Blood, Sweat & Tears: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series Book 5)

by G. Michael Hopf

  Gordon made a hard left for a hundred feet to dodge an encounter with some American troops, but when he turned back to the right around a tent, he ran into two of them, literally. Thinking quickly, Gordon kicked the first one in the stomach with a front kick. The soldier flew backwards. Gordon pulled his pistol and shot the man without aiming or extending the pistol. That man dropped to the ground but wasn’t dead. Gordon stepped forward and pulled the trigger two more times, hitting the other man in the head; he then pivoted and shot the soldier on the ground. With the threat gone, Gordon continued to race towards the far western edge.

  The cold air burned in his lungs as he ran as hard as his legs would take him. With a linear focus, he headed towards a fifteen-foot chain-link fence two hundred yards ahead of him; the screams and cries for mercy pushed him harder. There was no surrender or mercy to be found, only death, and dying today was not on his agenda.

  He reached the fence and paused for a microsecond. Should he climb or cut through? Scaling the fence would skyline him. He reached back and pulled out his trusty Leatherman tool, flipped it open and clipped the links that connected a side of the fence to a pole. He pushed his back through first then squeezed his body past. After clearing the fence, he took one last look at the continuing chaos on the base. The only word that came to mind as he saw the circling helicopters and heard the roar of gunfire was massacre. He took one more look then sprinted west towards the Snake River that lay a quarter mile away.

  McCall, Idaho, Republic of Cascadia

  For the third time in twenty-four hours, loud banging at her front door made Samantha’s heart jump. She raced through the house, putting on her robe as she went.

  “Samantha, hurry up, open up, please!” Nelson yelled.

  “Hold on, wait!” she said, unlocking the deadbolts. She threw the door open and found Nelson with a panicked look on his face. “You have news, obviously?”

  Nelson pushed past her and entered the house.

  Samantha looked out to the driveway and saw two vehicles. One was Nelson’s old pickup and the second was the Humvee she used. It was running with Sanchez behind the wheel.

  “Sam, we have to evacuate you immediately, all of you, now!” Nelson barked, running down the hall. “Haley, Luke, get up. We have to go!”

  “Nelson, what’s going on? Are we under attack?” Samantha asked, following him.

  Nelson was in Haley’s room. “Sweetie, get up, get your things. We have to leave.”

  Samantha came into the bedroom and stopped Nelson as he was walking out to go get Luke. “Stop! What’s going on? Tell me!”

  “The army in Mountain Home has been taken out, completely,” he said, pushing past her again en route to Luke’s bedroom.

  She grabbed his arm and held him. “I know that already. What’s different?”

  “An hour ago they were attacked again, but this time Conner sent in ground troops. They systematically wiped everyone out."

  “What about Gordon?”

  Lowering his voice and tone, he replied, “Still nothing, we don’t know.”

  “How can that be?”

  “Sam, it’s been confusing there. It’s a train wreck of biblical proportions, and now they’ve gone in and slaughtered everyone else. They didn’t show mercy, they just gunned everyone down.”

  “Are they heading here?” Samantha asked, fear gripping her.

  “We don’t know, but we’re not taking chances. We’re getting everyone that is nonessential out of town and to the safe houses west of Lake Cascade.”

  “We have safe houses?” Samantha asked, surprised but happy to know these things were thought of.

  “Yes, now enough questions. Put together your stuff.”

  “I already have bags packed; they’re in the garage. Gordon had us put them together months ago.”

  “Where are they? I’ll have Sanchez load them up. Get the kids and meet me outside in five minutes,” Nelson said and pulled away.

  She grabbed him again and asked, “Do you think they’re coming here?”

  “I don’t know, but why wouldn’t they? Needless to say, we can’t take any chances,” Nelson replied and marched off.

  Samantha turned her attention to Haley, who shocked her by being ready with another small bag and a stuffed animal under her arm. She turned to call Luke but found him also ready. “Well, you two are fast. Let me throw some clothes on. I’ll be right back.”

  Luke watched Samantha run into her bedroom. He looked at Haley and said, “Don’t be scared.”

  “I’m not.”

  Raising his eyebrows, stunned to see her so calm, he asked, “Do you somehow know we’ll be okay?”

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m just not scared.”

  “Well, I’m a bit nervous. Come on, let’s get in the truck,” Luke said, putting his right arm over her shoulders and walked her out.

  Lake Cascade, Idaho, Republic of Cascadia

  The Humvee that brought Samantha and the kids was one of a convoy of vehicles. After receiving a call from John Steele concerning the massacre at Mountain Home, Charles passed a directive to evacuate McCall of all nonessential personnel.

  Samantha wasn’t as harsh on Charles as Gordon was, but she still lacked complete confidence in his abilities as a leader. He seemed smart and his attention to detail as it pertained to governmental policy-making was top notch, but where he failed was his ability to communicate. To Samantha, this also seemed to be an area of weakness for Gordon too, especially if he was acting hotheaded. However, where Gordon prevailed was people naturally trusted him; he gave off an air of confidence that Charles fought hard for. Deep down Charles knew this, so he would replace confidence with arrogance and cockiness, not an attractive trait for a leader. Samantha could see through him and knew he felt insecure about being in charge.

