“No big deal,” James said. “I could kind of figure that out myself.”
“It's not like that, James. He's getting better, and pretty soon we'll be ready,” Billy said.
“Ready for what?” James asked.
“For the next phase,” Billy answered.
James didn't press any further, and Billy offered nothing else. They rode in relative silence as the truck eventually hit the main road, proceeding toward downtown Milledgeville. James, along with everyone else, was relieved to hit smooth pavement. They were no longer being thrown around like rag dolls. The town was roughly ten miles north of them. The truck, nicknamed “Little General,” continued down the darkened road under a black sky. Its passengers were ready to deliver a wake-up call.
Kyle knew they were close to town, almost too close, and he advised Eli to pull to the side of the road and park. From there, they would go on foot.
“Make sure to lock it up,” Kyle said as he stepped out of the truck.
Eli shut off the engine and headlights, not saying a word. It was frustrating for him when Kyle needlessly exerted his authority.
The trip took about twenty-five minutes on account of their deliberate pace through the former rustic terrain. The truck was old and had been manufactured in the 1970s at the close of the Vietnam War. Even at full throttle, its speed didn't exceed 50 MPH. Eli chained up the steering wheel and both side doors while Kyle stretched, looking far up into the sky. Kyle then took a magazine from his tactical vest and stuck it into the magazine well of his rifle.
“Get the rest of them out here. Let's move,” Kyle said to Eli.
Again, Eli said nothing. He strolled to the back of the truck and unlatched its heavy tailgate. Moments after an “all clear,” he opened and released it, sending the metal flap crashing against the cargo bed. The sound echoed around them and then faded into the night air. Billy climbed out of the truck first, with Quinn, Frank, and James following.
“OK guys, keep your spacing and be on the lookout,” Kyle said, leading the way.
The men followed along the side of the empty road into town. They passed a deserted Buick station wagon on the right lane and saw more cars up ahead. It became evident, the closer they got, that they were entering a ghost town.
Downtown Milledgeville was a formerly busy town with plenty of shops, restaurants, and historical buildings that brought a steady stream of tourists. The local university was home to hundreds of transient students who temporarily called the area home. It had been lively city, day or night, despite its rustic appearance in most areas. There were also plenty of hills, which made the journey more challenging overall.
They walked under the cover of darkness, alert for any movements or voices. So far, they hadn’t heard anything. James looked beyond Kyle and saw that they were approaching a fire station. Its doors were closed and the building appeared to be unoccupied, which was strange for any fire department. There were no firemen or fire trucks noticeable anywhere either. James wondered if the local police station had closed its doors as well.
“Have there been any fires around town since the EMP?” James asked from the back of the line. Billy was in front of him.
“Ah hell. Does a bear shit in the woods?” Billy said.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” James said.
Billy laughed and turned his head slightly to address James. “People have been making little fires here and there, you know, to cook food on, but they always get out of control. In fact, I don’t remember a time yet where some dumbass didn’t burn his house down.”
James knew all too well what Billy was talking about. “How many times have you guys done this since the EMPs?”
Billy thought to himself. “Let’s see. We been out here three times in the past two weeks. This will be our fourth time.”
“Supplies that low back at camp?” James asked.
Billy laughed again. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“So where did the fire department go? I mean, they’re not just going to let homes burn, are they?”
“Shit,” Billy said. “What are they going to do without their trucks, pray for rain?”
“So they’re gone?”
“Most of them. Same thing with the police. We told you, James, it’s anarchy out here.”
James felt sick thinking about his students. He hoped that they were safe but had no way of knowing. The knot in his stomach grew tighter as he recalled his mad dash to escape the school. He had put himself first without even warning them. What fate had he left them to? As if sensing his despondency, Billy spoke.
“Just keep your head out of the clouds. You don’t want to be caught off guard, trust me.”
They passed some old buildings and apartment complexes. Whether anyone was inside or not wasn’t clear. Nothing looked too disturbed or out of the ordinary. The parking lots outside the buildings were full of cars, but each vehicle looked like it had been parked there forever. They were hard-pressed to find a vehicle not covered in blankets of leaves. James sensed they were headed into the business district of town, where most of the retail stores and shops were.
“You guys think of going to Walmart?” James asked.
“Nah. Walmart got cleaned out a week ago. One of the first places that went south. Didn’t matter if you were rich or poor. Once them credit card machines went down and everyone was told they only accept cash, all hell broke loose,” Billy said.
“Billy’s right,” Frank added. “Walmart’s a bad idea. Most stores ‘round here don’t have shit on their shelves. That’s why we just go to the main source.”
“The main source?” James asked.
“Quiet!” Kyle said, stopping. He raised a fist in the air, signaling the men to go down on one knee. James followed everyone’s actions as Kyle aimed his rifle into the air.
“What is it?” Eli whispered.
“Got a group ahead, about a mile out,” Kyle said.
“That’s some eagle eye,” James whispered to Billy. He then looked up to see that Kyle was using a pair of tactical binoculars. Kyle squatted, carefully keeping watch. James took comfort in seeing a nearby park to their left. He would come out to the park sometimes during lunch and have a sandwich while enjoying the fresh air.
