by John Chapman
The two thugs who had been following Dylan and his prisoner, intent on keeping them in sight, saw the entire deadly encounter. The fight and shooting had unfolded so quickly that by the time one of them got his phone out to take video, it was over. His phone didn’t work anyway. When they saw Dylan stand up again, they ducked behind a busted-up car in the alley and continued watching, waiting for the sirens of more cops and the ambulance to tell them it was time to go. The sirens never came.
Chapter 5
City Police Range
Alliance, OH
“Are you sure this is really the apocalypse?” Kyle asked Mark with a grin. “It seems awful quiet. I mean, we aren’t even raping and pillaging.” “No, I’m pretty sure this is the apocalypse bro, but we are less than an hour into it. Be patient.” Mark replied, then continued, “And no matter how bad it gets we won’t be raping or pillaging.” “Humph,” Kyle huffed, “This apocalypse is dumb.” Mark couldn’t reply; he was laughing too hard.
They called off their quick and dirty inventory of the vault having decided the people were more important than the equipment. They called everyone at the range into the classroom. First, they started a fresh roster. Some of the civilian CQB students didn’t understand why this was important enough to do first and started making soft complaining noises. All of the cops in the room understood knowing who was available, with what skills and equipment, was the first step to any plan. They also understood that things were about to get crazy; and keeping track of who was where, doing what, would prevent serious ass-ache in the future. They were delighted to discover that the classroom laptop and iPad, while not connecting to the Internet, both still worked. They were happy they didn’t have to do all the organizing by hand.
As they were starting to build the roster in the laptop they heard a vehicle pull up and doors slam. Chris and Ed from the Brick Plant burst through the door, and Chris blurted out “We got EMP’d!” Everyone just looked at them. Mark said, “We know bro.” Chris looked deflated. Mark continued, “I’m glad you guys made it. What vehicle did you find to run?” Ed replied, “My truck is a ’71. Runs fine if you ignore the aftermarket gauges that don’t work now.” “Awesome.” Mark said, “It’s good to know some things you’d expect from an EMP are true. Have a seat guys.” Ed laughed and while pushing Chris to the back of the room said, “Wait till I tell you guys about how Chris punched himself in the junk 10 minutes into the apocalypse.” A low roar of chuckles erupted, and Kyle said, “Alright, let’s get down to business. When we point to you, we need your full legal name. We will assign teams and roster numbers when we are done.”
It took about 20 minutes to get through the process. They ended up with 31 people who could be assigned to an operational team, including instructors and range staff, and two support personnel. The support personnel were Burt and Lydia. Burt was the range maintenance man. A Vietnam vet, Burt hadn’t been operational since then; but he was a dedicated member of the range staff and could build or fix pretty much anything. He was a Godly man and an accomplished hunter and woodsman. Burt was also blessed with the deep common sense and practical knowledge often found in older rednecks. Kyle was sure he would be a rock in the coming bad times. Lydia was a Deputy Sheriff who managed the work release program for the Stark County Jail. She spent most days shuttling around petty offenders to do one menial task or another. She happened to be at the range when the pulse hit, checking to see if Kyle needed any manual labor from her inmates over the next few weeks. Her van wouldn’t start, but no one suspected she would stick around long. She seemed pretty dang soft.
Of the 31 “deployable” guys, 20 were Alliance SWAT officers, including Kyle and Mark. The other 11 consisted of the eight students in the CQB class, five of whom were cops in out of state jurisdictions, and three who were highly trained citizens, one was David, with Chris and Ed being the last two. Mark looked at the roster and let out a long breath. Whatever was coming at them 31 people wasn’t a lot to meet it with. The good news was everyone in the room was a solid performer who Mark, David, and Kyle had trained or worked with before. Some of them were unproven under fire while others had been bloodied either as cops, while serving in the Military, or working for Private Military Companies. Either way, every one of them was trained to a high standard and was equipped with the right gear. Mark would go to war with any of them and it looked like he’d have that chance.
