Dark Days (Book 1): The Collapse

by Davis, James

  Raina wiped the tears away as she forced herself to stop crying. They were gone and that was that. She had to move on and not let it bring her down. The only thing that mattered now was getting revenge.

  *****

  Clay was finally getting around without help from anyone. It had been almost a month since he had been shot. He had been doing step ups outside on the front porch to help strengthen his leg for the last week. It hurt like hell, but he still did it. It wasn’t like he could go see a physical therapist at the hospital. It would still be a few more weeks before he was completely healed up, but that didn’t stop him from getting shit done. Hank walked up and sat down on the porch.

  “You ready to head back to the bunker to try salvage some of our shit?” Hank asked.

  “I don’t know, you think it’s safe to go back there so soon?” Clay replied with a grunt as he did another rep.

  “Doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t. We need to go salvage what we can. If that bitch that got away and brought people back we’ll kill every single one of them and get our shit. The time for games is over, and that bitch is going to learn that harsh fact real soon if she’s at our bunker again.” Hank stated plainly before standing and walking back inside to have breakfast. Clay finished doing his leg workouts and followed Hank inside. Karen was in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

  “What are you cooking babe?” Hank called out to her. She turned and looked at him and said,

  “Eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and grits.” Hank all but started slobbering on himself.

  “What’s the occasion?” Clay asked.

  “Well, Randy and Jeff told me that today was Dub’s birthday and that he wasn’t going to let anyone know.” Just then Dub walked into the kitchen and all heads turned towards him. He was standing in between Randy and Jeff when the entire house started to sing Happy Birthday to Dub. When they were finished singing, Dub took a couple of steps back and smacked Jeff and Randy upside the head.

  “I told you two morons not to be telling people about my birthday today. One of these days you’ll get tired of getting smacked.” Dub said with a scowl as he turned and stomped off toward the front door.

  “What the hell is his problem?” Clay asked.

  “I’m not one-hundred percent certain about this, but I think it has something to do with Ms. Betty not being here.” Jeff said as he rubbed the soreness from the back of his head.

  “Who is Betty and why is she not here?” Karen asked as she started making plates for everyone.

  “Betty is Dad’s lady friend. I’m not sure why she didn’t come out here after this shit show started, but we haven’t seen her since the day before everything went down.” Randy said. The sound of the front screen door slamming shut stole everyone’s attention as Dub came back in. He spoke with an edge to his voice while staring down at the floor.

  “I went to get her a couple of days after this all started, but she was already gone by the time I got there. The bedroom was a wreck. Her dresser drawers were hanging open and were empty along with her closet, almost like someone was forcing her to pack her clothes in a rush. Nothing else was missing or out of place. I’m afraid she was forced into that damn FEMA camp.” Dub said through gritted teeth.

  “We need to go find her. She’s your lady and you obviously care a great deal for her, so let’s come up with a plan and get her home.” Ashley said, pacing back and forth from one side of the kitchen to the other.

  “She’s right Dub. Give us a day or two to come up with a plan and me and Hank will go get her.” Before Clay could get another word out, Karen jumped in.

  “Ashley and I will do it. If she’s in that camp a couple of women will have a better chance at finding her than a couple of men.” Karen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “After we find her we can send up a signal for you guys to come in and get us.” Ashley said, pointing her hand between herself and Karen.

  “Absolutely not! You two are not going in there alone and unarmed! It’s not happening, so just forget it.” Clay all but shouted. Hank started to agree with Clay but Dub cut him off before he could speak.

  “None of y’all are going in that damn camp. The last thing we need is for more of our people getting stuck in that place. Betty can take care of herself. Now hush, I don’t want to hear another word about it!” Ashley and Karen both glared at the three men for several seconds before speaking.

  “We are going to get this woman whether any of you like it or not!” Karen spat.

  “Now you don’t have to help us, but I swear to Christ, Clayton Mitchell, if you try to stop us I will put a bullet in your other leg!” Ashley shouted. Seeing that their women were dead serious, Clay and Hank just nodded and backed up a few steps before speaking.

  "You'll need weapons in there. Hank and I are going to sneak over to the outside fence and stash some for you. We'll let you know where to look before you leave." The two women started to object, but it was Clay and Hank’s turn to lay down the law.

  "We don't want to hear it! Either you get your asses in there and pack while we go plant weapons at the camp or you don't go at all!" they said, leaving no room for discussion as they turned and walked away. They did not like the idea of their wives intentionally placing themselves in harm’s way, but the women had spoken and everybody knows that if Momma ain’t happy, well then ain’t nobody happy! A little while later the women were in the kitchen feeding the children a snack when Dub walked up.

  “I just wanted to say thank you for doing this. I am worried sick about my Betty.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You have gotten us all out of some pretty hairy situations. It’s the least we can do.” Karen replied.

  “Just be damn careful out there and come back to these babies!” Dub said before turning and walking away. If something happened to those girls while they were in that camp he would never forgive himself.

  Chapter 14

  "You ready?" Karen asked, stuffing one more shirt into her small black bag.

  Ashley took in a deep breath, "I think so." she replied zipping up her own bag.

