America's Sunset: Final Days: A Post Apocalyptic Fight For Survival

by Norman Christof

  “Do I want to know all the things that went on in Taos, New Mexico with the EarthShippers?” Maggie asked.

  Jake hesitated momentarily as he let go of Maggie’s hand to open the barn doors. The horses were still all in the stables, in spite of all that had happened on the farm the last few days. Apparently, even terrorist invaders saw the value in keeping horses well fed and cared for at times like this. They’d be an excellent mode of transportation when all the mechanical and electrically dependent machines finally shut down.

  “I’m not sure even I want to know everything that went on up there,” Jake said. “But I suppose there’s not much point in protecting people by keeping things from them. Times are changing, and the more all of us know what’s going on, the more likely we’ll all survive this … whatever this is.”

  “You’re right. So very right. We all need to face this new reality, no matter how difficult that may be.” Maggie took in the scene inside the barn and found the serene sense of order comforting. There’s something about farm life that appeals to everyone, not just farmers. A simple, ordered, practical way of living, that gives back more than it takes. At least here in Texas and on the Williams farm, that seems to be the case.

  “What about what happened here while we were gone up in Taos?” Jake asked. “You didn’t say a lot about it last time. Was there more to why you guys left the bunker the way you did?”

  “Well, it wasn’t exactly burning down, but we had a feeling something much worse was about to happen. At least I did.”

  Jake looked puzzled. “How so?”

  “Well, we knew strangers were poking around, trying to figure out our defenses or something. It had been going on ever since you left. It’s like they knew that there weren’t many of us there, and that the time was right for them to take advantage of the situation.”

  “But that bunker was so secure. I mean, it would’ve taken a tank to level that shed, and some pretty serious digging with heavy machinery to get you guys out of the bunker.”

  “Well, I’m not sure if they had a tank, but whatever they had, it made a hell of a lot of noise. One morning, we’d just been talking about the strange men loitering around the area and showing up on the video feeds, when we heard some loud banging at the back door to the bunker. You know, the one that Beth and Kyle came through.”

  Jake nodded his head in acknowledgment. He remembered, quite vividly, when his daughter and son-in-law had finally made it to the bunker. It was one of his happier days lately. There was a glimmer of hope that things might be turning around for them. It would’ve been better if their son Ford had been with them, but Beth and Kyle couldn’t find him in Houston before they bugged out. Jake still held out hope for Ford.

  Maggie continued. “We got very quiet once the loud banging started, and even more nervous when it stopped. I crept quietly through the storage room to the back door, to see if I could hear anything else. Beth kept calling me back, trying to stop me. She just wanted to run. We’d just sat down to have breakfast minutes earlier. I had my ear against the back door, and I could hear voices. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I’m sure they were speaking Arabic. It wasn’t good. I was scared as hell. I don’t know how they found their way to the back door, but they did. The voices grew agitated, as if they were having some argument. Then, there was some quiet tapping on the door. Metal on metal. I have no idea what it was, but then the voices stopped. I was walking back to the kitchen table when the explosion went off. It was incredibly loud. Jars on the shelves in the storage room shook and clanged against each other, but the door held. If I still had my ear up against the door at that point, I’d likely be deaf. Before I knew it, Beth had lifted up Veronica and was heading for the main exit. Kyle was following close behind and calling back for me to follow. It was kind of pandemonium after that.”

  Maggie had alluded to it before, but Jake still couldn’t believe that someone had tried to blow up his bunker. “The door held? When we were down there, there were no signs of damage. Thank God that it held.”

  “I don’t think they were trying to blow the door open.” Maggie held herself and sniffled. “I think they were trying to seal us in. I think they figured that if they couldn’t get into the bunker themselves, then they didn’t want us to have it either. That’s the only reason I followed Kyle and Beth out of the bunker. I honestly felt like I was about to be entombed alive underground. I just ran. The rest is a blur, but we made a mad dash for the Humvee, and just went flying out of there as fast as we could. We didn’t take anything with us. We left everything.”

  The barn hadn’t changed much since the last time they’d been there, which felt like a lifetime ago. Maggie went from stall to stall, checking on each of the horses. They were more unsettled than the last time she’d been there. Not too surprising, she thought, considering that horses have a better sense of when something is wrong than people do. Another good reason to keep them around, she supposed.

  “Where’s Hero?” Jake asked. He was hanging back from the stalls, as horses weren’t his favorite animal. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them, it’s just that they made him nervous. He had a fear of animals that were significantly bigger than he was. It seemed totally rational to him.

  “Bert hasn’t been able to track him down yet, since the time he darted from the barn.” Maggie looked over to his stall. “Don’t tell me you’re developing an affection for horses?” She poked him in the ribs affectionately.

  “Oh no, nothing like that,” Jake said. “It just seemed that since he was the one that saved us all back when Harish and Ahmed had the drop on Dawson, we should—”

  Dawson entered the barn behind them, interrupting Jake. “So, it looks like we’ve got some decisions to make, folks. Rick’s working hard on convincing the others back in the house that it’s time to forget about the bunker and go on a mission.”

