The Reckoning Series Box Set

by Lee West

  “I’d imagine that’s why he gave it to us,” said Joe as he flipped on the radio.

  The noise of the truck obscured the sound of the radio, necessitating Joe to increase the volume to the loudest level. Chatter between various lookout posts and base ensued.

  “Why would they be talking so much? Won’t the Chinese be able to hear them?” asked Mike.

  “Not necessarily. They can scramble the messages to hide what they’re saying. Some of what we hear might be misinformation designed to trick the enemy into thinking they’re doing something different than what is actually happening.”

  “Clever. I always wondered how our troops could communicate in the open.”

  The men sat quietly as the truck drove them back to the mountain where Joe’s brother died. Preoccupation with saving their friends had taken most of Joe’s energy for the past several days. Now that he had a quiet moment, the grief over Jeff’s death hit hard.

  “We should be getting close soon. What do you think?” asked Mike.

  Joe shook off the heavy negative feelings and peered out the back of the truck. The mountains loomed in front of them.

  “You’re right. We’re getting close. Soon we’ll be shifting onto the mountain road. According to the map, we’ll travel right past the university to get to base. That’s assuming the FOB Mountainside is located at Brett and Nancy’s house. In either case, I think we should jump off the truck well before we get near the university.”

  “I agree. We’d be better off entering campus from the south side. From there we could probably get into the tunnels without detection,” said Mike.

  Ed had concentrated their watch standers to the north and east side. This enabled them to see anyone who entered the campus through its main gates. The south side of the campus abutted the forest, where no people entered the campus.

  “Alright. Get ready to jump. We’ll need to make sure once the truck turns onto the main mountainside road that we’re ready to go.”

  Joe secured the pack Riley gave him onto his back as best as possible. Whoever drove the truck barely slowed down when making the sharp turn into the mountains. Nerves over the mission must have influenced the driver’s abilities. If the truck took the route Joe and Mike predicted as the only avenue to getting to Brett and Nancy’s house, then the mission would be extremely dangerous. The truck would have to pass the university’s Chinese stronghold.

  Mike stood next to Joe at the back of the truck. They each held a side of the flap open as they traveled closer to their jumping-off point.

  “Let’s get as close to the campus as possible. I don’t want to have to pick our way through the dark forest for too long,” said Joe.

  Mike nodded in agreement. The man’s face looked knotted in a tight grimace of stress, making Joe even more worried.

  “We’re almost there, just a few more minutes. When I give the signal—jump!” said Joe excitedly.

  The truck rumbled past the turnoff to the Better Way survivalist camp. Joe searched the tree line for any indication of what had happened to the camp. A large plume of thick acrid-smelling smoke rose from the area where the camp would have been.

  “Sorry, man,” said Mike, reading his mind.

  Joe needed to stay focused. He could grieve later when he returned safely to Meg.

  “Okay. This is it! Three, two, one—JUMP!” yelled Joe.

  The men jumped off the back of the truck at nearly the same moment. Joe hit the ground hard. He attempted to roll in order to break his fall, but the force of the impact prevented him from tucking into a protective roll. His shoulder bore the brunt of the impact. A searing jolt of pain ran through his arm, causing him to scream out loud.

  “You okay?” asked Mike from a few dozen feet away.

  “I’ve been better, but I’ll live. You?”

  “I’m good. Let’s get out of the road. For all we know, they’re watching us,” said Mike.

  The men quickly moved off the road into the forest. The mountainside provided all the navigational information Joe needed at the moment. If they kept the slope of the mountain to their left side, they would eventually make it to the campus.

  “You want to flip on the flashlight for a second? I can barely see anything,” said Mike.

  Joe grabbed the flashlight from the pack. Just when he opened the bag, a series of loud popping and hissing sounds echoed throughout the forest. The supply truck veered left and right wildly, like it had hit a spike strip, as the driver sought to regain control of the speeding vehicle. The driver finally overcorrected, causing the truck to careen toward the side of the road, where it hit a rocky outcropping at full speed. The truck instantly flipped onto its side and slid down the road. Sparks flew out from under the truck, igniting its canvas cover and engulfing the truck in a fireball.

