Darker Days (As the Ash Fell Book 2)

by AJ Powers

  “Well…good point. He actually brought it up with me back home…or maybe I brought it up with him, I don’t remember. But, if I recall correctly, I more or less told him to just man up and talk to you about it already.”

  Megan whipped a sweatshirt through the air before folding it up. “Yep. That’s all I am waiting for.”

  After an awkward moment of silence, Clay said, “Well, I think I’ve had enough girl talk for the night.” He started to walk out of the room before stopping. He turned around and hugged his sister tight. “You be safe out there, kid,” he said.

  Megan’s eyes were glossy. “You, too, Clay.” Megan stepped back, the tears were running down her cheeks now. “I suspect we’re going to be gone for a few weeks—we’re going to be going out at least fifty miles, probably further. You better be here when I get back.”

  “I’ll be here…love ya, sis.”

  Clay turned and walked out of Megan’s bedroom and headed for his own. He lay down in his bed to try and shake the headache, but all he could think about was Megan going out for such a long trip. Clay was confident in Kelvin’s ability as a soldier and knew that he would likely do a fine job at keeping Megan safe. But at the same time, to what extent would he be willing to sacrifice himself to keep her alive? Having only just met him in the past few weeks, Clay couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t take off if things got too hot—at least not enough to bet his sister’s life on it.

  Ignoring the throbs in his head, Clay got to his feet, grabbed his coat, and left the house. After a few minutes of walking, he found himself at the doorstep of Mayor Shelton’s temporary residence. Clay rapped on the door and Shelton quickly answered and invited Clay to get out of the frigid temperatures.

  “Why didn’t you talk to me first, Barry?” Clay said as he stomped inside, a fiery edge in his voice.

  “I’m sorry, Clay. I kind of figured you’d be upset, but Captain Kohler was insistent you sit this one out. He finds you to be a valuable asset on the battlefield and didn’t want to lose you for such a long period of time.”

  “That’s not his decision to make,” Clay said.

  “I don’t like the idea either, but I am trying not to let my personal feelings get in the way of him doing his job. He is the only man here who spent fifteen years in the Army; he knows what he is doing when it comes to this stuff. I don’t.” Shelton took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them back on. “It’s hard to know where to draw that line. This isn’t the Army and y’all aren’t soldiers. But, I have been hampering Kohler’s efforts far more than I should. That’s why I didn’t object to his plan to send someone else out with Megan.” Shelton gave Clay a remorseful look. “And I apologize for not doing so.”

  Clay let his hot head cool down for a moment before replying. “Listen, Barry, I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through right now. I can’t imagine being in your shoes, making the calls you have to make and then living with the consequences. I’m sorry you’re in that boat, I really am…but this is nonnegotiable.”

  Shelton silently nodded.

  “Listen, you know that I will stand by your side and defend this town as if it were my own…” Clay said, his head slowly turning to look out the window in the direction of Vlad’s house where Megan was likely still packing for her journey tomorrow, “but my family comes first, and if they need me, I’m gonna be there for them.”

  “I sincerely appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Clay. And if you decided to just pack up and head home now, I wouldn’t think any less of ya for it. Y’all have gone way beyond the call of duty for us, and—”

  “I’m not going home, Barry. Megan and I will come back, and when we do, we’ll be ready to fight. We will not let Liberty fall.”

  Chapter 27

  Megan nearly jumped out of her skin when she opened the door and saw Clay standing just outside her room, a pack slung over his shoulder and a rifle in each hand.

  She smacked his arm. “You scared the crap out of me, jerk!” she hissed. “What are you doing?”

  Clay mockingly rubbed his arm where she had hit him. “Good thing you know how to use a gun, because you hit like a girl.”

  “That’s because I am a girl,” she grunted as she struck him again.

  Clay gave a feigned yawn. “Anyway, being the nice guy that I am, I decided to relieve Kelvin of the daunting task of traveling with you for the next few weeks.”

  “Daunting task?” Megan replied, a snarky expression on her face.

  “Don’t think I forgot about those family vacations we took as kids. We had to stop every fifteen minutes so you could go to the bathroom, or get something to eat, or stretch your legs, blah blah blah…”

  Megan recognized what Clay was doing and gave him a hug. “I love you too, brother. I’m glad you’re coming with me,” she said, her words washed in relief. “Everything is just so chaotic right now and to go out on such a long trip with someone I barely know...” She sighed and smiled as she looked at her brother. “I feel a lot better knowing you’re coming with me instead.”

  “Me too,” Clay said. “Well, shall we?” he asked as he handed Megan the LaRue.

  Megan looked down at the rifle and then back at Clay, giving him a funny look. “You know I hate shooting that thing, right? I’d rather just use my pistol if it comes to it.”

  “That’s fine, but you’re still carrying it,” Clay said with a grin, indicating with his hand for her to turn around.

  “What am I, your donkey?” she quipped as she spun her back to him.

  “Hey, you said it, not me.”

  Megan rolled her eyes as she took off her backpack. “Fine, whatever. I’ll carry your gun since it’s clearly too heavy for you,” Megan said in a mocking tone.

