FORTRESS: A Post Apocalyptic-Dystopian EMP Attack Thriller (Reckoning Book 3)

by Lee West

  Other people who slept in the tunnels gathered around them, listening to her report.

  “Larry relieved us from watch a little early. Brett and I were returning to the tunnels when we saw George entering the campus,” she said.

  “We think Larry couldn’t see us. He ran out of the building toward George. We couldn’t tell what they were talking about, but we decided to help out,” said Brett.

  “We initially thought that Larry would need help getting George into the tunnels. We walked over to them and offered to walk George back with us. Boy, were we wrong! He had no intention of connecting George with the rest of us. I’m not even sure how he did it, but he disarmed George and then turned on us. He would have shot all three of us if it weren’t for Heather and the rest of their team,” she said shakily.

  Nancy tried to get a grip on her emotions, with little success. Knowing how close they’d come to being murdered by someone they trusted freaked her out.

  “Larry tried to kill you guys? I don’t believe it! Why would he do that?” said one of the students.

  “Where is he? Where’s Larry?” demanded the young woman.

  “I’m afraid he’s dead. He tried to kill us. Luckily George’s people were there and able to defend us,” said Brett gently.

  “You murdered him!” shouted the woman.

  “We defended our friend and yours,” said Heather with no-nonsense coolness.

  Someone provided Nancy with a packet of baby wipes, which she used to clean Larry’s blood off her face, neck and arms.

  “None of this makes any sense. Are you sure he would have killed you?” said Ed.

  “Positive. It makes plenty of sense. We think Larry parked himself at that watch location in order to prevent newcomers from making it onto campus,” said Nancy.

  “Why would he want to do that?” asked Ed suspiciously.

  “Maybe to hoard supplies?” offered Heather.

  “No way. We have plenty of food and water. He knew that. He would have had no reason at all to be worried about supplies,” said Ed.

  The group became silent while everyone seemed lost in thought about Larry.

  “Has he been with you all along? As in from the start of all this?” asked Heather.

  “No. A group of us were here at the university when the EMP hit. Apparently Larry was in the city. The troops grabbed him and forced him into one of the camps. He managed to escape the work party he had been assigned to. Somehow he made his way to the university, where he remained until today,” said Ed.

  “That’s a real shame. I would have loved to talk to him. We haven’t met anyone who escaped from one of the camps. We have very little intel about what’s actually happening out there. Judging from the explosions and tracers, looks like they might be moving operations into this area,” said Heather.

  “Which direction were the explosions and tracers in?” asked one of the students.

  “All of that happened in the north sky quite a distance from here,” said George.

  “My god. I wonder if that happened near the camp. I wish they had never left. They could be in the middle of the fighting right now!” said Nancy.

  “What camp?” asked George.

  “We sent a small group of our people to an area of the forest where we think there might be a survivalist camp. We wanted to have a plan B in case the troops end up coming here for good or intensifying their operations in the area,” said Ed.

  “Has there been a lot of troop activity on campus?” asked Heather.

  “No. Not so much. Every once in a while they’ll come to search,” said Ed.

  “But last time they did more than search. They killed one of the foreign exchange students,” said Nancy.

  “That’s not good. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” said George to Heather.

  “Might be our only choice,” she responded with a sigh.

  “What’s happening out there? We fled from the city to our home. Then the troops came to our house. We got away without them knowing we were there. Looked like they were setting up to use our property to quarter soldiers,” said Brett.

  “Where’s your home?” asked George.

  “Not too far from here. We were able to make it here fairly quickly,” said Nancy.

  “That’s not good. They must be planning some sort of push into this area,” said George.

  “Push into the area? Do you guys have any ideas of the bigger picture out there? Like what caused the EMP, or why the troops seemed super prepared when everything went dark?” asked Ed.

  “We think this entire emergency is a false-flag operation. Like you said, the government seemed to be all too ready when the lights went out. They’re using this manufactured emergency to establish and maintain martial law,” said Heather.

  “That’s the conclusion we came to as well. Nothing else makes sense,” said Ed.

  “So what are you guys doing about it? Why are you so heavily armed?” asked a student.

  “We’re resisting in whatever way we can,” said George.

  Nancy squeezed Brett’s hand and looked at him. He nodded to her almost imperceptibly. They wanted to join the resistance but could not figure out how to do so. These people would be their way into the rebel forces.

  “How are you able to move around? We thought the city had been cut off,” said Brett.

  “We’ve been using the sewer system to travel undetected. Much like you guys are doing in these tunnels, just way more gross,” said Heather.

  “I think we ran into some of your people in the city. We were trying to get out of downtown and almost got caught,” said Brett.

  “Thanks to me,” said Marvin.

  Nancy had forgotten about the older man. He must have joined them without her seeing him.

  “They saved us, that’s for sure,” said Nancy.

  “I’m not surprised. We have a large cell working in the city. They’re pretty amazing,” said George.

  “The problem for us now is that the city is squeezed so tight. There are troops everywhere, making it increasingly difficult for them to fight back without detection. We came to the mountains trying to find a spot to relocate. What the resistance needs right now is to regroup and decide where to attack next. We’re way too fragmented for our own good. The conditions in the city are making it increasingly difficult for us to meet in groups larger than just a few people,” said Heather.

