Survival Rules Series (Book 1): Rules of Survival

by Hunt, Jack

  “You knew inmates were on it but didn’t know how many?” Corey asked.

  “I didn’t speak to them directly. We just get our marching orders.” He nudged him. “Look, just go and get Noah. We still have a lot of ground to cover. These assholes could be anywhere by now.”

  Corey nodded, and hopped out. His mind was distracted with thoughts of how the town of Whitefish would cope when they realized the power wasn’t coming back on. He and Ella would be fine as would his father as their entire lives had been building up to this point. Although his father had invested a great deal of time in building a home with every amenity to help them ride out a disaster, and even though he’d lost it in the foreclosure, business had been exceptional and as soon as he was able, he’d funneled profits from the store into turning a cabin located north of Whitefish Lake into a fully functional shelter with all the bells and whistles. Others would have seen it as a waste of money, in fact there were many in town that mocked him for his choices, but were they laughing now?

  As Corey approached the door, he noticed it was partly open.

  “Noah.”

  He gave a short knock on the door before stepping inside. “Hello?”

  The moment the door opened wide his eyes fell upon him. His initial reaction was to raise his rifle and call out for additional backup, while taking a few steps back for his own safety. “Ferris!”

  Back outside he scanned the windows, then went around the side before heading in once the three officers came down. Vern and Terry stayed with the vehicle. Corey motioned with his head and Ferris entered followed by Corey.

  “Shit.”

  He dropped to a knee and checked his pulse.

  “He’s gone.”

  Quickly they moved through the cabin clearing each of the rooms. When Corey made it to the rear, he walked in on the family who were lying on their sides, gagged, with their hands and ankles hogtied. They let out muffled cries. Corey reassured them they were safe. At first they didn’t look convinced until Ferris walked in. Just seeing a uniformed officer set them at ease. They untied them and began peppering them with questions.

  “Where did they go?”

  “No idea,” the father said.

  “How many?”

  “We didn’t see all of them. I don’t know. Maybe six or eight?”

  Ferris hurried out, barking out orders to the other officers.

  “Look, down the road is an elderly couple. The Sampsons. You know them?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “I’m sure they would appreciate the company, and you’d feel better being with more people. You have a firearms license?”

  His eyes screwed up, his cheeks became flushed. A look of embarrassment formed. “Yeah. I never got to my Glock in time. It’s up in my closet, in a lockbox.”

  “Take it. Head to house number 112. Let Mitch know I sent you. Barricade yourselves in. Don’t let anyone inside except for police.”

  Corey gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He could see by the cut on his lip, and his red knuckles that he’d put up one hell of a fight. Corey couldn’t fault the man, being caught off guard was common. His wife was in tears. She immediately wrapped her arms around her two boys and thanked them. Corey didn’t wait around. After exiting, he could see the officers had pressed into the forest making their way over to the next cabin. Corey ran up to the utility truck where Vern and Terry were waiting, oblivious to what had occurred. He didn’t mince words. “He’s gone.”

  “What?” Terry asked.

  “Noah is dead.”

  The color went out of both of their faces as he told them to jump in. They couldn’t have had more than a five-minute head start on them. Rage began to form in the pit of Corey’s stomach. He’d known Noah since he was a young kid. All of them had grown up in the town. Noah was married, and had three kids. He didn’t want to even think about dropping that bombshell on them.

  He slammed his foot against the accelerator and tore away.

  A mile or two down the road, he swerved to the side of the road to touch base with the officers. “Anything?” he yelled from the truck. They shook their heads and banged on the door of another home.

  “They could be anywhere.”

  “Corey, no offense, but I’m not trained for this. I have a family at home. I thought I was coming out to do a search and rescue, not join a hunt for armed criminals,” Vern said, adjusting his faded red ballcap. When Vern wasn’t volunteering, he worked as a barista at one of the local coffee stores. The youngest of the group, he too was married with a young kid.

  “I understand,” Corey said.

  “Maybe you can drop me back in Whitefish.”

  Corey cast him a glance. “I’m afraid until we know where they are, we aren’t heading back.”

  “But—”

  “Vern. There is no time. They’ve already killed rangers, and Noah. They won’t hesitate to kill again. We need to find them before they do.”

  “And how do you expect to do that? There are too many homes, too many trees. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Even if you know what one of them looks like, it won’t matter. We would be better heading back to Whitefish and preparing the town for their arrival. You heard what Sampson said. That’s where they’re heading.”

  “Maybe not,” Terry said. “They might hunker down in West Glacier, St. Mary or Columbia Falls. And that’s if they go to a town at all. They could quite easily vanish in this national park. “

  “Exactly,” Corey said.

  “However Vern is right about one thing, Corey. We need more people. Six of us aren’t going to find them and even if we do. What then? A firefight? I can shoot but this is not what I signed up for.”

