Dark Days (Book 1): The Collapse

by Davis, James

  “Daddy!” Emma shouted and flew around the table to him. Clay grabbed her under the arms and tossed her into the air several times. Emma broke out into a fit of laughter each time he tossed her up. Clay caught her one final time and pulled her into a bear hug.

  “I love you, my little monkey butt!” he said, giving Emma a big kiss on the cheek.

  “I love you too Daddy!” Emma shouted. She took off running back towards Toby as soon as her feet hit the floor and together they ran off to play.

  “So what's the word dickhead?” Hank asked, with a grin on his face. Clay gave him a one-fingered reply as he went over to the coffee pot and poured himself a large cup. Taking a sip of the hot liquid, Clay stepped over to a chair and sat down. He started explaining everything that Jim had said and everything that they had to do before Jim got there. The other three men listened without interrupting. When Clay finished he looked around the table.

  “Y’all have any questions?” Jeff raised his hand.

  “Put your hand down jackass, this ain’t middle school.” Clay said as he held back a grin. Jeff chuckled.

  “So are we doing this today or tomorrow?”

  “We’re checking out the airport today before Jim and his boys get here. After they get here we’ll work out the plans to take out Camp Davridge. Anyone else have questions?” Clay asked, getting no response. He nodded once and stood.

  “Alright, let’s go check out that airport and make sure no one else has set up shop there. That's the last thing we need is Jim showing up and immediately getting shot at or killed. I'll drive.” Clay said. The three men climbed in the old green Jeep and pulled out of the driveway.

  "How far is this place anyway?" Clay asked.

  "Not far, turn left here." Jeff instructed from the back seat.

  "Think anyone’s moved in there yet?" Clay asked glancing over at Randy.

  "Nah, we were just over there the other day, everything was real quiet." Randy replied.

  "Another left right here." Jeff said.

  "Quiet is good." Clay said turning the corner.

  "Make a right here, the airport’s about five miles down." Jeff instructed. Clay gave the wheel a quick turn, rounding the last corner and pressed the gas pedal down. A few moments later, the airport came into view and Clay pulled the Jeep to the side of the road, removed the keys, and stepped out.

  "Some airport." Clay chuckled, noting the lack of hangars, a complete lack of anything really. This particular airport consisted of one large white building topped with a green roof, a long runway, and a lot of empty fields in any given direction.

  "Serves its purpose, now let's get movin." Randy replied.

  Clay nodded.

  "You two split up and check the perimeter, half a mile out should do it. I'll check out the building over there. Radio if you get into any shit." he said, turning toward the airport and jogging across the field. He reached the green door of the building and grabbed the handle, giving it a twist. The door swung freely inward with a loud creak. Inside, the walls were lined with various tools and what appeared to be airplane parts. Three tall shelves ran almost the full length of the building containing more parts and tools. A large wooden desk sat just inside the door topped with a computer and covered in loose papers.

  He felt around the desk, shuffling the papers as he searched for any sign of recent activity. Finding nothing of interest, he turned toward the back of the dark room, the only light coming from the open door. He slowly stepped between two shelves examining its contents as he walked. Clay stopped abruptly, listening intently. A long, deep, growl echoed throughout the silent building. Clay spun slowly in place to face an emaciated, grey, mutt. It had dirty, matted fur, and he could clearly make out every single rib. The dog held its head low, growling and showing his teeth. Its wiry hair stood straight up as it inched toward Clay. He stepped backward as it approached, digging in his pocket as he retreated.

  "Easy boy." he said, pulling out a chunk of deer jerky and holding it up, slowly reaching for his radio with his other hand and pressing the button in.

  "Need some help here," he said into the mic, as he tossed the jerky to the dog who ignored the peace offering and continued forward.

  "Copy." Jeff's voice came over the radio immediately followed by Randy's

  Clay pressed the button and spoke into the mic, continuing his slow retreat "Hurry up, got a hungry dog h-AHHHHHHHH." Clay let out a high-pitched scream, suddenly feeling as though he had sat on a bear trap. He spun around to see a dirty yellow lab backing away. The new attacker was covered in dirt and just as skinny as the first. Its mouth was covered in fresh blood and a bloodstained patch of denim dangled from his teeth. The second he turned, the mutt latched onto his forearm, growling and shaking its head.