  The decision to evacuate many from McCall was sound, Samantha thought, and Gordon would have approved too. What Charles’s next step would be was what made Samantha nervous. With Gordon missing and his army gone, there was a power vacuum that no doubt Charles would exploit. She just hoped his vanity didn’t trump his practicality.

  The long convoy of vehicles pulled up to the lodge at Tamarack Resort. It was a five-story mid-rise building that had served as the resort’s main hotel and condo lodging when it was operational. The resort was billed as a four season destination resort with everything from skiing in the winter to golf in the summer. Samantha and Gordon had gone there numerous times before the lights went out and found it to be a wonderful place. Now the resort sat empty, and many of the second or vacation homes on the property were vacant. A few wandering groups had found shelter and squatted there, but soon after declaring its independence in July, Gordon, Charles and Michael Rutledge made a decision to secretly occupy the property for use as a refuge if McCall was ever threatened. Its location and access made it ideal. With limited access, it made it very defensible, and with the back side of the property backing up to tens of thousands of acres of open space, those hiding there could disappear into the wilderness if its boundaries were ever penetrated. Flanked by West Mountain to the west and Lake Cascade to the east, the resort was situated perfectly and provided the perfect location to hide out.

  The lodge would be used to locate those in government and their families while others were given access to the hundreds of single-family structures that dotted the landscape across the four-thousand-acre resort. Another reason the property was ideal was it had infrastructure like roads, wells with massive holding tanks, and an abundance of natural resources and wildlife.

  Samantha stepped out of the Humvee and looked up at the Tudor-style lodge with its white plaster and dark stained wood trim.

  Haley jumped out behind her and took her hand. “Will we be safe here, Mommy?”

  “Yes, we will,” Samantha replied.

  Luke was getting out, but Sanchez stopped him. “Just because you moved doesn’t mean your training has ended. Be ready to go at seventeen hundre
d.”

  Luke hadn’t memorized military time, so he paused to subtract the difference from twelve and seventeen. “Got it, five o’clock.”

  “Meet me in the parking garage below the lodge,” Sanchez said.

  Wanting to sound like a military man, Luke replied, “Roger that.” He got out of the Humvee and looked up at the towering lodge. “Cool.”

  Charles exited the lodge and briskly walked to the group that had gathered out front under the large porte cochere. “Welcome all, I know our hasty evacuation has some of you scared, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous myself, but please know that your government is looking out for you. Some of you may know, but many of you don’t. Our army to the east is gone; it has been destroyed by President Conner’s forces. The defeat was total. We have lost most of our fighting men and women, and sadly one of those missing is our supreme military leader, Gordon Van Zandt. The last report we received was from his second in command, John Steele, and he reports that only a couple dozen were able to flee the secondary attack.”

  A woman raised her hand. “Secondary attack?”

  “Yes, at dawn a large ground force landed and engaged what remained of our army there. The attack came as a surprise and caught our forces unprepared. The attack was a rout.”

  Gasps and unintelligible cross talk began.

  “So we could assure your safety, we decided to bring all nonessential personnel here. We don’t know if McCall will be attacked next, so we didn’t want to take a chance.”

  A man called out, “Where is the other army, I thought we had two?”

  “We do. Master Sergeant Simpson has those forces just a few days west of here. They are rushing back to provide security for the city.”

  “How long will we be here?” a person yelled out.

  “We don’t know. We will monitor the situation daily and make our determinations based upon what we can find out. So without a date set, I’d suggest you just prepare yourself to stay here for a bit.”

  “How long?” the man asked again.

  “I don’t know, but just frame your mind that it could be for a while,” Charles answered as best he could.

  The cross talk and chatter grew in volume.

  “We will operate the lodge here like a commune. We will have food prepared for you two times per day. It will be served in the restaurant located on the lobby level. We ask that you ration your water and adhere to the nighttime lighting policy.”

  “What’s that?” a woman called out.

  “No lights after dark except for candles at night, and then the drapes and curtains must be drawn.”

  Several people grumbled.

  “I know, I know, but if you look directly across the lake, there you’ll see Highway 55. We don’t know who may be coming, and we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves here. This place is our secret, and we intend on keeping it that way.”

  Many people nodded after he explained the security reason for the lighting policy.

  “Any questions?” Charles asked.

  “What time will the two meals be served?” an elderly man asked.

  “Mornings at seven and afternoons at five.”

  “Do the bathrooms work?”

  “Great question. Don’t use the bathroom unless you want the sewer to back up in your room. We have made the two bathrooms in the locker rooms on the lobby level operational. There’s toilets and showers there. Please use those only.”

  Charles looked around for other hands, but everyone seemed content. “Since there’s no further questions, please head on in. See Teagan for your room assignments.”

