End Days Super Boxset (58 page)

He was flanked by three armed guards on both sides to emphasize the militarized tone of his speech. If he was going to present his case, it was going to be from a position of strength.

“The people who came here threaten everything that we’ve built so far. Since the September twelfth blast, ‘Judgment Day,’ as it’s been termed, we’ve taken a town in absolute ruin and restored order and stability. While some may have thought our methods too harsh, I believe that my men and I have only done what was necessary.
We
stepped in where your government failed you. And where are your elected leaders now? Probably hiding in a bunker somewhere underground.”

Arthur took a step back and placed his hands on his hips while taking a deep breath. With no microphone or bullhorn, he had to make sure his words were loud and resonating. The residents would have to be inspired to walk away, ready to charge into battle. Before his brief stint in politics, he had always wanted to be a general.

“The outsiders did more than trespass into our town. The attacked two freemen, killing one and injuring the other.”

He stopped and ran both hands down his face.

“And I regret to report that they made off with a substantial amount of our supplies. Food, water, and perhaps worst of all, your medication.”

The wary and addled crowd gasped. Frightened people looked at each other. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

“How much of it?” one man shouted out from deep within the crowd.

Arthur paused then looked down. “All of it.”

A roar, filled with pain, rose from the crowd. Fists pumped in the air, punctuating the frenzied outcry. Arthur continued to stoke their rage, fanning the flames, as he laid out his plan for quick, decisive action.

“Now calm down, everyone!” he shouted in an attempt to be heard over the raucous panic and anger. “Listen to me!”

Jerome, standing close to Arthur, raised his pistol in the air and fired. People screamed, and the blast sent most of the crowd huddled to the ground in fear. An eerie silence followed. Jerome stared out angrily into the crowd. “Y’all listen to what the mayor is trying to tell you!”

Arthur looked at him with annoyance but then was pleased to see the crowd complying. He continued, his voice sharp and confident. “As I was saying, I have a plan. We went to the outsiders’ hideout with the intent to solve this thing peacefully. The people, twenty or so of them, turned us down. They said that no measure of peace with us is worth their own safety. So we have no recourse at this time but to take the fight to them. I’m proposing a force three times the size of theirs to invade their hideout and wipe them out!”

At first, people were quiet, but then a few began to whistle and shout. Then some began cheering, and finally, most of the others joined in. Arthur had been pacing from one end of the pavilion to the other, looking determined and confident. “It’s time to tell the enemies of this town that if they attack us and steal from us, they will face the full wrath of our citizens! Join us! Join us in taking back what is ours!”

He had whipped them into a frenzy. The cheering continued, amplified by clapping and stomping. A wide-eyed group of residents clamored in front of him, their faces full of rage and anticipation. The attack would take planning and strategy, but he had succeeded in the first, most important step: the people were ready to unleash their months of bottled rage, fear, and desperation on the unsuspecting mountain people, who would soon face the fatal repercussions of a town scorned.

***

The camp was at a time of reckoning. Rob had spoken to Arthur, the supposed mayor, and the words exchanged were very clear. He had been given an ultimatum. Either work with the criminals running the town, or face conflict. Whatever the outcome, Rob wanted to be prepared. He didn’t trust a thing Arthur had told him. And he knew that when they came back, people were going to die. He had to convince the camp of what he knew to be true.

“We don’t have much time. It’s very clear to me what they plan to do,” Rob told the group before him.

Carlos and Mayra. Peter and Krystal. Brad and Ashlee. Elliot and Reba. They all wanted answers. The standoff between Rob and the outsiders had put everyone on edge. Some considered leaving altogether, but Rob pressed them on standing their ground. There was no reason to run. If they did, they wouldn’t find a safer place to hunker down. This point alone became a cause for contention.

“We need to leave, and we need to leave now,” Peter announced, standing up from his bench. He cradled his bandaged hand as a reminder of the ruthlessness of the people they were facing.

