Dark Ages: 2020 (Dark Ages Series Book 1)

by JD Dutra

  “Thanks Ivan. Judging by the way they screamed, I’d say so,” Daniel said with a soft smile.

  “Look, I never told you about the other side of my business because I didn’t have to. Now I do, and I want to make you an offer.”

  “Alright…” Said Daniel hesitantly, wondering where this was going. He looked at Mei Lin and she smiled at him. Her arms were folded, but one of her hands was on the outside gripping her elbow. Her knuckles were raw from beating Oneita’s face to death. He had never met a woman as strong as her before, she was so bold it intimidated him a little, and he found he liked that about her.

  Ivan’s voice grabbed his thoughts back away from her.

  “I’ve been working for the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, or SVR RF for many years. I’m part of a special division that works on the American soil in partnership with the Chinese government.”

  Daniel had thought that Ivan was into some kind of organized crime, but to hear he was essentially some kind of spy was shocking. At Ivan’s mention of the Chinese, he looked at Mei Lin and she began to speak.

  “I work for the MMS, the Ministry of State Security, which is like the CIA of China. My role was to gather intelligence on the city of Phoenix, find out who were the major political influences, keep tabs on the politicians themselves, find out the location of natural resources, the location of vital businesses and utilities, etc, basically cataloging the entire city… Plus run a business that served as a front for our operations and help fund our activities,” said Mei Lin.

  “So that’s what is on those memory sticks?”

  “Yes. But one of them, the one about vital businesses such as hospitals, mines, banks has been damaged. I need someone who knows where some of these are, someone who I can trust and who knows Phoenix and the area like the back of their hand. Someone who doesn’t need the internet or a GPS to figure out where these are,” said Mei Lin.

  “I think you are just the man, Danny. You’ve been around this entire town a million times over, knocking on doors or seeing your clients, am I right?” Said Ivan.

  “Yes, but I’m not going to defect and join the Chinese or the Russian government. That’s out of the question.”

  “I understand this may be hard to think about, but let me ask you something. What has your government done for you, Daniel? Besides destroying your life?” said Ivan.

  Ivan’s words hit him like a hammer. There was no question in his heart that he hated the government and would do nothing but look after himself and here he was, defending them. He paused for a moment because now he didn’t have a good answer to give. Ivan and Mei Lin both waited for him to gather his thoughts.

  “Do you think either of your governments is any better than the American government?”

  “The American government will fall Daniel,” said Mei Lin, as calmly as the warm breeze that passed by them. “I just got off the phone with my boss, the Chinese and the Russians are planning a combined military invasion. Other countries may join in. They want to create colonies on American soil and stay here.”

  “That’s insane! How can they do that?” said Daniel.

  “The sun never sets on the British Empire,” Ivan said with a flawless British accent. “That ended. So did the Roman, Syrian, Aztec Empires. Lands change hands when there is a power vacuum, Danny. No culture can stand the test of time.”

  “The Chinese and the Russians own a combined two trillion dollars in US debt,” added Mei Lin.”I was told they plan on collecting every bit of it in land and commodities, and now, since the collapse, land values have plummeted to almost nothing so I wouldn’t be surprised if they want to take over half of America or more.”

  Daniel shook his head from side to side, “The country collapsed, the dollars we issued are worthless!”

  “The products bought with them weren’t worthless Daniel. The Chinese government feels entitled to some kind of restitution. That’s all that matters to the Chinese,” said Mei Lin. She put her hand softly on his arm and continued speaking.

  “Come with us, Daniel, we are headed to a town that is being built on the border with Mexico down south. You’ll be one of us there, you’ll have food and water and a place to sleep. You’ll help rebuild whatever gets built, you will be a part of it. I can’t promise you’d have a say on much, but you would be vital to the rebuilding process. People will look for your input in all things concerning the Phoenix area. There are people like me in all the major US cities as there are people like Ivan. We are part of the representatives of our governments who will be in charge of things, and you’ll be with us.”

