With a deep breath, I dove into the chilling tale at the grocery store. Melinda gasped and covered her mouth as I divulged the details and I did my best to paint Mike in a good light. He'd been overly aggressive that day, but nobody deserved to die for standing up to bullies.
When I finished, Melinda wiped the tears from her face and hugged me. It felt good to let my guard down, even for just a moment as I relaxed into her embrace. Yesterday's events had taken a toll on me, but they paled in comparison to what was ahead.
"I'm gonna wash up then go next door and see if George needs my help," I told her as I stood up and stretched.
"Okay, just be careful."
I nodded then headed into our room. Stepping into the shower I grabbed the bucket of water from the floor and poured it over my head. The cold water was like being doused with reality. My eyes snapped wide open and the gravity of what was going on came full front.
Mike had died and my biggest fear had been realized. I was helpless. There was no one to call, no doctor or paramedics to come save him. No police to come and protect us. I was living in modern day America and I had to push my neighbors dead body home in a grocery shopping cart.
I stood in the shower for a while, thinking about what all of those things meant. Wondering if this was a temporary jaunt in the twilight zone or had something changed within our society forever.
Without vehicles, without phones, we'd been cut off from the rest of the world. It was like we'd been marooned on an island and left to fend for ourselves. I wanted to know what was going on. I needed to know what was going on.
After half an hour, I got out and threw on some gym clothes. I headed out to the kitchen, where David and Charlie were up eating breakfast and Melinda was wiping the counters down, probably trying to keep her mind busy.
"Alistair get up yet?" I asked.
"He's still in his room...and that cart is still on the porch."
I nodded, knowing exactly why she'd told me that. It was something I had to deal with, but first I wanted to check on Alistair.
I gave David and Charlie a kiss on the head. They smiled and went back to their intense chat about what video game they'd play first, once the power was restored. At least they hadn't been affected by all of the madness, they still had hope.
After that I headed to Alistair's room and tapped on the door. He made some sound of acknowledgement and I walked in. He was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling, pondering the meaning of life most likely.
"What you up to?" I asked.
"Just chilling...Zach's dad died?"
I frowned and took a seat on the end of his bed. Like I thought, death would be the topic of conversation today.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" I replied.
"Saw the cart and all, out of the window. I've never seen a dead body."
"Me neither."
"What happened?"
"Some bad people at the grocery store."
"Scared people," he corrected me.
"What?"
"Scared people. They probably weren't bad before all of this, they're just scared and that makes them dangerous."
I looked at him and smiled. "Wise beyond your years. You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, just sucks for Zach and Max."
"It does, but they're young. Kids are really resilient at that age."
Alistair grunted and shook his head. "Why do people always say that?"
"Say what?"
"They're young...like that's a good thing. Doesn't that make it worse? The older you get you expect your parents to die and you have a lifetime of memories with them. If you lose them as a kid...you might forget them."
"You'll never forget your parents. But sometimes not being able to fully comprehend something is a blessing in disguise. Like you right now, you're aware, you know what happened and it bothers you. Your brothers don't have a clue and in that, they're happy because to them nothing bad ever existed."
"Dad, we can't live in the fairy tale forever."
"No, but you should try."
With that, I gave him a hug and told him I loved him. Alistair and I had a special bond and I was happy that I was able to talk to him in ways that I never could with my own father. I guess we strive to fix the issues from our childhood once we become parents. The idea of that gave me hope.
As I closed his door the grim reality of life returned. I still had to deal with today and everything that came with it.
I walked outside and stopped on the porch. Melinda must've dragged the cart up the few steps and tried to keep it out of sight. I knew that had to be hard because the metal frame gleamed with Mike's dried blood.
"Fuck," I grumbled.
It was like I was reliving that moment all over again. The vivid images of Mike pleading for help rushed to the front of my mind. I shivered as goose bumps erupted across my arms and wondered how long it would haunt me.
Cringing, I started sifting through the contents of the buggy. The lunch meat was bad so I threw that out first. Then I tried grabbing items that hadn't been showered in blood.
The more things I moved around the more blood poured from the bottom of the cart and splattered onto the porch. Without running water, I was forced to use some of the water jugs to clean everything off. Although I had a generous amount of water stored in my house, that was one of the things you could never have too much of.
As I cleaned off the last of the cans and set them down near the front door, I heard what sounded like a semi-truck. A bit of hope rose in my chest as I imagined it was the power companies or first responders finally making their way out.
