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

by Lee West

  “Hey, Doris! Got any lunch left over? I’m starving,” said Joyce.

  “Sure! Give me just a minute,” said Doris as she got up and went to the pot hanging over the campfire.

  “How’s it going with you, Lea?” asked Joyce.

  “I’m pretty bored. Thinking about taking the kids to the lake after lunch for a swim.”

  “That sounds nice. It was pretty boring on watch too. Nothing to report except one car on the road. The driver went slowly past our entrance a number of times, like he was looking for something.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Nothing. The chief said not to let anyone in unless they definitely looked like citizens. You know, parents of the kids or people on the move seeking shelter.”

  “What did the car look like? Could you see the driver?”

  “It was a red Trans Am, with a black strip down the middle. I could only see that the driver was a large bald man. He didn’t seem to be the kind to have a kid at the camp. So I stayed low. Eventually, he drove in. I told the chief, and in response, he doubled the guards on the front perimeter.”

  Lea shifted uncomfortably in her seat. A loud piercing sound buzzed in her ears as black splotches appeared in her field of vision.

  “Lea! Are you okay? Put your head between your legs and breathe!”

  Joyce shoved Lea’s head down between her legs. Slowly, the sound abated and her vision returned to normal. Lea’s heart continued to pound in her chest as she thought about Tank driving past the camp. Could it be him? Maybe it was someone with a similar car?

  “There, that’s better. You looked like you were passing out. I’ve never seen anyone go so white that fast,” said Joyce.

  “I’m okay. I just needed a minute. It’s scary to think about the New Order men coming near here.” Lea wiped the beads of sweat from her brow and tried to continue breathing deeply.

  “I know. But don’t worry. They can’t get through the fence. Besides, we’ll see them long before they could even try the fence. We’re safe in here, honey. Sorry I scared you,” said Joyce, patting Lea’s shoulder.

  Lea’s mind twirled around horrific images of Tank. She knew Tank’s rage would turn him into a monster. When he was like that, the only thing that seemed to calm him was beating her. The first punches were always the hardest. As his fists rained down on her, the force of them always started to subside, until they finally stopped. She knew Tank would be furious at her for escaping. His fury would also likely spill over to her parents, putting them and anyone else in his path in grave danger.

  She fantasized about killing Tank over and over again. Perhaps this time she needed to act before he could hurt her or anyone else. Determination replaced fear in her mind as Lea formulated a plan.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  After the surviving New Order vehicles raced out of town, the fighting died down considerably. Charlie knew the fight was over and they had won. Now they needed to be sure there weren’t pockets of New Order men hiding amongst the civilians.

  Dale Spencer jogged over to Charlie and his team as they reassembled on the street in front of the police station. The group stood upwind of the still-billowing acrid smoke that poured out of the station.

  “Nice work, Charlie. I think the team of veterans really pushed us over the edge. And by the way, thanks for getting us out of the jam we were in. The New Order really had us pinned,” said Spencer.

  “Pinned? Wasn’t us. All the veterans were busy taking out sniper nests. That’s the information Marta had for us. The New Order had men placed all over town in concealed locations. We focused on clearing those spots so you guys could get in,” said Charlie.

  “Then where did the return fire come from?” said Spencer, glancing up at the houses on Magnolia. “There were people in all these houses, returning fire on the New Order.”

  One of the front doors opened and an upright-looking, awkward man peeked out. “Is it safe to come out?” he shouted.

  Charlie and Spencer jogged over to the man.

  “Not yet. We need to go through each building to be sure there aren’t any New Order men still hiding in town. I’m Charlie, by the way, Evansville PD,” said Charlie.

  “I’m Dale Spencer, Porter PD. Were you with the guys returning fire on the New Order?” Spencer asked.

  The man nodded, unsure what to say.

  “Thanks for helping us! You guys saved our asses back there. Nice shooting,” said Spencer, shaking the man’s hand.