  Clay turned his attention back to the mutt and slammed his fist hard into its snout, drew back, and connected hard again with the animal’s nose. With the second blow, the dog released its grip on Clay's forearm and let out a loud yip that echoed throughout the building as it backed away sneezing and shaking its head before charging back in.

  Clay barely had time to regain his composure before the lab hit him hard, knocking him to the ground and locking its powerful jaws onto his side. Clay winced and reached for his pistol, but the mutt was too fast. He latched onto Clay's hand, shaking it from side to side. The deafening sound of gunshots filled the building, echoing several times before fading away. Both dogs fell to the ground as Jeff and Randy rushed to help Clay to his feet.

  "Shit, they did a number on you! Are you ok?" Jeff exclaimed.

  “Do I look ok to you?” Clay shot back, clearly pissed off at what had just happened. Jeff let it go, not saying another word. He knew Clay was lashing out because of the amount of pain he was in.

  “Jeff, help me get him out to the truck. We need to get him back to the house and get those bites cleaned up immediately in case those dogs are rabid.” Randy said. The three men slowly made their way out to the Jeep. Randy got in and started the engine as Jeff helped Clay into the back seat and climbed in beside him. Randy punched the gas and made a quick U-turn before flooring it and heading for home.

  Twenty minutes later, the Jeep fishtailed up the driveway. Randy was driving like a madman to get Clay home. The dogs had bitten him numerous times all over, including one deep bite on his ass. Clay gritted his teeth as the Jeep bounced along the driveway jolting him in his seat. The pain in his butt cheek was far worse than any of the other bites, beside his hand.

  “That son of a bitch about ripped my damn ass cheek off!”

  Clay said through gritted teeth as Randy brought the Jeep to a stop in front of the steps. They jumped out of the Jeep and bolted over to help Clay get out. Droplets of blood trailed behind them as they helped Clay up the stairs.

  “Hank, get out here! We need some help!”

  Randy shouted as they climbed up the stairs. Hank burst out of the front door holding Emma in one arm and Toby in the other.

  “What in the hell happened? Are you alright?” Hank asked.

  "Do I look alright to you?" Clay shot back, not expecting an answer.

  “Damn wild dogs attacked him when he went in one of the buildings at the airport. We barely got there in time to help him.” Jeff stated.

  "Bit his butt up pretty good." Randy added.

  "You want a play by play, or you gonna help me?" Clay interrupted.

  "Now, ain't no need to get butthurt son." Dub said with a grin, giving Hank a light nudge with his elbow. Hank stifled a chuckle

  “Bring him in here and lay him on this table.” Dub shouted from Winston's room.

  "Now I ain't no doctor, but seein how they took Winston, I reckon I'll have to do." Dub said, as Randy and Jeff assisted Clay into the room. Clay grimaced as they helped him onto the table. Clay hissed and growled as he put weight on the torn flesh of his backside. Hank came in and started helping Clay get his shredded clothes off so they could get a good look at his wounds.

  “Jeff, Ran
dy, go keep an eye on the kids till we get done patching him up.” Dub ordered. The brothers nodded, turning to leave the room.

  Dub and Hank worked on Clay for over an hour, cleaning out the wounds and stitching up several problem spots on his leg. When they were done they wrapped the wounds in white gauze covered in antibiotic ointment. Clay’s left hand was pretty mangled, but he could still move his wrist and articulate his fingers, which was a good sign.

  The bites on his arm and side were manageable. It all looked worse than it actually was. He would be sore for a few days, but none of that would keep him from storming into Camp Davridge to get his family and friends back. Emma burst through the doorway and plowed right into Clay just as he got to his feet. The momentum drove him backwards smashing his rear end into the table. Clay yelped as the pain in his ass cheek shot up his spine, it felt like it was going to shoot his head off of his shoulders. He gritted his teeth and smiled through the pain so he didn’t scare his little girl.

