Beginnings (Book 1): Future Apocalypse

by Gilbert, Barbara J.

  One afternoon, Thomas came by to visit. “Afternoon, Paulette. How are you doing today?”

  “Doing great; and you?”

  “Doing good. Thank you for all the help you’ve been giving my people. Things are looking up for the first time in a long time. The reason I’m here is to talk to you about what brought you here. I’m thinking you’ve had enough time to get to know people and to trust me. Do you think you can tell me the truth now?”

  She paused a moment wondering what she should say. “Well, you’re right. I’ve gotten to know a lot of the people here and have been able to trust you, so far. So maybe it’s time for me to trust you with my story. I must tell you that, for now, it should stay between us. Is that okay?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “Also, keep in mind, you may not believe me, but what I’m about to tell you is the truth. I can prove it if you need me to, though it would be a long hike to do so.”

  “Okay, shall we step into your cabin and talk?”

  “Right this way.” Paulette led Thomas into her modest little cabin and got him a seat. She then siphoned water into two cups and added some of their favorite fruit drink mix in the cups and stirred it. Grasping the cups by the handles, she walked over and handed him one, and then she sat down across from him. She took a sip of her drink and placed the cup down on the floor before beginning her story.

  “Again, what I’m about to tell you stays between us. It’s very important that it does, at least for now.”

  “Okay, so shoot!”

  “My name is Paulette Brown, and I was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, in July 2006.”

  Thomas choked on his drink and spewed the rest out all over her. “What the heck? You’re saying your over two hundred fifty years old! That’s not possible!”

  “Whoa, hold your horses. I’m not over two hundred fifty years old. Let me finish my story.”

  “Okay, but I don’t know how you can explain that one.”

  “It’s simple. I was mute till the age of three; and when I finally started talking, it scared my parents. As it turned out, I was some kind of super genius. My parents insisted I stay in the grade level for my age, though they allowed me to read any and everything I could get my hands on. As a child, I dreamed of traveling though time. It was a dream, but somewhere in my mind, I knew I could solve the problems other scientists had never been able to. I just had to bide my time. While in college, I asked my best friend to help me start a bionics company so I could raise enough money to fund my time-travel project. I got the funding, quit college, and the company soared. We made a lot of money while helping thousands of people. It took five years to program everything, build the time pod, and test it. All the tests were perfect. I could send it into the past or the future and have it return right where it started. Once I was convinced it was working properly, I stepped into the time pod and programed in the year 2280. I hoped to find new technology that I could study and learn about advanced techniques that I could take back with me. This first run was supposed to be only a test. However, when I got out and made my way to the edge of the clearing where I had set down, I saw Seattle destroyed and covered by ocean water. The whole area had become the new Pacific Ocean. I decided then that I should go back as quickly as possible, so I went back to the time pod to get back home to the present. But something went wrong, and I couldn’t get back. I figured maybe I was dreaming or was trapped in a time diffraction or something, so I checked again, only to verify my worst nightmare was true. I was stuck in an apocalyptic future with no idea what happened or how I’d get home. When I ran into you and Bo, I felt a sense of hope for the first time in a week. So that’s my story, without getting all technical and geeky on you.”

  Thomas had been staring at her the whole time and may have even been holding his breath. His face was ashen, and he was just shaking his head and mumbling. It took a few minutes of silence before he could say anything. “Umm … so … you’re telling me you’re from the past?”

  “Yep.”

  “I never heard about any projects like that from any of my ancestors, so how can it be true?”

  “Well, it’s possible. I never released the information and kept it a secret.”

  “Possibly, but just wow!”

  “There is a scarier issue. Maybe my friends can never fix the problem, and I’ll be stuck, here, in the future for the rest of my life.” She started to tear up.

  Thomas reached over and took her hand. “Hey, if that City of Technology exists, maybe you can build a new one and get back home. If you can’t build a new one, maybe your friends will figure out what happened and how to fix it so you can get back home in the original time pod.”