“They’re coming toward us,” Kyle said. “And they’re armed.” He then made frantic movements with his arm toward the park. “Move! Move!” he said, jumping up from his position. They kept low and moved with stealth to the concealment of several large statues of historical figures. Once they stopped, James struggled to catch his breath. It felt like déjà vu, like being in the Marine Corps again. He didn’t understand their sudden movement or the need to run and hide.
“What the hell’s going on?” he asked Billy.
“We’re not the only ones trying to get supplies, my friend,” Billy responded.
“This is ridiculous,” James said.
At James’s comment, Billy nudged Frank. “Hey, Frank. James says this is ridiculous.”
“Oh he did, did he?” Frank said.
“Quinn, you hear this guy?” Frank said to Quinn.
Quinn nodded, keeping his eyes to the road as the counter group approached. He wasn’t interested.
“Keep it down,” Kyle said again. They were squatting in a perfect line against the base of a large statue, gripping their rifles as if ready for battle.
“Look, I know a lot of people around here. Let me talk to them and maybe we can help each other out,” James said.
“I don’t think you understand,” Billy said. “Bandits don’t play. That’s who’s roaming around right now. They’re not exactly the talking type.”
“If they’re bandits, then what the hell are we?” James asked.
Suddenly, Kyle leapt up and signaled to a different path. “Follow me,” he said. “Let’s move!”
Closing In
They maneuvered, like a SWAT team, unnoticed by the approaching group. Kyle pushed ahead as the others tried their best to keep u
p while staying low. They moved down a path behind a series of buildings without stopping for a quarter mile. Kyle suddenly halted. James recognized the area well. They were standing in the heart of downtown Milledgeville, and the sight was devastating.
All the shops, bookstores, and hang-outs James had come to know over the years were vandalized and plundered. Glass covered the street on all ends and on every block. Vehicles of all makes and models blocked the street, and there wasn’t a soul around. The vandalism hadn’t ended with the stores. The motionless rows of vehicles had most of their windows smashed in. A tornado of destruction had swept through town, leaving behind wreckage unlike anything James had ever seen. Russell’s men, however, seemed indifferent to the spectacle of a town in ruins.
“Keep moving,” Kyle commanded. He took off down the sidewalk as his boots crunched on the shattered glass. James looked into each store as they ran past it and saw that they had literally been emptied. He was beside himself with disappointment that people had resorted to such destructive acts in such a short period of time. They passed a small local grocer on the corner, which confused James. He stopped running and called out to them.
“Hey, why don’t we stock up here?” he asked.
Billy noticed that James had stopped and responded with frustration. He turned around while maintaining his pace with the rest. “There’s nothing left on this block. Keep up, and quit fucking around.”
James rejoined the group, feeling like the entire trip had been a mistake. So far, Russell’s doomsday talk had been confirmed, but he had no better understanding of the group’s intentions. They moved swiftly through downtown without stopping at a single shop. Kyle took a quick right at the end of one block and led them to a residential area, full of homes—some old and some new.
The neighborhood street was as dark as any of the roads they had since passed. James took quick notice of the many homes that had windows boarded by plywood. Many of them had since been spray-painted or tagged, most likely by delinquents who had nothing better to do than revel the absence of authority.
Kyle directed the group to stop. Everyone formed a circle around him as he twirled a finger the air.
Now what? James thought.
Kyle spoke with authority and proceeded to offer clear and precise instructions. “So by now we have a good idea of which houses on this block are occupied and unoccupied. The unoccupied ones are obviously the easiest target, and that’s where we’ll start.”
“Kyle, can I ask a question?” James asked, interrupting.
Kyle stopped with a sigh. “Yes, what is it, James?”
“Russell assured me that you would explain what exactly ‘went wrong’ the last time you guys were out here.”
“And?”
“And I’d like to know please.”
“Great timing, James,” Billy said sarcastically.
“That’s enough, Billy,” Kyle said. He then looked at James. “Last time we were doing a supply run, we ran into some questionable folks and things got out of control. I believe the men we saw earlier were part of the same group. We evaded them to avoid a repeat of what happened last time.”
“So, exactly what happened?” James asked.
“They attacked us, and we fought back,” Kyle said.
“We killed two of their people,” Billy interjected. “We got into a shootout, and that’s what happened. It was a big misunderstanding.”
“An unfortunate misunderstanding,” Kyle added. “That is why we went out of our way to avoid them.”
“Good enough?” Billy asked. James was starting to not care for Billy too much.
“I suppose,” James said. “But why are we going into houses?”
“You saw those stores back there,” Kyle said. “There’s nothing left. You and I both know this EMP thing ain’t going to fix itself anytime soon. These houses are the last place to go for supplies.”
“I just don’t want to see anyone hurt. I don’t condone criminal behavior,” James said.
“It’s going to be OK, James, we’re only going to take what we need,” Kyle said. He then went back into his “command mode” and told the group to position themselves around their first target. It was an old two-story home with boarded up windows and an overgrown lawn desperately in need of maintenance.