  “Holy shit!” said Mike.

  After skidding longer than Joe thought possible, the fiery truck came to a stop on the side of the road.

  “We need to help the driver!” said Joe, getting up.

  Before Mike could say anything, several soldiers ran out of the trees toward the truck. One of the men moved quickly to the wrecked driver’s side door. He lifted his gun and without hesitation shot three times into the truck, killing the driver. Joe grabbed the night-vision scope and surveyed the scene, confirming what he already guessed. Chinese soldiers in full combat gear quickly inspected the burning cargo before disappearing into the trees.

  “We need to go,” whispered Joe. “Chinese soldiers.”

  Joe led them quietly and cautiously into the dense forest, headed in the general direction of the university. Getting in and out of campus without detection would be paramount to not ending up like the truck driver. A short walk later, the dark shapes of several university buildings came into focus through the trees, prompting Joe to slow down.

  “Hold up! Let’s regroup before we go charging onto the campus. For all we know, they’ve posted more guards,” said Joe.

  Mike slowed and then stopped. “Fine by me. I haven’t run so hard in years! I could use a few minutes,” said Mike as he panted, taking deep gulps of air.

  After catching his breath, Joe used the night-vision scope again to scan the university. “Let’s pick our way toward that building right there,” he said, pointing toward one of the closer structures. “If I recall correctly, that should be the chemistry building. There’s a tunnel entrance over there.”

  “You sure? I never walked over there,” said Mike.

  “I’m positive. Meg and I went exploring one day in search of some alone time. We walked all over the tunnels and the forest,” said Joe a little sheepishly.

  He hated nearly admitting to Mike that they’d sought a place to fool around, and felt grateful that Mike did not ask a follow-up question.

  “Okay. I’ll follow you,” said Mike.

  Joe searched the university grounds with the scope, trying to spot any hidden sentries. “Looks clear. Ready?”

  After Mike responded, he took a few more breaths to regain control of his breathing—before sprinting toward the university. He slammed into the side of the stone building and waited for Mike. A few seconds later, Mike joined him. They pressed their bodies up against the cold façade and waited. Joe listened intently for any sounds that might indicate they had been spotted.

  “I don’t hear anything. I think we’re good. You good?” he said to Mike.

  “Good as I’ll ever be.”

  They turned the corner and entered the building.

  “Stay alert. We have no idea what’s on the other side of the tunnel door,” said Joe.

  Joe flipped on the flashlight as they descended the pitch-dark stairwell into the basement. All of the signs to the tunnels had been previously removed in order to hide the entrances.

  “Sure you know where to go?” asked Mike in a whisper.

  “I’m sure. The door is just a few feet from the bottom of the stairs.”

  It took them only seconds to arrive at the entrance to t
he tunnels. Joe grabbed the handle and slowly opened the door.

  — 39 —

  Mike followed Joe into the tunnels, thankful that his friend knew how to find an entrance. The tunnel seemed as deserted as usual. Most residents of the tunnels never ventured through this side of the subterranean world. Once inside, Joe turned to him.

  “I’m going to use the night-vision scope now,” said Joe. “Put a hand on my shoulder and follow. I don’t expect to run into anyone yet, but if we do, I want to have some warning.”

  “Good idea. Lead the way,” said Mike, glad Joe had thought of that.

  They navigated the darkness until Joe stopped them before they emerged into the common area. They needed to determine who sat on the communal couches before going in.

  “How are we going to find Frank?” asked Mike.

  “I don’t know. Part of me really hopes he’s just sitting here on one of the couches. As stupid as that sounds.”

  “We need a better plan.”

  A young woman, likely a student, walked into the common area. Joe did not recognize her.

  “Do you know her?” he asked Mike.

  “No. I don’t think she was here when we were. I recall Ed saying people come to the campus all the time. Maybe she’s new?”

