Dark Days (Book 1): The Collapse

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Dark Days (Book 1): The Collapse Page 24

by Davis, James


  Once he was at the corner he dropped to a knee and quickly glanced around the corner. Bullets immediately started flying toward him. The corner of the building was a mangled mess from all the chunks of brick and mortar that continued to be chipped away. When they stopped firing Clay stuck the barrel of his rifle around the corner and let out several bursts of fire.

  “I'm in position.” Hank’s voice sounded over the radio.

  “Copy that. Fire when ready.” Clay replied. Hank leaned out to fire on the enemy and spotted another group of soldiers running to join them.

  “You seeing this shit. Four more hostiles.” Hank said into the mic. Clay chanced a quick peek and spotted the hostiles coming up the street.

  Goddamn it! Can’t we ever catch a fucking break? Clay cursed to himself as he grabbed his mic.

  “Yeah, I spotted them. Better make something happen quick, I’m getting low on ammo.” Clay replied. Hank didn’t say anything else. He slowly crept closer to the corner of the building. Once in position he took aim at two of the newcomers and fired two quick bursts. The bullets found their mark, catching both men in the upper chest and face. They hit the ground hard. The other hostiles spotted Hank immediately and unloaded on his position. Hank couldn’t even get a single shot off due to the amount of bullets slamming into the corner and walls around his position.

  “Fuck, I’m pinned down over here!” Hank shouted into his radio.

  “So am I! Fall back, Fall back!” Clay replied. Before either of them moved a barrage of gunfire sounded from above them and the hostiles barrage of bullets halted. Clay glanced around the corner and watched as bullets tore into the group of enemy soldiers.

  “Hell yeah! Hank… fire, fire, fire!” Clay shouted into his radio. Seconds later, Clay and Hank were both firing on the group of hostiles along with the unknown shooters. The enemy group soon stopped returning fire as the last man standing caught a stray round in the cheek. Clay got to his feet and bolted around the building to Hank.

  “Who the hell was that?” Clay asked, his eyes wide.

  “I don’t know, but whoever it was saved our asses!” Hank replied.

  “Let’s go see who it is. The girls are behind that building anyway.” Clay stated. Hank reached up and pulled a fresh mag out of his vest and handed it to Clay. Clay thanked him and they both ran out to the street and started down toward the building where their wives were at. They could see two figures standing at the edge of the roof waving at them as they jogged down the street. When they finally got eyes on the helpful shooters both of their jaws hit the ground. Ashley and Karen stood at the edge of the roof waving at them and smiling.

  “You’re welcome!” Ashley shouted from the roof. Clay and Hank looked at each other and chuckled.

  “Should have known it was them.” Hank said, shaking his head.

  “Hold on a minute. I’m gonna run over there and see if those guys have any ammo.” Clay said, jogging across the street. The men were full of holes and blood oozed from their lifeless bodies. Clay spotted several AR-15’s and began moving bodies around and grabbing the full mags from their vests. He rolled a body to the side and suddenly a large pistol was pressed against the side of his head.

  “Got you motherfucker!” The enemy soldier said, with a blood stained smile.

  “Easy now. Don’t do anything stupid. You can still get out of this alive.” Clay said in a steady voice.

  “Shut your ass up!” The soldier snapped. Clay did as he was told. The soldier slowly sat up, rolling a body off of his legs. Clay noticed blood leaking from the man's stomach but before he could say anything to the desperate man a shot rang out. The man's head jerked and his brains exploded out the side of his head. Ashley lowered her rifle and shouted down to Clay.

  “Are you alright babe?” Clay didn’t move or say a word. He was stunned that his wife had just fired a bullet close enough to his head that he heard it whizz past.

  That was a hell of a shot! Clay said to himself as he took the large pistol from the dead man's grasp. The pistol was a large stainless steel Desert Eagle. Clay turned the gun over in his hand looking at it.

