by Kip Nelson
Into The City
EMP Crash Book 4
Kip Nelson
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Copyright © 2017 by Kip Nelson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter One
The land before them was awash with hope and a brilliant golden hue. The summer sun hung over them in the clear blue sky with only a few wisps of clouds for company. The world was absent of any noise, aside from their feet as they walked along the road, and the occasional rustling of bushes. Because of their experiences so far, these noises always set them on edge, but it seemed as though they had reached an area where they were the only people around, and the animals were coming out into their natural habitat.
Mack and his three companions were walking along a straight road that split the forest in two. The road was wide enough to fit two cars and they walked in a straight line spread across its width. The road was long and evidently was not well-maintained as they noticed a few potholes, and the traffic control markings were fading. As the sun beat down on them, they felt an uncomfortable prickling of sweat underneath their clothes. In some ways, they wished they had not detoured to the Archer Institute and stayed by the river instead. Then they easily could have taken a break to strip off their clothes and bathe in the refreshing crystal-clear water.
The air was sweet, and trees lined either side of the road, their branches and leaves hanging over it, making the ground shine green where the leaves caught the sunlight. The open road stretched out for a long way. They were unable to see its end, but they knew it eventually would lead them to the promised land of the city. There they hoped to find some remnants of humanity, some kind of hope that society could be rebuilt. Already they had met and experienced a spectrum of human sensibilities, and it was impossible to tell what awaited them. In this kind of world, where things had changed so much, it was difficult to dare to hope, but Mack still harbored a light in his heart that mankind would be able to pull itself through the disaster. Already he had seen acts of kindness. Although it was all too easy to let fear reign over them, it was clear people still had the potential to be compassionate and kind, yet it had not been without sacrifice.
He glanced over at Grace, who had been walking with her shoulders slumped and head down, idly kicking small stones, sending them skidding across the road. She had been full of fury when Billy, the patient she had grown fond of, and who had been integral to their efforts in saving the people in the institute, had been beaten to death by Ethan. Mack remembered how she had looked after she had shot the gun. The bullet had been fired into Ethan's shoulder and he dropped like a stone, but it had been too late to save Billy. The color had drained from Grace's face, and thankfully she had been able to rest. Mack hadn't had a chance to talk to her about it since then and he wondered if he should. Over the course of this apocalypse he had grown quite close to Grace, and thought of her almost as a surrogate daughter. But he had been around death enough to know people needed to grieve in their own way and time.
Grace's life had been very much detached from what people would consider normal human interaction and this disaster had thrust her into a new role. Mack was proud of the way she was handling herself, but he had to remind himself she was still a young woman and sometimes would need a guiding hand. He did smile to himself, though, as he thought back to when they first had met. She had been cuffed to him on a plane, her body turned away, eyes darting toward him, rainbow-colored hair swept over her face. Even that had changed; the dye in her hair had faded during the previous few weeks and now it was a deep brunette color.
Mack also spared a thought for his companions. He and Saul had butted heads recently, but Mack hoped those days were behind them as he didn't want to waste energy arguing with the man. It seemed like a long time since Mack had rescued Saul from drowning in the river. There still was much to learn about him, but it seemed that when it was needed Saul could be counted upon, and Mack was grateful to him for helping Grace take back the institute.
Luis still was proving difficult to figure out. He seemed to be finding his way in the world, but resisted the urge to put down any roots. Unlike Mack, he wanted to do anything other than return to his family. As Mack's entire reason for being was to get back to his wife, he found this strange. They were four different people from very different walks of life, and yet they had come together, found each other, and formed a bond. Already they had been through many ordeals, and Mack hoped it would be smooth sailing from here on out, although he always was ready for any unexpected danger.
It would have been so easy to stay at the Archer Institute with its plentiful supplies, warm beds, and friendly company. It had sturdy walls and was out of the way, so the likelihood of being disturbed by strangers was low, and would have protected them from the elements. Mack knew there were many people out in the world who would have given anything to have the chance to stay at a place like that. Yet, he had turned his back on it, as had the others. He hoped he wasn't misguided in his longing to reach the city as he didn't want to be the one responsible for leading the others to a false Eden.
He had assumed the role of leader as it came naturally to him and, aside from Saul, the others had been happy to follow his direction. Yet, in the Institute he found himself doubting his skills. Being in the military was one thing as there were rules and procedures, and a defined purpose. This was far more nebulous, though, and he was struggling with the idea that anyone could be anything in this new world. People such as Mr. Smith and Ethan could rise to dangerous levels purely through fear and intimidation, with no law to stop them. Everyone was out for themselves, and it was all too easy to slip into a cloak of selfishness and push the rest of the world away. Mack vowed never to let that happen.