  “Daddy will you play with me?” Emma asked, looking up at him with her cobalt eyes. For a brief moment he could swear he was looking directly into her mother's, how could he possibly say no?

  "Let’s go baby," he said, extending his hand for the little girl to grab. She left the room, almost dragging him behind her.

  Chapter 23

  Clay leaned on the front porch watching the kids play with Hank. Hank stood next to Emma and Toby holding a dirty tennis ball. Sarge and Bella watched intently as Hank held the ball up in front of them. He drew back and threw the ball as hard as he could. Both dogs bolted toward the ball that was now bouncing across the grass. Sarge got there first and scooped up the ball in his mouth, barely slowing as he turned and sprinted back towards Hank. Emma squealed and Toby giggled as Sarge barreled right past them and skidded to a stop in the grass. Bella trotted leisurely back to where she had started and dropped to the ground with a plop.

  "Maybe next time." Hank said, reaching down to pet Bella on the head.

  "Maybe next time." Toby said, mirroring his dad as he petted the exhausted mastiff. It was surprising to Clay that the kids were doing as well as they were, they didn't seem to notice their mothers' absence yet. Dub came out of the house and stood next to Clay,

  “They are wonderful aren’t they? Easily entertained too.” Dub said, grinning.

  “Yes. Yes they are. Emma is my entire world. I was just thinking about how surprised I am that they aren’t upset about Ash and Karen being gone for so long.” Clay replied, dragging his hand over his face.

  “They’re kids bud, they aren’t thinking about that stuff when they’re out here playing. You don’t have to worry about that until their bedtime.” Dub said, patting Clay on his shoulder.

  “So, whats the word on the airport? We barely got a look at it before those damn dogs got me.” Clay replied.

  “Jeff and Randy are headin back from there now. They radioed in with an update a few minutes ago. They said there wasn’t much going on there. No sign of people or dogs.” Dub chuckled. Clay shook his head, not nearly as amused as Dub seemed to be.

  “What's Jim's ETA?” Clay asked.

  Dub held up his arm and looked down at his bare wrist,

  “Bout an hour now I reckon. We'll head out soon as them boys of mine get back.” he replied. Clay nodded. Fifteen minutes later Jeff and Randy pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the Jeep.

  "Get back in, we gotta go." Dub barked, stepping off the porch. "In the back fartknocker, I'm drivin." He added as Jeff turned to climb back into the driver's seat.

  "Showtime!" Clay yelled to Hank. Hank turned to Clay, gave a quick nod and scooped up both children before heading toward the house. Dub hopped in the driver's seat of his Jeep and twisted the key. He explained that Jim should be just about there as he backed out of the driveway. Hank, Clay, and both kids followed behind in the Monstrosity. Hank drove while Clay sat in the back on the bench seat and the two kids were strapped in the captain's chairs they had recently installed in the bus. Clay bounced around in the back of the bus as they continued down the road.

  “Would you stop hitting all those fucking bumps and shit?” Clay shouted at Hank from the back.

  “I'm sorry, is our giant, armored monster truck not comfortable enough for you princess? Why don't you kick your shoes off, need a pillow?” Hank replied.

  "Fuck off!" Clay shot back.

  "You look cold, need a blanket?" Hank continued.

  "I said fuck off, dickhead."

  "Peanuts? Hot towel?"

  "I just had my ass cheek bit off and you're driving like a madman!"

  "You're fine. Soldier up bro."

  "Selfish son of a bitch!"

  "Nancy."

  Clay glared at Hank through the front mirror, but didn’t say another word.

  They made it just in time to see a group of Blackhawk helicopters headed toward them in the distance. The wind kicked up as the choppers descended, filling the air with dust and debris. A tall light haired man, with green eyes and a muscular build stepped out of the chopper as the pilot was shutting the engines down. He made his way across the runway toward the bus and stopped just in front of Dub.

