Short Story I wrote.

[Kuting]

New characters incoming. Gimme a couple days. I really like the family I'm working on now, and I think you guys will too.

 

[flagtag]

Kewl! I'll be waiting.

 

[trad78]

Loving it so far! Keep it up. Glad the poser got his ass kicked.

 

[indyartisan]

Enjoying your story Kuting

 

[Kuting]

So I just wrote something that nearly had me in tears as I put it down... I do not cry, ever. I hope I can convey this emotion to the reader as well. It won't be til much later in the story though.

 

[BigMatt]

Those have been pretty cool. I am interested how you will tie them all together or if you will. It doesn't seem like you are ever going to develop a character that is totally prepared for survival.

I could see how all of the people that are involved would play off of each others strengths to prevail. (except fat boy) I don't see how his situation could work out.

 

[Kuting]

New chapter

[FONT=&quot]Danielle and Rob - The Day -1[/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] As the sun creped near the horizon the couple walked down the lane and took down the targets they had shot at the majority of the day. They walked back to the firing line and Rob playfully kicked dirt at his wife, she laughed and tried to get out of the way and blocked the debris with a target. He could still make her giggle like they were on their way to prom, and she made him feel like a ravenous teenage boy. This was, perhaps, one of the reasons they had eight children. The two put the targets into their shed and removed two white buckets. Each on their respective half of the firing line the crawled around in the grass picking up shell casings. Both were competition shooters, and at the rate they went through practice and training ammunition it only made sense to reload. Danielle looked up at Rob and smiled, he smiled back. Their relationship made friends and family think something was too good to be true, no one had the fantasy romance, not after twenty-five years.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Babe, we need to check your extractor. Looks like you’re chewing up brass again.” Danielle said, tossing the man a shell casing.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “It’s always something, isn’t it?” Rob said, grinning and tossing the brass into his bucket. He had been tweaking the custom 1911 pistol for a couple months now, and it had become amazingly accurate. The couple often had to do minor gunsmithing and switch out parts that wore out as their round count climbed. Rob, during time off for a broken leg, had taken a gunsmith course specifically to maintain the couple’s gun collection. He stood up and walked over to his bride, offering her his hands and helping her to her feet. He took her by the waist, and raised her to his face, nose to nose. Her petite frame was no challenge for his broad shoulders or massive arms years of being a firefighter had brought him. She stared into her husband’s eyes longingly and looked to the side at the sound of an ATV. Todd, their oldest son still in school, was riding toward the range. She looked back at Rob and gave him a jackal-like grin then brought both hands down on either side of his neck as hard as she could. He dropped her to the ground, and as soon as her feet made contact she bolted toward the four-wheeler. She hopped on the back and slapped her son’s shoulder blade.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Go baby go! Dad’s gonna kill me!!!” She shouted over the engine with a laugh.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “You’re in trouble woman! You too son!” Rob yelled, pointing as the two sped off into the distance. He put the buckets of casings on a shelf in the shooting shed and loaded the couple’s pistols into the range bag, then headed back to the house. The sun was licking the horizon now and the security lights around the buildings and in the orchard were coming on. He opened the door to the house and went inside. His wife smiled innocently at him, ready to run if she needed to. He narrowed his eyes at the little woman and walked into the den where the computer and gun safes resided. Removing the pistols from the bag he placed them on the desk in front of the tackle boxes filled with solvents and cleaning tools. He walked back into the kitchen where his daughter Kara was cooking dinner. He looked into the pot she was stirring, dipped in a finger, and placed it in his mouth.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] ‘That’s good, how was school baby?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “You know that’s not ready yet. Stay out. School was fine pop. The fall musical is going to be awesome. I’m so glad I got a solo this year. Maria is such a big role!” She was talking about the drama department’s production of West Side Story.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Maria is such a big role!” Annie said mockingly. She and her sister were polar opposites in the world that is high school. Annie was a cheerleader, rode to school with a boy who drove a Camaro, and was the center of her circle. Kara was a quiet honor student who barely raised her voice above a whisper when not on the stage.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “There will be none of that, understood?” Danielle shot at her daughter. “Now apologize to your sister.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Geez, just playing.” Annie said under her breath. “Sorry Kara. My bad.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Oh, it‘s not a big deal.” Kara said with a shrug while seasoning the pot. The door opened and a uniformed officer walked in. As he crossed the threshold he removed his hat and placed it on the coat tree in the walkway. He heard the talking in the kitchen and shut the door quietly. Creeping into the kitchen he looked around and tried to sneak up behind Rob.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Police, hands in the air!” He said with a finger in Rob’s back. Rob turned around and snatched up the man’s finger in one hand and grabbed his collarbone in the other, squeezing it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “You’re still to loud to sneak up on the old man, maybe you should have listened to all those lessons I tried to give you in the woods rather than thinkin’ ’bout them girls all the time.” Rob said with a smile, releasing his grip on his son and hugging him. His son returned the embrace and walked into the kitchen, kissing his mother on the cheek, and hugging his sisters. Kevin went to the fridge and pulled out a can of pop.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “So how are things all the way out here?” He asked, taking a sip. He was an officer in the city, but growing up a country boy taught him a lot of skills that saved his hide more than once on the job.