Dark Days (Book 1): The Collapse

by Davis, James

  The sound of footsteps began to echo through the hallway. Clay made eye contact with Hank, who pointed two fingers toward the large opening at the far end of the hall. They made their way quietly to the opening to the left side of the hall. Clay got low and peeked around the corner. A large, muscular, bald man in his forties stood facing two large, blue swinging doors with a small rectangular window in each. Clay turned to look at Hank and held up one finger. He pulled his K-Bar from its sheath and took one more glance; the man was still facing the doors. He gripped his knife, stepped into the opening, took three steps forward, and grabbed the man tightly, covering his mouth. He slammed the knife into the base of the man’s skull, burying it to the hilt and killing him instantly. He yanked his knife out, blood poured from the wound, spilling onto the floor. Clay kept his hand over the mouth as he gently guided the corpse to the floor.

  Hank joined him, rifle drawn as both men leaned forward to look into the tiny windows. They peered into the school's gym, quickly becoming aware where everyone had gone. Two men stood directly on the other side of the doors. The camp's residents were kneeling in the center of the basketball court surrounded by armed guards. Hank leaned in toward Clay and spoke in a whisper

  "I count fifteen, no fancy stuff. We'll take out these two, I'll go right, you go left." Clay nodded. They got in position low beside each door. Hank pulled out his own knife and held up each finger as he quietly counted

  "One…two...three." They slowly pushed open a door and grabbed each man by the forehead and dragged their blades across the men's throats. They let the men fall to the ground, gasping for air and choking on their own blood. They lifted their rifles and opened fire. The gym erupted into screams, gunfire, and movement as the remaining guards shouted orders and dove for nonexistent cover. It was over as quickly as it began, blood splattered the walls, and corpses littered the floor.

  "There!" Hank exclaimed, pointing toward the back exit. The slender, blonde woman, grabbed an older grey haired woman and pressed her blade into her throat. Clay and Hank aimed toward the woman.

  "Don't fucking move!" Hank shouted.

  "Let her go!" The woman continued backing toward the door as she spoke.

  "Let her go? Let her go! Like you let my brother go?" Hank and Clay moved toward the woman.

  "I don't believe I know your brother," Hank said, taking a few steps forward.

  "You didn't know him, but that didn't stop you from putting a knife in his neck! You killed him, you took him from me, took everything from me!! Now I'm going to take everything from you! Your brother, your wife, your adorable son! You're going to know what it's like to be alone in this world!" she screamed, taking a few more steps backward, her back touching the blue steel door.

  "It doesn't have to be that way, let her go and we can talk about it," Hank said, still inching toward the door.

  "No, we're done talking about it, " Clay said, squeezing the trigger of his rifle. The sound of the shot echoed through the gym and a hole opened up in Raina’s arm. The bullet tore through the muscle, causing her arm to spasm and slice the hostage’s throat. She clutched her neck, blood seeped from between her fingers, and she fell to the floor gasping and coughing. The door swung closed and Raina was gone. Clay and Hank bolted toward the far side of the gym where Raina had been.

  “You missed didn’t you?” Hank asked.

  “Hell no, I caught that bitch in the arm,” Clay replied as they got closer to the woman Raina had just killed. Clay and Hank stacked up on the left side of the double door, Clay on point and Hank in the back. Their training from the Marines took over and muscle memory kicked in as they burst through the door with their rifles already up, scanning the hallway for hostile threats. Hank stopped in his tracks as the things Raina had said finally dawned on him.

  “Clay, we have to get our asses back home now!”

  “What? No, we have to find this bitch and kill her before she hurts anyone else.” As soon as the words left Clay's mouth he realized that Hank was right, Raina was most likely on her way to their camp to kill everyone that Hank cared about.

  “Fuck you’re right, let’s go!” Clay shouted as he took off down the hall toward the exit. They noticed a small blood trail on the ground leading toward the forest as they ran across the parking lot toward the Monstrosity’s location.