  “Could be. Either way, we can’t trust her. I have an idea. Stay here,” said Joe before walking toward the woman.

  “Hey—have you seen Frank?” he said to her as he approached.

  “Frank? Umm, I have no idea. Could be upstairs. Beats me,” she said, barely looking at him.

  As he turned to go back to Mike, he heard an unmistakable loud snort. Frank was the only person he knew who could snore like that. He quickly spun around and headed toward the noise. Frank lay on a thin mattress on the floor of the east tunnel entrance.

  “Frank! Frank!” whispered Joe as he nudged his friend.

  “What? What is it?” said Frank, startled.

  “It’s me, Joe. I need you to come with me. Right now! Be quiet and get up! We need to move.”

  The look of confusion on Frank’s face turned to understanding. He got up quickly and followed Joe back through the common area toward the south tunnel.

  “Frank! Geez! You’re a sight for sore eyes,” said Mike, greeting his friend.

  The men walked deeper into the south tunnel, away from anyone who might enter the common area.

  Turning to Frank, Joe said, “We need to get you and the others out of here. Brett and Nancy are completely wrong. Our government didn’t attack, the Chinese did. They’re too hopped up on a mind-altering drug to know it,” said Joe.

  “Shit! The Chinese! I knew something was off! Too many of them have been arriving for them to all be students,” said Frank.

  “They’re using the university as their stronghold. Our troops are attacking tonight. If we don’t get out of here, we’ll all die,” said Mike.

  “We can’t be seen. They’ll ask too many questions. Besides, we have these,” said Joe, taking out his flashlight.

  He cupped the light to contain its illumination before shining it on Mike’s forearm—exposing a shiny ink pattern.

  “Larry had the same one. What is it?” asked Frank.

  “It marks us as friendlies. Larry would have known that,” said Mike.

  “It appears Larry knew a lot of things he never told us,” said Frank. “I’ll get Brett, Nancy and Marvin to the entrance of this tunnel. Give me a few minutes. We’ll meet you there.”

  “Meet us in the woods, just as the trees start to get thick. I don’t want to wait around in the open,” said Joe.

  “Okay. I’ll be back.” Frank took off back to the common area.

  “You think he’ll be able to do it?” asked Mike.

  “I don’t know. Let’s get out of here. If the plan fails, we’ll be ready to bolt,” said Joe.

  — 40 —

  Joe watched the group walk slowly from the south tunnel toward the forest. Somehow Frank had convinced the three professors to leave the safety of the tunnels. He debated when to show himself, not wanting to spook them. They were already suspicious enough from Wondra. It might not take much to trigger a full-blown paranoia attack and send them running back for the tunnels. He’d wait until they reached the forest and then say that they had been lurking in the woods, looking for an opportunity to rejoin them on campus. They were already in earshot, so it wouldn’t be much longer.

  “I think we should stay inside. You heard what they said. The troops are closing in on us! I don’t want to be anywhere near the outside. We should be hiding!” said Marvin.

  Before Frank could respond, a string of red tracers shrieked through the campus, ricocheting off a nearby building and scattering. Green tracers answered from several high windows, showering the direction of the original gunfire.

  “Move! We need to go faster!” Frank shouted at them.

  “What’s happening?” shouted Brett.

  “The government’s coming!” said Frank. “Ed needs us in the forest observation post to report enemy positions. We need to get there immediately.”

  Nancy started to protest, but she was interrupted by what looked like a full-scale attack on the university. Red and green tracers zipped past them, followed by several large explosions that rippled through the campus. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of helicopter rotors joined the fray. Joe decided to use the chaos to their advantage. He burst out of the trees and waved toward his friends.

  “This way! Come on! Hurry!” he yelled. “The army is going to flatten this place!”

  “Joe? How did you get here?” asked Nancy as she ran toward him.

  “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later! Come on!” said Joe.

