RESIST AND EVADE: A Post Apocalyptic EMP Thriller (The Blue Lives Apocalypse Series Book 2)

by Lee West

  “Blue Jay, come in. Blue Jay, come in.”

  “This is Blue Jay. Come in.”

  “It’s Marta, um, I mean Overlook One.”

  Balancing the obvious necessity for radio secrecy with the need to warn the police of the sniper locations, Marta hesitated.

  “All secure here. What’s your status?”

  “Secure here. Have a treasure map for you. Over,” she said.

  She waited, hoping the police on the receiving end of her communication understood her message.

  “Roger that. Pizza delivery tomorrow, late day.”

  “Perfect! I mean roger. Over.”

  “Blue Jay out.”

  Turning off the radio, Marta looked out the window across the dark town. The crescent moon lit the night in a shadowy silver glow. For the first time in weeks, Marta felt a glimmer of hope. Delivering the map with the locations of the snipers would give the police a tremendous advantage in the coming fight. Marta swelled with pride.

  ~ ~ ~

  Donnelly and Pritty adjusted the dials on the radio, attempting to clear the signal to the HQ. Sam listened to the entire exchange between Marta and Pritty, wondering if Jane and Lea heard the same communication.

  “What do you think she meant by a treasure map?” he asked Charlie.

  “Hard to say. Maybe the vets have relocated, or the New Order fanned out in a different direction,” offered Spencer.

  “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

  “Eagle’s Nest, this is Blue Jay. Come in,” said Pritty.

  “Blue Jay, this is Eagle’s Nest. Over.”

  “All secure at Blue Jay. Over.”

  “Eagle’s Nest is secure. What is the status of the injured? Over.”

  “Two require immediate transport to Memorial in the morning. Over.”

  “Roger that. Out.”

  Pritty turned off the radio.

  “I’ll get the generator,” said Sam, heading out of the shed.

  He knew they had to maintain radio silence outside of necessary communications, but he would have liked to let Jane know he was okay, in case she was listening. His inability to communicate with her bothered him more than he imagined it would. Being away from his family after the events of the last few days had begun to take its toll. Turning off the generator, Sam made his way inside Doris’s house. He slept on the floor in the living room, near the injured men. The sound of Avery’s raspy breathing worried Sam. He reconsidered his plan to hold back on using the few doses of antibiotics he carried in his bag.

  The hasty retreat from the storage unit only afforded Sam enough time to grab a very basic field medical pack, with a few backup items. Seeing the number of injured people at Doris’s house reminded Sam how quickly things could deteriorate for everyone. If the New Order managed to get into the unit and steal all of their supplies, the items in his medkit represented everything he possessed to keep his family healthy.

  The limited antibiotics he carried would be depleted in a matter of hours if he used them to treat the officers. The use of those pills would barely put a dent in the need here at Doris’s house and likely not save Avery. He carried a few doses of a broad antibiotic more typically used to treat ear or sinus infections. Saving these for his family suddenly seemed like a better use of his limited resources.

  Selfishness did not sit well with Sam. Turning on his side, Sam tried to sleep, Avery’s laborious breathing a constant reminder of the tough decision.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jane walked up to the dark cabin, the glow of the moonlight illuminating her path. Lea sat on the cabin step.

  “Did you hear anything about Daddy?”

  “I didn’t get to talk to him, but they said Doris’s house is secure.”

  “Secure? What does that even mean? Nothing is secure.” Lea’s voice rose as she spoke.

  “Keep your voice down. People are trying to sleep.”

  “Sorry. I’m worried about him. Why did he have to go? This is ridiculous. We should all be together.”

  “They need his medical expertise.”

  “Then we should have gone too.”

  “You see this place. There’s hardly anyone here to guard the HQ. I’m needed here and he’s needed there. End of story.”

  Jane didn’t want to argue with Lea. She knew their daughter was worried, and so was she. There just was no point going over a decision that had been made.

  Taking a seat next to Lea on the step, she said, “Come on. Let’s rest. There’s nothing we can do sitting here worrying like a couple of sailors’ wives.”

  Lea chuckled at the reference and said, “I know you’re right. I’m just scared for him.”

  “Me too, sweetie. Me too,” said Jane, stroking her daughter’s hair.

  Jane purposely omitted the part about the medical transfer to Memorial. She knew driving a vehicle across town could go south quickly. The only cars on the road were New Order. The sound of a lone vehicle would draw the attention of every New Order crazy in the area. She tossed and turned on her bunk, hoping Sam realized how dangerous the transport would be. Frustration at not being able to talk to him and fear for his safety consumed her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sam did the best he could to prepare the injured men for transport. All he could do for them was pack their wounds well enough to stop, or at least slow, any bleeding. Avery’s abdomen wound would not stop seeping. He knew a bullet must have nicked one or more of the man’s internal organs. Knowing that nothing in his field kit would have helped them made Sam feel a little better about his decision to withhold their limited supply of medicines. Avery needed surgery above all, which he’d arranged.

  “They ready to go?” asked Spencer.

  “As ready as they can be. I’ll need a hand getting them to the car. I created two makeshift stretchers,” said Sam.

