by Cage, Zion
Maddock shook his head but kept quiet and continued to pace. He pulled out his pad and looked at it again. There was still no network.
Suddenly, they heard a roar. At first, the two men looked at each other with the silent question: what was that. The next second, though, Daan smiled and got up. He took the rifle he shared with Maddock from the tree where it was hanging.
“I think dinner is served, kids,” he said, turning to the children who were still gagged and tied to the tree. That same second, Morgan piped up.
“Oh my hallowed corn. The service is back!” He quickly scrolled through to the notification on the encrypted app. The children had been confirmed. He jumped up in joy.
“The kids have been confirmed, Connor. We can get moving.”
“Took ‘em long enough,” Daan said in his southern accent. “Let’s go get this animal whatever it is. We’ll have dinner, sleep and get moving at the break of dawn tomorrow.”
Morgan was too glad to refuse. “Okay let’s go.”
7:10pm
Harper and Joel heard the roar and they stopped. Shortly, they heard the scream of a boy, followed by the roar again.
“Xander! They screamed together. They turned back and ran in the direction of the sound. Just before they got there, they heard the sound of a gunshot. Joel held Harper back. He whispered for her to be quiet. Together, they snuck and peered into the darkness. They could see the light from the glow stick Xander had been given. There were two men. One held a gun. The one with the gun went to him and hit Xander hard on the head, knocking him out. The one without the gun carried Xander and the two of them left.
Joel waited for them to leave. Then he went to where Xander had lain. He picked up the crutch and motioned for Harper to follow him.
8:00pm
Xander woke up and found that he was tied to a tree with a strong rope. His head hurt where he had been hit by the gun. His mouth was gagged with a handkerchief. Maddock and Daan were close-by, eating roasted meat. Xander tried not to make any sound so as not to draw their attention. He took in his surroundings. They all were under the starry skies and there was a fire burning before Morgan and Connor. They sat with their backs towards him so that he couldn’t see the woods beyond them. He spotted something long and thin in the dust close to a large dead animal. He guessed it was the tail of whatever animal his captors were eating. The burly one was using a white mini tablet. Xander wondered how come the device still functioned after the EMP. Morgan and Connor used a knife to cut chunks of the large animal before roasting it over the fire. It took Xander a second to realize that they are eating the bear that was going to eat him. He was about to laugh at the irony but he noticed a pink ribbon in the dust a few feet away. Close to it was a black bag. He squinted to see the objects clearly. He couldn’t help but gasp the moment he realized that the ribbon was the one his sister had worn and the backpack was his. He began to shake himself in a bid to get free. The men noticed and Connor smiled at him.
"Hey, boy. Yer awake, eh? I'm guessing yer must be hungry. There's enough of the bear to go round. Yer can think of it as revenge on the bear for frighten' yer like that," Daan said as he got up with a chunk of roasted meat. When he got close and offered the meat to Xander, Xander struggled all the more to be free from the rope that held him to the tree.
"Let me go, freak! Where's Grayson? Where's my sister?" Xander tried to say but the words came out as muffled sounds.
"See? Told you we should have killed him," Maddock said.
Daan raised a brow as he stared at Xander's face. Then his eyes lightened as though in surprise.
"I should have seen it before! He looks like the light-skinned girl, Morgan. He must be her brother."
Relief and fear rushed through Xander's heart. He had found the girls but he wasn't sure what the men had done with them. Daan brought the handkerchief down and asked,
“I’m right, aren’t I”
"Where are they? Give them to me. I want to take them home." Xander said, still trying to break free from the rope.
"Uh-uh. No, can't do. They are safely tied here," Daan said pointing to a tree opposite Xander. Because Maddock and Daan sat in obstruction to his sight, Xander had been unable to see them before. Grayson, Prim and a little boy were sleeping against the tree. They looked so tired. Their mouths were also gagged.
"And I'm taking y'all to my bosses. They'll know what to do with y'all."
Xander cursed.
"We're not going anywhere with you. You'd better let us go or the cops will get you."
Maddock snorted.
"Yeah, sure. Call them- if you still have a phone."
Xander realized it was true. There wasn't much he could do. No one would be able to find them. Another thought jumped through his mind and he suddenly began to shout for help. His voice woke the children up. Grayson looked around for where her brother's voice was coming from. When she saw him surrounded by the men, she tried to shout his name.
"Xander! Help us!" was what she tried to shout but it came out unintelligibly.
Prim joined her to try to get Xander’s attention. Even the little boy who didn't know Xander joined to call for his help.
The noise got the two men angry. Maddock didn't even ask for permission before he hit Xander head with his gun again, knocking Xander unconscious. Daan turned to the kids and ordered them to shut up. They obeyed instantly.
"See, I told you that we should kill him. He will cause us a lot of trouble. If we are caught it would be because you allowed him to live," Maddock said.
Daan thought about it for a second. Finally, he nodded his head, giving his consent.
Maddock smiled and pointed his gun at Xander's body.
"Oh no, you don't," Joel said before hitting Maddock's head hard with a crutch. Maddock slumped. Daan turned to fight his assailant but Joel had the element of surprise on his side. He dodged Daan's punch.
"Let the kids go," Joel said. Daan didn't reply. He lunged at Joel instead and both of them fell to the floor in a tussle.
Harper was at the tree where the children were tied. She loosed the ropes. It took a while but she eventually got it done and the children were set free.
"Stay here," she said to them before running to where Xander was tied. As she got there, Maddock began to stir.
