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

by Lee West

  “Whenever you are,” said Sleeper.

  Turning on the CB and adjusting the settings, Simmons said, “Overlook One, this is Storm. Come in. Overlook One, this is Storm. You copy? Over.”

  “This is Overlook One. I hear you loud and clear.”

  A collective sigh of relief rippled through the room. Sleeper knew how dangerous Marta’s situation was. The New Order could find her at any time. If they did, she would be brutally killed for helping the police. Every time they contacted her, he worried that their calls would be answered by silence.

  “Storm, you have two friendlies inbound.”

  “ETA?”

  “Tomorrow. Probably later in the day.”

  “Roger that. Out,” said Simmons.

  He turned off the dial and turned to the room.

  “Who do you think is coming?” asked Sleeper, turning to Reynolds.

  “Not sure, but I’m glad for the help. It’d be nice to get more information, too. These calls are necessarily short, but also a little frustrating.”

  “Last time we spoke to Marta, she said the cops were moving to the first safe house as a staging area. Maybe they’re ready to coordinate the attack on Porter.”

  “If that’s the case, we need to fine-tune our preparations,” said Reynolds.

  Looking over the various noncommissioned officers, he said, “Get your guys to do a full inspection of the weapons, ammunition and handmade implements. I want all the weapons ready for immediate use. Whatever is happening, we need to be ready.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Marta turned off the radio. The short communication with the veterans assured her that everything was fine on their end. Turning to Charlie, she could tell he was not satisfied with the brief exchange.

  “She never gets on the radio. I’m sure she’s there and doing just fine,” said Marta to Charlie. She knew her words had little impact on Charlie’s state of mind, but she tried.

  Still tense, Charlie said, “We’ve done all we can do for one day. Where do you want us to bunk up?”

  “Come on. I have a couple of spare bedrooms. This house has always been way too big for just me.”

  Marta quickly covered the radio with an old sheet, making it seamlessly blend into the cluttered, packed attic.

  “Did you hear something?” asked Mark.

  The three stopped in the second-floor hallway and listened. The deep silence of a darkened world answered their query. And then a faintly audible knock came from somewhere downstairs.

  “There! That. Did you hear it?” Mark asked.

  “I did. Marta, stay here. Come on, Mark, let’s go!” whispered Charlie, slinging his weapon to the ready position.

  “Hold on, hold on,” she said, grabbing Charlie’s arm. “It could be my friend Brown. He often visits around this time. I’ll go too.”

  The three walked down the dark stairwell to the first floor, the insistent knocking growing louder.

  Peering through the side window, Marta exclaimed, “It’s him!”

  “Brown, get in here. Geez, we were upstairs. How long were you there?”

  “Longer than usual, I thought you might be upstairs, so I waited.”

  Mark and Charlie emerged from the shadows, approaching Marta and Brown. Brown started to pull his weapon, but eased it back into his waistband, apparently thinking better of it when he saw that Mark and Charlie had rifles pointed at him.

  Slapping Brown’s back, Marta said, “It’s okay, they’re my friends. This is Charlie and Mark. Charlie is Evansville PD.”

  Brown was hesitant, unsure of how to react with the men in her house. He was a convicted felon and part of the New Order. He was also working against the New Order, on the side of the police.

  “Relax. They know you’re with us,” she said.

  Extending a hand to Brown, Mark said, “Hey. Thanks for all your help. Marta showed us the map. We basically would’ve walked into a trap if it hadn’t been for you. What happened with the guy in the warehouse?”

  “He had a slight accident just as the two of you were slinking around Marta’s back door,” said Brown. “It was a close call.”

  “Crap. Do you know if they will replace him or abandon the position?” asked Charlie.

  “Oh, they’ll replace him. I’m just worried about them finding his dumb ass hidden in a bathroom. Soon as they do, I’m fried. I think I covered my tracks well enough to buy us some time. Guys are slipping away every day.”

  “You can’t go back to them. They’ll kill you if they think you’ve been helping the cops,” said Marta.

  “I have to agree. If they find the other guy, it will only be a matter of time before they put two and two together,” said Charlie.

  Turning to Charlie, Mark said, “Maybe he should come with us?”

  “No way. I’m not going anywhere. I need to stay here and help. The only way you cops are gonna win this battle is with me helping your asses from the inside. Besides, I need to make sure Ms. Marta is safe and sound. No need to let those assholes get a hold of her. No, thanks, I’m staying put,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

  “Alright, but when the shit hits the fan, you need to come here and stay put. No one on our side will know you’re with us. You could easily get shot. I’ll pass your general description and the fact that you’ll be here, but beyond that, it’ll get too complicated. The chief’s orders are to shoot to kill,” said Charlie.

  “Damn! You guys aren’t messing around. I like it,” said Brown, chuckling.

  “How many guys are part of the New Order in Porter?” asked Mark. “Estimated.”

  “Probably around fifty, give or take.”

  “How well armed are they?” asked Mark.

  “They have all the police shit plus all the weapons that the cops had in the evidence locker. They’ve also stripped the civilians clean of their firearms. The guys are very well armed, I’d say. Many of them are even wearing police-issued body armor. They love playing dress up like they’re all important and shit. Bunch of stupid gangbangers, if you ask me.”