  “Alright. We put the seats down in the SUV. They should fit in the back.”

  “That works. I’ll sit back there with them, somehow.”

  “No way. I can’t let you ride in the truck too. I need every inch of that SUV for mission-capable personnel. They’ll be moving fast and traveling hot. I need people who can shoot hanging off the sides or from the limited space inside.”

  “Sergeant! We’re ready to go!” said one of the men from the front porch.

  “All right, we need a hand moving these two!” yelled Spencer.

  Several officers came into the house and carried the two men away. It wasn’t the smoothest transition, but under the circumstances, they did a fine job. The men were loaded into the back of the dusty SUV, with just enough room to shut the rear cargo hatch. Two armed officers stood outside on the running boards, one on each side, holding onto the rooftop cargo rack. Another sat in the passenger seat and a fourth sat squeezed between the two stretchers, his rifle protruding from the missing back window. The truck looked loaded and ready for action. A crude white flag with a red cross was taped to the antenna.

  “Do you think the flag will be enough to alert the hospital personnel that this isn’t another New Order attack?” Sam asked Spencer.

  “Let’s hope so. I’m not sure why their comms aren’t working. You would think with the large hospital generators, they’d be all set to communicate.”

  “Are you going to supply a radio?”

  “Two. I’m hoping to hear back from the team this afternoon.” Spencer walked toward the driver’s side window and said, “Good luck and Godspeed.” He patted the side of the truck and moved out of the way.

  Sam and Spencer stood side by side, watching the brave men and women heading out into an uncertain fate.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Charlie and Mark made excellent time getting to Porter, thanks to Mark’s prime physical condition. Finally, he was able to move at a pace more suitable for the situation. He could tell Mark felt the same way. Running on the horse trail felt good.

  “Hey, let’s hold up. We’re almost there. The New Order seemed pretty keen on taking Doris�
�s house. They might have set up shop at my place after discovering the horse trail.”

  “You got it.”

  Mark slowed and then stopped, dropping his light pack to the ground. Neither man packed much beyond water and a day’s supply of food. They needed to reserve their strength for carrying Charlie’s stash. Looking through binoculars, Charlie surveyed his land and house from a safe distance. Through the trees, the house looked still. No signs of the New Order men.

  “Looks quiet. Let’s take a moment to make sure,” said Charlie.

  Mark crouched behind a thick, fallen tree and aimed his scoped rifle toward the house, slowly panning left and right. Charlie carefully searched the property, looking for anything out of place. After a few minutes, Charlie lowered the binoculars.

  “What do you think?” said Charlie.

  “Looks abandoned, unless this is the most disciplined group of gangbangers we’ve come across yet.”

  “We’ll approach cautiously. The bags are around back.”

  The men moved deliberately, but vigilantly to the hidden cave behind Charlie’s house. They dragged the bags out of the cave and lined them up on the ground. He wasn’t sure how the hell the two of them were going to manage the two extremely heavy bags, given the distance they needed to travel. They’d have to shuffle things up, maybe put the ammunition in one and spread the rifles between the remaining bags. Charlie glanced at his house for a few seconds, thinking about something inside. Mark jarred him out of his trance.

  You want to go in? Have a look around? Seems like no one’s here.”

  “You read my mind. Yeah. I need to grab something. If it’s still there.”

  “I’ll watch your back out here.”

  “Thanks. I’ll just be a second.”

  Charlie ran around the house and into the side door. He needed to quickly find Gayle’s engagement ring. When everything started happening, he’d hid it in the pocket of an old shirt in the spare room. Hopefully, the New Order didn’t find it too. Last time he was in the house, he was so focused on getting the weapons out quickly that he forgot about the ring. After he had left, he could have kicked himself for leaving it. It was silly to grab the ring, but he knew the ring would make Gayle happy. It was all the hope he could offer her in this grim new world.

  Thumbing through the clothes in the closet was quick and easy. Most of the shirts and slacks hanging had been ripped off the hangers and thrown throughout the room. The shirt with the ring was gone. Damn them. He quickly clawed through the clothes strewn across the floor, finding the old blue shirt. Somehow, the ring had managed to stay put. He grabbed it and ran to meet Mark.

  “Let’s rearrange this stuff and get out of here,” he said with a renewed spring in his step.

  “By the way, nice place,” said Mark. “Great property.”

  “It was until those assholes trashed it.”

  The two moved their way slowly across the outskirts of Porter, weighed down by the cache of weapons.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Marta sat at her kitchen table, unsure of what to do. Wringing her hands over and over again, she reviewed the events from last night. She’d told the police that she had a map for them. That was fine. They were coming to grab it. However, the next morning, she looked more closely at the map. One of the sniper nests overlooked her backyard. She had unwittingly invited the officers coming to her home into a trap.

  Over and over again, she considered calling back to Doris’s house. Daytime communications were risky at best. She knew she shouldn’t do it. She also assumed that the radio was turned off during the day to conserve fuel. Trying to reach them during the day could just end up getting her killed. Then again, Brown had said he’d disabled the radio in the police station; maybe she could get away with it. Over and over again she thought through the situation she had created, searching for the best solution.