Mark, Kyle, and David pulled Chris and Ed aside and got a quick and dirty report of what they had seen. They reported the same phenomenon of the loss of power and cell phones, but found that Ed’s old truck still ran. They observed hundreds of stalled vehicles on the road and people milling around, and theirs was the only running vehicle. Chris said, “We saw an Alliance patrol car on Liberty Avenue but no one was in it, and we didn’t see the officer between there and the station.”
Mark came back and addressed the group, “Ok, here is the situation as we understand it. The power is off, most of our vehicles don’t work and our electronics that weren’t inside this metal building are dead. Our phones that do work don’t have any cell signal at all. Electronics that were stored in our closed vehicles seem to have survived fine but anything wired into the car is dead.” Mark took a second to think before continuing. “We haven’t seen the skydiving plane overhead since this happened and they usually fly all afternoon. We haven’t heard a train pass on the nearby tracks since the event; our handheld police radios that were in the vault and our cars work but we can’t raise anyone on any of the frequencies, other than ourselves on the car-to-car channel. Chris and Ed are reporting the same general thing was happening through town on their way here and the same effect on their electronics stored in their vehicles.”
Mark continued, “I propose we place Kyle in command. He is the highest-ranking police officer present, and should be the one to direct our operations, at least until we make contact with the Chief of Police.” Kyle got serious for once and nodded his head. Mark drove on, “Those of you who are not sworn Alliance PD personnel, I’d like you to accept an emergency commission until we figure things out. As the Commander of the SWAT Team Kyle has the authority to deputize all of you.” For some reason that was the moment it seemed to get real for some of the guys. “You mean you want us to become Alliance cops and respond to this in an official capacity?” Lee asked, with some incredulity in his voice. “I’ve never been to the police academy. I’m an electrical engineer working for a tech startup. I’ve only trained; I’ve never been shot at or pointed a loaded gun at anyone.” Before Mark could reply David jumped in, “This situation is only a few minutes old but we don’t know where it will go; how bad it will get. We need every trained gun we can get to help brother. If the time comes you will do fine, or you won’t. We are in it now, and we are all we have.” Kyle nodded and responded, “The good news is, we are all we need.”
Another of the CQB students, Ernesto, a retired cop, spoke up, “Guys, if this is nationwide I need to get home to my family.” “I understand completely brother,” Mark said. “A temporary police commission is just that; temporary and a commission. Meaning you can resign and leave at any time. I’m not talking about conscripting anyone against their will.” Silence reigned in the room. Mark continued, “OK, hear my logic guys. I know everyone with family somewhere else wants to ruck up, steal an old truck, and go all road warrior. The problem is, if this is a national emergency, by the time you get out of Ohio it will full blown Mad Max out there. Think through how you would travel, eat, fight, and where you would find fuel assuming you could acquire and keep a running vehicle. If you had to walk home to California Ernesto, it would take you 18 months in the best scenario.”
Mark paused for a breath then continued, “Guys, in the end, this situation is what the Second Amendment is really all about. The right to bear arms we talk about all the time is only half the equation; the reason we have that right is because we need it to fulfill the obligation to be ‘well regulated’, which means well trained, and to
serve in the militia in times of crisis, like now. The point is not hunting or target practice; it’s about being ready when the day comes. Well, it’s come. I know each of you guys, and I know you take that obligation seriously.”
Mark noticed the nod of realization from several guys, including Ernesto, and kept going, “What I think we need to do is create a safe haven here in Alliance until we can get some idea as to the magnitude of this event, then make viable plans to get guys home who want to go. If it is a national level emergency, or even one covering several states, we will be far better off, both as individuals and as a team, if we gather resources and then act from a position of strength. Rushing off to face this alone, or even in groups of 2 or 3, will greatly reduce your likelihood of saving your families. If this turns out to be a fairly local thing we will probably know that within a few days; and if that’s the case your families aren’t in any danger.”