  “Abandon the bunker?” Jake sounded as if someone had just stolen his favorite puppy from him. “Why would he be saying stuff like that? It’s the safest place we have right now.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Maggie said. “Were you listening to me at all for the last fifteen minutes? Those guys were trying to bury us alive. The bunker may be impenetrable, but it can also be turned into a tomb by somebody with a twisted enough imagination.”

  “I’m not so sure that’s really what they were trying to do,” Jake said defensively. “I just think that maybe—”

  “Were you there, Jake Banner?” Maggie’s hands went to her hips as she leaned into the conversation. “You have no idea what it was like that morning. I swear to God, they were trying to trap us inside that … that oversized coffin.”

  Now Jake looked like someone had not only stolen his favorite puppy but thrown it off a bridge.

  “I can’t say I’m overly thrilled with the idea myself,” Dawson said. “But Rick does make some good arguments given the situation that we’re in at the moment. The EarthShippers up in Taos really need help. Plus, there’s something to what he suggests about Harish being a link to the terrorist cell.”

  “I’m not so sure I want to go chasing terrorists across the desert,” Maggie said. “Not with a teenage boy and a little girl.”

  “No, of course not,” Dawson said. “But it would seem that the terrorists have no concerns about chasing adults, teenage boys and small children across the desert or any other landscape. Beth and Kyle were both saying that they thought the terrorists were trying to bury you all in the bunker. If it’s true, and that was their intention back at the bunker, then they obviously have no qualms about killing children. They have to be stopped.”

  None of them were comfortable with the way the conversation was going, but they all acknowledged, at least inside, that it was something that had to be talked about.

  “They’re never gonna stop coming for us, are they?” Jake asked.

  “I doubt it,” Dawson said. Maggie nodded her head in agreement, but couldn’t bring herself to voice the words. “If w
e don’t do something about them, then eventually they’re going to do something about us. Rick also makes a good point about doing what’s best for our country. Self-sacrifice is never an easy thing, even when you’re volunteering of your own free will.”

  “And when you’re being forced into it?” Jake asked, then answered his own question. “When you’re being forced into it, you can’t even think about it. You just have to do it.” They were all momentarily silent. “Maggie?”

  “We have to find a way to keep the kids safe. In spite of the direction the country is going, they’re our future.”

  “I agree with you, Maggie. One hundred percent. They’re my kids, and they’re what I care about more than anything. I also believe that they’re not safe the way things are. Right now, as we stand here in the center of this peaceful, beautiful country farm, we’re in mortal danger.”

  “It’s only a question of when,” Jake said, walking up to one of the horses. Maggie couldn’t hide her surprise, watching Jake stroke the horse’s head.

  “I’ve got kids in this fight too, you know?” Maggie said. “They may not be small, cute, and adorable, but they’re still my kids.”

  “No doubt about it,” Dawson said. “We’ve all got a reason to go to war.”

  Chapter 11 ~ Where’s Harish?

  It wasn’t that long ago that Dawson and Chase had rolled into the EarthShip community and weren’t well received, mainly due to the vehicle they were driving. Pritis wasn’t so happy at the time to see a machine of war roll into her commune of peace and oneness with Mother Earth. A ragtag group of anti-establishment folks who were just trying to stay under the radar and out from under the thumb of big government. Soon, it would be a different story. It wouldn’t just be the fact that two Humvees were rolling into her compound. It was the fact that their little group had to deal with some harsh realities. People were disappearing under mysterious circumstances. No one knew for sure where they’d gone, when they’d be back, or if they’d be back. In theory, a community of EarthShippers should have been left untouched by the ravages of a country-wide power grid outage. The community was completely off grid and energy independent. For a while after the power outage, they were unaffected. Then, the terrorists and motorcycle gangs and friendlies showed up. The outside world had intruded into their peaceful community, and there was no going back to the way it used to be. They’d been scarred. The outside world had brought its troubles to them, and now they needed the outside world’s help to restore balance. If they were willing, and if they were able.

  * * *

  The trip back to the EarthShip community in Taos, New Mexico was one of mixed feelings. There were some that were happy to return to the community in spite of the circumstances. There was little choice, given the current state of Texas, and the entire country. They all agreed that they were tired of being kicked around, tired of running from people that would do them harm. This was the first step towards reclaiming their lives. They all understood the risks, except for Veronica. To Veronica, it meant that she didn’t get left behind this time. It meant that she got to stay with her family. What she couldn’t understand was why everyone was so nervous and grumpy. She still looked at the world through the eyes of a child, and little did she know what a blessing that was.

  Both Humvees were loaded up and looking as badass as ever. Rick was pretty proud of himself, given that he’d convinced the others that this was the right thing to do. Maggie and Jake checked the vehicles to be sure the last few items were in the rear storage compartments. Jake was concerned, and more than a little reluctant to leave behind his dream project. He’d secured the place as well as he could, and given that it was a bunker there shouldn’t be much to worry about. At least, that’s what Maggie tried to convince him of.

