Lights Out (Book 2): Power Trip

by James, Hayden

  Another truck pulled up alongside John and Demi who led the pack. These trucks were different than the first as they were an oxidized blue. Vintage Ford trucks, but pale blue. The second almost white. The passenger stuck his head out the window and asked, “Guys want a ride?”

  Demi spoke up, guilt-ridden with Sophie’s condition, and said, “Sure! We are headed to Idaho State University.”

  “That’s on our way,” said the passenger of the first truck. “We’ll pull over had help you guys get everything in.” Relieved that they would have a ride to campus, Demi’s heart fluttered.

  The truck pulled over and the drivers and passengers of both trucks helped the first group get their bikes and supplies in the beds of the truck. Chris took Rufus out of his trailer and he sat in the truck bed. Once the second group reached the trucks, they helped Sophie, Helene, and Jack with his kids get in the second truck.

  The truck sped down the highway in the direction of Pocatello, and toward Idaho State University.

  “Idaho State is the next exit,” announced Demi to Chris, Mike, and John. However, her heart sank into her stomach as she did not feel the truck decelerate to exit the highway. She then said, “The following exit works too.”

  The truck sped passed the following exit, and panic came over Demi. She looked at John with her eyes wide open. John looked at her and calmly stated, “This is not good.”

  The trucks kept moving, passing Pocatello at a rapid speed. From the truck behind, Helene yelled, “John! What is going on?”

  “Stay calm, honey. We’ll figure this out when they stop,” shouted John toward the other truck. John turned to Mike and Chris and said, “When these two trucks stop, we must get control.” The two men nodded in agreement.

  Around an hour passed, and Demi attempted to remember every road sign and identifiable piece of landscape, repeating it in her mind. If she were going to head back and get to her sister, she needed to know which way to go. The truck pulled off of the highway as it headed east on Ross Fork Road, from the I-15. After several miles, the truck pulled off onto a dirt road and went several more miles.

  The truck reached a camp, that had a gate with barbed wire crowning the top of it. As the truck approached the gate, two men opened the gate, allowing the trucks in. Demi’s heart pounded as she was not certain what awaited her and the group inside the confines of the fence.

  The truck pulled up and came to a stop, the other truck pulling up next to them. Helene, Sophie, and Jack all had looks of despair on their faces. Jack held both of his kids under his arms, protecting them.

  The driver and passenger of each truck opened the tailgate, where guns were drawn and pointed at the group. Other men came and helped corral the group members, ensuring none would escape. “Get out!” barked the driver of Demi’s truck. Rufus stayed in the truck bed, not leaving while the others all exited the vehicle. “Keep your hands up, above your heads,” hissed the passenger who charmed Demi into taking the ride.

  Everyone complied. Mike and Chris were not able to do their ambush that they had planned as a man pointed a rifle at the trucks from his position on the brick tower that stood in the middle of the fenced makeshift camp.

  The camp appeared to be intricately planned, as there were barracks where the men slept, deep holes where drums of water were in the process of being placed into the ground. Looking over a few meters away, women worked on the garden beds, weeding them.

  “Where are we?” Demi asked as she held up her hands while the driver kept his gun on her and the passenger took everyone’s weapons off of them.

  “Well, uh, we don’t have a name for this yet,” mused the driver as the passenger found Demi’s firearm and placed it in a crate with the others.

  “Ok,” responded Demi. “Than what do you plan to do with us?”

  “Nosey little witch, aren’t you,” sneered the driver fo the truck. “See all these women over there?”

  Demi had seen them as she noted they were working on the garden beds. “Yes,” she answered without looking, keeping her eyes on the driver.

  “Those are our slaves. We’ve been rounding them up as we come across them. Sure makes our lives easier,” answered the driver. He pointed to the dug holes for the water tanks, “And those over there are our slaves as well. We use men for digging and building stuff. Women for gardening, cooking, and well, other things,” said the driver, his cheeks turning flush as he mentioned the other things that the women did.