  They ran through the dark forest as quickly as Marvin’s slow pace would allow. Joe had no idea how they would get back to base, because his plan had only focused on getting his friends out of the university before the military destroyed it. They ran onto the main road, heading away from the large-scale military operation erupting behind them. Suddenly a heavy-duty truck raced in their direction.

  “Get off the road! We need to hide from these government assassins!” yelled Brett.

  Joe knew arguing with the drugged would not do any good, so he took a different approach. He pretended to trip and fall flat on his face, forcing the others to trip over him or veer around him as they caught up to him in the darkness.

  The delay worked as he had hoped. The others bunched up onto him. Their delay allowed the truck to catch up to their location. Joe jumped up off the ground and displayed his arm patch to the oncoming vehicle.

  “What the hell? You’re one of them now?” screamed Nancy.

  Soldiers swarmed them. They shoved Mike and Joe aside and grabbed the others. The men quickly zip-tied Brett, Nancy and Marvin, then threw them into the back of the truck. None of the soldiers touched Joe or Mike.

  “You guys going back to base?” asked Joe.

  “Sure are. Our unit is pulling back. The Reds have the road blocked. You guys are lucky we spotted you!” said one of the young soldiers.

  — 41 —

  Several months later, Joe and Meg remained at Mike and Sharon’s house, hesitant to leave the people they had come to view as family. After they’d managed to rescue Frank and the others from the university, a joint U.S. military task force hit the mountainside area hard. Any stronghold the Chinese had established at the university quickly evaporated under the United States’ superior fighting power and military skills.

  With the Chinese headquarters destroyed and local commanders scattered, the U.S. task force pushed the remaining Chinese forces out of the area, establishing a new front line on the other side of the mountains and putting the Chinese on the defensive.

  It took about a month of intense drug intervention and detox for Brett, Nancy and Marvin to finally test clean of Wondra. Joe and Meg decided to wait on base for them while Mike and Frank hitched a ride with a military unit back to Mike’s house. Once the l
ab tests cleared them of the drug and they passed a series of psychological tests, Joe and Meg brought them to Mike and Sharon’s house. The idea had been to meet Mike’s family and then leave for the city. However, no one seemed to want to separate. Despite the strange circumstances that had united them, they had grown into a family.

  “Are you sleepyheads awake? If you want pancakes, you’d better hurry!” said Sharon.

  “Be right there!” said Meg groggily.

  Joe rolled over and kissed her tenderly. Leaving her to rescue the others had been one of the hardest things he ever had to do.

  “Sharon’s pancakes are the best I think I’ve ever had. So I’m not waiting for you. I love you, but pancakes are pancakes,” said Joe as he slipped out of bed.

  “I’ll be there in a minute. Save me some?”

  “Can’t guarantee anything,” he said with a wink.

  Even though they didn’t have a large house, Mike and Sharon managed to accommodate everyone. Now that Sharon and the kids had returned home, the house felt filled with love. Joe fully understood why Mike desperately wanted to find his family and restore his home life.

  “Hey, little man! You eat all my pancakes?” said Joe to Mike’s son, Pete.

  “No. Daddy did,” said the boy seriously.

  “Nice. I thought we had an understanding, Pete? You were supposed to back me up!” said Mike with a laugh.

  Nancy came into the room, holding their government-issued shortwave radio. “It’s almost time for the announcement!” she said excitedly.

  The U.S. troops with the help of the civilian-led Home Army managed to hold the East Coast, thwarting the Red Tide, as many now called the Chinese invasion. Citizens had been given shortwave radios when they left the intake facilities. The communications department of the U.S. Army issued regular statements regarding the war effort at set times throughout the day. News of the outside world brought everyone together.

  “Okay, here we go!” said Nancy.

  She fiddled with the dial, setting it to the maximum volume so everyone could hear.

  “This is a broadcast of the United States Army. The East Coast continues to be held by U.S. forces. Repeat. The East Coast continues to be held by U.S. forces. The U.S. and Canada have pushed the Chinese out of the Pacific Northwest, securing the following states: Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming!”