  “I hope you’re right and that I can get home somehow.”

  “We’ll go looking for the City of Technology soon I promise. Right now, we need to get more information on its possible whereabouts. Remember, it may just be a myth.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that, Thomas; I really do.”

  “No problem. I better get back to what I was doing. Thanks for trusting me. It was quite the story, and I do believe you. I won’t tell anyone else, either.”

  “Thanks, Thomas.”

  Thomas left her cabin and headed back to the middle of the village.

  Bo had followed Thomas and had overheard the whole conversation between Paulette and Thomas. He stood there for several minutes in total shock; then he became angry. He didn’t know if she was telling the truth or not; but either way, it made him hate her even more. I don’t think she belongs here, and, no matter what, I’ll figure out a way to get rid of her if it’s the last thing I do, he thought.

  Exhausted after telling her story, Paulette lay down for a nap. In no time, she was sound asleep. Outside, Bo heard her snoring and decided it would be a good time to act. Walking up to her door, he quietly and slowly twisted the nob, and opened the door just enough that he could slip in. Once he was inside, he closed the door and tiptoed over to Paulette’s bed. Just as he got there, she rolled over onto her back. He froze in his tracks, not knowing whether she’d wake up. When she didn’t wake up, he pulled his handgun out and crept closer until he was standing over her with his gun pointed right at her face. He began squeezing the trigger, but before it could go off, her hand shot up and knocked the gun out of his hand. She bolted up, grabbed him, and they tumbled to the floor. After falling over, Bo tried to get back up, but she pulled him back down onto his back and was on top of him, punching him in the face and chest. Enraged, he bucked her off, got a hold on her, and pulled her down. They struggled back and forth until Bo spotted the gun. He went to reach for it when she kicked out, causing him to miss it. Boiling over from anger, Bo struck Paulette, causing her to fall. As he ran over to grab the gun, she jumped on his back and was beating him with her fists. He still managed to get the gun and was trying to throw her off so he could use it. Eventually, he was successful at throwing her off and turned to shoot, only to find himself in another power struggle with her. They fought back and forth for what seemed an eternity, and the pistol suddenly went off.

  Bo was so shocked and thought at first he might have been shot. But as he let go of Paulette and stepped back to check, he realized she had been hit. Phew! he thought. I wasn’t shot. Then he looked at Paulette and saw a gaping hole in her abdomen. Fear gripped him, and he ran out of the cabin. Although he had wanted to kill her, he knew people would have heard the gunshot, so he needed to get out of there before Thomas found out what happened. He ran as fast as he could into the forest without looking back. He knew he could never return.

  Paulette lay on the floor of the cabin, bleeding from the gunshot. She looked at the wound before she passed out from shock and pain. As Bo had suspected, several people had heard the gunshot and wondered where it had come from. Someone mentioned they thought it came from Paulette’s cabin, and they saw a man run out of there right after the shot went off. A runner hurried to find Thomas. Thomas was in a meeting with some of his advis
ers when the runner came flying in, panting and trying to catch his breath.

  Surprised at the interruption, Thomas asked sternly, “What is the meaning of this?”

  The runner finally got enough air and said, “Someone fired a gun in Paulette’s cabin, and a man was seen fleeing the scene.”

  “What? Are you serious?” Thomas rose from his chair, toppling it over, almost falling, as he rushed out the door. A few of the other advisors followed suit. Thomas arrived at Paulette’s cabin first and burst in through the door. He stopped immediately when he saw Paulette lying in front of him in a pool of her own blood. He wasn’t sure if she was dead or alive, and he rushed over, falling to his knees and quickly checked for a pulse. While he was checking her pulse, the others arrived and stood there in horror. Thomas turned and yelled, “Peter, run and tell the medic I’m bringing Paulette in with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Hurry!”

