The Shepherd: Society Lost: Volume One (A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller)

by Steven Bird

  Damn it, Jessie! he thought, unable to believe he had made such a rookie mistake. Continuing inside, he left the door open, knowing that if anyone else inside the building had heard the same thump, a rapid egress might be a priority in his near future.

  Flicking on his weapon-mounted light momentarily to scan the room, and then quickly off again, Jessie worked his way through the building repeating those same steps until he reached a room that made his heart skip a beat at just the sight of the door. He didn’t know why, but his heart felt heavy and chills ran down his spine. He knew this was the room. This was the room where the greatest of the evils these girls suffered had transpired.

  Checking the knob, Jessie found it to be unlocked. Quickly pushing the door open and then stepping back out of the way, Jessie popped back into the room, flicked on is light, and began to scan the area.

  A large four-poster-king sized bed, adorned with rich fabrics and silk pillow cases resided along the wall on the far side of the room. Off to the left of the bed was a large, ornate tub of water with several red silk towels with gold trim folded neatly in a stack to its left. At the foot of the bed was an elegant rug, with scenes depicting a great battle of days gone past. As Jessie continued to scan the room, on the other side of the bed, in the furthest corner, he heard a whimper.

  He worked his way silently around the bed, his rifle leading the way. Once he rounded the corner, he saw a young girl of no more than twelve years of age with long brown hair wearing a silky gown, appearing to be wearing nothing underneath.

  “Shhhh,” he said, holding his finger to his lips. “It’s gonna be okay.”

  With fear in her eyes, she shook her head and mouthed the words, No, it won’t.

  Feeling the hair stand up on the back of his neck Jessie quickly turned around just in time to stop a large curved blade with his rifle. A tall man, seeming to be nearly a foot taller than Jessie, with a long dark beard, began swinging the blade wildly, striking Jessie’s rifle over and over again. The constant attack prevented Jessie from bringing the rifle to bear on his attacker, forcing him into a frantic defensive position.

  As he fought off the relentless assault, the blade repeatedly clanging against his rifle with great force, Jessie fell backward onto the floor as the man kicked the gun out of his hands. His sling having been severed by the repeated strikes, the rifle slid unimpeded across the freshly waxed floor, out of Jessie’s reach.

  Before Jessie could reach for his Colt, the man was upon him, thrusting the blade downward toward his chest, clutching it tightly with both hands. Reaching up and grabbing the man by his wrists, slowing the attack, Jessie supported the man’s entire weight with his bare hands as the blade inched its way closer and closer to his heart.

  Jessie’s strength beginning to wane, the knife made contact with his flesh, just above his ballistic vest, piercing into his skin. Jessie’s heart raced as he felt the sting of the blade entering his body. His vision becoming cloudy, he felt that he was hallucinating as he looked into the man’s eyes and saw the devil himself. Never had he seen such pure evil in human form. As the knife began to slide up his sternum and toward his throat, splitting his chest as it went, Jessie could feel the blade pushing its way through the bone as his arms trembled, pushing forth with every ounce of energy he could muster.

  For a moment, Jessie lay there in silence. He felt the struggle no more as he heard his wife Stephanie’s voice. “Jessie,” she said. “You have to stay there. You have to stay.”

  Looking back at his attacker, he now saw fear in his eyes instead of the pure evil of the moment before. He felt the man grow weak as he fell to the side, releasing his grip on the blade and exhaling his final breath as his head rested on the floor beside him.