Mark paused for a second and recalled a story he had seen on the National Geographic channel, and decided it may help. “Guys, what’s the biggest, baddest predator in the ocean?” Ernesto said, “The great white shark. They’re the apex predator.” Ernesto grinned and continued, “I know that because all the white girls in college called me the ‘great Mexican shark’.” Mark shook his head and drove on, “As individual animals, you are correct brother. But did you know white sharks are hunted too?” Ed piped up, “No way. Nothing could kill a great white other than a human with an M1 Garand and a scuba tank.” Several guys chuckled at the Jaws movie reference. “Actually Ed, you are incorrect.” Mark smugly said.
He continued, “Some Orca whale pods near Monterey have learned to hunt great white sharks using team tactics. They figured out that if they circle the shark as a pod they can distract the great white long enough for one of them to come at him from below and flip the shark on its back. A shark on its back is instantly put into a type of paralysis and when held there will suffocate. You see no matter how bad ass you are an individual will always lose to a determined and cunning team motivated by hunger.” The reality of the challenge of moving a long distance in a non-permissive environment by themselves was dawning on some of the guys. “This isn’t some end of the world fiction book guys. This is ‘fo reelz’ as they say ‘in da streets’. If this is widespread, the entire country will be like Somalia within a week. Failure here means you die and never get to help your family.” Mark concluded.
Kyle jumped in and said, “Why don’t you guys think about it for a couple of minutes.” He then turned to David and Mark and said, “Let’s strategize for a second.” The three of them walked outside to huddle. “Sorry to put you on the spot bro, but I think some semblance of legality is necessary until we know if things are completely off the rails or not.” Mark told Kyle. “It makes sense. I need you guys to prioritize some tasks and let’s start making a plan.” Kyle said. Mark said, “I think we need to break the guys up into teams and assign some leadership, so we can share the work once we decide what to do.” David nodded his head, and Kyle replied, “Sounds good. Mark, you are my #2.” Mark ignored Kyle’s grin of implication regarding the potty humor. Kyle looked disappointed to not get the satisfaction of a response to his hilarious poop joke, but continued, “I need you to get the teams organized, and by then David and I will have some tasks identified and prioritized.” Mark said, “Ok, I’m on it,” and went back into the classroom. Kyle and David went to the office and cleared off the whiteboards to start making lists.
When Mark re-entered the classroom, he saw that the five civilians were standing in the front of the room. Lee, apparently their elected spokesman, said, “We have discussed it and we are all in, at least until we have a clear picture of what’s going on and can make a plan for these guys to get to their families.” “Ok, thank you brothers.” Mark said, then asked, “Why are you all up here in a line?” “To be sworn in as cops, dummy.” Lee grinned. Mark sighed, and told them to raise their right hands.
Mark said, “I don’t remember the entire oath but I’ll cover the important stuff. I, state your name.” They all did so. “Do solemnly swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the laws of the State of Ohio and the laws of the City of Alliance. To hold true faith and allegiance to the same, and to obey the orders of those appointed over me, so help me God?” All agreed and lowered their hands. Mark solemnly told them thank you and then led everyone in a prayer for their families, the country and for strength and wisdom in the days ahead.
*
In the range office, Kyle and David were furiously writing on the white boards that covered the walls. Kyle was listing every critical site and resource in town they should try to secure and assigning them a priority. His list included things like ‘all pharmacies’ with a sub list of all of them he could think of, ‘city water wells’ and their locations (Kyle had worked for the city water department for a year before becoming a police officer, and was generally aware of their resources), a list of Alliance’s four grocery stores and one food supply warehouse, and all of the gas stations he could remember.