  Peter Anderson, the younger and more athletic of the advisers, took off running as he had been told.

  “Mark, come over here and help me lift her up.” Mark hurried over to Thomas’s side, knelt and shook his dark hair out of his green eyes, as he bent down to help pick her up off the floor. Mark Perez stood six feet tall, was very muscular, and would be able to easily carry Paulette.

  Mark carried her out of her cabin and quickly got her to the medical cabin, where Kaden Matthews, a young, self-trained medic was standing by. He was short and thin with dusty blond hair and hazel eyes that could see some of the smallest details, which made him a great medic.

  Mark barreled in with Paulette in his arms and quickly went over and laid her carefully onto the examining table. Kaden rushed over to examine her. He looked at Mark and Thomas and asked.

  “How much blood do you think she’s lost?”

  Thomas shook his head. “I don’t know; it looked like a lot.”

  “Okay, I need someone who can donate blood if I need it. Do we have a universal donor in the village?”

  “Yes, that would be me. Do whatever you’ve got to do to save her,” Thomas said.

  His advisers gave him a perplexed look but decided not to ask questions.

  Kaden quickly got to work. He examined her and saw that the bullet had gone into her right side and out the back, which meant he didn’t have to worry about retrieving the bullet. He packed up the backside of the wound to stop the bleeding and went to work on the front. He decided it would be best to start the blood transfusion, so he had his assistant, Caitlyn Gilbert, set Thomas up to donate.

  Caitlyn was of medium height, slim, with red hair and green eyes. She had small hands that worked efficiently at inserting the needle into one of Thomas’s veins in his right arm. She then inserted an IV line into Paulette’s left arm and hooked the tube to her. She also hooked up a drip IV to keep both of them hydrated while Thomas’s blood flood directly into Paulette. Caitlyn kept a close eye on Thomas, since direct transfusions could easily kill the donor. There was so much blood that Kaden was having a hard time telling if the bullet hit any major organs. The best he could do was to suction the blood out, pack the wound, and wrap it. As he was finishing up, Caitlyn unhooked Thomas from the transfusion line.

  “Is she going to make it? Thomas asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s a waiting game, for now,” Kaden replied.

  Thomas wasn’t happy with the answer. However, he knew he needed to hunt down whoever had done this. Although he wanted to leave right away, Kaden made him wait several hours before letting him leave, due to the blood loss he had sustained while donating.

  He left fuming and quickly gathered together a posse. Nobody had gotten a good look at the guy who had done it, but Thomas planned on using the new hunting skills Paulette had taught him to track down the jerk who had shot her, it if was the last thing he did.

  Excerpt

  A Time Travel Series Book 2

  Future Apocalypse

  Journey to

  the City of Technology

  Prologue

  Summer 2280

  Darkness was all around her. She struggled to see through the inkiness of it but wasn’t successful. What the heck is going on here? Why can’t I see anything? Why is it so dark? I can’t figure out which way to go. I’m so scared. Please, someone help me. There was no one there to help her, although she didn’t know this. The darkness was all around her, until a small light blinked into existence in the far distance. What is that? she wondered as she spotted the small light in the distance. I wonder if that will get me out of here. She began to wander toward the tiny dot of light. The darkness stretched on as if she’d never get to the light. This light was different, being that it didn’t pierce the darkness. It was just there. The light grew larger as she drew closer to it, and she started to feel at peace, when out of nowhere something began to tug on her. What the heck? Why am I not making any more progress, and what is pulling on me? I just want to make it to the light. I don’t want to be pulled back into the darkness. She struggled against the tug but began losing ground, and the light began to fade away. Crying, she tried over and over to get to the light, but she couldn’t.

  Falling into despair, she began to give up. I don’t see the point in trying anymore. No matter what I do I can’t reach the light. A moment later. Hey, what is that? Am I hallucinating? Is it really beginning to become lighter in here, wherever here is? She began to experience a lightening of the darkness. As she concentrated on it, the darkness continued to lighten, until shadows began to form. At first she couldn’t make anything out, but after a few minutes, the shadows receded, and she could see shapes. What am I seeing? Did I go to heaven?