“It’s not that easy,” Rob said. “We chose this spot for a reason. Sure, we could get in our cars and drive anywhere, but we don’t know what else is out there. We could drive across the Canadian border and find towns and cities even worse off than here. But that’s not the point.”

Carlos suddenly spoke up. “I don’t want my family to be here when they come back. It’s foolish to stay around.”

Most of the group agreed, giving grumbling support.

“None of us want our families in this situation,” Rob said. “But you’re forgetting one of the most important rules in times of crisis.”

“What’s that?” Carlos asked.

“Staying put,” Rob answered.

The group talked among themselves in a quiet huddle. Reba had finally built up enough strength to come outside. The kids were all in their cabins, told to lie low while plans were made. Everyone was on edge, there was no denying that, and Rob knew he had his work cut out convincing them to stay and fight. Even Mila, standing a few feet away, didn’t think that it was their best option. She wanted to take their beat-up Datsun and get as far away from Bear Mountain as possible. But Rob had other ideas.

“I’m sorry, Rob,” Elliot said, putting his arm around his wife. “It just doesn’t sound like a good idea to stay here.”

Rob took a step back and nodded. “I understand your concerns, Elliot. I understand all of it. You’re suggesting leaving here, just picking up and leaving. The problem with that is that we just don’t know what is out there, but we have an idea. Are all of you willing to risk that? Things could be far worse wherever we go. My family barely made it out of the city, and that was on the first day. I would go as far as to say that we don’t stand a chance anywhere else. We have to stay here. We have to defend our homes. If we don’t, we might as well all give up now.”

The group was quiet, thinking. It was a hard decision to come to, especially since children were concerned.

“What do you propose?” Brad asked, the lone open-minded voice.

Rob felt a moment of hope. “We set up defenses, triple what we have now. I have books that describe all sorts of traps we can implement. We fortify this place, get it ready for anything, and when they come, we defend it.”

Peter was incredulous. “You’re talking about fighting back like we’re soldiers or something. Look, I’m all about prepping, but this is too much.”

“This is our camp, damn it!” Rob said. “And if I thought it wasn’t worth it, I’d tell you all to leave in a minute’s time. I’d say to take our vehicles and drive to the Canadian border, but guess what. We don’t know what’s out there. What’s the greater risk? Staying here and fighting for what’s ours or driving off into the abyss?”

Every couple looked to themselves for answers. It was clear there weren’t many answers to be found. Rob had the most reasonable solution, given their situation. As quiet chatter continued, an agreement seemed to be in the works.

“I don’t like this situation one bit,” Carlos said. “Neither does my wife. But if you have a plan that will keep us safe, we’re willing to stay.”

The rest of the group signaled agreement. They were apprehensive, but it gave Rob a chance to explain more of his plan.

“All I ask is that we be ready,” Rob said. “And if we work together to protect this camp, they won’t have a chance.”

Mila suddenly stepped forward. “It’s the only way. I don’t want to deal with these people any more than the rest of you. But I do know that we either fight them off here or face far worse later on.”

The group listened, all finally in agreement. The plan was settled. They would fight against the outsiders. They weren’t going to live in fear. Rob laid the plan out. He explained it piece by piece. Barricades. Traps. Everything that would keep their enemies at bay. It made sense. There was no reason to stay at the camp unless they were willing to defend it. The alternative was to be killed or taken prisoner, either by Arthur or some other criminal gang on the outside.

Rob proposed an abundance of defensive measures. After he explained them, the camp got to work. They dug holes around the entire perimeter of the camp and set spiked booby traps—something he’d read about in a book about Vietnam.

They set trip wire traps on nearly every tree within a two-hundred-yard radius of the camp. They constructed blockades with logs providing them cover from approaching threats. They dug trenches near the cabins and extra trip wire next to each entrance. The plan was simple: keep them out. And the work involved took hours upon hours, all throughout the evening to the next day. They were exhausted, but also filled with strength.

