The Fall of the Dragon: An Apocalyptic Survival Series

by Steven Kagey

  The Fall of the Dragon

  An Apocalyptic Survival Series

  By

  Steven Kagey

  Written by Steven W. Kagey

  Edited by Felicia A. Sullivan

  Cover Photo by Jason and Lindsey Moore @ Naumann – Moore Photography

  Cover Design by Steven Kagey

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Steven W. Kagey

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  Chapter 1

  Wednesday, September 18th,

  8:30 a.m., Central Standard Time

  Crossville, Tennessee

  “Billy, seriously!” Brian Stewart said while shaking his head. “If you wake me up one more time at 5:30 in the morning, I am going to shoot you in the face.” Half joking, half serious, Brian could almost see himself going through with it. “I feed you, I clean up after you and put up with your shit day after day, and you can't let me get one peaceful, uninterrupted night of sleep? What do you have to say for yourself?”

  Billy stood there and looked up at Brian.

  “And why do you insist on coming up to the porch to do it? You’re lucky you’re the only male in the group or the next time we made soup, you would be in it. Stupid rooster,” Brian muttered as he walked away from the chicken coop.

  Billy would escape from the chicken coop every night, and at 5:30 every morning like clockwork he would crow and crow. No matter what Brian did to secure the chicken coop, Billy would somehow escape every day and be on the porch the next morning to wake the world, or wake the dead as Brian would say.

  Brian's wife, Evelyn, was around back of the house hanging up the laundry on the clothesline. Brian walked around the corner, snuck up on her, and goosed her butt.

  Evelyn jumped and turned around. “Brian!” she screamed, punching him in the arm. “You scared the hell out of me. I should beat the crap out of you!” She hit him in the arm again.

  Brian was laughing so hard he almost doubled over. “I love you,” he said, with innocent puppy dog eyes and a super sweet voice.

  “Whatever,” she said, smiling. “What are you going to do today?” she asked.

  “I am going to run into…” he trailed off, mumbling the last part.

  With a skeptical tone and raised eyebrows, she asked, “You’re going where?”

  Brian mumbled again.

  “Where?”

  “Costco,” Brian fake-coughed.

  “No, you’re not. Give me your credit card right now, mister!” She said it seriously but with a faint laugh in her voice. “The last time you went to Costco you spent over $400.”

  “I am paying cash today,” Brian said sheepishly.

  “Whose cash?”

  “Some of my leftover spending money I have saved up, and Sean is supposed to come by and drop some cash off so I can pick up their share too.”

  “Please don’t spend too much, Brian,” Evelyn pleaded. “The last time you went shopping it took us a week to unload and process all the stuff.”

  “I’m not. This is going to be rice and beans that I pick up today to finish off the barrels that are almost ready to be sealed.”

  Evelyn nodded. “Okay. Oh hey, I opened up a new case of toilet paper from the stockpile. Can you pick up a replacement for that too?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Brian walked up to give her a kiss and a hug. “Where’s Beast?”

  “He hasn’t returned from walking Avery to the bus stop yet,” Evelyn replied.

  When their 100 pound German Shepard named Beast walked their 10-year-old daughter Avery to and from the bus stop each day, it always warmed Brian’s heart and brought a smile to his face.

  Beast would always come straight home after walking Avery to the bus and most of the time head out to meet her when she got off the bus without being told it was time. As much of a hassle as raising a German Shepard dog was—they continued to act like a puppy until they were two years old—Beast had turned into a great dog. Brian always wanted to get him guard dog training, except it was too expensive, and as protective as Beast had become over Avery, he might not need it now.

  Brian was serving as an electrician in the U.S. Marine Corps when he met Evelyn. Towards the end of his four-year enlistment they got married and moved back to his hometown of Crossville, Tennessee a few years before Avery was born.

  Although Brian was never deployed or saw combat action during his time in the Marine Corps, all Marines were trained to fight regardless of their career field. Brian’s commanding officer was adamant about this point and insisted that his unit continually train on combat tactics and spend time at the weapon range. His commanding officer would always say, “You are warriors first, and electricians second.”

  Brian enjoyed the training he had gotten, though never received any real world experience to go along with it. He enjoyed shooting and firearms and introduced that activity to Avery as soon as she was old enough to understand death, and death being the result if you didn’t take guns seriously and handle them safely.

  He used his job experience from the Marine Corps and owned an electrical contract company. In between jobs he worked on their property and tried to prepare his friends and family for anything bad that could happen. Prepping was just a hobby, but it could be a full time job. There was comfort and enjoyment in knowing his family and friends were prepared for the worst.

