Extinction Level Event (Book 2): Immune [The Hunted]

by Newman, AJ

  Jon said, “Everyone out. Examine your clothing and search for any odd bumps under your skin.”

  Barbara’s head rose, and her eyes enlarged. “I have an implant that allows me to enter hazardous places and to sign in and out of work. I thought it was only a short-range RFID chip, but the bastards are probably tracking me now. Jon, please cut it out.”

  Samantha said, “Jon, I have a plan to help after you cut the chip out of poor Barbara. First, check everyone. She might not be the only one with an RFID tracking chip.”

  ☣☣☣

  Samantha pulled up to the barn and parked. They climbed out to glares coming from Barbara’s family. Suddenly Betty exclaimed, “What happened? Were y’all shot? Get in the house and let me look at your wounds.”

  Barbara said, “They’re only minor wounds. Mom, can you stitch us up and do your thing with the antibiotics? We’ll explain when you get done.”

  Charlie asked, “And what’s to prevent those rogue soldiers from returning in strength to kill us and take you into custody?”

  Jon said, “Because they’re busy chasing a Ford Expedition heading to Nashville.”

  “Who did you get to sacrifice themselves?”

  “A Ford Expedition and a very pissed off wild dog. The microchips had to be implanted into a living animal to power the RFID chip. I told the Expedition to open the rear hatch ten miles south of Nashville and begin honking its horn. The dog should run like hell and keep the trackers tied up for a day or two.”

  Betty smiled. “So, all of you, including my daughter, had tracking chips?"

  Barbara looked down at her feet and then to her mom. “Yes, I’m sorry. We didn’t know.”

  Granny Jane had been uncharacteristically silent. “Who the hell thought up that brilliant idea to send the bastards on a wild goose chase?”

  Jack chuckled. “You probably won’t believe it, but my son’s truck came up with the idea.”

  “You’re kidding us, aren’t you?

  “No, not at all. I must say it surprised me when Jon asked Samantha to analyze our situation to determine how they were being tracked. She not only gave us valuable input to find the tracking devices but also told us how to throw them off our trail. Scary as well as brilliant,” said Jack.

  “Remind me not to piss Samantha off,” replied Charlie.

  Betty had finished treating the wounded, and Jon returned with several stitches on the underside of his upper arm. “Charlie, I think this delays any assault on this place for a while, but it’s only a matter of time before the asshats figure out they’ve been duped and come back here to find our trail. I vote for all of us flying out to Texas and make that our home base until the crap settles down.”

  The Payne’s were in shock that anyone would think to bring up leaving their long-time home and survival preparations. Charlie and Bob became very mad and began blasting Jon. Jon held his own, but Barbara pounded the table with a large serving spoon.

  “Stop arguing! If you stay here, you’ll be tortured to tell them where we went. If you don’t know, they’ll just keep killing you one by one until they get what they want, or you’re all dead. Your only option is to leave if you want to live. I’m leaving with my husband.”

  The grumbling continued until Granny Jane drew her 1911 .45 and banged it on the table. “Shut your pie holes! Charlie, most of our supplies, weapons, and crap are buried around the area in plastic drums. We could take most of the rest with us and fly out to Texas with them.”

  Jack interrupted, “Granny, there’s no way I could get all of you and your supplies in any aircraft that can be found around here. It won’t work.”

  The old lady hissed. “Jack, is that damned truck out there smarter than you? If she can send a dog to Nashville in a Ford, she can very well send our supplies by driverless truck to somewhere in Texas.”

  Everyone’s jaws dropped. Jon said, “Of course, she can. I think it’s just a matter of finding a couple of new trucks and programming them to go where I tell them to go. I’ve done that a couple of times. We just need to find the vehicles.”

  Granny said, “Let’s shake a leg and get this cluster in gear. I want us on a plane by tomorrow morning, if not sooner. I’ll tell our neighbors just before we pull out. Don’t anyone leak the info.”