  Jake wasn’t entirely convinced that this was the best thing for them. You could say that his opinion was a little bit jaded, considering his affinity for the bunker. He tried to tell Maggie that it wasn’t just because he’d spent years getting the place to be exactly the way he envisioned it. He truly believed it was the safest place for his family. That’s not to say that it was perfect. He’d been thinking about the last few setbacks and had plenty of ideas for fortifying the bunker and making it better in a post-apocalyptic world. Today, though, he could sort of understand the desire to move on. At least amongst the others, it made sense. Still, he was excited about the prospect of spending more time in the EarthShip community. There’s something to be said for living above ground and not underneath in the dark. Maggie’s experience with the terrorists who had tried to bury them underneath certainly made it hard to convince her to stay.

  The Humvees were looking about as bloated as they could be. They’d stacked all sorts of supplies in the back, including food, water, and weapons. Jake wasn’t looking forward to the road ahead. He’d made the trip there twice now, and it was hazardous both times.

  Beth wandered from the shed towards the Humvees parked halfway between the old house and the new house. She had plenty of memories of growing up here as a kid, and it always seemed like the best place for a child. She never moved far from home because of it. There was something about knowing that family was only a few hours’ drive away, and the security of home was never out of reach. Today that all felt different. She was feeling some of what her father was experiencing. She could sense that her dad didn’t want to leave. While he hadn’t grown up here, he’d made it the perfect home. She told herself that they weren’t necessarily leaving for good. That this was just something that they had to do for now, given the uncertainty of the times ahead.

  Jake was rearranging things in the back of the Humvees, trying to squeeze every last bit of space out of them. There wasn’t a lot of storage, especially with all of them making the trip. Jake wondered what kind of presence they’d be creating with two Humvees heading down the road, amongst the sea of stalled out cars.

  “Got any more room in there, Dad?” Beth asked.

  “I’ll find room,” Jake answered.

  “Looks like we’ve got a storm coming off in the distance.” Beth motioned out to the west, but Jake barely took notice, as he had his head buried in the back of the vehicle, shuffling things around. “Don’t you think?”

  “What’s that?” Looking totally lost in thought and distracted, Jake held out his hand for the last package that Beth had brought him. It was a case of water.

  “You didn’t hear a single word I said, did you?” Beth gave him a glare that reminded him so much of Maggie.

  “Don’t give me that look.”

  “You mean the one that reminds you of Mom?” Beth smiled and bumped him with her shoulder. “You know she taught me how to do that, right? One of those tricks that us girls use against the men in our lives.”

  Jake smiled for the first time that morning. “You know you don’t need to use tricks against me to get what you want. You figured that out by the time you were three.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Beth smiled quietly at her father. They both shared a knowing glance, as if remembering one of the thousands of different childhood memories from the place. “You’re not getting what you want today though, are you?”

  “It’s not always about me getting what I want. It’s about what’s best for everyone. I understand the need to go and do something like this. It’s better for all of us, and it’s better for the greater good. There’s more than just us involved at this point.”

  “Did you ever really think when I was growing up that your little girl would be part of the mission to save the entire state of Texas?”

  “Absolutely.” Jake’s smile was more genuine now. Not so forced. “You always did know the right thing to say to your dad to cheer him up. It’s one of your more endearing qualities.”

  “Of course. Just another one of those tricks us girls learn to help the men we love in our lives.”

  Chapter 12 ~ Reunited

  The Humvees rolled into the EarthShip community without any
fanfare. It was almost as if they were rolling into a deserted town. The only thing missing was tumbleweeds blowing this way and that. The weather had cleared, and the storm that seemed to be coming out of the west when they started their journey had subsided. All that remained were some light breezes blowing down off the foothills.

  Rick drove the vehicle in the front, and Dawson drove the vehicle in the back. They’d been taking turns driving all the way here so that they could keep going without stopping. The trip had been relatively uneventful, considering the territory they were going through. It was becoming more and more lawless as the days went on. They could see groups of looters and marauders roaming through the wooded areas just off the roads on the way here, but none approached. There’s something to be said for riding down the apocalyptic highway with two fully loaded Humvees complete with machine guns and turrets on top.

  This wasn’t the same community that Dawson and Chase had visited a short time ago. Things were different; there was a different feel. It seemed stiller. More subdued. When they visited here before, it was exuberant. Bubbling with life and activity, and appearing to hold the promise of a brighter future. A better way of life not just for those that lived there, but a better way of life for those that visited, and beyond. That was before everything went dark. Things here hadn’t changed that much back then. They were equipped for just such an event. What they weren’t ready for was the backlash of the outside world, and how they’d react to the situation. They encroached and made life difficult for people in the EarthShip community. In the beginning, it was just an annoyance. Kind of like having unruly neighbors. Now, it had grown into an outright hostile takeover. Something that had to be dealt with.