  When they moved back to Crossville, they found the perfect property. A fifty-acre parcel that backed up to the Catoosa Wildlife Management area, which was known as a hunter’s paradise. The side of the Catoosa that bordered the Stewarts’ land was a very steep hill which prevented any hunters from traipsing across their property. It also limited the amount of wildlife they saw, but Brian was still always able to get a few deer during the season.

  After living in a trailer home for a few years, the Stewarts were able to build their dream home. There was a workshop where Brian was able to work on his many projects. A shed which housed a small tractor was attached to the workshop. Behind the workshop, there were 250 yards of land that was cleared and used for shooting sports and a large garden. In addition to the garden, there was a greenhouse and chicken coop that produced food for the Stewart family.

  The forest was clear 100 yards from the side and back of the house; this allowed for good mobility around the hou
se. It also served a security purpose and fire break in the event of a wildfire.b

  ***

  Sean Williams, Brian’s buddy who lived a couple of miles down the road with his wife, two kids, and his parents, had called last night and said he had saved up a hundred dollars for Brian to buy supplies.

  Sean was a former police officer who had found a talent for woodworking in his off time as a form of stress release from his police duties. He took that fledgling talent and turned it into an up and coming woodcarving business. Sean's house and shop were located five miles down the road from Brian's house. Although Sean was on board with Brian's prepper plans and mentality, Sean's wife Christina was not super supportive, which meant that Sean couldn't contribute as much as he or Brian would have liked and Sean had to continuously sneak money, supplies, and food over to Brian's house.

   Another talent Sean had was his super outgoing personality. Sean could meet someone, and within a matter of minutes, onlookers would have thought they knew each other for a long time. Brian was always amazed when he witnessed Sean interacting with other people. Sean would walk up and talk to someone, and a few minutes later he would come up to Brian and say that he and the guy were going to play golf the next weekend.

  Brian always admired Sean’s ability and would often strive to emulate it when he was meeting someone new or needed a business venture to go well.

  He wasn’t always happy with what the Williams’ were able to contribute, but they were a larger family with a new business, and he understood, knowing something was better than nothing. He knew that if the world went to hell, the Williams house would not be safe. It was located right off the main highway and with the large workshop behind the house it would be a beacon to those who would be scavenging for food or those taking advantage of the ensuing lawlessness to steal and loot from their fellow man. It would mean that Sean and his family would have to fall back to a safer place, and Brian being Sean's best friend for some years meant that the Stewarts’ place would be that fallback point.

  Once people heard that someone was a prepper, the first thing they’d say was, “If anything ever happens we’re coming to your house.”

  Brian would reply, “Why don’t you gather your own supplies now? That way when the inevitable happens you don’t have to rely on someone else to support you. That’s the problem with society today.” It would usually piss the people off, and the conversation would end. Deep down they knew they weren’t welcome at his place if things fell apart and Brian was glad he didn’t have to tell them. Currently, Brian’s group already numbered over twenty. He planned for twenty-five to allow a few last minute add-ins or family members to come into the fold and support them without adding any extra burden.

  Sean’s family was a good addition to the group, even without them matching the contributions of Brian or their other friend Craig. Sean’s mom Carol was great in the kitchen and garden, Sean’s dad Daniel was an avid hunter and former general contractor. Sean's wife Christina did the bookkeeping for their new business and was great at the logistical side of the business.

  As Brian got to his workshop to look things over, he heard a chime from the remote driveway sensor and looked down to see Sean’s pickup coming up the driveway. He stepped out to meet him.

  “What’s up, brother?” he said when Sean pulled up next to him.

  Sean got out. “Not much.”

  They shook hands and gave each other a bro hug. After exchanging pleasantries for a few moments, Sean handed Brian $140.

  “I thought you only had $100?” Brian asked.

  “My dad saved up the other $40.” Sean walked around to the bed of the truck and motioned for Brian to take a look. In the bed were five cases of quart sized mason jars with a variety of home canned vegetables.

  “Whoa!” Brian said. “What’s all this?”

  “It’s my mother’s contribution to the food stores.”

  “Man, your parents didn’t have to do this. They’re part of the group, and they don’t need to give anything.”

  “They know,” Sean replied, “they just agree with what you have planned here, and they feel like something is coming in a few years and want to help out as much as possible.”

  “I wish Christina was more supportive of the idea,” Brian sighed.

  Neither Christina nor Lillian, the wife of their other friend Craig, was keen on the guys prepping as they did. At least Evelyn somewhat was; she knew everything Brian did was to protect the family and ensure their safety if something happened.

  “You do know how hard it’s going to be for me to bite my tongue and not jump up and down screaming I told you so if anything happens,” Brian laughed.

