by Kristen Judd
Black Winter
Kristen Judd
A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Book
Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
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Chapter Two
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Chapter Three
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Chapter Four
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Chapter Five
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Chapter Six
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Chapter Seven
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Chapter Eight
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Chapter Nine
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Chapter Ten
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Chapter Eleven
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Chapter Twelve
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Chapter Thirteen
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Chapter Fourteen
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Chapter Fifteen
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Publishers Notes
Copyright © 2018 by
Kristen Judd
All Rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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CHAPTER
- ONE -
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The CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter banked left. The rotors stirred the smooth surface of Shoshone Lake as the pilot hung close to the water's edge to avoid detection. Yellowstone National Park was quiet tonight. The helicopter swooped past a herd of elk drinking from the lake, disrupting the approach of a pack of wolves. The brewing storm in the west blocked the moon from view and shadowed the ground below in darkness. Rain had already begun to pour in sheets and would be there within the hour.
Ten Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Raiders were huddled in the back, awaiting deployment. Each wore combat gear fit with night vision and thermal vision. Five large crates sat near the ramp. The Sea Stallion hovered over its first drop. Two Marine Raiders stood and took hold of the first crate. The ramp lowered, allowing the cool night air to sweep in. The two Marines held onto the railing for balance until the ramp was fully extended. The light went from red to green. They pushed the crate out into the night. The ramp rose the moment they had safely jumped out. The crate's parachute released shortly after its free fall. The two Marine Raiders pulled their own and landed in their designated drop zone.
The helicopter swooped around the super volcano to predetermined drop zones until the remaining crates and Marines had jumped. The Sea Stallion returned to base. It would return four hours later when the Marines had completed their assignment. The Marines popped the crates open and pulled out the nuclear warhead from inside. The nuke sat on a pulley system on wheels. The Marines wheeled the nuke from the casing and rucked it up the mountain. The park's natural wildlife eyed them curiously as they passed with a large metal bomb in tow. The Marines used an industrial earth digger to drill several holes in the ground at their locations. Once the hole was complete, they set the timer on the nuke to 10:50 p.m. and lowered it into the hole and covered it with the excess soil. All ten Marine Raiders were picked up just over three hours later and hauled off the national park reserve.
The red timers on the bombs ticked down. When they hit zero, the nukes went off.
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CHAPTER
- TWO -
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Doctor Adam Richards woke at 5:00 a.m., as he did every morning. He activated the coffee pot while he prepared his usual breakfast. Ten minutes later, he sat at the cylinder table made of recycled wood and metal, overlooking Assawoman Bay. The water had an eerie fog in the mornings that Adam enjoyed. Its dark surface ran smooth for miles within the safety of the bay.
He ate his two eggs, two bacon strips, and piece of buttered toast with raspberry jelly, and sipped his coffee while he read through the highlights of yesterday's newspaper. At 6:15 a.m., he turned on the TV and allowed the newsreel to play in the background while he got dressed for the day. He was in his private study adjusting his tie when he heard the news reporter interrupt the feed with an emergency alert.
He rushed out to the living room and turned the volume up.
“Yellowstone's super volcano has erupted. The President has issued a state of emergency for all residents living within a five-hundred-mile radius of the blast zone. Those in Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Nevada are asked to take shelter immediately. Residents in Oregon and Washington are encouraged to go farther west, while those in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, western Illinois, Kansas, northwest Missouri and Oklahoma, as well as north Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona are encouraged to head farther south or to the east. Initial reports indicate that those within the blast zone are gone.”
The news reporter choked and tried to regain her composure. When she tried to speak again, she broke into tears. She was escorted off the stage and another gentleman, equally disturbed by the events in Wyoming, continued to speak.
“No reports have come in as to why the super volcano went active and erupted sometime last night around 11:13 p.m. (MST) after being dormant for more than 70,000 years. If you are in one of the states within the Primary and Secondary Ash Zones, indicated on the map behind me in red, seek shelter immediately. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the President have declared this a Major Disaster and all federal and state resources will be used to assist those in need. We here at WRDE will be with you all day as reports come in. We are praying for the families affected by this tragedy.”
Adam was distracted away from the TV by his daughter clinging to his leg. She smiled up at him and saw the worry in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Daddy?"
He lifted her into his arms and shut the TV off. He didn't want her seeing what had happened.
"Nothing, sweetie. Daddy just has a busy day at work, that's all. Nothing to worry about. Are you hungry?"
"Yes!" she shouted with glee.
"All right, let's get you some breakfast."