  A soft knock on her back door broke her concentration.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked Brown as she opened the door. “Can’t they see you? Your map has one of their positions in the old Miller warehouse. Geez, you’re gonna get us killed!”

  “Don’t worry. They’re back at the station, eating. Those idiots can’t even set up a proper watch schedule. Besides, I just came to bring you these,” said Brown, handing her two bottles of water.

  The warm bottles of water were pure gold. Dehydration had been the hardest thing about her confinement. Thoughts of drinking water, or anything at all, were a constant companion.

  “Holy crap! Thank you!” she said, opening the first bottle hurriedly.

  Marta took huge gulps of water.

  “Hey, slow down. You might get sick chugging like that!”

  “I know. I know. I’m just so damned thirsty. Can you sit for a minute? I think I made a huge mistake. I don’t know what to do.”

  “I can’t stay long. They’ll be coming back soon.”

  “Someone is coming here later today to grab the map.”

  “That’s good news. Wait. Shit. They can see the back of your house.”

  “And I have no way to warn the officer coming here. The radios are off during the day to conserve fuel.”

  “Fuck me.”

  “What should I do? They’ll walk right into a trap and get killed or captured.”

  “Only one thing I can do. I’ll go and replace Snuff, the guy in the warehouse.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “Only one way to find out,” said Brown, standing to leave. “Stay put.”

  “Thanks, I don’t know what I would do without you,” said Marta.

  Brown slowly closed the door behind him and Marta latched it. Brown had been consistent in his support of the police. Risking his life over and over again for her and the other citizens of Porter. She tried not to worry about what would happen to Brown when the cops recaptured the town.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Brown swiftly walked through the backyards to get to the warehouse, with the hope of beating Snuff back to the site. The man was dumb as rocks, but he could shoot. Snuff could easily kill anyone coming or going to Marta’s house. Brown took the stairs to the office two at a time, arriving at an open door.

  “Hello?” he said, sticking his head inside.

  The office was empty. Perfect. He set himself up at the window, making sure he had a clear view of Marta’s backyard. The view was a little too clear. Snuff would have to be on the toilet to miss the cops.

  “Hey, man. What’re you doing here?” asked Snuff, barging into the room.

  “Thought I would give you a break. Must be boring as shit.”

  “Don’t you need to be at the station, trying to fix that piece of shit radio?”

  “Nah. We’ve done all we can. I can’t get the thing to work. Why don’t you take a break? I’ll stay here the rest of the day.”

  “I don’t need a break, I just got back from lunch. I’ll be just fine right here. I sort of like the quiet, just sitting here looking out the window. Downright peaceful.”

  Brown didn’t know what to do. The man clearly would not leave. He had no way to make Snuff go without raising suspicions.

  “I’ll hang with you, then. Get some of that peace and quiet for myself.”

  Brown rolled another office chair to a second window. From his vantage point, he could see Marta’s house and the road leading out of town.

  “Suit yourself, hoss.”

  The men sat silently looking out the windows. Brown secretly flipped the safety off his weapon, weighing his options.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mark had never spent any time in Porter. As a resident of Evansville, his visits to Porter were only short trips for dinner or shopping. Although he did not know Porter well, he did know they made a wide arch around the town. The two walked through the woods most of the way.

  The bags they carried slowed them down considerably. Mark estimated that one of his bags probably weighed at least one hundred and fifty pounds.

  Breathin
g heavily, Mark asked, “How much further until we cut into town?”

  “Another thirty minutes at this rate. These bags are a bitch to carry.”

  “Mine too. But it’ll be worth it to have some decent firepower.”

  “I’m hoping this stash will help to even the playing field against the New Order. All too often the bad guys outgun us. Not this time,” Charlie said with obvious pride.

  “Judging from the weight of my bags, seems like you could’ve armed a small country.”

  “Or an army of veterans,” said Charlie. “Once we get to the other side of that outcropping of trees, we should stash these bags. If we get caught, at least the New Order won’t get them. Plus, there’s no way we can stealthily move around the town with these.”

  Charlie’s words were a grim reminder to the men of the dangerous situation they faced in town.

  ~ ~ ~

  Time dragged by slowly for Brown. Being stuck in the stifling warehouse with Snuff had started to take its toll. Maybe Marta was wrong and the guys weren’t coming today? What if he sat here bored out of his skull for nothing? He started to consider calling it quits for the day, leaving Snuff alone. Standing and stretching, Brown weighed his options, becoming more and more convinced that no one would be coming.

  “You leaving?”

  “I’m thinking about it, unless you want to?” offered Brown.

  “Nah, I’m good right here.” Snuff leaned back in the office chair, slightly reclining.

  “Alright, man, I’m outta here. Catch you on the flip side,” said Brown.

  Brown left the office, walking down the dark staircase to the street.

  “Holy shit! Brown, get up here!” shouted Snuff.

  Brown ran back to the office, two steps at a time. Looking across the yards, he saw two armed men moving slowly through the yards toward Marta’s house.

  “Fuck yeah! We got ourselves two coppers! Look at them, short fucking hair and everything.”