  “Thanks. There’re eleven houses down Magnolia as part of our team. We were waiting for you guys to bring the fight to the New Order before we jumped in. With only eleven of us, we didn’t think we’d have much of a chance alone,” said Henry.

  “We weren’t sure we had much of a chance either, but with your help, we did it!” said Spencer, giving the man’s hand one last pump.

  “Tell the other civilians to stay put for now until we give the all clear. I’m gonna take off. I need to radio HQ with an update,” said Charlie.

  Charlie left Spencer to form teams to go door-to-door. Right now he needed to make sure HQ and the team at Doris’s house knew they’d reclaimed Porter. He also wanted them to know that one car got away. Gayle’s team had been unable to stop the SUV as it careened across the field, out of range.

  Turning the corner, Charlie headed to Marta’s house. He hoped Marta and Brown had taken his advice and stayed put during the fighting. Bullets had a strange way of traveling; the last thing he wanted was Marta getting hurt.

  Knocking on the front door of Marta’s house, he waited for her to open up. He knocked again but heard no movement from inside. He decided to go to the back door. If she was still in the basement, she might hear a knock at the patio door better than the front door. He rounded her house and nearly stumbled on Brown’s outstretched legs.

  “Holy shit! Marta, what happened?”

  “He went out to check to see if it was safe and someone shot him!” she yelled through sobs.

  Charlie could tell that Brown was dead. He figured Marta must have been sitting with him in that condition for a little while.

  Grabbing her arm, he said, “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

  She slowly let go of Brown and allowed Charlie to move her back inside her house. Once Marta was seated on her couch, Charlie disappeared into the kitchen and whispered into his handheld for Mark.

  “Mark, you copy?”

  “It’s Mark. We’re going through the houses on Smith Road. All clear so far.”

  Charlie knew Smith Road was not too far from Marta’s location. Mark could easily direct a couple of members of his squad to pull Brown’s body from Marta’s backyard.

  “Brown is dead. He was shot coming out of Marta’s house. Can you have someone come by to grab him? Marta is really upset.”

  “Crap, sorry, man. We’ll be right over. Out.”

  Charlie joined Marta on the couch again.

  “I’m sorry about Brown. I know he had become a friend. And he was an invaluable asset to the police, a real hero. Without him, our officers would’ve been gunned down by the New Order snipers; things could have turned out very differently. Everyone was right where he said they’d be.”

  Charlie could tell his words made Marta feel a little better. She looked up and smiled slightly.

  “Can I use the radio? I need to contact HQ. The police station is still toxic from the tear gas we used to flush them out.”

  “Is it over?” she asked, a little stunned.

  “Mostly, we just need to go through the houses and businesses to be sure there aren’t any men hiding.”

  Marta’s shoulders dropped and she exhaled. “I can’t believe it’s really over. I can actually go outside!” She got up and headed toward the front door.

  “Not yet. We’ll give the all clear. For now, let’s call HQ.”

  “Right, sorry. I’ve lived like a shut-in for so long the thought of getting into the sunshine was overwhelming. Come on, let’s make that call
!”

  The two walked quickly up the stairs into the attic. Marta uncovered the radio and turned it on.

  “It’s all yours!”

  Glancing at his watch, Charlie realized they had a few minutes before the designated communications time.

  “I need to wait until the top of the hour. We agreed to communicate only at that time in order to save power.”

  The two sat in companionable silence, waiting for time to pass. Finally, Charlie picked up the handheld and said, “Blue Jay, this is Overlook One. Come in. Blue Jay, this is Overlook One. Over.”

  “This is Blue Jay. Hearing you loud and clear, Overlook One. What’s your status?”

  “The Town of Porter is secure. Repeat, the Town of Porter is secure! We’re just doing the final cleanup.”

  “Congratulations! And excellent work!”

  “Thank you! We did have one black SUV escape our grip. We think it only contained one individual. Over.”

  “Roger that, we’ll be on the lookout. Any blue casualties? Over.”