  After the passengers of each of the trucks removed the firearms from each of the members of the group, a man came over to them. The group stood in a line, their hands still raised. Demi’s hands grew numb from being raised for so long, but she had no choice but to keep them up.

  “What do we have here?” a man with a black beard, wavy black hair, and green cargo pants and a green camouflage shirt came over to the group. The man also had on a bandolier which was a belt around his shoulders, which had pockets to hold a row of ammunition across his chest. He held an automatic rifle is hand.

  “Sir, we have new slaves, sir!” the driver of Demi’s vehicle answered.

  The man analyzed his new acquisition, looking each one up and down. He stopped when he got to Chris. “This one looks strong. We’ll use him for digging. We are starting a well tomorrow. He’s perfect for that.”

  The man moved down the line. When he got to Demi, he looked her up and down. “And this one will be perfect for tonight. She’s young and pretty.”

  The man kept moving until he reached the end of the line. “Split them up. Girls garden. Men dig,” ordered the man. As he walked off he said, “Oh, and kill the kids.”

  Chapter Nine

  Mike Cromwell

  “You heard our leader, kill the kids,” one of the truck’s drivers said to the other. The other driver approached Mike who held Lily. Helene had passed her off to Mike while they stood in the line.

  As the driver attempted to pull Lily from Mike’s arms, Mike fought back the best he could while trying to protect his niece. Mike grabbed the man by the face and with his outstretched hand, did his best to fight him off.

  Guns pointed at the other members of the group, so they did not join in Mike’s fight. The man kept at Mike, trying to get Lily from his arms, scratching and swinging at Mike’s arm.

  John must have seen that the others who held their guns pointed at the group grew distracted as the fight between Mike and the other man went on because John rushed the leader as he walked off. John tackled the leader from behind, fighting him on the ground.

  After the two grappled on the ground, John wrestled the leader’s rifle away from him. John then bludgeoned the camp’s leader with the heel of the rifle before he steadied his hand to shoot the man who sought to take Lily from Mike.

  “John!” Helene shouted, panic radiated through her voice. Mike did the best he could to fight off the man, but his arm grew tired. As Mike’s arm went weak and the man closed in on Lily, grabbing the baby from Mike’s arms, John shot the man square in the temple.

  The skull exploded on the other side of the head as the bullet exited the man’s cranium, but Lily was not harmed. As that occurred, Chris wrestled the man who held the others’ guns in the crate. Punching him directly on the nose, the man who held their firearms fell back, releasing the weapons.

  Chris handed Demi a gun who shot one of the passengers in the trucks in the back. The man never saw what was coming as he held a gun to Sophie, Jack, and Helene.

  Jack shielded his kids, keeping them close. As Jack attempted to get his kids into one of the trucks they rode in, he fell to the ground. “Jack!” Mike shouted, witnessing that he had been hit. Mike dashed over to the kids, still with Lily in his arms. He ushered Jack’s blonde kids into the cab of the truck and laid Lily on the floor of the vehicle.

  Other members of the camp, flood in from all areas. The one in the crow’s nest had shot Jack. He kept shooting at the others as the men swarmed the others of the group. Mike got Jack up from the gr
ound and walked him to the bed of the truck, where he laid there, bleeding heavily. Red blood came out of his upper arm, drenching his clothes.

  Mike dashed back to the group, where chaos ensued. Men pulled his mother’s hair, Demi kicked and punched her way through the crowd, and Chris sought to protect her. As Mike returned to assist, Chris tossed him his handgun. “Thanks,” he answered as he charged toward where his mother and sister were.

  Finding Sophie amongst the crowd, a man holding a pistol to her temple, his arm around her neck. The man said, “Stop the attack, and the girl lives.”

  Mike took a moment to quiet his body, as his sister needed him to rise above his fear of guns and killing people and to save her. He aimed the pistol at the man’s head. However, as he did so, he instinctively thought about the horror he’d feel if he accidentally shot Sophie instead. No, no. He couldn’t think like that. He zeroed in once again, right between the eyes of the man who held Sophie. Before doubt could reenter his mind, he pulled the trigger.