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “We’s a’jus doin’ right fine out h’yah in the sticks.” Danielle said in her best hillbilly accent. She had to try her best, because her education and intelligence made the broken English feel unnatural to her. She went to college right after high school, and Rob became a fireman. They were married and he supported them while she was in school. For the past twenty-one years she had taught history as the local high school. A double edged sword for the children, for they were far more educated than their peers, but Mom knew about almost every slip-up the minute it happened. All in all they were well behaved kids, and she rarely needed to throw the “Mom Card” at school.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “s’At a fact?” He fired right back. The family continued their banter as Kara finished up preparing the meal. Brian, twelve, and Madison, five, trotted into the room and took their places at the table. Madison pulled two stuffed teddy bears from her lap and made them dance together.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Madison Elizabeth! I don’t know where your sense went, but you’d better find it quickly. You know we do not play with toys at the dinner table.” Danielle said to her youngest child, the baby of the family.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Well you see Mom, they’we not just ANY toys, they’we my babies, and they have to dance to exeocise theiw legs. We don’t want them getting out of shape do we?” She replied, sounding as adult as possible for a five year old who couldn’t pronounce her R’s. Her father and older brothers fought back the laughs in awe of the little girl’s maturity and reasoning ability.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Toys in the room now, or you’re headed there too.” Danielle said sharply. Madison nodded and took the bears away from the table. Mother, with a hand clenched, pointed at Rob and Kevin. “And you two, are not helping the situation.” They burst into laughter now. Madison returned to the table and took her place with the family. Todd ran into the kitchen from the back door and quickly washed his hands. He knew that dinner was the one meal of the day that the family could share, and it was not taken lightly. He came to the table and sat down.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Sorry, I was waking up Robbie, he worked last night. He’s right behind me.” Todd said, placing his napkin in his lap. The back door opened and closed again, the water in the sink ran, and then Robbie, the oldest son, walked in and sat down with his family.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Good night son?” Rob asked the son who proudly carried on his father‘s name.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Yeah, just long. Glad to be going back to days next month.” He said, taking his sister’s hand to his left and his mother’s to the right.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Let us pray.” Rob said, lowering his head. “Heavenly Father, we thank you for this meal, for this time with family, and for another day you brought my boys home safe to me. We ask that you bless this meal and let it bring our family strength. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Amen.” The family said in unison.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Let’s eat.” Brian said, grabbing a bowl of mashed potatoes. He placed a scoop of food on his plate and passed the bowl around the table. The family enjoyed their meal and conversed about the day and how life was treating all of them. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Cleanup after a full meal was always a daunting task. The children formed an assembly line in the kitchen while two bussed the table. Kara prepared the leftovers for storage and passed the dishes to her sister Annie who rinsed them in the sink. Annie handed hers off to Madison who loaded the dishwasher. Brian and Todd continued to clear the table until the remnants of the meal were finally gone. The kids finished up their after dinner chore and retired to the living room with the rest of the family. Kevin and Robbie were sitting on opposite ends of one couch tossing a Koosh ball back and forth. Rob was sitting in his chair reading the newspaper. Danielle took up a spot on the loveseat, surrounded by worksheets and a grade book. The living room had no television, and the radio was turned low for background noise. The younger kids found a place to sit and enjoy time with each other before bed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “The game?” Todd said to his older brother Kevin, both huge movie fans who loved challenging the other’s knowledge. Kevin nodded.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “You go first.” Kevin said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Let’s go… Christopher Lambert to Judd Nelson.” Todd said with a smile.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Too easy, give me just a second.” Kevin tossed the ball to Robbie who loved ‘the game’ as well.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Don’t look at him for ideas, you know the rules.” Todd laughed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “I’m just watching man, seeing how you guys make the connections.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Got it. Lambert and Connery played in Highlander. Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage were in The Rock together. Cage, credited as Nicholas Coppola, made a cameo in a little 1982 film called ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High along side Judd Nelson. Three moves.” Kevin explained to his brother with a grin.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “You kids and all your new movie and actors. What happened to good movies and good actors?” Rob said, still reading the paper. Brian looked at his brothers and mouthed the words “John Wayne.” They all nodded in agreement. “When I was growing up, if we had time for movies we’d watch things with a message and heart. Why don’t actors try to be more like John Wayne?” The boys laughed. Todd patted his brother on the shoulder.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “You called it.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Daddy, you know there are newer movies that are good.” Said Annie, who was fastidiously typing on her cell phone.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Hey, I watch new movies. I love-”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Backdraft?” Kara interjected.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Now what’s wrong with Backdraft?” Rob said, finally looking over his paper. His wife let out a quiet chuckle.