  Granny Jane assigned Bob to fetch the trucks. He took Pat and his son with him to bring back the new model AI vehicles. Jon gave him a crash course on how to activate the memory chips and get the trucks back to the farm. Jon would handle the programming later. Charlie was given the task of gathering their supplies and staging them to be loaded when the trucks arrived. Barbara, Jill, and Betty were assigned to Charlie. They quickly loaded Samantha with supplies and other gear. Jon told Samantha to drive to the Lubbock airport and hide behind a building, and Samantha drove away.

  Jon said, “At least Samantha will be waiting on us at the airport. The others should be, but they won’t leave until tonight if everything goes okay.”

  Charlie asked, “Won’t people see the trucks arrive and get nosey?”

  “I programmed them to drive straight through but only drive into the Lubbock area after dark with their lights off. Their collision avoidance system will help them navigate to their destination in the dark. They’ll also drive all night in the dark just in case there are planes in the air looking for movement.”

  “Are you always paranoid?”

  Jon chuckled, “Only when asshats are trying to take all of my blood.”

  Jon and Jack drove to the airport in Betty’s car to make sure one of the large charter planes would fly. They drove past the smaller aircraft. Jon said, “I hope one of these will fly. I don’t want to split up and fly two planes.”

  Jack laughed and then broke the window on the door to the charter company’s office. A few minutes later, he exited with the keys to the plane. “Son, these are turboprops. Don’t tell anyone I’ve never flown one before.”

  The two Cessna F406 Caravans were ready for a flight that had never happened. After reading several manuals, Jack tried starting the engines. They started without an issue. Jack and Jon checked all the flight controls and revved up the engines. Everything worked, so he taxied around the airfield before attempting a full speed lift-off and then land in time to stop before the end of the runway.

  They topped off the tanks and searched the airport again for anything useful. They had a couple of scares when several pickups drove by to see what the noise was all about. Jack told them a plane had landed and a car had met the plane and taken two people away. He informed them the aircraft had taken off again and was quickly out of sight. He also told them Granny Jane had instructed them to find some sheet metal to make a BBQ grill for the farm. The men had some questions but had already heard Granny Jane had some visitors, so they just left. The men kept their distance the whole time they talked with Jack.

  Charlie’s crew had loaded the three new trucks before Jon and Jack returned from the airport. Jon programmed them to drive to Lubbock as planned and then sent them on their way. Jack called a short meeting and said, “We can’t leave now because we’d be landing around nightfall. This plane will fly at about two hundred sixty miles per hour, and it’s about seven hundred miles from here. On full tanks, we can go about twelve hundred miles. We also need to check the runway and area out before landing, so we’re stuck here until early in the morning. I’d suggest we head to the airport ASAP and spend the night there. We’re screwed if someone damages or takes our plane.”

  Charlie said, “That means we’ll have to drive to Jill’s place during daylight or wait at the Lubbock airport until dark.”

  Jill said, “We’d better drive during daylight if we don’t want to get shot to pieces when Dad finds us sneaking up on his home.”

  Jack said, “Daylight it is.”

  Granny Jane said, “Charlie and I’ll go tell our most trusted neighbor after the rest of you head to the airport. We’ll count on them to spread the word. There’s no reason those people would
harm these folks.”

  The night was long and uncomfortable since the weather was unusually warm. Granny Jane called it ‘Indian summer,’ but Jon called it ball soup weather to Betty’s chagrin. “Barbara, can’t you get a hold of your guy and make him behave?”

  Barbara said, “He’s a character, but I wouldn’t have him any other way. Oh, I hated his sorry ass when I first met him on the plane, but he grew on me when I saw how hard he worked to keep us safe, even though I was a bitch to him at times.”

  Charlie and Bob split guard duty that night. So Jack and Jon could be well-rested for the flight. Charlie woke everyone up just as the sun poked its head above the horizon. They were all sleepy from swatting flies and mosquitoes but eager to get in the air. Betty handed out water bottles and ham and egg sandwiches prepared the day before. They cleaned up a bit and were ready to go.