  Bang. The man who held Sophie fell back with a force, releasing his younger sister. Sophie ran to Mike, burying her face in Mike’s chest. He whispered, “Go to the truck. The kids are there. Wait for the rest of us. Jack is recovering in the truck bed.” With a nod and tears streaming down her face, Sophie fought her way through the crowd, toward the pale blue trucks.

  Now, Mike had to get Chris, Demi, his mom, and dad safely to the truck. He looked around and found that his mom was in between Chris and Demi as Demi shot the few men who came toward her. “Demi! Head to the truck! The key’s inside!” Demi nodded after making eye contact with Mike.

  “Get your dad!” Demi shouted at Mike. Mike nodded and looked where he last saw his father. He remembered he stood next to the leader who he knocked out cold with the butt of the rifle.

  The crowd of people thinned as Demi and Chris either shot them and they were dead or tending to their wounds. Thankfully, she was a good shot. Amid the slain campers, Mike searched for his dad.

  Worry fell over him as he didn’t see where his dad had gone. More gunfire came from the crow’s nest and Mike did his best to dodge the bullets, hiding behind a pile of bricks.

  In between gunfire, Mike surveyed the camp. Bodies upon bodies piled where the group once stood. In the middle of them, he saw the blue shirt his dad had been wearing. Oh no!

  Mike made his way to the pile of bodies where the leader laid. Laying right next to the leader, laid his dad. Shots pelted the surrounding bodies as Mike tried to make certain that was his dad. He pulled off one body and then the other to find his dad, John, laying on the ground. His hand over his heart.

  Mike quickly checked for breathing, by putting his ear to John’s nose. Mike did not feel any breath come out of John. Looking closer at his father, Mike saw that he did not have any gunshot wounds. From the hand that appeared to be once clenched, Mike realized that his dad suffered a heart attack during the chaos.

  Tears streamed down Mike’s cheeks as he could not believe that he lost his father. The feeling was new and he never thought his dad would die. In the distance, the engine of a truck roared. Then another started. The trucks pulled closer to the locked gate.

  Mike did not have time to mourn the death of his dad, he and the group had to escape. As the trucks face the locked gate, Demi driving one, Chris driving the other, he sprinted to the trucks.

  Mike sprinted and dove into the truck bed that Chris drove, Sophie and his mom in the passenger seat. Jack and the kids with Demi. Demi’s truck sped up, reaching an accelerated speed as it made contact with the gate, blowing through it and knocking it down. The force of the truck knocked down nearly the entire fence that enclosed this camp from Hell.

  Mike knocked on the truck cab and said, “We have to go! Follow Demi, Chris.”

  “What about your dad?” Chris asked. Braking the car to wait for John.

  “He’s dead,” answered Mike reluctantly.

  “Oh no!” Chris shouted as he accelerated. Chris’ truck followed, catching up with Demi’s truck.

  Mike was not sure his mom or Sophie heard what happened. Perhaps they thought that John was in the other truck with Demi, Jack, and the kids. At any rate, Mike did not look forward to when these vehicles stopped and Mike would have to explain what he saw.

  As the two trucks barreled back down the dirt road toward Ross Fork Road, Mike’s heart palpitated. Mike became grief-stricken with the death of his dad. Going the exact way they came, Demi pulled over before they reached the I-15. Now, Mike had to give the news of his dad’s death to his mom and sister.

  Following suit, Chris pulled up behind Demi’s truck. Demi exited the vehicle, tending to Jack who bled in the truck bed. When Chris came to a stop, his mom immediately opened the door and ran out to the other truck.

  Mike jumped out of the truck bed and ran after her. He caught up with her as she held Lily, practically in tears. “Where’s John?” Helene shouted as she cried and held Lily.

  Mike took his mother in his arms as she held his niece. “Mom, dad didn’t make it!” Mike whispered to be strong for his mom.