  “Do you think any of us signed up for this?” He glanced at them as they drove down the winding road and he scanned the tree line. There was a strong possibility the inmates had made their way down to the water’s edge and were using the steep incline as cover. There was no way to see the shore unless they got out and made their way down through the thick pines. “The fact is in the coming days you might have to take on jobs you never thought you would do just to survive. This is just the beginning.”

  “No, they’ll get the power on.”

  “Terry. Pull your head out of your ass. You took my father’s course. At least you should know better. This has all the signs of an EMP. Whether it was caused by a nuke detonated high in the atmosphere, or by a coronal mass ejection, the outcome is still the same. The country won’t be able to bounce back from this. We may only be two days into this but you know what to expect.”

  Terry shook his head, running his hand over his wedding band.

  Corey could see his emotions getting the better of him. Like many others he would experience going through the stages of grief over the demise of society, from denial, to anger, then bargaining to depression and then if he made it through that, acceptance. Corey swerved to the edge of the road. “If you want to get out, no one would hold it against you. But right now, the sooner we find them the safer everyone is going to be.”

  “Safe?” Terry said. “If this is an EMP, none of us are safe.”

  He stared at them both but neither one got out.

  Corey nodded. “Okay. Let’s find these bastards. For Noah. For our families. For Whitefish.”

  24

  Erika’s parents’ home stood head and shoulders above their neighbors. A beautiful mountain home valued at over four million dollars, it was perched in a coveted position overlooking the Heber Valley. Interestingly, the entire log home had been cut and assembled in Montana. The irony was not wasted. Like a home in the Hollywood Hills, it was just off a narrow road called Big Matterhorn Way. After several hours of avoiding trouble they turned onto the dirt road that led up to the entrance of the house. “Big place for two people,” Tyler said.

  She didn’t reply, as worry took precedence.

  As soon as they stopped, she hopped out with Bailey and hurried up to the front door.
Tyler wanted to hold her back, fully expecting what came next — a scream.

  Nate was in the house before Tyler. Still achy, and still in pain, he hurried to find Erika sprawled over a female body in the hallway. The dead woman wore a white blouse that was caked with dry blood, and tight blue jeans with white flats covered in droplets of blood. It looked as if someone had beaten her to death. Nate looked back at Tyler and they exchanged an awkward moment. There was nothing that could be said to ease the loss. She would be unpacking her grief for months, if they lived that long. Nate headed up a large wooden staircase that went up another two levels. While he did that, Tyler headed to the back of the home where a door was wide open providing an astonishing view of the valley. However his eyes didn’t linger on the beauty but on the second body lying in the yard, not far from a gorgeous log shed. Tyler looked back to say something to Erika but she was still sobbing her heart out. Instead, he stepped outside and made his way over to check on the man he believed was her father. A full head of silver hair, a well-dressed man, wearing a shirt and well-pressed pants, his back had two bullet wounds, and there was a third behind his ear. He stood there staring at him and then looked towards the garage which was open. There were at least three sports cars inside that hadn’t been touched. Had the attack occurred before the power went out, they would be gone but now they were nothing more than junk. Generators were the new asset, and he could only imagine what kind of top-of-the-line generator her father owned.

  He lifted his head and breathed in the mountain air. A warm sunshine shone brightly in the summer sky. Trees rustled and a flock of birds wheeled overhead.

  Tyler turned to see Nate on the balcony that wrapped the second level of the home. None of the house appeared to have been vandalized, indicating these were just kids looking to blow off some steam. Tyler sighed, dipped his chin and pressed on into the house in preparation to give her more bad news.

  Her parents’ home was nestled in the side of the mountain, and because it was shrouded by trees it would have made it a prime target for anyone wanting to get in and out without being caught. And, with the power out, the security lights and cameras would have been useless. That’s when it dawned on him, how had they got in? The home was perched high enough that the intruders would have had to climb over tall stone walls, or work their way down through the thick brush that surrounded the west side. Unless of course the security guard had let them in?

  Tyler strolled around the home to see the front again. That was when he saw it. The small booth was shrouded by a canopy of trees, just off to the right of the driveway, in front of the now open black iron gates.

  One glance made it clear security didn’t escape unscathed. An arm of a security guard was the first thing Tyler saw. As he came around, he grimaced at the sight. He’d been shot in the face. A single round drilled into his forehead before he’d been able to draw on the intruders.

  It was a sign of the times, the beginning of the downfall.

  Attacks would occur all around the country, first by opportunists and criminals, taking advantage of what others believed was temporary, and then by everyday people, desperate to survive.

  When he returned to the house, Nate was trying to keep Bailey back from licking up the blood. Erika hadn’t moved.

  “Erika,” Tyler said in a low voice. She didn’t respond.

  He crouched and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  She shrugged it off. “Go away.”

  “They’re gone, Erika. There’s nothing you can do.”

  “Just leave.”

  “Not without you.”

  “I’m not going with you.”