  Mei Lin’s smile held more than just friendliness in it, or so he thought.

  “I’m sorry, but I hate all kinds of governments. They’re all the same anywhere in the world. All they do is make life miserable for the people who actually do the real work that improves the quality of life of everyone else, making up laws that are just excuses for them to live on other people’s money. To me most government workers get paid to enforce useless rules and hold everyone hostage with their fees and stupid laws. I could never see myself being a part of it.”

  “Maybe it’s because men like you refuse to be a part of it that others step in and do whatever they want, and ruin it for everyone else. Just because you won’t take an interest in politics, that doesn’t mean that politics won’t take an interest in you, Daniel. This is your chance to change that, and actually make a difference,” said Mei Lin, and the weight of her argument made him feel attracted to her even more.

  “Truth be told,” said Ivan, “The Americans have pissed off a lot of people around the world over the years. I wouldn’t be surprised if other countries have the same plans Russia and China do. Just think of the amount of Mexicans, South and Central Americans walking north right now. Whatever is left of the American government and their military, they won’t be able to stop us or anyone else, there are just too many people to worry about.”

  Daniel still crossed his arms and took a deep breath.

  “If you don’t come with us, what will you do, Daniel?” asked Mei Lin.

  “I don’t know. Go live off grid somewhere, maybe find a farm…”

  “The world has changed but human nature is the same Daniel. The world will always belong to those who are willing to get what they want by force, whether its people like Oneita or Raymond breaking into our homes or a government threatening to throw you in jail if you don’t pay a parking ticket. This is a chance for a new beginning and you can be a part of it.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Danny, let’s just say you are going to start from scratch,” suggested Ivan. “Why not come down with us and just see what we are doing. If it turns out it’s something you don’t want to be a part of, we’ll at least help you get a fresh start somewhere else.”

  Daniel took a deep breath, he hated feeling he was selling out his country. It was dysfunctional, it had destroyed him, but it was still part of him.

  “Danny, it’s not a coincidence that Mei Lin, myself and my crew here aren’t sick. Maybe you are naturally immune, that seems to be the case for a few people, but as far as we go, our governments have a vaccine for this virus. I don’t know about Mei Lin, but my crew and I took our shots months ago.”

  Mei Lin just nodded and remained silent.

  “What are you trying to say?” Asked Daniel.

  “This is a man-made virus,” said Ivan. “This pandemic was created in a lab for a reason and the world is going to get even more ruthless in the future. You’ll need to rely on more people other than just yourself if you want to make it.”

  Daniel’s eyes stared into the distance, his mind weighing their words against his feelings. He had nothing he loved to live for, but he did however, have someone he hated who was perhaps still alive, and if he were, he needed to die, just like Baby Ray.

  “We’re not asking you to swear allegiance to another flag, I’m just suggesting you come down, see what we’re doing, and t
hen decide what you’ll do with your life. The town will be only two hours away from here. You can be back into Phoenix tonight if you want to,” said Ivan.

  Daniel still looked unsure but then he started to slowly nod his head.

  “Okay. I’ll give it a try and go with you, but I have one condition,” he said.

  “What’s that?” Asked Mei Lin.

  “I’ll need help locating someone who needs to die. He may be dead, but I need to be sure.”

  “Who?”

  “A guy called Whitey. A scumbag I was with in jail.”

  “So where do you think this Whitey is?”

  “I think he’ll be in Phoenix if he’s still alive. I just need to know what happened to him, I hope he’s dead but if he isn’t, Phoenix will be a better place with him gone.”

  “You’ve got a deal,” Ivan said, “We’ll be making plenty of trips into Phoenix in the future, I’ll personally help you track him down.”

  “You can count on me as well,” added Mei Lin.