  “You must be Dub?” The man stated, shoving his right hand out. Dub grabbed the man's hand in a vice-like grip,

  “And you must be Jim.” Dub replied. They waited for the rest of the choppers to power down before trying to hold a conversation. Dub started by introducing his people to Jim.

  “Glad to meet you all. Too bad it’s under these circumstances, but it is what it is.” Jim said.

  “Your boys going to be ok here if you leave for a little while?” Dub asked.

  “Yeah, these boys are the best of the best. They’ll get the camp set up while we try to hash out this plan.” Jim answered, just as he spotted the bus. Jim’s eyes opened wide.

  “Where the hell can I get one of those bad boys?” Jim asked with a chuckle. He couldn’t believe he was actually seeing an armored monster bus with fifty cal machine gun ports mounted to the roof.

  “That belongs to those two retards over there.” Dub said pointing at Clay and Hank. Jim chuckled and shook his head.

  “Let your boys know you’re leaving, then meet me at that Jeep over there. We need to get back to my place and get started on this plan. Our women and my damn nephew have been captured by those bastards at Davridge and we need to get them out a.s.a.p.” Dub said. Jim nodded and spun on his heels headed back towards his men. A few minutes later they were on the road and headed back to the farm.

  *****

  Ashley and Karen were shoved into different rooms. The guards kept moving them around from room to room multiple times a day. Ashley tried to find a pattern, or a reason why they were doing it but she always ended up with the same answer. They were waiting for Clay and Hank to come and they didn’t want to make it easy to break the two women out. The place was heavily guarded inside and outside.

  Ashley could hear Karen cursing one of the guards down the hall and snickered. Her laughter was cut off when a loud bang sounded on the door followed by a guard’s voice.

  “Keep your mouth shut in there or I’ll come in and shut it for you!” The guard shouted through the door.

  “I know my rights you son of a bitch! You can’t do this to us!” Ashley shouted back.

  “Terrorists don’t have any rights, except the right to shut the fuck up! Say another word and we’re coming in there and stuffing a gag in your mouth!” Ashley backed away from the door quietly and sat in the corner. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her thoughts immediately went to Emma, and where they were keeping her and Toby. Surely they were treating them good, and nothing like she was being treated.

  She lay her head down and started to sob as she thought about the two kids crying and wanting their mommy while being surrounded by a bunch of people they didn’t know. Ashley’s head shot up as the sound of multiple gunshots could be heard from outside. The guards stationed i
n the hall took off down the corridor and she heard a door slam behind them as they bolted outside. A loud boom sounded and the building shook. Ashley got to her feet and smiled as she said softly to herself,

  “It’s about damn time Clay!” Karen was beating on the door and cursing the guards non-stop. The guards had came in and hosed her down once already, which just served to piss her off even more. Karen was like a damn wild banshee at this point. She would not let these bastards think they won. She knew her Hank would come for her and Toby, and so would Clay for Ash and Emma. She would do anything she could to annoy these pricks for as long as she was here and not at home with her family.

  The door flung open and Karen stepped back and hocked up a massive loogie and spit it right in the first guard’s face. Part of it actually went in the guard’s mouth and he stumbled back out of the room gagging and puking. Karen laughed

  “I bet that’s not the first time someone else’s load has been in your mouth is it, you bitch?” She shouted as the rest of the men rushed in the room and subdued her. They hog-tied and gagged her before tossing her on the bed. The first guard came back in wiping the vomit from his chin. He knelt down next to Karen's face and looked right at her,

  “You think that was funny huh? You think you’re real smart for getting one over on me?” he asked. Karen started laughing and shook her head yes. The guard stood up and slammed the butt of his rifle down on the side of her head knocking her out cold.

  “Not so funny now is it bitch?” The guard said, as he spit a large wad of snot into her face. The guards left the room and slammed the door behind them. Karen didn’t hear the gunfire or the grenades going off as the guards were leaving her room. She was out cold, dreaming about being home with her family.

  *****

  “Welcome to my humble abode!” Dub said with his arms stretched out to either side as they entered the bunker. Jim took a few steps inside taking in the sheer size of the place.