  “I told you, she left a blood trail.” Hank said in a strained, out of breath voice.

  “Should we track her, or just haul ass to the house and get ready for her to show up? I’d almost bet she has more goons ready to go at a moment’s notice.” Hank agreed with his brother as they rounded the end of the school driveway. They could see the Monstrosity just up ahead and they double-timed it until they reached it and climbed up inside. Clay pulled the key from his pocket, shoved it into the ignition and twisted. The massive bus roared to life and Clay jammed it into gear then smashed down on the throttle. The bus had so much horsepower it slammed Clay and Hank back into the seats and sent their guns and boxes of ammo flying to the back of the bus.

  “Damn Clay, are you trying to fucking kill us?” Clay laughed and said.

  “Oh, you’re fine. Just kick back and relax and enjoy the ride!” He drove the bus out to the backfield of a ranch that was a few miles down from their camp. It was much faster to go this way rather than take the roads. As soon as the tires hit the dirt Clay floored the throttle. The bus wasn’t all that fast as far as speed went, but when you were riding ten feet off the ground at fifty miles per hour across an open bumpy field, you tend to leave clinch marks in the seat.

  Clay was fishtailing the massive bus back and forth trying to get a rise out of Hank, who had an even tighter death grip on the oh shit handle. Clay didn’t slow down for anything. If there was a hill coming, he would go faster and jump it. He plowed through fences and tore through fields sending rooster tails of dirt sailing through the air. Hank tried to scream for him to stop but his voice just wouldn’t come out at first.

  “You better slow this motherfucker down!” Hank finally managed to get out in between breaths.

  “Hold please.” Clay said, before he burst out laughing at his brother.

  “Hold my fucking ass! Slow this bitch down!” Hank screamed again just as Clay saw the edge of the camp. He looked over at Hank with a toothy grin and pushed the throttle to the floor.

  “Clay, slow the fuck down!” Clay, still grinning looked at his brother then cut the wheel hard and slammed on the brakes, sending the giant bus into a 360 spin.

  “I’m kicking your ass when we get out of this damn bus!” Hank screamed as they spun several times, finally coming to a stop about twenty-five yards behind the barn. Clay quickly climbed out of the bus after saying,

  “That was fun and you know it! Now get your gun and let's go make sure that Raina bitch can’t get up here to the camp.” Hank took a minute to slow his breathing before grabbing his gear and climbing out of the bus. The people at the camp must have heard the Monstrosity roaring through the backfield, because when Clay and Hank came around the barn everyone was outside looking at them with confused looks.

  “I told them you boys was back there just having some fun, but they thought something was wrong.” Dub stated.

  “Well, it’s a little of both. Remember that one woman that was with that group that attacked our bunker a few months back?” Clay asked.

  “Well, apparently I killed her brother that day and she saw it all happen, so now she is hell-bent on revenge,” Hank added as he looked around at the group.

  “We just ran into her at the school and we think she may be headed this way.” Clay said. The group started firing questions at him immediately.

  “Wait a minute now, y’all just calm down and let me tell you what happened.” Clay said. Over the next twenty minutes, Clay explained what they ran in to at the school and how they shot Raina in the arm before she managed to get away.

  “That's why we think she is either headed this way or on her way to get the rest of her men. So w
ith that being said, we need everyone to stay alert for now. No one should go outside alone; we'll get a few guys from the other camp to help with guard shifts. We need two guys watching this place around the clock until we can handle this Raina problem. What else we got?” Hank said, looking around.

  . “One of our scout teams came back earlier and they actually have some news for us about another FEMA camp they found.” Dub said.

  “Well, where are they? That's news we need to know about like now.” Hank replied impatiently.

  “Steve, go get Jeff and Randy. Tell them I want them out here right now.” Dub said. A few minutes later Jeff and Randy walked up and immediately started telling Clay and Hank about the new camp they found.