  Daniel extended his hand towards Ivan, they shook hands, sealing the deal. When he did the same with Mei Lin he felt something in her touch and their eyes lingered on each other for just a moment, long enough to let him know there was an interest there that went well beyond just business.

  Mei Lin blushed lightly, she let her hand slip away from his slowly, in a soft caress. She looked away and smiled, feeling shy.

  Ivan slapped Daniel on the shoulder and said, “What kind of beer are you drinking, I’ll make sure we’ll take a few cases of it with us down south.”

  “Dos Equis,” said Daniel.

  Ivan began walking towards the convenience store, yelling something in Russian to his men.

  Mei Lin and Daniel locked eyes again, starting a conversation both of them hoped would lead to something worth living for.

  Chapter 48

  South Fork, Colorado

  Monday, October 26th, 2020

  10:21 A.M.

  Nathan had spent the last 12 hours behind the wheel of the black tactical SUV, driving north to Colorado. The 590 mile drive didn’t need to be that long, but he wanted to avoid all major cities, which he did with ease. He had to stop from time to time to keep his tank full, using a hose to get gas from the cars with the dead along the way. He managed to stock up on food and water too, since the deceased wouldn’t need that any more than they needed gas. The drive through the night was uneventful and he counted a total of only six cars still being driven during the entire trip. His car must have been very intimidating to encounter in a time like this, none of the other drivers made any attempts to make contact with him.

  The nightmares he lived through the last 48 hours were enough to keep him awake through his drive. His entire life had boiled in his mind so many times, but at the end of his self-analysis all he felt was the deep longing to be with his daughters and Isabella. There was also the guilt of being so blind and gullible, willing to do anything just because his government said it was the right thing to do, no matter how wrong or immoral that was.

  “I should’ve been an accountant,” he said to himself, as he turned into his Uncle Joe’s private road, a dirt path in the mountains flanked by thick rows of tall pine trees on one side, and a wall of solid rock on the other. His uncle lived right outside of South Fork, Colorado, a small town of about 600 people in the middle of nowhere.

  Nathan lowered his window and the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees momentarily soothed his soul. The cool fresh air poured in, it was crisp, with a hint of pine to it that helped calm him and made him be glad to be there and away from the stench of death in Phoenix.

  Nathan was exhausted, but more mentally than physically. His training and missions around the world had put his body through much worse, but nothing could’ve prepared him for everything he’d gone through in the last few days.

  He kept on driving down the dirt road until he saw two men standing in front of large trucks that were blocking his way. He slowed down his car as he got closer, the two men had set up a checkpoint. These men had their guns on their backs, a white flag on each of the trucks flapped in the breeze. They looked like countrymen, wearing unmatched hunting camouflage and faded baseball caps. Nathan thought of the gang he ran into the night before, he couldn’t repeat that kind of violence here, not on his uncle’s land. Besides, the trucks were just too heavy for him to ram even the armored SUV through anyway.

  He lowered the window and then kept his hands clearly on the steering wheel as he slowed the car to a stop about ten yards from the men. One of them began to walk towards him, with a friendly smile on his face, the other, who was tall and must have weighed over 300 pounds, watched Nathan with much more suspicion behind the sip of a hot drink.

  “Good morning, Officer, what can we do for you?” Said the man who stood outside Nathan’s window. He was an African American, chewing tobacco with salt and pepper hair, maybe in his late 50s.

  “Morning to you, Sir. My name is Nathan Greene and I’m looking for my uncle, Joe Greene.”

  “Joe Greene? I know the man. Would you mind showing some ID please? Sorry, son but with everything that we’re seeing happening in the news, we need to watch out for our own now.”

  “No problem at all, I understand,” Nathan said with a friendly smile. Slowly he reached for his wallet and showed the man his driver’s license. As another suggestion that he was not there to cause trouble, he turned off his engine.

  The older man brought it closer to his eyes, then looked at his partner and yelled, “Radio Joe, tell him there is a Nathan Greene here to see him!”

