped in
the gloom, grabbed two chunks of concrete, and shoved them against
the floor like a doorstop. She slipped through the opening back
into the hallway and took a deep breath. The conference room door
was still open like they had left it. Moving quickly, she opened
that door wider and scanned the room, avoiding looking at Jerry’s
inert body and the congealing puddle of blood around him. Her eyes
settled on the refreshment table. She grabbed several bottles of
water, tucking one into her purse, one went into her shopping bag,
and two more went into her suitcase.
    Christine checked the exit door to be sure
the opening was still wide enough for her to get back through,
pulling her luggage behind her. She turned on the flashlight Cheryl
had given her. The tiny beam of light cut through the darkness and
heavy dust to reveal more concrete on the stairs, but not total
blockage. She thought the second shock must have shifted some of
the debris.
    She stepped into and onto the debris.
     
    ***
     
    “You can do this,” Christine said aloud to
give herself confidence, thankful she had changed into the
comfortable walking shoes. She balanced on a slab of concrete and
inched her way forward, pulling the case behind her. The shopping
bag shifted and threw her off balance, and she landed hard on her
knees, tearing her new leggings. A cloud of concrete dust emerged
from the debris pile, sending a plume into her nose and throat,
causing a coughing and sneezing fit.
    “Well that’s not going to work,” she grunted.
She slipped her briefcase into the center of the shopping bag to
protect the leather exterior and tied the handles of the large
plastic bag together, tossing the new clothes down the stairwell
ahead of her. She closed the pull handle on her suitcase and shoved
it forward, using the cloth exterior as a shield for her hands.
    The descent was painfully slow; too slow for
Christine.
    She flung the case a few feet ahead,
following it cautiously. After twenty minutes of creeping forward
inch by inch, she arrived on the first floor to find some wreckage
blocking the way out.
    Christine started to pick up a piece to move
it out of her way, and then realized the door opened outward into
the lobby. She turned the flashlight back to light the pile of
rubble. She pulled the suitcase down and reached for the plastic
bag. When she moved the heavy bag, the sequined hot pink material
encasing Lois’ leg was exposed. Christine jerked backward, gasping,
and dropped the flashlight. She retrieved the flashlight, still
breathing hard. Focusing on the hot pink leggings, Christine aimed
the waning light around the area, seeing the huge slab on top of
her co-worker for the first time.
    “Oh, Lois,” she muttered with a heartfelt
sob. Resolutely, she picked up her things and pushed the heavy door
open, emerging into the lobby. The flood of light was momentarily
blinding and the door swung shut behind her.

CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    The crowd of people
outside the lobby doors had disappeared, leaving Christine to
wonder where they went or what else might be going on. She was
completely unaware of the rescue shuttle she had missed. She pushed
on the big glass door, then stopped and went back to the front
desk.
    Finding the note about Jerry undisturbed, she
added Lois’ name, location, description, and the phone number for
the dental office, thinking there wasn’t anything else she could
do.
     
    ***
     
    The weak November sunlight was fading.
Billows of oily black smoke were forming to the west and the light
breeze carried the stench eastward. Christine aimed her remote key
fob at the silver blue PT Cruiser to unlock the car, then put her
things and the shopping package behind the rear seat, deciding to
put the water in front where she could reach it. She placed two
bottles
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