“Do you think they'll be alright?” Luis said, breaking the silence.
Spending so much unbroken time together often led to a dearth of conversation. They lulled into silence, and then enjoyed brief spikes of chatter when one or more of them grew bored. This time Grace was the only one who stayed quiet.
“I think they'll be a lot better than us,” Saul replied gruffly.
“But they're on their own there without any weapons or combat skills,” Luis said.
“They can lock their doors, and they're out of the way. I'm sure there will be a few people who come across them, but I don't think anyone will be able to take them by force. I know they're on a road, but to be honest, I doubt many people are going to follow it. Not when they find the river. Without cars, these roads aren't going to get much use. Besides, I doubt many people are going to be passing this way. If people aren't trying to get to the city, I don't know why they'd be walking by here,” Mack said.
“There is a prison nearby,” Luis said. “People might think it's a safe place to go and head out here. I can imagine it would be easy to defend, and there are probably lots of supplies there. I s
uppose the only problem is you'd have to deal with a lot of prisoners...” he trailed off. Saul grunted.
“It wouldn't surprise me if they all got out of there as quickly as they could. Trust me, I've been in more than one jail in my time, mostly for stupid things like drunken brawls. Even when I was put in there for a night to cool down it was more than enough. Even in the end of the world, the last thing I would have wanted was to keep staring at those four walls, not when freedom was as easy as just walking out of the gate.” As he said this he stared at Grace, who had an awkward look on her face.
So far only Mack and Saul knew about the true nature of her past. She wished she could forget about it completely, and was glad Luis did not know. If it hadn't been for the EMP knocking out all the electronic devices around the country, she would have been in a cell, most likely by herself. Though that had meant death for a lot of people, the end of the world had meant freedom for Grace.
On that note, the conversation faded again, and the four of them walked on in silence. From what they could tell the road to the city was long, and at some point, they would have to split off from it and venture back to the forest to avoid the prison and get to the city more quickly. Mack always was alert, taking Saul's words to heart as he, too, assumed there would be prisoners on the loose. The last thing they needed was to run into more dangerous people. As they walked, Mack tried catching Grace's eye to offer some encouragement or reassurance or just to let her know he was there for her, but her eyes always were cast downward. He hoped she would be able to pull herself through the morose state that had taken hold of her. If they were to prosper in this world, they could not allow themselves to wallow for too long.
The hours passed as they moved farther away from what they had left behind, and soon Mack's thoughts turned from the people in the Institute to the future. They still had an arduous journey ahead. It would take them a while to get to the city by walking, and he did not know what they would find there. So far, his interactions with other people had been from small pockets of communities, and barely any of them had any news about the city. He knew two soldiers from a military bunker had gone to the city, but had not returned. A woman in Mr. Smith's camp had told him about the night it all happened, and how many people had fled to escape the rioting. But it had been weeks since that occurred. So, it was impossible to tell what the state of the city was. Mack only hoped it was more than a smoldering ruin.
It soon came time when their stomachs rumbled, craving food. They still had a few supplies left from what they had been given at the mental hospital, but it had been a hard day's walk and they all wanted something more filling. They ventured into the forest and stopped to whittle a few spears and give their aching legs a rest. Grace sat apart from the others while Saul took a drink, and Luis and Mack set to work.
“Let me do it,” Luis said once the spear was completed.
Mack handed him the spear and nodded, then watched Luis as he skulked farther into the forest. While he was gone the other three began arranging a camp for the night. Mack tried making a passing comment to Grace, but she was unresponsive, although she did help out.
Leaving the others, Luis crept through the forest with his hands curled around the spear. After he first had joined the group Mack had shown him how to hunt properly, and a lot more besides. Luis felt as though he had learned more about the world and himself in the short time he had been with Mack than in the previous years of his life. Now he wanted to prove to the others that he had something to offer. He walked slowly, with careful and deliberate steps, straining his ears to listen to any sign of a creature in the vicinity. He heard a rustle and his head snapped around. He searched the brown and green of the forest before his eyes found the orange coat of a fox, and then the beady black eyes. The animal placed its nose to the ground and sniffed, probably searching for food as well, but this was going to be their dinner.
Luis swallowed and flipped the spear over in his hand, feeling the weight of it in his palm. The fox was unaware that death was upon him, and for a moment Luis spared a fleeting thought for the animal, but then reminded himself of the circle of life. Luis angled his body so he was ready to propel the spear forward. He pulled his arm back and pointed his free hand at the fox. The sinews in his biceps were strained as he lunged forward and launched the spear toward the fox. The sharp tip flew through the air, hurtling inexorably towards its target. As soon as it left his hand, Luis knew the aim was true, and he smiled with pride at his efforts.