In the end, they were ready. They didn’t know whether or not the outsiders would make good on their threat, but they were prepared. No one was going to drive them out, no matter the cost. Rob kept careful supervision of everything they did. The work was exhausting, and no one knew if it would make any difference whatsoever. But it was important to remember what they would lose if they failed. They were doing it for their families. They were doing it out of pure defiance. In the end, Rob believed, they were doing it because they had no other choice. The EMP had stripped everyone of everything except resolve and a glimmer of hope.

Tuesday, November 22, 2015

Two days had passed, and there was no sign of Arthur or any of his men. The heightened air of tension began to fade, and the normalcy of mountain life began to reemerge. School was in session in the Dunne cabin, where Antonio, Josh, and the three Dunne boys were in one class taught by Mila. Kelly, Gabrielle, and Allison were in another class one room over, run by Ashlee. Dividing the classes between the boys and girls made things easier; the challenge, however, was keeping them focused, especially given recent events.

“Good morning, class. Today we’re going to work on arithmetic,” Mila said. She stood at the head of their small makeshift classroom, set up in one of the spare bedrooms of Peter and Krystal’s five-room cabin.

The boys groaned from their seats, which had been placed along two tables, one table in front of the other, facing Mila. She picked up an old math book they had brought from home and leaned against her desk, unsympathetic to their woes.

“It may not be the most exciting subject, but can any of you tell me why it’s important to learn good mathematical skills?”

She raised her head and looked around the classroom. The three Atkins boys—Jeremiah, Mark, and Luke—sat at the front table, and Antonio and Josh behind them. Everyone looked down, not wanting to answer.

“Antonio, how about you?”

He stammered a response. “Uh. Because learning math makes you smart?”

Mila smiled. “Close, but it’s not quite the answer I’m looking for.”

Jeremiah raised his hand.

“Yes, Jeremiah,” Mila said.

“Because learning arithmetic helps us develop good problem-solving skills.”

Mila nodded, satisfied. “Excellent answer. Very astute of you.”

Antonio leaned toward Josh and spoke under his breath. “Dude, your mom is so boring. Get me out of here.”

“Ah, shut it,” Josh said. “She’s doing the best she can.”

“Look at them,” Antonio said, pointing at the Atkins boys. “Bunch of teacher’s pets. They’ve been homeschooled their whole lives, so no wonder they can take this.”

“Is there something you want to share with the class, Antonio?” Mila asked.

Antonio froze up and then shook his head. “No ma’am.”

“Good, then. Now let’s work on some practice questions. Everyone get prepared to write down the following …”

Antonio sighed heavily as the class opened up their notebooks. Josh looked at him and shrugged. Their lunch break couldn’t come soon enough.

In the girls’ class, Ashlee was returning graded homework from the previous day.

“I know things have been on edge here, but I’m glad to see that everyone did well on their science questions. And with the material still fresh in your minds, there’s no better time for a pop quiz.”

The girls, sitting along one table, groaned in unison. Gabrielle’s arms fell and went limp in protest. Allison said little, as was usually the case. Kelly shook her head and opened her notebook.

Ashlee was notorious for her pop quizzes. She seemed to revel in it. “So my first question is about photosynthesis. I want you, in your own words, to describe this miraculous process and why it is so important to life on this planet.”

From the end of the table, Kelly stared out the cabin window. She perked up when seeing Rob and Brad walk right by, lost in their work. She’d rather be outside digging holes for traps, or whatever else they were doing out there. The gray, cloudy sky was comforting to her in its own way. The temperature had dropped overnight, and everyone expected snow within the week. She never thought that they would still be living in the mountains more than two months after the EMP. But she hadn’t counted on a lot of things happening. Their futures were as hazy as the morning fog.