  “Oh yeah! I’m definitely taking this bad boy!” Clay said. He searched the man’s pack and found several hundred rounds for the pistol and four spare magazines. The man had a holster for the large handgun mounted on his plate carrier and Clay grabbed that too. He put the holster on his side under his left arm and shoved the pistol in it. He emptied one of the men’s packs out on the ground and started shoving boxes of ammo and full mags into it. When he finished he stood and jogged back across the street to Hank. They made their way to the roof with their wives so they could get a good perspective on their surroundings. They spotted a large group of hostiles coming down the road in the distance. It looked to be the rest of the soldiers in the base but they couldn’t be sure.

  “Hey there’s Dub and Jim.” Karen said from the opposite side of the roof. Clay and Hank followed Ashley over to her and spotted the men and their group. Clay keyed his mic,

  “Dub, Jim, you copy?”

  “Roger that. Go for Dub.”

  “We have a large group of hostiles headed our way. We’re on the roof directly ahead of you.” Clay said waving his arm for Dub to see.

  “I see ya. We’ll be right there.” Dub replied. Clay turned back to the approaching hostiles and watched as the Blackhawks continued to swoop down and fire on pockets of hostiles around the area. An RPG aimed at one of the choppers struck causing the Blackhawk to spin uncontrollably back toward the enemy. The pilot tried to pull the chopper out of the spin but it was too late. It slammed into the side of a gas station and exploded. The group of hostiles that was on the road, quickly ducked and covered their heads, shielding themselves from the flying debris. Clay chuckled as he watched the scene unfold.

  “I bet that puckered up their buttholes!” Clay said causing Hank to start laughing. They watched as the chopper burned next to the gas pumps, then all of the sudden a blinding white light lit up the entire area followed by a deep rumbling roar as the underground fuel tanks exploded. A massive fireball shot up into the sky and the force of the blast leveled everything around it, including the group of hostiles. Clay, Hank, Karen, and Ashley all stood there staring at the small mushroom cloud. They were shocked into silence from the sheer destruction of the explosion. When they finally looked away from the devastating scene they noticed Jim and Dub standing next to them with the same shocked look on their faces.

  “Disregard my last. Hostiles have been neutralized.” Clay said as he looked over at Dub.

  “I would say so.” Dub replied with a nod.

  “So where have you guys been?” Clay asked.

  “We were pinned down over by the gate, but we eventually took care of it. Lost one of my best men in the process.” Jim said. Clay's head dropped, remembering the brother he had lost.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. We won't that let his sacrifice be for nothing.” Clay replied softly.

  “Dub actually captured the last two that we didn’t kill in the firefight. I tied them up and questioned them before I let Tanner execute the bastards.” Jim said.

  “They have anything good to say?” Hank asked.

  “Well they did tell us that there were quite a few of these bases around here and more being set up everyday across the country.” Jim explained.

  “Looks like we’re going to be doing a lot more fighting if that’s the case.” Ashley chimed in from behind the four men.

  “Can we get out of here now?” Karen asked. They all looked at Jim waiting for his response.

  “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say we’re done here. I’ll have a team go ahead of us to make sure we don’t have any more hostiles waiting on us on the way out. We can come back later and check the rest of the base. Tanner get on the horn and make sure all of our people know we’re getting out of here and to meet us at the front gate.” Jim said. They all left the rooftop and headed for the entrance behind Jim’s team.

&n
bsp; “What about all the women and kids that were living here?” Ashley asked when they got down to the street. Jim shrugged,

  “I didn’t see any women or kids anywhere around here. They must have moved them out of here before the fighting started.” Ashley considered this for a few seconds, and then decided that she had her own family to worry about and let it go. A few minutes later they were all at the gate getting into the trucks and other vehicles. Jim looked back to make sure no one was left behind and quietly said to himself,

  “Now let’s go eat some damn food."

  Chapter 26

  Dub had fired up the grill with venison and elk steaks he had from all the hunting trips he and his 2 sons went on every year. The savory smell of meat wafted through the air making everyone at the airport salivate.

  "Damn it boy, that smells fantastic!" Jim said with a huge grin on his face.