  “Brown, tell them about the radio,” said Marta.

  “Oh yeah, they have the police radio system at the station. It’s how I found Marta. I used to listen to you guys talking at night.”

  “But not anymore?”

  “Nope. I had to disable it. The Boss didn’t like that I couldn’t pick up on any radio traffic, so he put someone in there to babysit me.”

  “Any chance he will be able to get the radio operational?” asked Charlie.

  “No way, the guy is as dumb as a bag of rocks.”

  “Other than that radio, does the New Order have any way of listening to us communicating?” asked Mark.

  “Not as far as I can tell. Those idiots ran the handheld radios dry the first week. The only reason the station’s radio is still working is because of the kick-ass generator at the station. Without it, they’d be in the dark.”

  “That’s good news. It means we can communicate during the day. It’ll make working with the vets much easier,” said Mark, turning to Charlie.

  The four of them startled at a knock on the back door of Marta’s house.

  “You expecting company?” said Charlie, turning to Marta.

  “No, but it could be Johnny. He likes to stop in occasionally,” she said.

  Marta noticed Brown stiffened when she said Johnny liked to stop by.

  “I’ll go check.”

  “We’re right behind you,” said Mark.

  Marta took a quick look between the curtains to the backyard before opening the door.

  “Johnny!”

  “Hey, Marta. I thought I would check in on you.”

  “It’s okay, guys.”

  Charlie was the first to come out of the shadows. “Johnny! Wow, am I glad to see you. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but boy, does it seem longer. How have you been holding up?”

  “We’re okay. I’ve been trying to steal food from the New Order for grandma, b
ut the lack of food and water is starting to get to her.”

  Suddenly, Marta felt guilty about the few items Charlie and Mark had brought her.

  “Here. Why don’t you take these to her? She could probably use them more than me.”

  “That’s really kind of you. Thanks, Marta.”

  “Hey, Johnny.”

  “Geez, Brown. You’re here too?”

  “I was just checking on her.”

  “Johnny, meet my friend Mark. He lives in Evansville,” said Charlie, motioning to Mark.

  “Brown, are the guys in their lookout posts right now? Or do they take a break for the night?”

  “I don’t know, but I suspect they’re all getting loaded on the last bit of booze in Porter. That’d be my best guess.”

  “Mark, we need to get out of here long before the sun rises, that way we’re sure no one’ll see us leaving town.”

  “No shit, you guys aren’t as stealthy as you think,” said Brown.

  “You should talk. I saw your sorry ass slinking around heading over here, no problem,” said Johnny.

  “Oh shit. And here I did my best SEAL Team Six.”

  Laughing, Marta felt truly safe and in the company of friends for the first time in a very long time. Since her husband’s death, she had been reluctant to get close to anyone. Finally, she felt a sense of belonging and the warmth of camaraderie. She knew the situation would change rapidly, but just for a little while longer, she wanted things to stay as they were.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Sam walked out of Doris’s house into the dewy quiet morning. The sun was still under the horizon, yet high enough to color the sky with brilliant oranges, pinks and lavender. He loved this time of day the most. Everything seemed possible and new. Gathering kindling for the fire, Sam managed to get the campfire restarted. Luckily, Doris had showed him how to make coffee over the fire pit, using her iron kettle. It was easier than he expected. He only incinerated the first two batches.

  Placing the well-water-filled kettle on the hot grates, Sam waited for it to boil. He knew from experience that once the coffee started to brew, people would begin to stir and his morning solitude would end.

  Thinking of Jane and Lea, he wondered how they were doing. Last night Sergeant Spencer had their radioman contact HQ. The communication was nothing more than a simple check-in to confirm things were all clear on both sides. He would have liked to grab the radio and speak directly to Jane. Obviously he knew that was not possible. Every officer at Doris’s house had left someone behind. Each and every one of them were feeling just the same. Worried about their loved ones, but compelled to fight. The all-clear signal would have to be enough for them until they were back together.

  The faint sounds of fast-approaching footfalls alerted Sam to someone’s approach. It sounded as though someone was running toward the house from the front driveway. In the distance the faint sound of a vehicle’s engine broke the morning silence. Officer Lovell streamed past him, running into the house, her radio cracking to life.

  “The SUV is inbound, ETA three minutes,” Lovell said to Spencer as Sam walked into the kitchen.

  “Any report of their condition?” asked Spencer.

  “None.”

  “Sam, can you make sure you’re ready? The team should be fine, based on their check-in last night, but still. We need to be sharp.”

  “Will do,” said Sam, following the others to the front of the house.

  Spencer ran around the house, alerting the other officers. Although he believed the vehicle approaching was the men returning from the hospital run, they had no way to be sure this wasn’t a trick.

  “Look alive, everyone,” shouted Spencer.

  The black SUV rolled slowly up the gravel drive. Nothing about the SUV gave any impression of a problem. However, the dark-tinted windows prevented the men and women from seeing clearly into the interior of the vehicle. Moving away from the windows, Sam suddenly felt scared that New Order men had packed into the vehicle, ready to pounce on them.