  “So much for our constitutional right to assemble,” grumbled Nancy.

  “Exactly. The troops seem to break up any efforts by civilians to assemble in large groups. We’ve watched on the sidelines as inked civilians trying to engage in worship are broken up because their group is too large,” said Heather.

  “And just like that, our freedom of religion’s gone too,” said Brett.

  “Yes. People are forced into hiding if they intend to meet as a group for worship. It’s gotten really bad out there,” said George.

  “Would you mind if we moved a few people up here? I know you said that supplies are not a problem, but we could offer you what we have,” said Heather.

  “You’re more than welcome to use the university as your headquarters if that would be helpful. I can set your team up in one of the tunnels. Like I said, we have plenty of everything and don’t mind sharing,” said Ed.

  “Thanks. That’ll work,” said Heather.

  “I’m not so sure about this. Soldiers are being quartered a short distance from here, and now there’s clearly another fighting arena opening just north of here. I say we keep going and skip this place, as nice as it is. No offense, you guys,” said George.

  “I hear you, but we have no perfect options. This one is good enough for now,” said Heather.

  George nodded his head, agreeing to her decision.

  “How are you attacking them?” asked Brett. “You guys are heavily armed, but we’re talking about fighting against the federal government.”

  “We hit them in any way possible in order to slow them down. It�
�s not the same as two armies fighting, but if we can frustrate their progress, it’s something,” said Heather.

  “It’s just like the Poles did to the Germans during World War II,” said one of the students. “They even hid in the sewers of Warsaw, like you guys are doing. They formed the largest resistance army in history. At just the right moment, they emerged from the tunnels to attack the Nazis. It was heroic to say the least. With handmade weapons they fought off the Germans for sixty-three days. It was the single largest military effort put forth by any European resistance movement.”

  “Were they successful?” asked another student.

  “No. Mostly because the Russians stood by and watched them get slaughtered. They had counted on the Russians for backup. It never came despite the Russian troops being within proximity to help. They basically sat back and watched as the Germans razed the city.”

  “I don’t think anyone is coming to help us. We need to figure out our next move forward. We also need to come together as a group. Right now we have cells all over the city. They’re fighting back, but we can be more effective after we regroup and come up with a solid plan,” said Heather.

  “I agree. Nancy and I have wanted to join the resistance. We’d love to join you if we can,” said Brett.

  “Great! We’d love to have you. We’d also like it if you joined,” said Heather to the history student. “We could use someone with knowledge of resistance tactics for ideas.”

  “Sure. I could do that. I’ve studied the resistance tactics employed during World War II by people in all the German-occupied countries. I could share what they did. Who knows, it might be helpful,” he said with a shrug.

  “That’d be amazing. We can use all the ideas we can get. None of us are soldiers. We’re just regular people intent on fighting back. Our government has gone bonkers, and it’s up to us to save our country!” said George.

  “All resistance fighters were just regular people fighting back against the forces of evil,” said the history student.

  For the first time since she arrived at the campus, Nancy felt a sense of purpose. Joining the resistance would allow her to do more than hide in the tunnels, journaling their experiences for the history books. She would actually be part of the solution.

  — 30 —

  The truck rumbled through the mountains, carrying Joe, Meg and Mike to an unknown destination. Joe watched the sky light up with explosions and tracers as they steadily drove away from the retreating carnage. Jeff could not have survived the explosions. He knew that, but facing the reality that his only brother had likely died tonight would not be easy.

  Holding Meg’s hand, he nuzzled his head against hers. She dozed while leaning up against his shoulder as they traveled. The bouncy ride caused her head to lurch forward at times, waking her from slumber.

  Mike sat upright on the bench across from Joe, looking outside through the narrow slit in the canvas. Mike looked as exhausted as Joe felt. Mike had been a good friend to them throughout the entire ordeal. Joe wanted more than anything to help him to find his family. Perhaps being brought to a civilian-processing center would help them achieve that goal. If they could discover the whereabouts of Mike’s family, the entire ordeal at the camp would have been worth it.

  “If they take us to the center outside Laurence, maybe I’ll see my family,” said Mike.

  “I was thinking the same thing. As much as I didn’t want to get caught, those guys saved us back there. I was sure Chet and his henchmen would catch up to us. If he did, we would’ve all been dead. They were right on our heels,” said Joe.

  “What do you think happened to Chet and the others?”

  “Sounded like the soldiers shot first and asked questions later. If you ask me, the three of them are dead.”

  “Probably right. No loss there. Those guys were a bunch of sick, mean men. I’m sorry your brother got involved with them. He seems like a really nice guy.”

  “Me too. Jeff always seemed to be too nice for his own good. He never had a good sense of when he needed to protect himself from others. Kim is a case in point. He should have left her long ago.”

  The truck slowed and then stopped. From their vantage point, Joe could not see their location. He shook Meg to wake her and said, “Hey, sleepyhead. We might be there. Wake up. I need to get up and look.”