  “Thank you, Sir,” said Nathan through the open window.

  “Joe always answers pretty fast, for now please stay in the car,” said the older man.

  “Sure.”

  A voice broke in the radio, it was distant and muffled. The large man at the barricade with the radio brought it to his lips, talked back into it, then a few seconds later, he started to walk towards the car, radio in hand.

  “Joe wants to talk to you.”

  “Alright,” said Nathan.

  “Nathan, is that you?” Came the low voice in the radio.

  “Yeah Uncle Joe, it’s me. Thank goodness you’re still alive.”

  “It’s good to hear your voice, kid. I couldn’t believe when they said it was you. How are Isabella and the girls?”

  After a brief silence, Nathan said, “They didn’t make it Uncle Joe. It’s just me.”

  “Oh, son, I’m so sorry. I’ve lost quite a few people too, a lot of them actually. Come on in, I want to take a look at you. We need to talk.”

  “I know we do,” replied Nathan, suddenly feeling emotion welling up inside him again. “I’m sorry for everything Uncle Joe, it’s just that after you and dad had that falling out I —”

  “We’ll talk more about it face to face. I need to talk to you about a lot of things.”

  “Okay Uncle Joe.”

  “Give the men their radio back, and I’ll have them let you through. You’re by yourself right?”

  “Yes, uncle, it’s just me.”

  “Alright, kid, come on in and we’ll fix you something to eat and we’ll talk some more. Joe out.”

  Nathan gave the radio back to the men in the barricade. They told him which forks on the road to take in order to reach his uncle’s house, then said their goodbyes and pulled the large trucks out of the way. Nathan drove down the dirt path, and continued for some time, with no housing to be seen. There was just wide open land with plentiful wildlife and large river meandered down from the mountains.

  After making all the right turns, the dirt road came out into an enormous opening in the woods, probably nine or ten football fields long and wide. It was surrounded by tall pine trees.

  In the middle there was a large and modern cabin, ringed by campers, tents, cars and people. There were wooden structures in the distance, a barn with horses, and a large greenhouse. Nathan judged that there were over a hundred people, men, w
omen and children of all ages, some dressed casually, others wearing hunting gear or camouflage, others in tactical black.

  Some of the adults and older kids were patrolling around, carrying weapons, as others worked on building large wooden and metal structures. Over by the barns he could see people rounding up livestock and few were fishing at the nearby river. The younger children were mostly playing, but some of older ones were sitting on a large log, being instructed in what looked like armed tactical training. Uncle Joe’s retreat looked and sounded busy, bustling with life and activity.

  Some people turned to look at the black SUV as an old man in his 60’s, trim and well dressed in tactical gear and wearing a felt hat that probably belonged on the head of a mountain ranger, began to walk towards the car. His uncle reminded Nathan of his own father and in a strange way, of Tom also.

  Nathan pulled over and parked, got out of the car and his uncle walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

  “So good to see you alive and well, Nathan.”

  “Same here, Uncle Joe. I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, kid. I’m sure we’ve got a baseball and a few gloves around here somewhere, we’ll play catch later on to remember the good old times.”

  Nathan laughed, “I haven’t gotten any better at it since last time. Nice compound you got here.”

  His uncle smiled, his older eyes still taking in the physical changes in his nephew.

  “Thanks kid, I’ve been preparing for this event for quite some time now. These people you see are my friends. We were supposed to have over ten times the amount of people, but the virus has taken a heavy toll on our numbers.”

  “You knew this was coming?”

  “Oh yes, I’ve known for many years. This knowledge I’ve had was one of the things that drove your father and I apart.”

  “I’m sorry, Uncle Joe. I’d like to know more about that sometime.”

  “Oh, we’ll talk, I’m sure you’ll understand me and your old man a little better after that.”

  “Sounds good… Well after what’s been happening in the last few days there is no doubt you were right to prepare.”