Carlos was on tower guard and kept a careful eye out for everything around them. He scanned the area with a pair of military-grade 10x50mm binoculars he’d purchased from Rob, back before they all found themselves building fortified barriers around the camp. Every day brought the possibility of an attack, and with his trusty hunting rifle at his side, he was ready. The air was cold, so much so that he had broken out his winter Gore-Tex jacket. His gloves and skull cap did the trick as well, but he wondered if it would be enough in the next few weeks. If they made it until then.

He took the radio resting on the ledge and called Rob. “How you guys doing out there?” he asked as his breath flowed like vapor.

After a moment, Rob responded.
“Making some headway. Just finishing up the last of the traps.”

They had implemented many of the same basic booby traps influenced by a book Rob had read on Viet Cong tactics. Spiked barricades made up of branches and logs enclosed the camp. And traps had been set all around at every conceivable entrance or path.

“We’re almost out of trip wire and blanks,”
Rob said.
“That could be a problem.”

“Well, I hope it’s worth it,” Carlos said.

“Me too.”

Carlos set down the radio and looked out. He could see Rob and the others down below, outside the camp, carrying long wood spikes back and forth. Everyone was pitching in, even Peter, despite his injured hand. Reba was still recovering, and the kids were all in class. Everything seemed in its right place as Carlos took a swig of his water bottle. Despite the peaceful climate at camp, he couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness in his gut. Trouble was on the horizon. He could feel it.

Rob, Brad, Elliot, and Peter stopped to take a break and survey their work. They had over twenty sentry tripwire points, more than a dozen booby traps, and several angled spiked barricades surrounding the camp. It was almost enough.

“Excellent work, everyone,” Rob said. “This should just about do it.”

They took a seat on a log, wiped the sweat from their brows, and looked around with pride. It was amazing how much they had accomplished in two short days. But it didn’t come without a price.

“I’m so exhausted, I can barely think straight right now,” Brad said, and took a big gulp from his canteen.

Peter laughed warily. “If those animals do decide to attack us, we’ll be so worn out, we won’t stand a chance.”

“Ah, let Carlos do all the fighting,” Elliot said with a laugh.

“We’ll be fine,” Rob said. “And remember, it’s not a question of if. They’re definitely coming back. We just have to be ready.”

“Can we try to fit them in next Wednesday?” Peter said. “This week’s just not good.”

Everyone shared a laugh as Rob looked around, admiring their work. He then heard a low rumbling in the distance. He wasn’t sure. It could have been his imagination. But it was growing louder.

“Hold on,” he said, quieting the group. “Listen …”

Their smiles dropped. They froze and listened. It sounded like an engine from far away. Something they hadn’t heard in months. It was the unmistakable growl of a large truck, an eighteen-wheeler perhaps. Rob stood perfectly still as dread consumed him.

“It’s them,” he said. “They’re coming.”
“No,” Peter said. “Not today. It-it can’t be…”

They listened some more. The truck was getting louder, revving on full speed. Then it slowed, only to rev again. It sounded as though they were ascending.

Rob picked up his radio. “Carlos. Do you hear that? What do you see?” He waited.

“Sounds like a truck,”
Carlos answered.
“But I don’t see anything.”

“Keep an eye out. I think it’s them. We have to be ready.” Rob lowered the radio and looked at his group as they got up from the log, shaking with fear.

“We have to get assembled. Round everyone up. Where are Mayra and Krystal?”

“At the creek with some laundry, last I saw,” Brad answered.

“Someone needs to get them. I’ll go tell Mila. The rest of you, get your weapons and ammo ready and meet me at the square.”

“What are we going to do, shoot them all?” Peter asked. “We should just leave. They won’t know what to think.”

Rob placed his gloved hand on Peter’s shoulder and spoke with conviction. “Now’s not the time to doubt our plan. We have to be united in this. The camp has to be defended. It’s the only way.”

“I’ll go find Mayra and Krystal,” Brad said, running off toward the creek.