  The front door opened and Dave Mann got out, followed by the rest of the group that had departed yesterday.

  “Stand down! All clear!” shouted Spencer.

  Sam followed Spencer and the others outside to greet the team.

  “How is it out there?” asked Spencer.

  “Pretty quiet. We really had no issue at all getting to Memorial and back,” said Mann. “The streets are deserted. No one is on the move in any way, either on foot or in vehicles. It was sort of eerie to see the streets so quiet.”

  “I don’t suspect things would be so quiet if you had to go through town. Memorial is situated right between Porter and Evansville. Maybe the New Order hasn’t ventured that far?” offered Spencer.

  “Maybe. Is that coffee I smell?” said Mann.

  “Oh crap! I left it on the fire.” Sam ran behind the house to the campfire.

  The coffee had boiled over, sputtering from the top. It didn’t smell burnt, so he might be able to save it.

  “Got enough in there for us?” asked Spencer, with Mann and a few others in tow.

  “Of course, grab the mugs from inside. I’m not a barista, but it’s caffeinated and it’s hot.”

  “That’s all I look for in my coffee,” said Mann.

  “I can attest to that. I’ve been on stakeout with him. The man will drink anything.” Officer Susan Newman laughed.

  Sam poured the piping hot coffee into the mugs and passed them around. One of the men brought water from the well for the second pot.

  “Other than being quiet getting to and from Memorial, what’s their status?”

  “The head hospital administrator, Beth Pulte, was at home when the lights turned off. Apparently, she immediately went to the hospital, just as all staff is required to do in the case of an emergency. However, as an Army brat, she quickly realized something more than just a blown transformer was behind the lights going out. She had the entire facility locked down,” said Mann.

  “Over the last couple of weeks, they have thwarted attacks, but just barely. The New Order tried to get in but quickly realized they weren’t able to very easily. She thinks it’s just a matter of time before there’s a full-scale attack on the hospital,” said Newman, sipping her coffee. “Hey, this stuff isn’t bad. Or my standards have been lowered. Either way, it’s good, thanks.”

  “No problem, I’ll keep it coming,” said Sam with pride.

  “Do they have power? What’s the status of the patients?” asked Spencer.

  Mann and Newman glanced at each other uncomfortably.

  “That’s the bad news. When the hospital when dark, it was a small but fully functioning facility. The generators immediately kicked in, allowing the surgeries to proceed, the life-support machines to continue humming and all the monitoring equipment to function. As the days went on, with no indication that the power would be restored, the hospital staff needed to make some decisions regarding how to ration the hospital’s quickly depleting energy reserves,” said Newman.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” said Sam, shaking his head.

  “No. It’s not. The morgue filled up quickly. The entire place reeks of death. They had to start piling bodies in the back. Animals have ripped the body bags open and picked at the remains. It’s really bad,” said Mann.

  “They always say one of the worst places to be in the case of a disaster is on life support. I guess that’s true,” said Spencer, shaking his head. “Did you get a sense of their food reserves and how many people are in the facility?”

  Newman looked up from the fire and said, “I think they’re mostly fine with the food situation. They are rationing, but apparently the hospital had a lot of stored nonperishable food. Water is more of an issue. They’re on a well. However, when the power went down, so did the water pumps. They divert power to the pumps once a day to gather water. I guess it’s working out okay, but it could definitely be better.”

  “There has to be at least a couple hundred pe
ople at the hospital. Plus, more keep streaming in. Most people regard a hospital as a place of refuge during a disaster. With their towns under attack, many probably figured their best chance was at the hospital,” said Mann.

  “It can be a place of refuge, depending on the disaster. In this situation, if the lights stay off for much longer, I would not want to be there. Disease will quickly spread through the facility. Even under regular conditions, hospitals have a difficult time keeping a wrap on infectious disease spreading. This will only exacerbate the problem,” said Sam.

  “At least the people there were mostly safe from the New Order. The rest of us took that hit pretty hard,” said Newman.

  Sam recalled that a stray New Order bullet had killed Newman’s husband one night while they were at home, hiding. New Order men had been in the streets, lighting fires, drinking and shooting their weapons into the night sky. One drunken thug decided to blanket the front of a row of townhouses. A bullet penetrated Newman’s townhouse, killing her husband. Again, Sam thought about how fortunate his family had been given the circumstances.

  “Has anyone at the hospital heard anything from beyond our towns? Anything about what happened?” asked Spencer.

  “They don’t know anything more than we do. When they couldn’t initially get anyone on the radios, they diverted the energy use to their patients,” said Mann.

  “Probably the best use of their resources, given how little chatter we’ve heard,” said Spencer.

  “We told them about what we’re doing and where we’re all located. We also explained that everyone maintains radio silence until after midnight for safety and fuel economy. They will be making contact with us tonight after midnight for a simple check-in,” said Newman.

  “Good job, it’ll be nice to keep them in the loop,” said Spencer. “How are Sinclair and Avery?”

  “Hard to say. I think Sinclair will be okay. But they said Avery needs diagnostics and likely surgery. Two things they’re unable to provide,” said Mann.