  He hesitated before rising and wandering around the room. Nate leaned against the staircase banister, glancing towards the door. There was a large stone fireplace at the center of the room, multiple sofas around a slate coffee table and an expensive-looking tapestry rug beneath that. Hardwood floors, granite counters in the kitchen and state-of-the-art appliances conveyed their wealth. Large windows went up to a cathedral ceiling allowing in the natural flow of light. On either side of the walls were stuffed animals — a fox, a goose, and two deer heads. Had her father or mother hunted, or were they just people who appreciated those who did? Had they taken the time to furnish the place or paid someone to do it for them? A number of questions went through his mind, the typical ones that one might ask when invited to someone’s home, except now they would go unanswered.

  “Okay. We’ll stay then,” Tyler said, removing his jacket and throwing it onto the couch. “I’ll go get what supplies we have from the Jeep and bring the vehicle into one of the garages.”

  “What?” Nate asked.

  That caught the attention of Erika. She looked up, her clothes stained with remnants of her mother’s blood. “I meant to say I’m not going to Whitefish.”

  “I know,” Tyler said walking backwards towards the main door. She studied him as he exited. No sooner had he stepped outside than she followed him out.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting my bags, storing the Jeep. Like I said.”

  “No, I know that. I meant. What are you doing? You said you were heading for Whitefish,” Erika said.

  “Change of plans.”

  “You can’t stay here.”

  He was still walking backwards towards the Jeep when he replied, “Neither can you.”

  “It’s my home.”

  He turned, reached into the Jeep and pulled out his bag. “No, it’s your parents’.”

  As he returned, she blocked his path, putting out a hand against his chest and scowling. “I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work.”

  His lip curled as he walked around her. “And what would that be?”

  “You think I’m going to change my mind.”

  Tyler walked back into the house not replying to her and dumped his bag on a chair. She hurried over and grabbed it up and tossed it at him. “You’re not staying.”

  He dropped the bag on the ground and looked her sternly in the eyes. “How do you expect to survive? Money has no value now. So you can forget that.”

  “I’ll trade.”

  “That might work but how will you protect yourself?”

  She crossed her arms and her lips pursed. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Yeah, like you did back in Vegas? Cause I’m pretty sure the only reason you’re alive is because of me.”

  Erika narrowed her eyes. “You self-righteous prick!”

  “Well. Am I right?”

  Without warning she swung at him and he stepped back. Her fist missed his chin by a few inches. “Not bad. Now try without making it obvious you’re about to throw a—” Before he finished what he was saying, she fired an uppercut, then followed with two jabs and a hook. Each time he shifted to avoid the blows. Two more attempts and he slipped around her, and held her arms tight to her body. “Now what do you do?”

  She wriggled within his grasp and then told him to let go.

  As soon as he did, she stormed off towards the kitchen.

  “And that’s if they’re not armed. By the looks of what happened here, you aren’t dealing with people who mess around. This isn’t a game, Erika.”

  She didn’t reply.

  “We’re staying,” Tyler said.

  “Whatever,” she replied.

  Nate shrugged and Tyler shook his head as he turned to head out and park the Jeep in the garage. Erika muttered something. Tyler didn’t catch it. “What did you say?”

  “This pot of coffee is still warm. If they died over twenty-four hours ago, how can that be?” She glanced at Tyler, and his mind began to turn over. What if those who were responsible for her parents’ death hadn’t left? What if they planned on returning?

  “Bailey, come here, girl,” Nate said, noticing she was standing by the doorway growling. “What is it, Bailey?” The hair on the back of the dog went up. Tyler glanced over, his pulse began to beat faster. He started crossing the room towards the do
or when Bailey began barking furiously, and hurried out.

  “Bailey. Come back here,” Tyler yelled.

  Erika turned to see what all the commotion was about.

  Tyler ran out after the dog and found her a few yards outside barking at the entranceway. There was no one there. He caught up with her and grabbed her collar and was trying to tug her back to the house when a bullet snapped overhead. It hit the wall just beyond and took out a large chunk of concrete. That was when he pulled his weapon and fired in several directions as he pulled Bailey back into the house.

  He didn’t see the assailants but they were under attack, and he figured it was the same people, returned to take back the property.

  25

  A deafening cacophony split the silence. Windows on every level shattered under the relentless spray of rounds. Tyler hit the ground sliding across the tiled walkway, his shoulder slamming into a wall. Above, Nate jammed his rifle out a window and returned fire then pulled back behind a stone wall. “Get this dog out of here,” Tyler yelled. Erika beckoned Bailey her way. The dog knew better than to ignore her.

  He had to get the front door closed, and get to his rifle which was with his backpack nearby. Tyler fired a few shots towards the opening and dashed across, diving over a sofa and colliding with a glass table. It buckled beneath him, smashing into hundreds of tiny shards. Not checking to see if he was cut, he scrambled over to his rifle and made sure the magazine was full before making his way to the wall that divided the living room from the entranceway.

  More gunfire made it clear that attempting to shut the door was a useless and deadly endeavor. Instead, he slid his back to the wall and made his way over to the window.

  “You see anything, Nate?”

  A few seconds of silence.

  “I got two, one at your eleven o’clock, the other is at three. Could be more out there.”