  "You're not wrong!" Dub said returning the smile. Music started playing in the distance and people began dancing and singing along to the familiar sound of Sweet Home Alabama. Emma stood on Clay's feet laughing as he moved from side to side to the beat of the song. Ashley and Karen stood off to the side with Hank and Toby, watching and laughing at Clay's horrible dance moves.

  "Come and get it!" Dub’s voice rang out over the music and laughter. A picnic table piled high with meat and different side dishes was now the center of attention. People fell in line to make a plate and the tables scattered around the small park began filling up with groups of people as they sat down to eat. Clay and Hank stood up on their table and shouted to get everyone's attention before they started eating.

  "Good evening everyone. For those of you that don't know us, my name is Clay and this is my brother Hank. We would just like to take a minute to thank Dub Stanton and Jim Andrews for everything they have done." Clay stated amid murmurs of agreement.

  "Those two are a big part of the reason we're able to sit here and enjoy this hot meal. They have helped our family more times than we can count, and they were the ones to set the plans in motion to get rid of the tyrants that were right at our back doors." Hank explained.

  "I would also like to thank each and every one of you for putting your lives on the line today. We can't thank you enough. We could never repay the debt that we owe all of you, but we will join you. We will fight this war side by side with you. You've gained a brother in me and I know you've gained one in Hank as well.

  I will lay my life down for any one of you, just as you were willing to do for me and…" Clay trailed off, as his gaze turned toward the road. A large convoy of military vehicles led by a black Escalade with dark tinted windows rapidly approached. All eyes turned toward the approaching vehicles. Soldiers scrambled for their weapons and prepared for the uninvited guests. The convoy stopped at the edge of the runway and soldiers piled out of every vehicle, quickly surrounding the group of people.

  A moment later a tall, silver-haired man stepped out of the Escalade. He dusted the shoulder of his expensive-looking black suit off and straightened his red silk tie before walking toward the group of people. A few soldiers stepped aside forming an opening for him to pass through and quickly stepped back into place. He walked into the center and stopped, looking over the group of soldiers and civilians who had been enjoying their feast moments before.

  "It seems I have interrupted your little shindig," The man spoke loudly in a deep southern accent, "you all, however, have been an ever-growing thorn in my side and quite frankly, my patience is wearing thin."

  Jim stepped forward addressing the man, "you got a lot of nerve showing up here President Sharp." he spat and he cast his unrelenting gaze on the leader of the free world.

  "Well, I sure can't sit back while you run around blowin’ up my bases and killin’ my men now can I?" Sharp replied.

  "Someone’s gotta clean up this mess you made and protect the people!" Jim growled.

  “Well, that someone is obviously me,” Sharp stated, pulling a small black pistol from his waist, and firing a round into Jim's face. The 9mm hollow point round tore through Jim’s cheekbone and exploded out of the back of his head, showering the group gathered behind him in a spray of bone and brain matter. All of Jim’s soldiers panicked and fired on the President. Three rounds caught Sharp in the chest, knocking him to the ground. A firefight soon broke out inside the airport, but was quickly squashed when a squadron of Apaches circled the airport and started mowing down anyone aiming a weapon toward the President’s convoy. Clay and Hank stood in front of their wives, shielding them from any stray rounds that might come their way.

  It was over. They were out-gunned and out-matched. They both laid their weapons down and raised their hands.

  “At least someone killed that cocksucker Sharp,” Clay whispered to Hank.

  “This was a four hundred dollar silk shirt you son of a bitch!” Sharp shouted. He then took off his blazer, removed his cufflinks, and tore the shirt off revealing a black plate carrier.

  “Steven, bring that bastard that shot me over here right damn now!” he growled. Clay watched as Steve walked over to Dub and grabbed him by his neck. Dub knocked Steve’s arm away and punched him directly in the throat, collapsing his trachea.

  “Take that you fucking traitor!” Dub shouted, before raising his hands and striding over to Sharp. Sharp stared at Dub for a long minute before speaking a single word.

  “You know I like you, Mr. Stanton. You seem to be a lot like me and that I do admire.”

  Dub spat on the ground at the president's feet,

  "Save yer panderin you fucking tyrant! You won’t be gettin’ my vote and you damn sure ain’t my president!”