"Uh-uh. Not on my watch," she said as she slammed her boot against his head, knocking him out cold. She then set Xander loose and helped him stand. He was hardly conscious and barely managed to walk but she was able to get him to where the children were, away from the fight.
Joel and Daan rolled on the floor. Joel no longer had the advantage and Daan was on him, punching his face. With one heavy push, Joel managed to turn Daan over and Daan landed on his back close to the bear's carcass. Joel braced himself for another round but Daan suddenly shouted and jerked his chest up. He didn't move to fight Joel. Joel was surprised and looked at the ground where Daan had fallen. There was something long and thin like the large animal's tail but it was alive. It curled itself as though afraid. Then Joel remembered that bears didn't have long tails. Daan had fallen on a snake.
Joel looked at Daan and noticed Daan wilting. In only a matter of seconds, Daan fell to the ground paralyzed. He began to cry. Harper, Xander and the kids gathered close to Joel and watched Daan writhe in the dust as he tried to gain control of his body.
As he died, his mind ran through his life with regret. He thought about beautiful, dark-skinned Vivien from the days he had served on the Economic Advisory team back at the White House. He thought about his parents. He’d be joining them soon. Finally, he thought on his family back in Moscow. It wasn’t supposed to end that way. All he had needed was one more day and he’d have gotten back home. He’d never see Gretel and Nadia again. They’d never know what happened to him. He’d lost it all.
And it was all because of the organization. He’d played the fool.
And the Americans were playing the same role. He wanted to warn them. They had no idea what was
happening.
"You have no idea what's coming at y'all Americans. It's big. My bosses will destroy this wretched nation. Go on to New York. Your destiny awaits you there... If you even get there," Daan said slowly just before he died.
Morgan woke up with a headache. He squinted the moment the sun rays entered his eyes. The events of the night before filled him with sorrow instantly.
He turned his head to see what was left. The loosened ropes and handkerchiefs on the floor didn’t catch his attention.
Daan’s dead body was all he saw and it brought tears to his eyes. He vowed vengeance.
Epilogue
19th November, 2021
2:53pm
Cincinnati, Indiana. USA
Stephen Wallace threw a stone and watched Tanner, his German Shepherd, run after it. He was in front of a smoldering fire place. Survival was his thing. He wasn’t always a civilian. His mind drifted back to his days in the military. It had been a fun ride till his mouth ruined it all.
And gained him some dangerous enemies.
He’d have to take journey to New York alone if he hoped to get there alive.
He heard footsteps. As if in confirmation, Tanner’s head perked up and it began to bark. Stephen got up and used his feet to scatter the fire mixing the ash with the snow.
“Shhhh, boy. Come on, let’s go,” he said to the dog.
About The Author
Zion Cage is the author of more than a dozen science fiction novels and the winner of the prize for the best adaptation of the new generation Apocalypse in 2018 still being at College. he wrote for the newspaper group and delivered podcasts on the apocalypse being at Georgia State University. today he lives with his charming wife in Valdosta in the south of Georgia and is passionate about all the possible directions that the world could take if the apocalypse really happened. His favorite stories to read and write are mostly for characters who become stronger by overcoming the challenges and fears. Zion Cage love Basketball and he often plays in the Gym with his friends on Sundays. He also loves soccer and his favorite team is Atlanta United.
Zion Cage loves to hear from his readers so you can find his books and connect with him via any of the channels listed below:
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Email at [email protected]
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Books In This Series
The End
Something Sinister is brewing in the United States…
The United States is hit by an EMP from an unknown source and its citizens are asked to move to New York. Without basic survival skills and being in the middle of winter, it’s more of a journey to the death for most. And then there is the increasing number of kidnap cases everywhere.
4 Unlikely Heroes…
Xander, Aaliyah, Stephen and Suzanne are individuals from worlds apart and with different conflict. However, with suspicions of foul play in the country spreading, fate must bring them together to clear the air and set things right.
Or at least die trying…
The End: Genesis
Alexander Michael’s life is thrown into tumult in the wake of the EMP. He had been warned but he never listened to rumors. He sister, Grayson is now nowhere to be found and he is separated from the rest of his family. He sets out on a quest to find his sister despite the negative odds and, soon, he finds out that something dark is at work in the United States- something bigger than he could imagine.
The End: Fight for Survival
Aaliyah isn’t ready to face the truth of what has happened to their world because she isn’t ready to let go of the ones that she loves. Now, with her grandmother, Marcia, by her side, she has no choice but to continue further to the unknown, where only a small amount of the population are surviving. As Marcia’s health continues to deteriorate, Aaliyah is forced to make decisions that will impact her life, forever.
The End: Captives
It’s the Eve to the massive EMP plan and the Ray of Hope terrorist group has gathered the orders of various black market buyers for the children that will be kidnapped after the EMP attack. The leaders of Ray of hope inform their agents of the progress, warning them to be alert so that every displaced child be carried off at the first opportunity. Connor and Morgan are part of these agents and they are sent off.
The End: Warzone
As a veteran, Stephen is used to undesirable climates. From his days in the military, he has taught himself not to be so dependent on man-made appliances. He’d always been a bit suspicious of the activities of the government, and when the EMP did occur, he was more prepared than most. With survival skills that surpass basic, he is easily able to adapt to this new world as he begins on his trip to New York, where his only companionship is his German shepherd, Tanner.
The End: Rogue
Vivien Dmitri is at the top of the terrorist organization, the Ray of Hope.
For some reason, though, she decides to bring it down. It’s not an easy task,
and she’s forced to recruit people to join her on her mission. Still, it’s a race to the death, and she is determined to finish it.
THE RAY OF HOPE MUST FALL!