  "I guess we're just waiting on the boys. I'm gonna spend some time with my baby."

  Me too." Ashley said, following Karen out of the room. The women exited through the front door to find the two children giggling uncontrollably as Dub pulled a quarter from behind Toby's ear for probably the hundredth time.

  "Never gets old, eh Dub?" Karen said with a wink.

  "Gotta give my fans what they want." Dub chuckled, slipping the quarter into the front pocket of his shirt.

  "Mommy!" The toddlers screamed in unison as they turned and barreled toward their mothers. Each woman reached down to pick up their child, lifting them up and hugging them tightly. Clay and Hank returned a while later. Ashley and Karen kissed their kids and walked over to their husbands.

  “Alright, the guns are hidden behind the dumpster on the women’s side of the camp. Should be real easy to grab without being spotted.” Hank said.

  “They are inside a blue gym bag. The dumpsters are almost right up against the fence, so you two can sneak out there and grab them whenever they let people go outside.” Clay added as he pulled a cigarette out of his pack.

  “In two days we will be in the truck about a half mile away waiting for you to make your move,” Hank said.

  “If there is an emergency, fire your gun three times real fast to let us know you need our help,” Clay said, leaning in to hug and kiss his wife goodbye. Ashley and Karen finished saying goodbye to their families and turned to start the five-mile walk to the FEMA camp. They each carried a three-day pack of supplies, their AR-15’s and a sidearm. They knew the soldiers at the camp were going to search them and their stuff so they planned on stashing most of their gear outside somewhere close by so they could grab it on their way out with Betty.

  “We need to get in and out of here as fast as possible,” Ashley said.

  “Yeah, but we need to stay in just long enough to keep an
yone from getting suspicious. We can’t have eyes on us when we go find those guns,” Karen said. Ashley looked at Karen and nodded her approval as they continued walking. Four hours later they walked up on a corpse laying on the side of the road. The body had its hands and feet tied behind its back, and a bullet hole was plainly visible in its forehead.

  “We must be getting pretty close to this place,” Karen said as she kneeled down to inspect the wound in the dead man’s head.

  “Do you hear that?” Ashley asked as she cocked her head to listen closer.

  “Truck,” They both said at the same time, running toward the edge of the forest to hide. Moments later, the same kind of truck Chris had seen hauling people in last month, drove by. This time it was definitely full of people that did not want to be there. The truck stopped almost directly in front of Ashley and Karen. They were kneeling down behind a large bush as they watched two men jump out of the truck and start talking.

  “Jack, we don’t have to do this shit. We are supposed to be protecting these people not killing them!”

  “Yes, we do! What did Lieutenant Crawford say to do? Come on Steve, what did he say?”

  “He said to put him down, but…”

  “But nothing! Crawford said to put him down and by God, that's what the fuck we are going to do, or else it's gonna be us in the back of that damn truck next time!” Jack turned and walked to the back of the truck,

  “Get your ass down here now!” He screamed at an older man that was staring defiantly at them. The man looked to be somewhere in his early fifties.

  “Fuck you!” The man said as he flipped them the bird. Ashley and Karen laughed at the old man’s outburst.

  “Fuck me? No, fuck you!” Jack screamed as he raised his rifle and fired two shots into the man's head, showering the rest of the prisoners in the back of the truck with brains, blood, and bone fragments. Most of them were either crying or leaning over the edge of the truck throwing up, while others just sat there staring at the faceless corpse. Karen started to gag and Ashley grabbed her to try and keep the noise down.

  “Steve, get up there and drag that body out,” Jack said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Steve walked up and smacked the cigarette out of Jack’s mouth and slammed him up against the truck by his throat.

  “You get up there a do it your goddamn self motherfucker! You do not get to speak to me in that way anymore! Do you fucking understand me?” Jack’s face was turning purple when Steve finally released him.

  “I did not sign up for this shit and I damn sure ain't going to harm the very people that we both swore to protect!” Ashley and Karen were stunned at what they had just witnessed.

  “I bet we can get that Steve guy to help us escape.” Ashley said as she looked over at Karen, who was still trying to hold down her breakfast. She turned back to the truck just in time to see Jack pulling the corpse out of the truck and leaving it on the road. Both men jumped back into the truck and sped off.

  “Well, that was fucked up.” Ashley said plainly as she stood up from behind the bush, and stretched her back.

  “Yeah, that was really fucked up, but I think you’re right about that Steve guy helping us escape.” With that they got back on the road and walked in silence until they could see the school off in the distance. They ducked off into the woods to stash the gear they planned on keeping. When they were done Karen looked at Ashley and asked:

  “You ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Ashley replied. They shouldered their smaller packs and headed back toward the road, ready to start their mission. Two soldiers came out to meet them as they approached the large gate.

  "Identification," one soldier demanded in a deep voice. The girls glanced at each other before retrieving the ID’s from their pack and handing them over. The man looked them over before slipping them into his pocket.

  "Follow me," he said turning toward the gate which began to slide open. They followed the two men through the gate and watched as another soldier pushed the gate closed.