  Everyone slowly herded into the lodge, including Samantha and the kids.

  “Samantha, can I speak with you before you go in?” Charles asked, stopping her.

  “Sure.”

  Seeing Luke and Haley, he said coldly, “Without the kids.”

  “Ah, yeah,” she answered. “Luke, go ahead and find out our room. Wait for me in the lobby.”

  Luke nodded and took Haley inside.

  “What can I do for you?” Samantha asked.

  “First let me express my deepest—”

  Samantha raised her hand and said, “No, no, no, don’t say condolences. We’re not sure he’s dead.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, that was a bit insensitive,” Charles said.

  Samantha was suspicious if it was just insensitive or he was trying to mess with her emotions.

  “Gordon played an important part in our government. He had a following of people that knew him and trusted him.”

  “You keep referring to him in the past tense; I for one don’t believe he’s dead.”

  “I apologize, it’s not intentional. So can we count on you if or when we need you?”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I wanted you to know that we’ll take care of you and the family until his return."

  “Why, thank you, but I’ve got a good support group now. I know you must be busy with the business of governing.”

  “That’s for sure, we’re quite busy.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Actually, it’s not. My girlfriend, she’s kind of an acquaintance of yours.”

  “Yes, Joyce,” Samantha said, referring to the one woman in town she disliked more than President Conner, she would joke. They’d had a run-in months ago and never reconciled.

  Charles had met Joyce when he first came to McCall, and the two hit it off.

  Joyce’s husband, David, had abandoned them right after the lights went out, leaving her with their two boys, three and five years old. Joyce was prone to drinking heavily and was not shy about giving her affections to as many men as would receive it.

  “I’m back in town and I’m incredibly busy, so I can’t spend time with her. She feels bad about the last time you two were together and would like to come see you to apologize, but she’s afraid you’ll refuse.”

  All Samantha could think was he was right, she would refuse her but add a bit more by telling her to go fuck off, and that was a strong word for Samantha.

  “She never really had a chance to meet people when she was in Olympia, and now that she’s back, she’s a bit depressed.”

  Samantha knew where that depression came from but bit her tongue.

  “Could you do me a huge favor and invite her over for a drink, or maybe have her and the kids over for lunch sometime, like tomorrow or something?”

  Feeling it was important to be candid, Samantha confessed, “Charles, you do know what happened the last time I saw Joyce, don’t you?”

  “Yes, and she feels really bad about it. I can attest that she’s a changed woman.”

  “The last time I saw her she called me a snobby bitch for…I don’t know what, she just wasn’t a nice person and said some horrible things. And might I add she doesn’t treat her two boys very well. She rides the razor’s edge between neglect and criminal neglect.”

  “Now you’re being too harsh. Please, she doesn’t have any friends, and I thought that since you’re kind of in the upper echelon of wives here, you could maybe bring her under your wing.”

  “I just don’t think that would be appropriate.”

  Charles looked at the ground and kicked a small stone away as he thought about what to say. “You know, Joyce said you’d react this way.”

  “What way is that? I’m just telling you what happened and what I’ve witnessed. I’m not alone, ask anyone from the auxiliary about Joyce’s behavior.”

  “I thought you were a bigger person and could forgive. She’s a different woman now, she’s been changed by everything. Going to Olympia and seeing what we’re doing shifted her thinking.”

  Samantha hated being branded as the bad person, but she just didn’t care for the woman and swore she’d never associate with her again.

  “You know, forget it, I’ll tell Joyce that it just won’t work out. You have yourself a good day, Samantha,” Charles said and briskly walked away. “I’ll let you
know when I hear anything about Gordon.”

  Frustrated by being put on the spot, Samantha called out, “I’ll have her over for lunch tomorrow, but tell her she needs to be on her best behavior and her boys need to as well.”

  Charles turned around and said, “Thank you. I’ll let her know and, by the way, she’s in room 506.”

  Not happy about the situation, Samantha headed towards the lodge.

  Inside, she found Luke and Haley waiting alongside Nelson, who had come out as well to help with the transition. A strong mold smell hit Samantha first; this caused her to pause and look around. Only a few lanterns were lit, and with the lobby’s ceiling being low, it made the space very dark.

  “What did Charles want?” Nelson asked, jumping up. He had been watching them through the front doors and was curious to the point of being nosey.

  “He wants me to entertain Joyce.”

  “Joyce, the lush Joyce?” Nelson asked.

  “Yes, that woman is a train wreck,” Samantha complained. “Did you hear what happened last time?”

  “Yeah, Gordon told me. She got all drunk and started screaming and calling people names. And oh, didn’t she toss stuff around, like turning tables up and stuff?”

  “That’s the time. She’s just crazy. She doesn’t pay any attention to her kids; they run around like animals, cause trouble, and they whine like little babies. I wanted to like her, but after all the nasty things she’s done and said about me and my friends, I just don’t want to be close to her. She’s negative and that’s the last thing I need right now.”