“Spread out,” Kyle said as they drew closer. Quinn moved ahead and went to the front door while Kyle signaled the other men to take different positions surrounding the porch. James followed the directions the best he could. The overall experience was discomforting for him. As a prepper, he saw their actions as counterproductive. He felt that they represented the very same men who tried to steal their vehicles at the bug-out house. And now he was one of them.
Kyle gave a quick hand signal. Quinn took a step back and kicked the door repeatedly with his powerful leg. The door gave little way, indicating that it had most likely been reinforced from the inside. After a moment, Quinn again kicked his steel-tipped boot against the door. His quick and measured thrusts that echoed through the entire neighborhood. He eventually cracked the door open, and Kyle ran up next to him with a crowbar in hand. They pried the door open in no time. “Inside! Clear the room!” Kyle ordered.
The group moved swiftly into the home, shining their flashlights, and aiming their rifles steadily with their other hand. James made his way into the home, and found that it was fully furnished, with no hint of desertion. However, there didn’t appear to be any occupants.
Kyle gave commands for each person to check a different room while James paced around the living room. He circled his flashlight through the room and saw a television set, couches, family photos, and kids’ toys littered on the floor. Kyle and Eli went immediately to the kitchen, where they ransacked the cabinets for anything useful. There wasn’t much beyond dishes, spices, baking soda, and flour. They grabbed anything of use and threw it in their bags.
Billy, Frank, and Quinn searched the three upstairs bedrooms. They took clothes, pillows, and whatever hygiene products they could find in the bathroom. After a couple of minutes, Kyle ordered everyone downstairs. His face was stricken with disappointment.
“All right, gents, not much here. Let’s move on to the next house.” They were out before James knew it. He followed them in a daze without a single item in his bag.
“What’d you score?” Billy asked him as they made their way onto the front lawn.
“Um, nothing yet,” James said.
“Ah hell. You gotta make yourself useful there, James. Get with the program,” Billy scoffed.
Kyle led them to the one-story house next door. It wasn’t boarded up, but its lawn was as ill-maintained as the other.
“This should be an easy one,” Kyle said. James didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but he followed them nonetheless. Quinn again went directly to the front door and kicked it open with one thrust this time. The men stormed into the room and moved their flashlights rapidly around, looking for signs of anyone. As before, James was the last one in. By the time he entered, the men had dispersed into separate rooms. He heard them emptying cabinets and rummaging through closets like it was a contest.
“Jackpot,” Billy said from the kitchen. He had found a sizeable stash of canned foods in the pantry, along with packs of rice and instant mashed potatoes. James remained in the foyer, studying his surroundings. He knew he would have to get something eventually, but it all felt wrong. What was he doing here? What had he agreed to?
Suddenly, he heard a woman shrieking from one of the bedrooms. He was startled beyond belief. There were people in the house after all. Her screams were met with shouts from Kyle and Eli. “Don’t make a fucking move!” Kyle shouted. They entered the living room with a young couple at gunpoint. The man and woman had been forcibly pulled out of their beds.
“Where’s everything at?” Eli asked. “We want it all.”
The man, a frail, blond thirty-something shook uncontrollably as he gripped his wife in fear. “What—what are you tal
king about?” he asked.
“I already got most of their food,” Billy called from the kitchen.
“Who else is in the house?” Kyle asked them.
The man couldn’t speak. He was far too traumatized. Eli walked behind him, and with blunt force, hit his legs out from under him with his rifle buttstock. The man fell to the ground as his wife screamed. Eli raised his rifle and pointed it at her face.
“That’s enough out of you, sweetheart. Keep your voice down before I give you something to scream about.”
“That’s enough,” James said, stepping forward.
Kyle looked over to him immediately. “James, I’m only going to say this once, either give us a hand here or keep your fucking mouth shut.”
James went silent. He was overwhelmed. Too much was going on, and he hadn’t a clue how to control it.
“Don’t make me ask you again,” Eli said to the wincing man on the ground.
“My daughters,” the man said. “It’s just me, my wife, and my two daughters.”
Billy entered the room with two young girls dressed in their pajamas. They looked to be nine or ten years old. “Found ‘em,” he said. The girls rubbed their eyes, unaware of what was taking place.
“I’ll kill you if you touch my daughters,” the man said through gritted teeth.
Billy led the girls to the center of the living room with his rifle pointed in the air. “We don’t give a damn about your daughters. We just want the goods,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man cried out.
“Cash, for starters,” Eli said. “Gold, silver, anything like that.”
“You have any weapons? Some ammo? How about some more food?” Billy asked.
The man’s wife was sobbing uncontrollably. She pulled her daughters close to her as the group continued to interrogate her husband.
“We don’t have anything!” the man shouted in pain. “We’re barely getting by as it is.”
Kyle surveyed the scene. There wasn’t much more for them to do. “Let’s go,” he said. And with that, the men walked out of the house carrying packs full of supplies they managed to grab. The family was left petrified and shaking in the middle of their living room.
End Days Super Boxset Page 199