He patted her on the butt as she ran off to sit at the table. She scooped up the newspaper he had left there and pretended to be reading it. Adam admired her innocence and enthusiasm toward life. He worried that would all change now. He made her scrambled eggs with toast and poured her a glass of orange juice. He placed the plate on the table and sat down next to her.
"Thank you, Daddy."
Adam smiled. "You're welcome, honey."
He sat there and watched her eat, cherishing the moment. He wasn't sure how many more of these they'd have before things got worse. And things would get worse. His phone vibrated on the granite island. He left the table to answer it. The caller ID displayed Nancy Evans. He glanced over at Abigail before answering the phone to her mother.
"Hello," he said.
"Adam, is everything okay? I just heard the news about the volcano. That's crazy! How could something like this happen? Where's Abby? Is she okay?"
"She's fine. She's eating her breakfast right now," he said.
"I just don't know what we're going to do. People here in Washington are losing their minds. People are looting stores and shops, saying this is the end of days. Adam, I'm scared."
"Everything is going to be all right, Nancy. The government will handle this. We don't know enough information right now to make any decisions. I need you to be calm. Can you do that?"
"Yes," she sobbed.
"Is John with you?" he asked.
She placed her husband on the phone.
"Yeah, I don't know what to think of it. Are you working today?" Adam asked.
"I was about to head into the office when Nance told me about the news."
"Don't," Adam said. "Go to a local store that hasn't been looted and stock up on imperishable foods, water, and medical supplies. I don't know what is going to happen in the days ahead, but we need to be prepared. I'll give you a call later if I hear anything."
"Thanks, Adam."
Adam hung up the phone. He leaned against the island. Abigail smiled when she saw him looking at her.
"Was that Mommy?" she asked.
"It was."
"Did she say when she was going to come visit?"
"No, but I'm sure she'll come to see you soon. Are you finished with your breakfast?"
She stuffed two large scoops of scrambled egg into her mouth.
"Yup," she said with her mouth full.
Adam laughed. "All right, go get dressed. We need to leave in fifteen minutes to get you to school."
He scooped her up in his arms as she was running by and showered her with kisses.
"Ew, Daddy," she giggled.
He kissed her again and said, "I love you, darling. Do you know that?"
"Mhm. I love you, too, Daddy."
She skipped off to her room. Adam turned the TV back on and watched in horror as the preliminary death tolls came in. Over 100,000 deemed killed by the initial blast almost immediately. That number would only climb as the molten lava, rock, and ash spread over a thousand miles in all directions. It would be a nuclear winter for half of the United States within a week. This wasn't good. He needed to get to the office.
Adam locked the door as his daughter ran to the car. As he left the front porch, three black SUVs pulled up in front of his house, along the cul-de-sac. Men in suits jumped out and took a perimeter. One of them walked toward him. He removed his dark sunglasses and placed them in the inside of his jacket.
"Doctor Richards," the man said, extending his hand.
"Do I know you?" Adam asked.
"I'm Special Agent Riggs with Homeland Security." He flipped his badge to show his credentials. "Do you have a moment to talk?"
Adam glanced at his daughter waiting in the car. "I need to get my daughter to school, and I have work."
"I assure you, sir, this is more important. We'll only take a minute of your time. I promise."
The men around the Escalades had their hands crossed by their waists. Adam knew they were ready to act if the necessity arose. Their sudden presence ignited the initial dread he had upon seeing the news. It was worse. Much worse.
"Abby," Adam said, turning to face his daughter. "Go wait inside for a moment. Daddy needs to talk with this gentleman for a minute. Can you do that, sweetie?"
Abigail climbed out of the car and analyzed the men in black suits then looked to him for reassurance.
"It's okay, baby. We'll go in a minute. Just go wait inside while Daddy talks with this nice man."
He handed her the keys. When she was on the top step, Adam turned to Special Agent Riggs. "What do you want?"
Another SS agent handed Riggs a brown folder with Confidential in red ink on the front.
"I head up Homeland Security's Counterterrorism Task Force. We have reason to believe there is more going on than initial reports indicate."
"Terrorism? Are you serious? A volcano just erupted. I fail to see how that's an act of terrorism. What do you want with me anyway? Do you think I was somehow involved?" Adam took a step back instinctively.
Riggs held up his hand to the agent behind him.
"You're not a suspect. We need your help in finding who was responsible for this. Please," he said, handing Adam the folder.
Adam opened the folder to find intelligence reports, recordings, wire taps, email and text messages, and imagery that corroborated the agent's claim of potential terrorist involvement. He handed the folder back to Agent Riggs.