  Helene collapsed as Mike held her. He took Lily and sat his mom on the ground, her entire body limp. Helene did not sob, she did not cry. All she did was go limp.

  “Mom!” Mike shouted, trying to wake her out of her shock. “Say something!”

  Helene did not respond but laid on the ground in a near coma-like state. Chris heard the commotion at the side of the truck and asked, “What can I do?”

  “It’s my mom. Does Sophie know?” Mike asked.

  “Not yet,” Chris responded. “I’ll make sure your mom is all right. Go tell your sister what happened.”

  Mike nodded and headed to the other truck where his sister sat in the passenger seat. On his way over, he overheard Jack giving Demi instructions on how to patch him up from his bullet wound.

  Arriving at the truck, Mike opened the door as he held Lily. “Soph, I have some bad news.”

  “About dad?” Sophie responded, not an ounce of emotion in her voice.

  “Yeah,” answered Mike, realizing her heart had turned cold as this was too much trauma for her to take.

  “Dead?” Sophie asked.

  Mike responded, “I’m so sorry Sophie. I know he meant the world to you.” Tears flooded Mike’s eyes as it broke his heart for him to be the one to tell his sister that her hero had died after he saved her child. Especially after she lost Tom.

  “Oh,” answered Sophie as she stared off into space. Not one tear did she cry. Mike looked at her in shock before turning his attention to his mom. Chris had her head on his lap as she laid on the ground.

  For the first time, Mike knew what he was going to do. He was going to be strong for his sister and his mother and he was going to see to it that they got through this.

  Chapter Ten

  Demi Thicke

  “Oh, we made it!” Demi shouted as she pulled the pick up truck to the Idaho State University’s campus. Seeing the rolling green hills, the orange “I” on the hillside and the Bengal painted on the side of the building was more than Demi could bear. She made it, they made it, and now she could be reunited with her sister. Demi took a moment to relish the sign of victory, this event didn’t have to take everything from her. Being late morning, the group had a traumatic start to their day, but now Demi was going rescue her younger sister.

  Demi jumped out of the truck, and trailing behind Demi, Chris followed closely. He had taken a supportive role in his dealings with her and their situation since they spoke. She saw him as her rock since Mike had his attention to Sophie and he was still dealing with the death of his dad, understandably so. Jack and his two kids got out of the truck Demi drove. The group had been through a great deal, and this was the first sign that they were going to make it.

  Mike drove the other truck with Sophie, Lily, and his mother after Demi patched up Jack. Mike wanted to be with his family as they were going through a lot. Mike parked the truck right behind Demi, an
d exited gingerly as grief plagued his body.

  Demi walked to the residential side of campus, her heart racing with anticipation to see her sister again. She knew that her sister would know to wait for her. This was how they were trained by David. To have a plan to meet up at all times if a disaster ever struck.

  Demi found it hard to come to terms with everything that David taught her. Her disdain for him and her upbringing forced the way she was today, a rebellious force of nature that didn’t take anything from anyone. Yet, it was this very strict, rigid, and highly-managed upbringing that ensured that Demi was still alive today.

  Waiting for the others to exit the truck, Demi waited by a tree at the entrance of her sister’s dormitory. Slowly, the group gathered before Demi pulled open the door. “This way,” she commanded, leading the charge to rescue her sister.

  Up the four flights of stairs in the newly-renovated dorm building, the group ascended. They traveled as a group as danger was around every corner. That was something that they learned as desperation came over everyone. People ran out of resources, even those who had some preparation on hand. This disaster had lasted longer than anyone had thought. Well, anyone but Demi.

  Demi neared the top of the stairs, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. She could not wait to see her sister. She counted the dorm numbers, her sister had dorm number 423. Down the hall, just about halfway, Demi arrived at the doorstep. She knocked, not knowing what to expect, but had a funny feeling that her sister was not there. “Sis, it’s me. I came to take you up to David’s,” yelled Demi through the door. Demi tried the knob. Locked. She had a feeling that Lacey wouldn’t leave without locking her door, she was David’s daughter after all.