  “Two officers and one veteran are down, with multiple others injured. Over.”

  “Sorry to hear it. We’ll alert HQ.”

  Charlie turned off the radio and looked at Marta. The two weary friends had been through so much.

  “I can’t believe it’s really over,” she said.

  “From one perspective. At least the New Order is no longer in Porter.” Standing up, Charlie stretched and then said, “I need to get back out there to help search. Please stay put until we give the all clear.”

  The two walked down the creaky steps. Marta opened the front door and inhaled deeply.

  “I don’t ever remember the air smelling so sweet.”

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Tank drove back into Evansville after spending the morning looking for Camp Hemlock. He was convinced that Lea and her family were hiding at the kids’ camp. The problem was that he couldn’t find the place. The camp was located in a rural area near Lake Sparrow. Only one main road led up into that entire region.

  Looking at the map, he figured finding the place would be a cinch, but of course it wasn’t. He wasted precious fuel driving back and forth looking for the camp. There was just nothing up there. Seemingly endless walls of thick forest lined the road, with only the occasional glimpse of the lake. There was no road sign for the camp or road sign indicating he had made it there. Finally, frustration got the better of him and he called it a day.

  The closer he got to town, the more anxious he became. Explaining his failure to the guys would not be easy. They would sense weakness and perhaps even make inroads to threatening his control over them. Bower had told him not to go. He’d said it would be a waste of fuel. He knew Bower was wrong. It wasn’t a waste of time or fuel. That bitch and her parents were up there. He could just feel it.

  On his way back, he stopped at the one marina that serviced Lake Sparrow. The sleepy marina consisted of a store and small pier. Not exactly a maritime hub but adequate for the small boats of vacationers who used the lake. The glass door to the store shattered with a loud smashing sound under the weight of his boots. It was obvious that no one had been in the marina. The marina’s store contained all the usual boating shit with the addition of a small candy aisle. He greedily grabbed candy bars, chips, gum, mints and anything else he could shove into bags, stuffing candy bars in his mouth two at a time. He would share a portion of the loot with the guys, proving his trip was worthwhile. Then he would stash the rest of it in case he and Bower needed to bolt.

  Getting back into his Trans Am, he started to pull out of the marina’s lot but then realized that he hadn’t checked the couple of vehicles in the lot for fuel. Sure enough, the cars had plenty of gas. He filled up his tank, along with several gallon tanks, which he stored in his trunk. The fuel supply would not be shared with the group. If he and Bower needed to make a run from town, the fuel would come in handy. On the other hand, if he found Lea, he could bring her along instead of Bower. There were advantages to having her with him.

  Tank drove to the center of Evansville, to the location of their new headquarters. The restaurant had never been good when it was open; at least it was worth something closed, thought Tank with a slight smirk. Turning the corner, he could see a large black SUV parked in front of his headquarters. What the fuck? He didn’t recognize the truck. The SUV’s sides and back were covered in bullet holes, its windows shattered. Whoever drove this truck came out of some serious shit, he thought.

  Tank walked into the restaurant with his usual, take-charge air, curious to see who had washed up on his doorstep.

  “Tank, my man! Nice of you to join us. The guys told me you’ve been out looking for your old lady. Said you can’t keep the woman in one place!” said the Boss to a round of laughter.

  The Boss sat in Tank’s seat, surrounded by his men. The New Order men looked at Tank with renewed hatred. Their Boss was in charge now and Tank would have to listen to him or face the consequences. He could tell the men were anxious for a misstep, giving them an excuse to pummel him.

  “Looking for some skinny-assed dumb bitch? Fuck that. I was out finding all of this!” said Tank, spilling the candy bag open on the table in front of the Boss.

  The men quickly descended on the candy, grabbing anything they could get their dirty hands on. The Boss remained still, staring at Tank. Tank defiantly returned the stare, despite knowing stepping up was probably not good for his long-term survival. He couldn’t help himself; he hated guys like the Boss. A two-bit gangbanger thinking he was a god because a few losers followed him.