The fox, now aware of the weapon careening toward it, lifted its head and looked with panic, but it was too late for him to escape. The thick wood plunged into the fox’s side, puncturing the fur and skin, staining them crimson. It yelped as it fell to its side and tried crawling away. Luis walked up, drew his knife, and then put the animal out of its misery by slicing its throat. Then he yanked out the spear and bled the creature just as Mack had shown him. He returned to camp and threw the fox down triumphantly.
Later, it sizzled over the fire and they all enjoyed the taste of fresh meat. They spoke idly of various matters, although now that they were alone in the forest again they did not mention the Institute. They knew their path only would take them forward. And yet, from Grace's silence, it was clear their pasts still would haunt them.
Chapter Two
The new day dawned and Grace had been taking the last shift. Mack awoke to see the sun rising. After a hearty meal the previous night, they all had pulled their blankets over themselves and slept through the warm, balmy night, allowing their muscles to recover from the constant strain of walking. Saul and Luis still were sleeping when Mack awoke. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, then pushed himself up and stretched. Grace noticed the movement and turned her head toward him, although she did not say anything nor did she look at him fully. Mack walked up beside her and stared out toward the burst of orange that illuminated the sky.
“Here,” he said, and flicked a penny at her. She looked down at the small coin that had landed beside her, scrunching up her face as she almost had forgotten money existed. She picked it up and pressed her lips together.
“You still have this?” she asked.
Mack shrugged. “It's not like I can spend it anywhere anymore, might as well use it for your thoughts. Are you okay?”
“I don't know,” she sighed. “Are any of us ever going to be okay?”
“We do have a lot to deal with.”
“I told Saul.”
“You told him what?”
“About why I was on the plane with you.”
Mack nodded slowly. “Did it make you feel better?”
“I don't know. I guess so, but I still don't want to tell Luis.” As she said this she craned her neck to make sure Luis was still asleep.
“I keep trying to figure out who I'm supposed to be in this life, what I'm supposed to do. I have to change my entire way of thinking.”
“You're not the only one,” he said, and settled down next to her. Grace looked at him with surprise.
“Oh, yeah,” he continued, “I'm sure you think I've got it all figured out but I really haven't. I'm going to let you in on a little secret, and this is just going to be between us,” he said, lowering his voice and leaning into her.
“Being a leader sometimes means acting like you know what you're doing even when you don't. Say there's a choice between left and right. Sometimes you won't know the correct one to take, but if you say it and walk with authority people are going to feel more comfortable. But the truth is I'm struggling as well. I've been in the army for so long it's difficult to have no structure and no chain of command. We're out here on our own, and we're all just trying to make the best of it. I think the only thing we can do is try staying true to ourselves.”
“That's all well and good, but what am I supposed to do when I'm not even sure who I'm supposed to be?”
“Then you have some big discoveries to make,” he said, placing a reassuring hand on her back, “but you have the three of us at least
. I think by now we've proven we can be there for each other.”
She smiled at him, and then they heard the sounds of the other two stirring. Over the course of their time together it had become clear that, while Luis and Mack were morning people, Saul and Grace were not. Saul was especially grumpy and readily complained about anything. Luis took great delight in teasing Saul about this, and seemed to amuse himself. After eating a little breakfast, Mack declared the day was wasting away and they should get underway as soon as possible. The sooner they made it to the city, the less likely they would run out of supplies, he said. They packed up their belongings and slung their packs over their shoulders as they made their way back to the road, where they continued.
They had walked so much over the past few weeks, and yet it felt as though they barely had covered any distance. The forest was large, and it hadn't helped them being pulled back by Mr. Smith's men. Mack, for one, was looking forward to leaving the forest and seeing something new, although they still had a fair way to go. After about an hour of traveling they checked the map and Saul said they should duck back into the forest to avoid the prison. All of them agreed this was a good idea as, even though there may have been a civilized community, they did not want to get sidetracked from their plan to get to the city. Being in the Archer Institute had been enough, and Mack did not want to get embroiled in another similar situation. They found an opening and changed their course, making sure to stay true to the map so they would not end up going back on themselves.
When they entered the forest, they walked in single file, unlike out on the road when they had been spread across its width. The forest was more insular, and felt filled with more danger. There were more noises of small animals and, somehow, they felt more vulnerable under the shaded emerald glow of the trees than they did in the open air of the road. They had been walking for a little while when they suddenly found some abandoned packs. Mack held out his hand and they all stopped, looking around warily in case it was a trap. The packs were strewn around haphazardly, and the surrounding area didn't look like a campsite.