  "Got two more for you, Tish." The soldier shouted. A tall, slim, black woman in army fatigues looked up from the book she was reading, seeming not too happy to have been disturbed.

  "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and then we'll check you in,” she said, folding down the corner of the page she was reading and closing the book. She led them into the closest of the many large green tents that had been set up in the parking lot.

  "Did you say cleaned up?" Karen asked as she gazed around.

  "You're gonna have to shower and change clothes, the last thing we need is another lice outbreak," Tish responded. Inside the tent was mostly bare, a long wooden bench ran the length of one side, and a line consisting of five portable showers ran the length of the other.

  "Leave your stuff on the bench and pick a shower." she said, handing each of them a bar of soap. Nervously, both women undressed as Tish watched. They placed their belongings on the bench and each stepped into a shower, closing the curtains behind them. The showers were ice cold and the curtains offered little in the way of privacy, barely covering below the waist. After scrubbing with the soap, which reminded them both of a hospital somehow. They stepped out of the showers, grabbing the small towel they had been given and walked over to the bench. They were about to put on their clothes until Tish’s voice stopped them,

  “Don’t bother putting clothes on yet. We still have to do a cavity search for weapons.” They looked warily at each other; shocked at the way this woman was treating them. Tish yelled for the two guards to come back in,

  “Take these two to the examination tent,” she said as she scowled at Karen and Ashley. The two guards grabbed the naked women and pulled them into the next tent. Stirrups and other medical equipment lined the walls of this tent.

  “Get on the exam table and put your legs in those stirrups.”

  “What the fuck is this? A goddamn pap smear? Fucking perverts!” Karen spat.

  “Just get in the chair ma’am and this will be all over in a few minutes,” the man said as he turned to walk away. A few minutes later a short woman of Asian decent walked in holding a clipboard. The Asian woman didn't say a word as she looked over the notes on the clipboard. Finally, the woman approached them and started to talk.

  “You ladies just came in?” Ashley nodded. The next ten minutes were painful and violating. The nurse removed her gloves and dropped them in the trashcan, nodding at Tish as she began scribbling on her clipboard. Tish handed each woman a clear plastic bag.

  "Put these on." Inside the bags were grey cotton pants, a grey cotton shirt, and a pair of white slip-on shoes.

  "Where's our stuff?" Ashley demanded.

  "It's gonna be checked in and searched, you'll get it back in a few days," Tish replied, slightly annoyed at having to answer yet another question.

  "Searched? I didn't know we walked into a fucking prison! How ridiculous!" Karen began, but stopped as Ashley made eye contact.

  "We're just here to help ma'am. Follow me." Tish said.

  "Some help, I’ve been violated more here than I ever was out there," Karen muttered as they walked out of the tent. In another smaller tent, Tish opened the top drawer of a filing cabinet and retrieved two plastic cards. The white cards were blank except for a number 0005673451 and 0005673452 printed on the front. She handed a card to each of them

  "This is your identification while you're here. You're gonna want to keep these cards on your person at all times. If you lose it, you won't be able to eat. Follow me." She led them into the largest of the tents. This one was filled with rows upon rows of grey metal bunk beds, and tons of women and children in the same grey outfit they had just received. Tish looked at her clipboard and walked over to a set that appeared empty.

  “Take these two bunks," she patted a clear plastic bag on one of the beds.

  "Sheet, blanket, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant. You'll stay here until dinner, I'll leave you to get settled."

  "What is going o
n here? They're treating us like criminals." Ashley whispered as Tish walked away.

  "I know. I don't like this. We just need to find Betty Sue and get out of here as quick as we can." Karen whispered,

  "How do we do that? There's gotta be three-hundred people here and they took the picture Dub gave me." Ashley said as she sat down on the small bed. Karen sighed.

  “I guess maybe we should start asking around. Surely someone around here will know who Betty Sue is.” Ashley noticed a tall dark haired woman paying too close of attention to their conversation.

  “Don’t look now, but I think that girl is eavesdropping,” she whispered. Karen turned her head to catch the girl out of the corner of her eye,

  “Shit, she's headed this way.” Karen replied in a hushed tone.

  “Hi, I’m Tanya Richards.” The woman said, sticking out her hand to Karen.

  “Oh, hey, I’m Karen, and this is Ashley.” she said, shaking the woman's hand.

  “So I’m going to take a wild guess and say you noticed that I was listening in on your conversation?” Tanya said with a light chuckle.

  “Yep, spotted you a few minutes ago watching us.” Ashley replied.

  “Well, I overheard you saying something about a woman named Betty Sue, is that correct?” Tanya asked. Ashley and Karen looked at one another before Ashley stood and said,

  “That’s right. She is the only reason we're even here.”

  “We are trying to find her for our friend Dub. You don’t know anyone around here by that name do you?” Karen added.

  “Actually that’s why I came over to chat with you two. My grandma's' name is Betty Sue. She will be extremely happy to hear that Dub sent you two here to find her.” Just then a new voice joined the three women.

  “You two know where my Dub is?” A short, plump, black haired woman in her sixties said as she stepped in closer to the others.