  Clay laughed as he put the sling around her neck and shoulder, adjusting for comfort.

  “How’s that feel?” Clay asked after he put her backpack back on.

  Megan shifted her body back and forth and took a few steps. “Hardly notice it, actually.”

  “Good,” he responded as he put his ARAK-21’s sling over his neck. “All right, we need to get out of here before the sun comes up.”

  Clay and Megan walked downstairs and heard the sounds of hushed voices. “Guess Bravo team had watch last night, huh?” Clay said as he saw the group of men and women taking gear off in the living room.

  “Yep. And it’s a cold one, too, so bundle up,” a man called Hopkins replied.

  Hopkins wasn’t kidding. When Clay first stepped outside the door, he was nearly dazed by the chilled blast of air. “For crying out loud, we were outside playing baseball only a month or so ago,” Clay said as they started walking toward the command post for a quick brief with Kohler.

  “Strange weather for strange times, little brother.”

  Clay used his breath to warm up the insides of his gloves before jamming his cold hands into them. “Well, if that ain’t the understatement of the century…”

  As they made their way through town, Clay appreciated the relatively clear moonlit night, gazing upon the rare sight of a crisp moon. The giant rock floating in the sky provided him with some much-needed respite from the whirlwind of anxiety battering his thoughts. The view was peaceful and calming.

  As they turned onto Pecan Street, Clay spotted Captain Kohler already waiting for them on the front porch. “Come on inside, you guys. This won’t take long,” he said as they walked briskly toward the porch.

  “Yes, sir,” Clay replied as he and Megan jogged up the stairs and through the door Kohler held open.

  Kohler spread out a folded map onto his dining room table. With only a few candles giving light to the room, Kohler clicked on a flashlight to illuminate the map. “This is a map marking off the areas we’ve picked clean over the years. Unfortunately, it’s not great news for you two. As you can see, it’s nothing but red X’s for the first forty klicks or so.

  “Since we suspect that Arlo’s camp is to the south, we’re going to have you
moving north. You might find a few things here and there, but it’s going to be pretty sparse until you get up to about here,” he said as he motioned out a circle with his finger just south of a small town that was barely large enough to be worth the ink on the map. “I know that somewhere up here…” Kohler slid his finger a few inches north of the town, “there was a FEMA camp.”

  Clay pointed to a very specific spot on that map, “Actually, it’s right here.” Kohler gave him a strange look. “I’m familiar with the area,” Clay added with a grim look on his face.

  “Very well,” Kohler continued. “Those camps would have been well stocked with food, ammo, and medical supplies, but I’m not holding my breath that you’ll find much. However, those camps were pretty massive, so you might get lucky. The bad news is that you might end up spending a few days picking through scraps with nothing to show for it. So, you’ll have to make that call when you’re on location.”

  Clay nodded. “Got it,” he said, knowing full well he and Megan wouldn’t bother searching the grounds. Smith would have snatched up anything of value a long time ago; it would be a waste of precious time to expand on the dead man’s efforts.

  “Anything in particular you want me to keep an eye out for?” Clay asked.

  “Well, not that you wouldn’t grab it if you saw it, but our magazine situation is less than great. Any AR magazines would be a huge help. Then, obviously, some five-five-six and nine mil would do us a lot of good. But really,” Kohler said as he started to fold the map up, “you know what you’re doing. Anything that will give us an advantage in this war is worth bringing back.” He handed the map to Clay. “Good luck, you two. Be careful, be quick, and be safe.” Kohler stuck his hand out.

  Clay shook Kohler’s hand. “Thank you, sir,” he said as he put the map in his coat pocket. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

  “Oh, one more thing,” Kohler said as he walked to his living room and picked up a strange looking rifle. “Take this. I know it’s added weight, but it may very well come in handy.”

  Clay looked at the rifle—it was something he had never seen before.

  “It’s an M6 Scout rifle,” Kohler said before showing Clay how it worked. He then folded it in half and stuck it inside Clay’s pack along with a small amount of ammo.

  “Thanks!” Clay said before turning around and heading for the door.

  As Clay and Megan stepped out onto the porch, a shadowy figure limped toward them.

  “Oh good! I’m so glad I caught you before you left—I thought I had missed you for sure,” Levi said as he hobbled up the steps. “I have something for you.” He held out a medium-sized thermos and tilted it toward Megan. “First round grounds.”

  Megan snatched the metal canister from his hand and quickly unscrewed the lid. The steamy aroma wafted into her nose as she soaked in every molecule of the heavenly scent. “Coffee!” she nearly shouted. “I could so kiss you right now, Levi.”

  Clay thought the comment was a bit callous considering Megan knew how Levi felt about her, but then she put her hands on Levi’s face and gave him a passionate kiss. After several awkward seconds, Clay cleared his throat. “Manned up, did we?”

  Levi pulled away from Megan just long enough to glare at Clay before giving Megan another kiss.

  “Seriously?” Clay interrupted. “I really don’t want to start this trip by ralphing up my measly breakfast.”

  Megan looked back at her brother, giving a much harsher glare than Levi had. “Shut up, Clay!” she said, sounding more like an embarrassed schoolgirl than his wise-beyond-her-years sister.