"What do you want with me? I'm just a Microbiologist. I'm not ex-special forces or an intelligence analyst. I work with bacteria, viruses, algae, fungi, and parasites to see how they'll interact with other environments. I don't do bullets."
"Exactly. We have a parasite on our hands, and we need you to help us figure out how it'll affect our environment." Special Agent Riggs smiled.
"I—I don't know..."
Riggs pulled out a card from his jacket.
"Here's your ID. You work for Homeland Security now, under the jurisdiction of the President of the United States of America. You've been granted conditional Top Secret/SCI clearance until further notice."
"This is all crazy. I can't work for Homeland Security. I have a job. I need to get to work—"
"Doctor Richards, I know this is a lot to take in, but I assure you, the best place for you and your daughter right now is with us."
"Don't bring my daughter into this. This has nothing to do with her."
"I meant no offense. You've seen the news?" Riggs asked.
"It's okay, Doctor Richards. What happened in Wyoming is a tragedy, but it's nothing compared to what is to come. We need to be ready, and we need your help. This is your only chance to save your daughter. We can't promise what will happen if you decline to join us. The world is a dangerous place when people are scared."
Riggs had hit a cord with Adam. His shoulders slouched, and his head leaned forward. Special Agent Riggs was right. Already people were looting. It was only a matter of time before that reached him and things got worse. It would only take one person getting killed to set off a chain reaction. And when that happened, no one was safe.
"I'll need some time to explain this to my daughter and get some things together," Adam said.
"You have ten minutes, then we're leaving, with or without you," he added.
Adam walked with a slouch, like a man defeated and overcome by the pressures of the world. His footfalls were heavy as he walked up the steps to the front porch. His daughter was waiting by the window when he opened the door.
"What's wrong, Daddy? Who are those men? What do they want? Are you in trouble?"
Adam’s heart broke to see his daughter worried. She was too young to have to face the evil in the world. He had tried to protect her and shield her for as long as he could. But it seemed, no matter what he did, the truth always found a way to rear its head. He’d had reality thrust upon him, and all he could do now was react. He hoped he was making the right decision, not for himself, but for his little Abby.
"We are going on a small trip," he said.
"What kind of a trip? What about Mommy? Is she coming, too?"
Adam didn't know what else to say. "Yeah, Mommy will be there, too. We need to leave in a few minutes. Go gather your things like I showed you for camping."
"Okay, Daddy."
She hugged him real tight and took off in a sprint.
"Yay, we're going camping!" she cheered as she ran down the hall to her bedroom.
Adam was slower in making it to his room. Everything moved in slow motion. The reality hadn't sunk in. What is happening? And why? The worst part was that he couldn't control it and didn't see it coming. In the lab, he could anticipate or even predict the end result or how a protein might react with another protein, but this, the end of the world, he had no experience or education to even begin to understand the repercussions. He steadied himself on the wall by the closet. His stomach suddenly twisted. He barely made it to the toilet before his breakfast came up. His chest heaved two more times before he flushed. He rinsed his mouth and splashed his face with cold water. His eyes were weary and his jaw heavy in the mirror.
You've got to be strong for Abigail. You're strong. You're courageous. And you'll do whatever it takes to protect your girl.
He walked back to the closet and grabbed his hiking bag off the top shelf. He stuffed it with two weeks' worth of underwear, socks, shirts, pants, shorts, and socks. Not knowing if where they wer
e going would be cold or hot, he made sure to add a jacket and sunscreen. He chose one pair of hiking shoes and casual dress. He stuffed his toiletries into a smaller bag and placed it inside the larger one. Three minutes later, he dropped his bag on the porch and walked back in to check on Abigail.
"All ready to go, sweetie?" he said, standing at her door.
She stuffed her favorite stuffed animal, Mr. R, the rabbit, into her bag and zipped it up.
"Ready!" she exclaimed.
Adam tossed her bag over his shoulder and walked back to the front porch. One of the Secret Service men tossed his bag in the back of the middle SUV. Adam stopped, the weight of reality finally hitting him; if they went with these men, there would be no turning back.
He kneeled by his daughter and placed both hands on her shoulders. "This camping trip is a special trip. Sometimes, it goes to the woods or a beach, and other times, it goes deep underground, like a mountain or a bunker."
"What's a bunker?"
"It's like a tree house or a secret place, but under the dirt."
"Sounds scary," she said.
"Oh, sweetie. There's nothing to be afraid of. Daddy will be with you the whole time. I won't let anything happen to you."
His daughter reminded him so much of his ex-wife. They both were resilient but fearful of the unknown.
"I wasn't going to tell you this until we got there, but..."