  She lifted her head groggily from his shoulder and wiped her eyes. He got up and moved carefully to the back of the truck. Moving the canvas aside, he tried to get a better view of their location. If the soldiers had left their hands zip-tied, he would not have been able to move around without falling. When they had been loaded onto the back of the truck, it seemed like the ties would be kept in place. At the last minute, he’d begged for them to be removed, claiming they could not sit on the benches with their hands behind them. One of their captors took pity on them and removed the ties just before the truck sped away.

  “Looks like we might be there. Holy smokes, look at the number of tents they have set up! This place is immense!” said Joe.

  Meg and Mike joined him at the back of the truck to witness their arrival.

  “Geez, this place is way bigger than I could have imagined,” said Meg.

  Canvas tents sat neatly lined up in straight rows for as far as the eye could see. Large tan-colored corrugated metal buildings had been interspersed between the tents in the massive makeshift city.

  “Look at the fencing! Looks like they mean business! No way anyone is getting out of this place!” said Mike.

  “Not unless they dig,” said Meg with a wink.

  “You mean no one is getting inside. Look at the top of the fencing, it’s angled outward. That’s to prevent someone from getting inside, not to stop people from leaving,” said Joe.

  “Damn. You’re right. And look at the concertina wire. It’s entirely around the exterior perimeter of the fence. It would discourage someone from trying to climb up and over to get inside. Interesting. I wonder what they’re trying to keep out?” said Mike.

  A few seconds later the truck moved slowly past the entrance, heading farther into the camp. The movement caused Joe to weave slightly as he made his way back to the bench.

  “I’m scared,” said Meg, squeezing his hand.

  “Me too,” he said.

  Joe kissed her softly, trying to comfort her. He had no way to reassure her or protect her from what might lie ahead. In some ways the feeling of being powerless hurt Joe more than anything he had witnessed.

  “I feel like we should make a run for it. Try to get away one last time,” said Meg in a low whisper.

  “Throughout the entire drive I thought about nothing else. But after seeing the explosions and tracers shooting across the sky as we drove away from the mountains, I realized that this thing is bigger than any of us,” said Mike.

  Before Joe could answer, he heard the driver’s truck door slam shut.

  “Okay. Let’s go! End of the line!” said the driver as he opened the canvas.

  Following his instructions, they jumped out of the truck onto solid ground. The truck had vibrated so much on their trip to the camp that Joe’s feet still buzzed from the motion.

  “Follow me!” said the man.

  “Where are you taking us?” asked Meg.

  “To processing. You need to go through intake and then wait in lockdown.”

  Several other uniformed soldiers came toward them to greet their driver.

  “Hey, man. How’s it out there?” said one of them.

  “It’s a mess. I’m glad to be back. Bravo Group found these three running for their lives and picked them up. Can you take them to processing for me? I need to get cleaned up.”

  “Sure. We’ve got them,” said another man to their driver.

  The men did not seem particularly concerned about the three of them running or putting up a fight. Something felt off to Joe. Joe would have expected to be treated more like a prisoner who might escape than a person arriving as a guest. Instead, the soldiers
casually walked them to one of the buildings.

  A cold gush of air escaped Building D as one of the soldiers opened the door for them. The vast space seemed to be organized in alphabetical order. Signs displaying segments of the alphabet hung above large tables. One or two military persons sat at each table, waiting to address newcomers.

  “Come on in! Don’t be shy!” yelled one of the men to them.

  One of the soldiers gave Joe a gentle nudge on the shoulder, pushing him forward. Looking around, Joe realized that the other men must have left, because they had been nowhere in sight when they entered the building. Again, he had the sense that nothing added up the way he would have expected.

  “Find the first letter of your last name and proceed to that intake table!” yelled one of the women.

  Meg glanced at Joe and said, “I feel like I just got dropped off at summer camp, not an internment camp. Something’s off.”

  “I agree. This isn’t at all what I thought it would be.”

  Mike tapped Joe on the shoulder and said, “I’m a Jensen. I’m going through that line over there. See you on the other side.”

  “Okay, man. Let’s meet up here when we’re done. If possible.”

  Joe and Meg moved slowly toward the section containing the letter B for Birch. Joe did not know if the cool air made him feel better or if the decidedly less tense atmosphere in the intake building had caused the shift in him. In either case, for the first time in weeks, he felt his body relaxing, becoming less stressed.

  “Last name?”

  “Birch, Meg and Joe.”

  The female soldier typed something into the computer and then looked up at them. “First time here, huh?”

  “Yes,” said Joe. He squeezed Meg’s hand, willing her not to mention where they had been.

  She seemed to pick up on his signal, stopping herself from adding anything to the conversation, as she otherwise might have done.

  “Since this is your first time here, we’ll need you to go through full processing. Mr. Birch, looks like you are former Navy. That should save you some shots.”

  “Shots?” asked Meg.

  “Yes. Everyone who comes through here is fully immunized. We can’t afford a breakout of measles. Religious freedom might work for parents to stop kids from being vaccinated before school starts, but it won’t work here. Everyone gets up to date,” said the woman sternly.