  “As I said Mr. Stanton, I do like you, so I’ll let your little outburst go this time. Now I’d advise you to take your mean old ass back over there with your friends before I change my mind.” Sharp said. Dub's face turned beet red, but he didn’t say another word just in case the crazy man before him decided to kill someone else. The President turned to face the group of onlookers and flashed a pearly white smile before addressing them

  "Now, I don't want to harm any of you fine people. That's not why I'm here. I certainly didn’t come all the way down here to have a firefight, that's not what I want.”

  Hank took a few steps forward.

  "What exactly do you want?" he asked.

  Sharp looked him up and down before replying.

  "Simple, dear boy. Retribution." He paused a moment, in a clear attempt at dramatic effect before continuing.

  "Somebody has been going around killing my men and taking over my camps, costing me a lot of money and giving me quite the headache, and that somebody is going to have to pay for all the trouble they've caused. So, Go on and point me in the direction of those bad men and then you all can get back to your little party." He said as he clapped his hands together.

  "Why would we tell you that?" Hank asked.

  "I thought you might have such an inquiry.” President Sharp answered quickly waving his hand toward the men behind him. Hank watched as two soldiers broke the circle and walked through the crowd towards them. The first man stopped just in front of Clay, pushing his gun aside and taking Emma by the hand and leading her back to Sharp. The second soldier did the same with Toby, as Clay and Hank stood there helplessly watching their children being taken. If there weren’t so many lives on the line at this very moment Clay and Hank would have never allowed the two men to just take their kids, but they had to think about everyone's lives now, not just theirs and their families.

  Emma started to cry which turned Clay into a raging lunatic. The two men returned to the President's side each holding a sobbing child.

  "Get your fucking hands off of her you son of a bitch," Clay shouted as he lunged forward. Jeff and Randy barely managed to grab and contain a now fuming Clay, who continued his attempt to move forward cursing his daughter's captors.

  "Let them go, they don't have anything to do with this," Hank demanded, trying to remain calm.

 
"Oh, I do agree. I won't harm a single hair on their pretty little heads, but you will tell me what I need to know." The President stared at Hank for a moment before throwing his hands up,

  "Very well. Kill the boy, if that don't get him talking, kill the girl as we-"

  "Me!" Hank said, quickly interrupting.

  "It's me, just me! Let them go and do what you need to do."

  "Put him in the truck, we're gonna have a little talk." the President ordered his men.

  "Let me go! I killed your men too, just like I'm gonna kill you!" Clay screamed, breaking away from Jeff and Randy, and rushing toward Sharp. Two soldiers intercepted Clay each holding him by an arm.

  "Throw him in there too, we might have some use for him." he ordered as soldiers gathered around the brothers and herded them toward the black SUV. Ashley watched in horror as they dragged her husband away. She lost it when one of the soldiers punched Clay in the gut to make him stop struggling.

  “Don’t you fucking touch him!” Ashley shouted as she sprinted toward Clay’s captors. She was stopped well before she made it to them. Ashley started kicking and screaming at the man as he wrapped his arms around her and held her in place. The President chuckled,

  “Well, now she’s a feisty one. I think we’ll take her as well. Leave the children. We're done here." President Sharp said, then turned toward the rest of the group,

  Ashley turned to see Karen clutching both children tightly against her. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to hold the distraught kids.

  "Mommy!" Emma screamed through tears, fighting to get away from Karen's grasp. A lump formed in Ashley's throat and her and her heart dropped seeing her beautiful daughter in such distress. Her eyes moved from Emma and met Karen's

  "Take care of my baby!" she screamed as the soldier dragged her toward the truck her husband had just been shoved into.

  "I thank you all for your hospitality, but I'm afraid I must be on my way. I do hope you all enjoy your meal. Good day." He flashed a toothy smile once again before turning and walking toward the Escalade. A soldier opened the door and President Sharp climbed in. An hour later, the convoy pulled up to Fort Alvis. President Sharp stepped out and motioned for his men to retrieve his passengers. Clay, Hank, and Ashley were taken out of the truck and pushed forward to follow Sharp.

 

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