  Jon and Jack completed a pre-flight inspection and were ready to fly. They had loaded several hundred pounds of food, water, and weapons the night before, so they just had to load their personal possessions. Jack said, “If you gotta go, go now. There ain’t no restrooms on the plane.”

  People scattered, and a few minutes later, one by one, they boarded the aircraft. Barbara stood up and said, “Buckle up, everyone. Jack and Jon just learned to fly the other day and have never seen this plane before today. Now, buckle up and be safe.”

  Jon twisted around and said, “She’s joking. My dad’s been flying for over twenty-some-odd years. Your co-pilot has been flying for a little over a month and has only crashed one plane, so far.”

  Jack taxied to the runway and stopped. Jon and Jack performed another check of the systems and controls before he revved the engines for takeoff. The engines thundered for a minute before Jack changed the propeller pitch and released the brakes. The turboprop plane picked up speed and was soon in the air. Jack scared everyone when he kept the plane just above treetop level. Jack announced, “I’m flying low to avoid radar.”

  Granny Jane had a big smile on her face, but her knuckles were white as she grasped the arms of her seat. Barbara asked, “Granny Jane, is this your first flight?”

  “Yes, and I’m afraid to look out the window. I’m afraid we’ll fly under a cow or a rabbit or something low to the ground.”

  Everyone laughed, but Barbara noticed Jill and Cindy were quiet and stiff. She walked back to Bo, who lay on the floor beside her dad. “See? Bo’s not the least bit nervous. Jack is a great pilot, and we’ll soon be landing at Preston Smith International Airport.”

  Charlie had a frown on his face. “What if we can’t land there?”

  Barbara snickered. “Why Dad, Jack will just give the controls to my husband, who has experience landing on highways.”

  Charlie smiled and said, “Thank God we have a backup … Hey, didn’t you tell me Jon crashed the plane on the highway landing?”

  “Dad, any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.”

  “Barbara, I thought you were trying to calm us down. It ain’t working,” Granny Jane said.

  Bob said, “Even as a child, my sister’s had a sick sense of humor. I think that’s why she plays with bugs and viruses.”

  “Brother, you were just a pussy. I remember chasing you around the barn with a snake in my hand. It was only a chicken snake.”

  Jon said, “I don’t like snakes. Bob, you should’ve spanked her. Now an update. We’re only a few minutes from Lubbock. The navigation equipment on the plane takes us to the airport, but you’ll see us fly over the airport first to allow all of us to check the runway out and make sure it’s safe to land.”

  Bob asked, “Where will the trucks meet us?”

  Jon said, “Samantha will be at the airport, and another will be close to the airport. The other two will be close to Jill’s parent’s home. I spread them out, so the chance of someone stealing all four is reduced. We’ll leave most of the supplies we brought along on the plane and fetch them later.”

  Jack said, “That’s the airport off to our left side. I’m going to stay away from the town as much as possible. There could be thugs or gangs in the area or even well-intentioned people who don’t like strangers. Be ready to leave the plane and get the heck away from the airport under fire. Leave the plane with your guns ready.”

  The airport was deserted, and they didn’t see any movement around the area on the first pass. Jack came in lower from the western side, and the runway was clear. Jon saw Samantha parked beside one of the hangers and exclaimed, “Samantha made it, but I don’t see the other truck.”

  Betty said, “Look at that white water tank by the industrial building. That’s a new red Chevy truck like the one we sent.”

  Jon said, “That’s about where I told it to go. Something must’ve spooked it away from where I sent it. Be prepared for anything when we land. Samantha will come to us once we’ve stopped moving. Well, that was my instruction. I think the other truck will also, but I’m not that confident of my ability as a truck whisperer.”

  Jack saw the American and Texas flags flying on a flagpole in front of the terminal. They were tattered but hanging limp. He made a wide turn and lined the plane up with the north to south runway because it was the longest. He lowered the landing gear and reduced speed. The front edge of the strip was below him before he was ready. He had made a mistake and might run out of runway. He gunned the engines and circled again. This time, he touched down a few yards after the start of the landing strip. The plane bounced a couple of times and jarred the passengers, but the landing was safe, and everyone patted Jack on the back. Only he knew he’d almost set the plane down too soon and would have crashed the plane.