  “What the fuck happened to your truck?” he asked, breaking the stony showdown.

  Finally the Boss broke his stare and responded, “The cops are back in Porter, and I’m the only one to survive their little shit storm.”

  The intense look on the Boss’s face told Tank to shut up or get a bullet in the eye.

  “Sorry, man, you had some decent guys on your crew,” said Tank, taking a different approach.

  He needed to figure out if the Boss intended to stay or if he was just passing through.

  “But now I’ve got another crew, all ready for me, right here,” said the Boss, jutting his chin forward in a challenge.

  Tank knew his guys could not take on the Boss’s gang. Looking around the room, he caught Bower’s eye. Bower silently pleaded with him to yield. The last thing they needed was to get into a turf war over Evansville. He would stand down and then figure out a way to kill that asshole the Boss.

  “Looks like you guys won’t skip a beat in Evansville. You’ll be comfortable here, that’s for sure.”

  “We will. And speaking of comfortable, I decided to move into the large Victorian house next door. The guys said you wouldn’t mind relocating,” said the Boss to not so quiet laughter. “Bower has all of your shit. I suggest you find another spot to rest your head.”

  That motherfucker. Tank could barely control his fury. He could feel his jaws lock into place as his fists curled tight. Staring at the Boss, Tank thought about ramming his fist into the man’s head and then smashing his head against the floor until it popped open like a pumpkin.

  “Hey, man! Let’s go! I’ll show you where we’re staying,” said Bower, with a strong hand on Tank’s arm.

  Tank knew Bower had saved him from more than one bad move over the years.

  Bower leaned into Tank and whispered, “Let’s go before you get us killed.”

  The Boss sat staring at Tank with that smug, condescending look. Not taking his eyes off the Boss, Tank vowed to be with the man when he took his last breath.

  Bower shoved Tank out of the restaurant and onto the street. Tank could barely think through the haze of adrenaline.

  “Fuck! What were you doing in there? Trying to get us killed? You need to chill the fuck out!”

  “You see the way he looked at me? Like some chump. This is my town!”

  “Yeah, well, we don’t have the guys to take on his gang. And t
hey would love nothing more than to shave us. You need to play it cool. Those guys won’t last. Look at his truck! The cops are back and there’s only one group they’ll be looking for, those New Order gangbangers. You and me, we’re just innocent civilians.”

  Tank visibly calmed. He’d never thought of it that way, but Bower was right. The cops would be looking for the prisoners that escaped, not innocent civilians. They needed to distance themselves from the Boss and the others or get killed with them.

  “Did you catch what he said? He’s the only one that survived Porter?” asked Tank.

  “I know. I thought they had, like, forty guys. Fuck that. I’m not dying with those shits. When the cops come back, we go back to being regular citizens. Those shits either get killed or go back to prison. Maybe we need to leave town while we can?” asked Bower as they walked toward their new home.

  “No way. They’ll be watching for us to make a move. We need to lie low. I grabbed more candy, gas and some clothes from a marina on Lake Sparrow. I only brought in a little of the stash for those goons. We need to keep our supply hidden and ready to move out. As soon as I find Lea, we make a break for it.”

  “Lea? Are you shitting me? We need to go before the cops get here and kill all of us!” said Bower, raising his voice.

  Tank slammed his friend up against the side of the building and grabbed his shirt. “I said we go after I get Lea back! I’m not leaving here without that bitch! You got it!”

  Giving Bower one more hard shove, Tank walked away.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Mark and Marty Stevens, one of the veterans, walked into the last restaurant on the main road in Porter. It was a diner-style place with a fifties motif that had probably served really good fries and burgers. Mark opened the door and signaled for Stevens to go to the right while he went to the left. The two men fanned out and started their quick search. They had been through the entire town, finding nothing. The search felt more like an obligation than a potentially dangerous mission.