  “We found it about ten or fifteen miles northwest of Nashville at Whites Creek High School. It’s pretty close to Highway 431.” Randy stated to the few who were listening.

  “Ok, so tell us what you know about the camp itself.” Clay asked.

  “It’s pretty much set up just like the one we liberated. It seems they are sticking to using high schools and putting semi-permanent fencing up around the school. They did have one thing the first camp didn’t have though, and that's a couple of guard towers in place. It’s a pretty simple design actually. All they did was put a couple of tree stands up on the light poles out in the parking lot. They couldn’t see us sneak up on them though. The stands are too short to see down into the trees and bushes so there is a natural hide where they think they have the advantage. At one point we were like fifty feet away from the one stand at the edge of the lot. There are two guards at each corner of the fence plus an extra guard on each side of the actual school itself, so the security at this one is much higher,” Randy explained.

  “They do the same work camp routine as well. We sat there most of the time we were gone observing their patterns. Guards take the men out at around four in the morning and bring them back about four that evening. The women and kids are always at the camp doing laundry and dishes for the soldiers. The women didn’t really have any guards around them. Every once in a while a female guard would go check on them, but other than that the women are pretty much unguarded all day.” Jeff added.

  “Ok, that's a good start guys. Did you happen to count how many guards they had there total and when the shift changes happen and when they all ate breakfast, lunch and, dinner?” Hank asked.

  “Yeah I got all that, but I think the guard count is off by a few, only because there were a few guards we saw through the windows that never left the building while we were there. In any case, there would only be three extra guards beside the ones that worked the camp and the kitchen crew that's inside. So there were four stands with a guard each, two guards at each fence corner, one guard on each side of the school itself. Then you have the relief crew for each of those positions and the crew that takes the men out to the work camps and the soldiers that work inside the school. So altogether we should just say there are probably roughly forty to fifty soldiers at this camp.” Jeff said.

  “Okay, good work fellas, now what type of resources did they have?” Clay asked.

  “They had the exact same shit that they had at the first camp, maybe a little more in the gun department because of the extra soldiers but not enough to worry about.” Randy replied.

  “So, basically we have about fifty soldiers armed with the same shit we all carry, and they have the same trucks, Humvees, and personnel carriers. Was there anything else that you noticed?” Clay asked, clearly already formulating a plan.

  “Not that I can think of right now. Let us sleep on it for the night and we will go over it all again in the morning. If there is something we forgot about we will remember in the morning for sure.” Randy answered.

  “Alright everyone get in here and get some supper!” Betty Sue and Tanya yelled from the steps of the porch. Sarge and Bella came running out from the forest and headed straight for Betty. Clay and Hank saw this and chuckled.

  “Haven’t seen those two in a while!” Hank said.

  “Yeah I know, Betty must be giving them scraps to get them out of the woods like that.” Clay replied.

  “So anyway, in the morning we all need to sit down and discuss our plan to take this new camp out. Do we all agree on that?” Hank asked and looked around at everyone as they made their way to the house. He got a round of nods and yep’s from everyone as they all went inside to have dinner together, something they didn’t get to do very often. Ashley and Karen had already made Clay and Hank their food and they sat down first at the extra large table that Dub had just put in so everyone would have a seat during dinner. His living room was now part of the kitchen, but it didn’t matter, no one was going to be watching any cable for a long time.

  Clay and Hank sat there talking to their wives and holding their kids while they ate. It had been too long since they could all just sit down and relax so whenever they did, they made the most out of it. Everyone was laughing and cracking jokes and feeding Sarge and Bella scraps under the table when no one else was paying attention, not knowing that everyone else was also giving the dogs scraps. When dinner was over, everyone started making their way back outside where it was cooler. The kids ran around playing tag and the dogs lazed around on the porch, too stuffed to move while everyone else continued their conversations.