David was listing the team equipment available. Things like breaching tools, explosives and ammo were listed; and what needed to be checked to see if it would function, like vehicles, radios, optics, and spare night vision had its own list. Once he had an initial list done David started thinking about what they would need to turn the range into a functioning base of operations. The department had a robust 1033 DRMO program, and there were many items stored at the range for use in training events or during natural disasters. He listed the things he knew about like pop-up maintenance structures (basically a gigantic tent), large water purification units that could be towed behind trucks, and porta-potties. As he wrote this list a thought occurred to him.
“Hey Kyle,” David asked, “If the power is out, the water treatment plant will shut down, right?” Kyle said without looking up from the list he was working on, “Yeah, with no power this place would be unlivable and…” Kyle stopped talking and looked up at David. “Shit, if the water isn’t moving in the plant we can’t stay here. It will be a cesspool in a matter of two days.” “Can we run the essential parts of the plant and the water well here on a backup generator?” David asked. “Maybe,” Kyle said. “I will put it on my list to go see the plant manager and find out what the bare minimum power required to at least keep the sewage moving. Let’s put ‘find alternate base’ on our list of tasks.”
“We need to get as much of this logistics stuff done as we can before things really fall apart,” Kyle said. “I have a feeling once the public gets their minds around this it’s going to be far worse than even we anticipate.” David replied, “We’re all we’ve got.” Kyle responded with a sad sounding, “We’re all we need.”
*
With everyone on board, at least for now, Mark turned to assigning team leaders and teams while Kyle and David planned. “Alright Kyle is in overall command. He’s assigned me as his Second. I don’t think we have enough people to have a full-blown headquarters element, but I need to be free to be the assault commander or whatever else Kyle needs me to do. Dan, I need you to TL Alpha Team.” Dan, like his brother Kyle, could be a goofball. But also like his brother was an experienced SWAT assaulter with exceptionally good tactical judgment. Dan, in addition to being the SWAT Team’s reigning gay chicken champion, was a former Ranger (also like his big brother Kyle) with 4 combat deployments to Afghanistan with The Regiment before he got out and came to work at the PD. Dan just nodded his head and said, “Roger.”
Mark continued, “Manny you have Bravo Team.” Manny just nodded. Manny, while not a cop, was a West Point grad and former Ranger Platoon Leader, who, after getting out in 1992 had disappeared into the PMC world. He’d kept his tactical skills sharp over the years, and had worked with Mark on several projects. Manny and Mark had trained together a lot over the last 10 years; and he was as good a Leader of Men as Mark had ever worked with, and possessed a seasoned, proven judgment under fire.
Mark t
hen pointed to Ben, one of his fellow TL’s on the SWAT Team, “Ben, you have Charlie Team.” Ben, a career cop with over 15 years on the SWAT Team, just nodded and said “Copy.” Mark continued, selecting Troy, a Pennsylvania State Trooper assigned to their full time SWAT Team, to be the TL of Delta Team. Troy had already spoken quietly to Mark to tell him he wasn’t going anywhere because he was single, had no family other than his brother, who was also a SWAT cop for the PA State Police, and couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather ride out the end of civilization. To lead Echo Team, Mark selected Trent, another of his fellow SWAT TL’s on the Alliance Team.
“Ok,” Mark said. “We have 5 teams. Team Leaders you need to get together and assign assaulters as you see fit. The only guidance I have is each team needs to have a qualified breacher and a medic. There are enough guys of each specialty in this room to do that.” Mark paused to think, then continued, “Once you have your teams, write your rosters on a white board and separate your gear into team areas here in the classroom.”
Dan asked, “What about David? Do you want him on a team?” Mark said, “No. David will lead our sniper element. Long guns are his calling and he has all of his gear with him.” “Roger that.” Dan answered, then turned to the group and said, “That leaves us 23 assaulters and 5 team leaders; so three six-man teams and two five-man teams.” Mark then interjected, “As people trickle in, and I’m sure they will, we will plus up the 5 man teams before we form more teams.” The TLs nodded, and went to work.