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Pop, you can’t play ‘the game’ if you only watch John Wayne and Steve McQueen movies with the occasional screening of Backdraft.” Kevin said, opening a can of chewing tobacco out of his back pocket.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Not in the house. Take it outside if you want, but I don’t want that crap in here.” Danielle said pointing a pen at her son.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Mom, I’m twenty-two years old.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Well aware of that, I’m the one who was in labor for ten hours.” She replied, setting the papers down.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Son, not in the house.” Rob said to his son, not a suggestion.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “It’s not a big deal.” Kevin said with a sigh.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “If it’s not a big deal take it outside. You’re never going to be too old to stop me from putting lumps on your head.” Rob shot at his son, anger apparent in his voice. Kevin stood up and walked out of the room, thumping the can with his finger.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Rob, don’t treat him like a child. You know he takes things personally.” Danielle told her husband.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “I’ll go hang out with him.” Todd said as he followed his older brother. Rob went back to his paper and scoffed at the article.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Brian, come on over here.” Rob beckoned his youngest son. Kara looked at Robbie, both knew what was coming. “Brian, do you know what this stimulus package is?”
“And politics are my cue to head to my office.” Danielle said, standing up and packing her papers into the grade book.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Kara, why don’t we go do your makeup? Maddie, want to come too?” Annie said, grabbing her sisters by the hand and leading them out of the room.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “I’ve got to go talk to Kevin and Todd for a minute.” Rob’s voice trailed off as he fled the room. Father made his way to the couch and motioned for his son to join him.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “I hear about it at school.” Brian answered while taking up a seat next to his dad.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “And do you know what it means to you and me?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “It means they want to give money to people that don’t have it, so it can help towns like ours. To build roads and stuff.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “And stuff, huh? What kind of stuff?” Rob folded the paper and placed it on the coffee table.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Well like, to help out the economy.”
“Do you think that’s right?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Sure, I guess. I mean, they need the money don’t they? Because the economy is hurting.” Said Brian, afraid of giving the wrong answer.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “I suppose they do need the money, but do you know who “They” are that’s giving all this money to people who need it?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Well the government, right?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “That’s right, and do you know who the Government is, and where they get their money?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “The President and the other people at the White House. They’re the government. I guess they just print the money at those places, don’t they?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Well, they’re part of the government, but they don’t just print up the money. They take the money people like me, your mom, and your brothers pay in taxes. That’s money that’s supposed to go to your school or pay firemen, like me and Robbie, or men and women in the military. Now, do you think they should just be able to give that money to whoever they think needs the help most, and to hell with the rest?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Well, now that you put it that way… I guess not.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “When the economy was good, did you ever get a check from a town that was making lots of money, or a company that was doing well?” Rob asked his son.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “No, that’s just silly.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Then why would you want to cut them a check when they can’t make it on their own? That’s your money son, that’s our money. It’s being spent without our permission and against our wishes. Doesn’t that grind your gears a little bit?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Yeah, yeah it does. You work hard Dad, and I’m gonna work hard too. We shouldn’t have to pay for people that don’t want to work hard.” Brian exclaimed, sitting up straight.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “See, you gotta think about things sometimes, more than what’s just on the surface.” Rob and his boy continued their conversation about politics and work ethic. Rob taught and Brian learned that nothing in this life is free, and that some things were important to being a man. The different groups finished up their visiting. Kevin returned to the house and said goodbye to his parents before heading home to his wife. Robbie returned to his apartment above the garage to spend the night talking on his HAM radio. Rob and Danielle made their rounds, tucking in kids and telling them goodnight. When he made his way to Madison, Rob knew what he had to do, as it had become a nightly ritual. He kissed her goodnight and sat on the edge of the bed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Daddy, will you sing me to sleep?” She had developed a love for John Denver since a night when she was two years old. Maddie had a terrible nightmare and Danielle could do nothing to soothe her. Rob tried to rock her, and her never really knew any lullabies, so he sang to her one of the songs he knew by heart. To this day, his daughter could not sleep at night unless her father sang to her. Rob smiled at his daughter.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Blueridge Mountains, Shenendoah River…” He serenaded her in his best country voice. Danielle stood in the door and smiled. She loved hearing the sound of her husband’s singing voice, but until he started singing to Madison she had never heard him sing before. [/FONT]

 

[sbsg2005]

I find the singing to the little girl funny cause I used to have to sing my youngest son and my daughter to sleep. Unlike hime though I only know 2 songs by heart, a country boy can survive, and metallicas where ever I may roam.