  Afterwards they made plans to get together for a B.B.Q the following weekend along with the families. Sean helped Brian carry the mason jars into the house and got in his truck to leave. Before he pulled away, he stopped and leaned his head out the window. “Make sure to close your greenhouse up. It’s supposed to get chilly tonight.”

  “Really? I guess fall is already around the corner, huh?”

  “Unfortunately it is,” Sean said while waving goodbye.

  As Brian turned to go in the house to get ready to leave for the store, Beast came trotting back up to him, with his head and tail wagging. Beast dropped down on Brian’s feet waiting for his belly to be scratched.

  “It's about time you got home, boy,” Brian said, and gave Beast some much-deserved love and affection.

  Chapter 2

  Brian returned from Costco and only spent the $240 that he arrived with, which surprised even himself and would make Evelyn happy. Using the money that Sean gave him he was able to get 150 pounds of rice and 150 pounds of beans. His money was used to add another 50 pounds of each for an even 200 pounds. He also picked up a variety of other items that were needed, including the toilet paper that Evelyn requested. Brian carried the food downstairs and separated it into Mylar bags, to which he added an oxygen absorber, and then vacuum sealed shut. He placed the bags into the numerous blue plastic 55-gallon drums that lined the walls. He was able to top off a full barrel of rice and beans and then sealed the barrels.

  He annotated the new food additions to a clipboard hanging on the wall. The clipboard had a column for each family’s contribution and a row for each item in stock. Brian had spent a few weeks when he first started keeping track of supplies on the clipboard to develop a self-made shorthand that only he and the group knew and could understand. That way if someone did come into their storeroom they would not be able to read the charts to see the group’s exact numbers. This last round of rice and beans had put them at their target amount.

  Three sides of the room were lined with the fifty-five-gallon drums. Above the drums were shelves up to the ceiling. One wall was all manner of food, including five-gallon buckets full of Mylar pouches of flour and grain to be ground into flour. There were buckets of potato flakes, pasta, pancake mix, corn meal, powdered milk, and miscellaneous items for baking. The shelves also contained a few cases of military meals ready to eat—MREs—. There were buckets and buckets of freeze dried camping meals and other freeze dried ingredients. The remaining shelves which were bowing ever so slightly contained different #10 sized cans and mason jars full of vegetables, jams, stews, and pasta sauce. Brian had to shore those shelves up in the middle with 2x4s for the weight.

  The second wall in the room contained two sections. One section from the top of the fifty-five-gallon drums to the ceiling was medical and first aid supplies, including antibiotics, pain medication, and cases of multi-vitamins. The antibiotics were intended for fish, but they were the same medicine humans used and the pain medications were ordered from the U.K. where the food and drug regulations were not as stringent. Brian had found that the U.S. military had requested the Food and Drug Administration conduct tests to see how viable certain antibiotics and medication would be after their expiration date. The results were impressively long on certain types, so Brian stocked up heavily on them with
out worrying about expiration dates.

  As far as all the other medical supplies, if a doctor could not find what he needed to perform everything from a simple checkup to a complicated surgery on those shelves, then they needed to get a pair of glasses, which were on the shelves too. There was another section of that wall that was full of hygiene products: soaps, shampoos, razors, deodorants for men and women, toothpaste, and liquid soap. It was all so neat and orderly it looked like a Walgreen's aisle. There was a substantial section of female hygiene products that covered an individual’s personal preference, along with a large selection of reusable menstrual cups that the women could transition over to using once the disposable products were running low. With eleven women in the group, this was one area Brian made sure to have adequately covered, knowing that if the women and teenage girls in the group were uncomfortable, everyone else would suffer as well.

  The last wall held gallons of bleach for germ management as well as water purification. The property had a good deep well on it, so clean water shouldn’t be an issue. If they did have to, God forbid, get water out of the pond, it might give their Berkey water filters a run for their money and that bleach would come in handy. The shelves also contained a hodgepodge assortment of all kinds of different supplies such as batteries, camping supplies, and barter goods such as bottles of liquor and wine. It also had a section of kitchen utensils, foil and plastic wrap, grinders to grind grain into flour, food dehydrators, sausage making supplies, and other food preservation items.

  The last shelf was one that Brian was secretly the proudest of, a floor to ceiling bookshelf. It contained a set of one of the last runs of Encyclopedia Britannica, all manner of old college textbooks covering almost every course a traditional university offered. It included an extensive collection of military manuals on survival and different tactics and weapon systems. It had all the primitive survival how-to books he could get. There were books covering medical concepts and procedures, survival medicine, and native plant usage guides. The shelf contained elementary school books and homeschool workbooks for different age ranges and grades. All the books were stored in water tight containers to keep out dust and humidity. If humanity fell apart some of this knowledge would be lost, and these books would help their group hold on and continue to learn.