  The shapes began to become clearer, and she noticed faces staring down and looking at her. Those faces became even clearer, and, with some shock, she realized she was seeing people. Suddenly, things snapped into perfect clarity and she tried to sit up, only to fall back down on the table. Table? I’m on a table? Ugg, why do I hurt so much? What happened to me?

  She tried to talk but no sound came out. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Whaaat happaanedd to mee,” she croaked.

  “Hi, I’m Kaden Matthews. I’m the village doctor. Do you remember what happened?”

  “Umm, no. Ah wait a minute, I think I do. Did I get shot?” she asked.

  “Yes, you did. The bullet went into the side of your abdomen and out the backside. We did some minor surgery and a blood transfusion, but we weren’t certain you would make it.”

  “I think I almost didn’t. All I remember is complete darkness and then a small light. But as I went toward it, something pulled me back, and now here I am.”

  “I’m glad you came back to us,” he replied. “Do you remember who shot you?”

  “Yes, I do. It was Bo,” she replied.

  “Bo! Are you certain?” he asked.

  “Yes, I am. He tried to kill me in my sleep, but I woke up in time to stop him. We got into a struggle, and that’s when the gun went off.”

  “I believe you. Please get some rest. It will be a long while before you’re able to get up and walk around,” he informed her.

  Kaden turned and walked out of the room and went over to his nurse, Caitlyn. “I need you to send a runner to find Thomas and let him know that it was Bo who shot Paulette.”

  She let out a loud gasp. “Really? He shot her? Oh my word. I’ll get right on it,” she replied.

  Caitlyn ran out the door of the village doctor’s building and went to find someone who could run fast and also track Thomas.

  Introduction

  Summer 2280

  It had been a long and rugged search for Bo and to this date they hadn’t found him. Thomas stood in the thick woods of Tiger Mountain trying to decide which way they should go next, when he heard Mark shout out.

  “Thomas, you need to come over here and see this.”

  Thomas turned and ran further into the woods, hopping over dead trees and small bushes to reach Mark, who was several hundred feet off to his right. He burst out of a st
and of trees into an open space and was shocked to see a campsite. “You found a camp site,” he exclaimed.

  Mark nodded his head and answered, “Yes, I found a campsite and it only looks a few days old. And I found something of interest over here.” He walked over to the old washed-out fire and bent down to show Thomas a burnt piece of material that was similar to what people in their village used. “I think this may have belonged to Bo, and he was trying to get rid of any evidence of his presence here.”

  Thomas knelt down to examine the material and saw that it matched the outfit that Bo was wearing the day he shot Paulette and ran from the village. He wondered why Bo would be burning his clothes but couldn’t come up with a good reason. He stood up, looked at Mark and said. “This does look like what Bo was wearing, but you said the camp was several days old.”

  “Yes, it is. I did a complete search of the area and couldn’t determine which way he went. He was careful to cover his tracks when he left. This is very frustrating not being able to catch up to him,” Mark sighed.

  “Believe me, I’m right there with you. We’ve been looking for him for weeks and always seem to be several steps behind. In my opinion, I think we should call off the hunt and head back to the village. What do you think?”

  Mark thought for a moment before answering. “Yeah, I think you’re right. We aren’t going to catch up to him, and, besides, he may very well end up getting caught by the scavengers or marauders, which would take care of the problem for us.”

  “Agreed. Let’s go back and inform the rest of the group that we’ll camp here tonight and head back to the village starting tomorrow. It should only take a week to get back,” Thomas replied.

  Mark and Thomas headed back to where the group was waiting. Thomas spoke as soon as he came into their sight. “All right, everyone gather around. I’ve got an announcement to make,” Thomas said.