Rise of the Prepper: A Story of the Coming Collapse by Frank Bates Page B

the young girl was able to lower herself successfully onto the ledge. “I-I did it.” She said with a wide, watery smile.
                  “You sure did. Now, I need you to drop down from there and I’ll catch you.”
                  “What!?”
                  “Well, how else did you expect to get down here?”
                  “I thought you asked me to go to this ledge so I can climb down using a ladder or something.”
                  “It’s good to have hope, kid.” Amelia told her.
                  “Don’t patronize me!” The girl said, outraged.
                  “Ooh, big word. Now jump.”
                  The girl was at a loss for words. She realized that there truly was no other way for her to get down other than to jump off the ledge. Biting her lip, she stepped cautiously to the edge of the ledge. “All right,” She said. “But make sure to catch me!”
                  Amelia readied herself to catch the girl. “Okay, now ju—”
                  The tail of the helicopter fell off and made a loud noise surprising the girl, catching her off guard. Her foot slipped off the edge of the ledge and she plummeted down, screaming.
                  Luckily, Amelia remained steadfast and was fully prepared to catch her. She caught the girl and set her on the ground. The girl was in shock and she was crying hard.
                  “Shh. It’s okay now. You’re okay now.” Amelia said, rubbing the girl’s back soothingly. The girl continued to cry and Amelia let her. She could only imagine how scared and stressed out the young girl was—what she’d been through.
                  Sometime later, the girl relaxed and eventually her tears had stopped. “Are you feeling better now?” Amelia asked.
    The girl nodded. “I’m sorry for calling you crazy a while ago. Thanks for saving me.”
    Amelia grinned. “Don’t mention it.” A loud sound interrupted their moment. The girl raised an eyebrow at Amelia who shrugged. “What? I haven’t eaten for two days.”
    The two women went inside the abandoned Church’s Chicken restaurant. The girl sat down in one of the empty tables near the counter. “Wow, I’ve always wondered how it would feel like to be in an empty restaurant and just be able to eat whatever I wanted.”
    “Now you have.” Amelia said from behind the counter where she was looking for ingredients.
    “And now I have.” The girl said quietly. “Look to the bright side, I guess.”
    Amelia started making buffalo wings. It was a good thing that the chickens were well-preserved and so were the other stuff in the kitchen. While she was frying huge pieces of chicken wings, Amelia started a conversation with the young girl.
    “So, what’s your name?”
    “My name is Elizabeth. You can call me Liz. And you?”
    “My name is Amelia.”
    “I don’t mean to be rude but are you an... escaped prisoner? You’re wearing an orange jumpsuit so…”
                  “That I am. I got out of prison today.” Amelia said. Liz nodded. “Why? Are you scared of me now?”
                  Liz shook her head. “I’m not scared of you. You don’t seem like a bad person.”
                  “Aww, thanks.” Amelia said making Liz giggle. “What happened to you? That was your helicopter up there, right?”
                  “Yeah. That helicopter belonged to my family. I was with Scott, my bodyguard. We were on our way to Virginia to meet my mother when suddenly the pilot lost control of the helicopter and we crashed to this fast food place. I was the only one who survived.”
                  Amelia glanced at Liz. The young girl displayed a composed facade that only someone broken and hopeless could show.
                  “Food’s ready.” Amelia said carrying over to