“Let’s move,” Rob said to the others. Elliot and Peter nodded in agreement, tugging at their work gloves. Neither of them seemed happy or full of the kind of resolve that was needed. Rob sprinted off, with the two men following behind at a much slower pace. Their knees cracked and their bodies ached as they trudged forward to the camp where the moment of reckoning had arrived.

Rob went to the Dunne cabin and stormed inside. He could see Carlos peering out from the lookout post with his binoculars.

“I see ’em now,”
he said over the radio.
“Big cargo truck about two miles out.”

The echoes of its pounding motor had only gotten louder.

“Stay on it,” Rob said as he entered the cabin. “They can only get so close to the camp in that thing.”

“Ten-four,”
Carlos said, adding,
“Make sure that my wife and kids are OK.”

Rob walked past the living room of the quiet cabin and went for the first room on the right.

“Mila!” he said, pushing the door open.

Ashlee jumped at his abrupt entrance. The girls at the table looked up, anxious.

“Mila’s next room over,” Ashlee said. “Is everything OK?”

Rob swallowed and caught his breath. “I don’t want anyone to panic. I think the people from town are back.”

Ashlee covered her mouth. “Oh no …”

Kelly, Allison, and Gabrielle looked at each other with rising fear.

“Just stay here while we work this out,” he said.

He left and went into the next room. Mila sat at her desk and the boys were slouched at the tables, reading.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking up.

“It’s time. They’re coming.”

The boys turned to the window with grave concern. Mila stood as the boys huddled with each other, whispering.

“Where are they now?” Mila asked as Rob approached her.

“I’m not sure. They have a truck, and it’s getting closer,” he said, turning to address the boys. “Boys, I need you all to stick together until this thing blows over.”

Antonio stood up. “Just give me a gun and let me take ’em out myself.”

“All right, Antonio. That’s enough,” Mila said. She looked at Rob. “What’s the plan?”

“Get all the kids in here and wait. You stay here together and be ready to defend yourselves if necessary. I’ll bring back some weapons.”

Mila stared ahead, resolute and ready.

Rob continued. “The rest of us will take positions around the camp. Whatever they’re here for, they’re not breaching this camp.” He hugged her and left the room before she could say anything else.

Outside, the mood had quickly grown tense. Brad had just arrived, with Mayra and Krystal in tow. Peter and Elliot came out of their cabins, both carrying rifles.

“Time to arm up,” Rob said. The sound of the truck was louder. Carlos shouted to them from the top of the nearby lookout tower.

“They took the path right into the forest! There’s a canopy in the back of the truck, covering it. Could be a hundred people in there, could be none. ”

Rob considered the possibilities. An average cargo truck fit up to twenty people in the back. If Arthur kept good on his promise to bring more people, they would most certainly be outnumbered.

“Everyone listen to me,” he said, examining the nervous faces before him. “All we have to do is stick to the plan. Carlos will stay in the tower. Take your positions behind the plywood barricades and be ready to engage. Nobody steps foot in this camp.”

“Are we going to shoot them?” Mayra asked in disbelief. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“That’s what I was saying,” Peter added. “We’re not killers. Hell, Krystal and I don’t even eat meat.”

“Just listen to Rob,” Brad said, stepping forward. “We have to do what’s necessary to protect this camp.”

“Well, let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that,” Elliot said. “I need to check on Reba first. She’ll be terrified.”

“Do what you need to do and get out of there,” said Rob.

Elliot nodded and limped hurriedly away. Rob held up his radio.

“What’s the status, Carlos?” The truck sounded like a bulldozer plowing through the woods.

“Can’t see it,”
Carlos said.
“It’s close though. Probably taking the trail as far as they can go.”

Rob looked at the group. As frightened as they were, he was confident they could fight back. “I need to get some weapons for Mila. Brad, make sure Ashlee is taken care of.”

“Got it,” Brad said.

“We’ll needs someone to go out there and scout things out,” Rob said, looking around. “Any volunteers?”

There was no immediate reaction.

“I’ll go,” Brad said, raising his hand. “I’m the fastest one here, anyway.”