  Jack taxied to the terminal, and Jon yelled, “Look! Both trucks are moving! I’m a freaking genius!”

  Granny Jane said, “Barbara, Jon’s a keeper, but you might want to knock him on the head now and then to get his head back down to normal size.”

  Chapter 9

  Lubbock, Texas – October 2038

  Jon exited first, with his M4 ready for action, as Samantha and the Chevy drove up to meet the plane. Jon signaled for everyone to hurry and load up into the two vehicles. Jon and his team rode in Samantha, and Charlie took his family in the red Chevy. Jon told Samantha to drive east over to Highway 400 and then head south on back roads. He asked the Chevy to follow Samantha.

  They didn’t see anyone until they were about a mile from the highway. A family in an old minivan approached. It stopped, and the man driving waved for them to stop. Jon pulled off the road a reasonable distance from the van but close enough to talk. The man had a surgeon’s mask on. He said, “Y’all ain’t from around here, are ya?”

  Jon said, “Nope.”

  The man asked, “Where is ya going in those fancy trucks?”

  “We’re tired of this crap and heading down to Mexico before winter.”

  “They got the same damned virus down there, don’t they?”

  “Yep.”

  The man said, “Ya sure ain’t very talkative.”

  “Nope.”

  The man put the van in gear and said, “Good luck,” before driving away.

  Jill said, “Nosey old bastard.”

  “Yep,” Jon said and told Samantha to drive.

  They only saw a couple of ranchers tending to their cows and one farmer the rest of the way to Jill’s parent’s home. Jon asked Samantha to stop at the end of the driveway, so Jill could get out and greet her parents. The house was an older ranch of medium size. Her parents had retired and moved to the country, so they could have a large garden, some cows, and a couple of horses. They had about a hundred acres covered in grass for the animals. The hay had recently been cut, and what was left was brown for the winter.

  Jill walked down the driveway while the others kept their weapons ready to fight if needed. Jon and Bob had their binoculars trained on the home and barn to help keep watch for danger. Jon keyed his radio, “Jill, there’s movement in the right window.”

  Jill saw a woma
n’s face and waved. She yelled, “It’s my mom!”

  The front door opened, and Jill’s mom came running up the driveway to greet her daughter. A few seconds later, a man wearing a mask appeared from out of nowhere to the left of the barn. He had a high-powered rifle slung over his shoulder and sauntered to Jill while casting a suspicious eye toward the people who’d brought her home.

  Jill and her mom hugged until her father arrived. He hugged his daughter and asked who her friends were. Jill said, “Dad, you can trust these people, and they don’t have the virus.”

  “Where's your sister and her family? How do you know they don’t have the virus?”

  “Mom, Dad, they’re gone. They died during the first few weeks after the virus hit the area.”

  Her mom broke into tears, but her dad’s eyes just teared up, and he said, “That doesn’t tell me anything about your friends and why I should trust them.”

  “Dad, I’ll explain later, but please trust me,” said Jill.

  “I’ll keep my mask and gloves on if you don’t mind.” He gazed at his wife and said, “Damn it! Meg! You’re not wearing your mask or gloves. I give up,” Walt Scott said as he took his mask and vinyl gloves off.

  “Tell your friends to come on down to the house. We want to meet them,” her mom said as she fought back the tears.

  “Mom, two of them are very special to me. Jon and Barbara Stone have saved my life several times and will be giving you a precious gift.”

  “I like people who help my daughter, and I like gifts. There hasn’t been much to cheer about around here since the virus began.”

  Walt was one of those stoic western characters who didn’t say much, but you’d better listen when he did. He watched the horde of people unload from the shiny new trucks and wondered what the hell he’d gotten himself and his wife into now. He knew Jill had a good head on her shoulders, but bringing in this many strangers made him question her judgment. Then he saw Jon talking to himself and began to question all of their sanities.