  A guitar sounded from somewhere inside the house then moments later, Dub came out the door playing an old tune, on an even older guitar. No one could figure out what tune Dub was playing but it didn’t matter. It had been so long since anyone heard music that it was a welcome tune no matter what it was.

  Chapter 19

  Everyone was up early having coffee and talking about their plans to liberate the FEMA camp, while Betty Sue and Tanya made everyone breakfast. They were always in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Clay and Hank were outside playing with Emma and Toby, while Dub sat on the porch rocking in his chair watching.

  “You boys should hold on to that for as long as you can. One day you’re going to look up and them two babies will be going on fifteen telling you they don't have to take out the trash.” Dub said, as he raised an eyebrow at Jeff and Randy.

  “Trust me, I already know. Seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital after Emma had just been born.”

  “Yep, next thing you know Emma will be telling you and Ashley she's got a boyfriend.” Dub said, barely able to hold back his laughter when Clay realized what he had just said. Clay’s eyebrows rose high into his hairline,

  “I don’t think so! She's not having any boyfriends till I'm dead!” Hank slapped Clay on the shoulder as he walked past to join Dub who was still chuckling.

  “It’s all funny when it’s someone else’s kid, but Hank you forgot you have a kid too.” Clay said.

  “Yeah but I have a son, not a daughter,” Hank said, still giggling.

  “Oh yeah, that's right you have a son. So you’re gonna be just fine with it if he grows up and tells you he has a boyfriend named Charlie?” Clay asked. Now Clay was laughing and watching Hank’s eyebrows raise high into his forehead. That caught Dub off guard and he started laughing hysterically and slapping his knee. After breakfast, Ashley and Karen helped clear all the dirty dishes from the table while Clay and Hank cleaned up the two children. Once the kids were cleaned up they went to their wives to tell them not to worry and that they would be back that evening.

  “Damn it, Clay! Why does it always have to be you and Hank going on these raids?” Ashley said through tear-filled eyes. He looked over at his brother who looked as if he was getting the exact same line from Karen, as tears flowed freely from her eyes as well.

  “Hank and I are the best ones for a job like this, Ash. Once we get more people trained better we will sit back and let them take care of the FEMA camps. It’s not like we're just thrilled to be out risking our asses for a bunch of people we don’t know, but at the same time, we can’t just leave them there to die either.”

  “I know that Clay, but you have a famil
y here that needs you.” That comment hit him right in the gut.

  “I understand that Ash, but if we don’t get rid of these camps that are close by, they could get bigger than us and force us to go inside those slave camps. Is that what you want?” Ashley continued to sob lightly as she replied.

  “Of course I don’t want that. I know these new people need guidance but it can’t always be you and Hank leading the fight. Everyone here needs to pull their own weight.” Ashley sighed and wiped her eyes.

  “Just go take care of those bastards and get back here. I love you.” She wrapped Clay up in a tight hug and kissed him several times before letting go. Emma ran up to her daddy with her arms stretched up toward him and said.

  “Daddy mere.” Clay smiled and bent down to pick her up. He hugged her tightly and kissed her chubby cheeks as he said.

  “Daddy loves you baby girl. You stay here and help keep Momma safe until I get back home.” He kissed her one last time and handed her off to Ashley.

  “I will see you both either late tonight or tomorrow sometime. And don’t start freaking out if we aren’t back by morning. We may have a lot of work to do there before we can leave the people to defend themselves.”

  “Alright, but if you’re not back by tomorrow night I will be coming to find you!” She leaned in and gave Clay one last kiss before she turned and headed back to their bedroom. Karen followed right behind her with Toby and the two women disappeared around the corner. Hank patted Clay on the shoulder and said.

  “They’ll be fine. Get that worry out of your head before we leave. Don’t need you being only half in.” Clay nodded, and started putting on his full battle kit. He loaded all of his extra mags, and then checked his weapons. Once satisfied, he shouldered his pack and walked out the front door to meet the rest of the group. Hank followed him out the door and stopped next to Dub on the porch.