  Jessie turned his head to look for his wife, only to see the terrified young girl standing over him with a long slender dagger in her blood-covered hands. The young girl had killed the beast that had kept her captive all this time, saving Jessie from death’s cold, icy grip.

  ~~~~

  With the sun now up and lighting his way, Jessie’s legs quaked as he pressed on, utilizing the last of his remaining strength to get the tormented young girl to safety as she clung to his back, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Knowing he could not make it all the way back to the camp on foot, Jessie scanned far into the distance, hoping to see a sign of the others.

  His legs finally failing him, Jessie dropped to his knees, awakening young Emma, who had fallen asleep while he carried her. “It’s okay,” he said calmly. “I just need to rest for a moment.”

  “What’s that?” she said, pointing off in the distance.

  Looking up, Jessie said, “What?”

  “I see... something. Over there.”

  As a trail of dust became visible in the distance, Jessie soon recognized the silhouette of a Humvee as it raced across the dry and arid terrain toward them.

  As Emma turned to run away, Jessie said, “No! Wait. It’s them. They’re back.”

  Stopping just shy of Jessie and Emma, Leland climbed out of the driver’s seat and ran to Jessie’s aid, helping him to his feet. Out of the passenger side appeared Frank, with a smile on his face from ear to ear.

  “You look like you had a heck of a night,” pointing at Jessie’s blood-stained shirt.

  “The others?” Jessie asked with a trembling voice. “Where are the others? Marissa, did you find Marissa?”

  “Yes,” Frank said reassuringly. “I managed to get Marissa far enough away to have Leland and Spence come and get us. Marissa’s with Spence now. He’s taking good care of her. Jӧrgen and the others contacted us first thing this morning and we met up with them, traded them the flatbed for the Humvee, and headed this way to search for you. They’re probably back at the camp already. We can go over the specifics later. Let’s get you and this young girl out of here.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Three months later...

  As Jessie sat on a hill, watching the girls who had remained with his new group as they tended to the animals below, he looked down at his journal with his pen in hand, at a loss for words. After a few moments, he began to write:

  So many things I want to say. So many feelings I have trapped inside of me that I want to get out. Yet I am at a loss. I feel as if the whirlwind of change that has blown through my life in recent times has been merely a dream. A dream like the many I continue to have that are either there to haunt me, or to guide me; of which, I am not sure.

  All I know is there are places I seem to have been led, like to Ash, who was as lost in this world as me, with nothing to live for except revenge. I can only hope and pray that she and the young girl escaped and are headed toward a better life, wherever they are. I see great plans in her future. Her strength, her passion to do what must be done for the betterment of those around her, all of her attributes are what this world is in desperate need of. I only hope I live long enough to someday see her once again. God willing, of course.

  I know I can’t undo the past. I can’t bring people back. I can’t change the course the world took that led to the demise of our once polite society. The one thing I can do is to continue on my quest to find my sister and lend a helping hand to humanity, whenever it is needed along the way.

  As it currently stands, I plan to...

  “Jessie!” Spence shouted as he walked up the hill.

  Snapping back into reality, Jessie tucked his journal into his pocket and said, “Hello there, Spence.”

  Sitting down beside him, Spence said, “Can you believe how fast this place is coming together. I mean, just a few months ago we were just setting out for this place with Jӧrgen and his group, and here we are. The first cabin has been built, the garden is planted, and we’ve even managed to barter for a few goats to get us well on our way to stable meat production. If nothing else, those silly goats sure give the girls something to entertain themselves with for now. I know they’re goats and not sheep, but you’ve made quite a few little
shepherds out of those girls,” he said with a smile.

  “Yes, a lot of things are hard to imagine, Spence. It wasn’t long before that when you found me in your home, injured and headed for death.”

  “As was I, my friend. As was I,” Spence replied, staring off into the distance.

  “How’s Marissa coming along on her new crutches you made for her?”

  “She’s a trooper. She’s got a long row to hoe, but in the long run, she’ll be just fine.”

  “I’ve been meaning to have a talk with Jӧrgen and the others, but I wanted to speak to you first,” Jessie said as he watched the birds soar high overhead in their search for food.

  “About what?”

  Pausing for a moment, Jessie replied, “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

  “We’re your family now, too, Jessie. We always will be. You know that, right?”

  “Yes,” Jessie said with a smile. “Yes, you are,” he said, turning to look at Spence. “You belong here. This is what you needed, and they need you. Marissa wouldn’t have made it this far without you, and you’re just the kind of man these girls need to have around to help watch over them while they grow and learn to cope with all that has happened, not just to them, but to the world. Me, on the other hand...”

  Placing his hand on Jessie’s shoulder, Spence said, “I know, Jessie. I know.”

  ~~~~

  A few days later, slipping out under the cover of darkness, Jessie began hiking east on the next unknown leg of his journey to find his sister. He was beginning to feel that all too familiar feeling of comfort with Spence, Jӧrgen, and his group, now including the orphaned young girls in their care. No, Jessie knew deep down inside he must keep the fire inside him burning in order to stay focused and find his sister. Comfort was an unwelcome guest to Jessie. He knew it would lead him astray, so press on he must.

  Watching as the sun illuminated the eastern horizon, its rays seeming to set the morning’s clouds on fire with brilliant displays of red and orange, Jessie looked up at the sky to see an eagle circling overhead. The eagle, in search of its morning meal before the small creatures of the night scurried away, served as a reminder to Jessie that the circle of life continues, no matter how bleak the situation might seem.

  ~~~~ The End ~~~~

  Continued in: Betrayal: Society Lost, Volume Two

  Also, check out Steven Bird’s other works including: The New Homefront Series, as well as JET: Dangerous Prey, and The Edge of Civility.

  A Note from the Author

  First off, let me thank each and every one of you for reading The Shepherd: Society Lost, the first book in The Shepherd Series. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I will always be grateful for your readership and support.

  All of us are likely to face tragedy at one point or another in our lives. We are likely to face times when we just want to give up when faced with what seems to be overwhelming odds. Jessie Townsend is no different, and that’s something that I tried to portray throughout the book. When confronted with insurmountable odds, or pain that seems too great to overcome, we have two choices we can make: we can give in, or we can use the hardship as a forge that tempers us into someone who is even stronger than before.

  As Winston Churchill once said, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

  The enemy or struggle you face may not always be clear, but when dealing with life’s hardships, no matter what form they take, keep those simple words in mind, and never give in.

  I invite you to visit my website/blog at stevencbird.com and sign up for my newsletter as well as to join me on social media at facebook.com/stvbird, facebook.com/homefrontbooks, and Twitter @stevencbird.

  Respectfully,

  Steven C. Bird