  “Please be safe,” Levi pleaded pulling Megan’s attention back to him.

  “I promise,” she said.

  Levi’s eyes shifted over to Clay. “You too, Clay. Please take good care of her,” he added.

  Another sarcastic response neared the tip of his tongue, but “You know I will,” was the only appropriate response to that appeal. This trip was not something to joke about. Of the thousands of journeys, big and small, that Clay had taken over the last decade, this one was by far the most dangerous, and the least likely to succeed. He knew it. Megan knew it. And Levi knew it.

  Megan noticed a hint of light breaking across the horizon. “Well, we better get going,” she said to Levi. “You stay safe, too. Remember to keep off that ankle as much as you can.”

  Levi nodded. “They have me stationed out in centerfield from now on; not much activity out there usually,” he said as he embraced his new love one last time. “I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

  Megan smiled as she turned and walked away, Clay joining her. Levi remained motionless and watched until their silhouettes were consumed by the fading darkness.

  DeMarcus hopped out of his foxhole as he saw Clay and Megan approaching. Clay noticed Brendan’s VEPR-12 slung over his back—he was happy to see the Russian shotgun was now playing for their team. “You guys all set?” the tall, muscular man asked.

  “As ready as we can be,” Clay said through a yawn—sleep had been evasive.

  “Torrez!” DeMarcus called.

  A short, stocky man jogged over, a small mesh sack in his hand. “We heard what you guys were doing, and, well, it’s not much but we all set aside a few of our rations for ya,” the man said as he handed the bag to Megan.

  “That is so sweet, you guys…thank you so much,” Megan said as she fought back tears. Small glimpses of humanity like shared rations in such cold-hearted times were what kept her going. The people of Liberty were truly remarkable, and it was a pleasant reminder of why she volunteered to stay in the first place.

  “Appreciate it, fellas,” Clay said as he nodded at both men. “Would love to stay and chat, but time’s a bit of a factor here. Where can we sneak out?”

  “Right over here,” DeMarcus said as he turned and walked. “It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, so I hope you didn’t eat a big breakfast.”

  “A big breakfast?” Clay asked. “What’s that?”

  DeMarcus chuckled. “I hear that,” he said as the three of them passed a heavily manned foxhole about forty feet from the fence. “A’ight, I think y’all gonna need to take your packs and guns off,” he said as he looked at the small gap between the northern and eastern fence line. Then studying Clay before glancing back at the fence, he said, “I dunno if you gonna fit, man. We might have to find another way.”

  Clay walked up and inspected the gap himself. “I’ve been in tighter places,” he said recalling Dusty’s kit-bashed maze at the school gymnasium.

  “Well, all right then. Let’s do this,” DeMarcus said as he helped Clay take his pack, rifle, and chest rig off. “Better suck in that gut.”

  Clay laughed at the irony of DeMarcus’s statement as he turned sideways and started to shimmy through the opening. He led with his head and then his shoulder. All clear so far. His chest was where things went sour, however. By using all his strength in addition to a few solid pushes from the outside linebacker, Clay was able to get through to the other side.

  “Yeah, that was a lot of fun,” Clay said sarcastically as DeMarcus handed him the rifle and chest rig.

  “I’ll have to take your word for it,” DeMarcus replied. “I think I’mma have to hand you your pack over the top, it’s too big to fit through.

  With the extra food, ammo, spare duffle bag, and a subzero sleeping bag crammed into his pack, it was twice as thick as Clay was. “All right, I’m ready.”

  DeMarcus handed the pack to Clay before turning his attention to Megan. “Your turn, cutie,” he said with a smile as he took her pack and rifle.

  “Don’t be flirting with my sister right in front of me, dude. You may be twice my size but I’ll still jack you up,” Clay joked.

  “Your sister?” DeMarcus said, brushing off the laughable threat. “I didn’t know that. She’s way too good lookin’ to have you for a brother,” he said. “Or wait, was that offensive? Maybe I should’ve said, you too ugly to have a sister this good lookin’,” he laughe
d.

  “Oh, haha. Got ourselves a jokester here,” Clay replied.

  “I do what I can.”

  As the banter subsided, Megan slid through the gap with little effort.

  “You made that look way too easy,” Clay said jealously.

  Megan grabbed her rifle from DeMarcus while Clay reached up to grab her pack over the top of the fence. As Clay helped her with the rifle and pack, Megan finally replied, “Maybe it’s time to cut out the Twinkies and Mountain Dew from your diet.”

  Clay licked his lips. “You better watch it, I’d trade my own sister for that spongy goodness right about now,” he said.

  “Okay, you two, give ‘em hell,” DeMarcus said, his face peeking between the four-by-four fence posts.

  “Will do. Thanks, DeMarcus. Keep this place in one piece while we’re gone,” Clay replied.

  The descent into the creek bed was difficult and slow. One misplaced step could have ended the trip before it began. Less than gracefully, Clay and Megan managed the hill without falling or making too much noise. As they approached the stream, ice began to crackle beneath their feet, indicating they had reached the bank.

  “No…No way, Clay. I’m not joining the polar bear club this morning,” Megan said adamantly.