I started towards the steps, but as I made my way down I dropped to the floor and covered my head. An explosion suddenly shook the air and my eardrums popped. I could feel the wave of air rush past me.
Recovering, I jumped up and ran to the sidewalk. I peered down the road toward the gate and stopped in shock. "Holy shit!"
CHAPTER 9
THE WELCOMING PARTY
I stepped to the side as the heavy armored vehicle slowly wheeled past me. Behind it, rows and rows of troops trotted at a moderate pace. They were all dressed in sand colored fatigues with rifles at the ready.
"What the hell was that noi..," Melinda's words fell short as her eyes found the small army outside.
I looked back at her with wild eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and I felt frozen with shock and fear. We needed help, but not this, this was an occupying force. I felt like a small child watching the Army roll into Baghdad.
"Over there," I heard someone behind me call out.
I turned and there was a middle-aged man heading my way. Like the other soldiers, he was dressed in fatigues, but his rifle was slung over his back. He had another five troops with him, following like hand maids or something.
"Sir," he shouted before he was close enough to talk in a normal voice.
"Yeah," I replied casually. Then I considered how strange I must have looked with a blood-stained t-shirt and a shopping cart on the porch behind me.
"My name is Captain Swonski," he said and extended his hand.
I reached out and shook it then he looked me over. He tried to hide the surprise in his face, but I already knew what was coming next.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"My neighbor was murdered yesterday," I admitted reluctantly.
I prepared myself for the lengthy interrogation that I knew was coming. I prepared to take him next door, into the garage to the body. I didn’t know how I could talk myself out of what would happen next, but I was ready to take the blame.
But he didn't press me any further. No questions or even second looks. He shook his head like he completely understood and that made my spine chill.
"How many residents are in this community?" he continued.
"I don't know. Are you guys with the national guard or something? Did they declare some kind of disaster?"
"Not quite," he replied. "I need to speak with your community leader. We ne
ed to round everyone together...is there some sort of town hall or meeting room?"
"What? What the hell are you talking about?"
I didn't mean to come off so rudely, but the entire thing took me a bit by surprise. There was a freaking military force parked on my street and it suddenly dwarfed every other problem I had.
"What's your name?" he asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"Randall," I replied.
"Well look Randall," he began.
"Sir," another soldier called. He approached the captain and saluted then extended a clipboard with a stack of papers. "One hundred and sixty-two sir. We double checked. No meeting hall."
"Very well, " the captain told him. "We'll have to go door to door. Lieutenant, move them out."
"Yes sir," the Lieutenant said as he saluted then turned on his heels.
Swonski let out a long breath then turned back to me. "Randall, I'll have to ask that you stay inside. Someone will be by shortly with more details."
"What? Stay inside...what the hell is going on?"
"Someone will explain shortly. I have to ask, for your safety though, that you and your family remain in your residence. Is that understood?"
I wanted to protest, but the captain had the type of face that you didn't argue with. He had dark eyes and thick, brown eyebrows that created a shadow effect. I suspected that even his smile looked like an ill-wishing scowl and I didn't want to be on his bad side this early.
"I'll wait here," I replied. "But I want to know what's going on."
Swonski nodded then headed back out into the street. I watched him for a moment, feeling a nervous apprehension. I'd been waiting for power companies and emergency workers, but instead an occupying force showed up. Something really bad was going on and I was starting to doubt that things were gonna go back to how they were.
"What was that about?" Melinda asked as I ushered her back inside.
Once the door was closed and locked I pulled her into the living room. We both had a seat on the couch and I leaned back and let out a long, rattled sigh.
"We have to get out of here," I said after I collected my thoughts.
"What was that out there?"
"I don't know. The military, the national guard maybe, I'm not sure. Something wasn't right with that guy though. And he was asking how many residents were here."
"Makes sense if they are trying to account for people. Randall, you think everything is some kind of conspiracy."
"Melinda, they didn't come with food and water. They came with fucking tanks and guns."
"Keep your voice down!" she warned. "I don't want the kids hearing you."
"Something is going on and I don't think it's safe to stay here. This feels wrong, feels like we're in some third world country all of a sudden."
"Even if we could leave Randall, where would we go? The cars don't work and you don't have any clue what's going on out there. The last time you left..." she stopped herself and covered her mouth. "I'm sorry."
I frowned and lowered my head. "I don't know Melinda, but I'm worried. We need to get out of here and find out what's really going on. We could make it to the news station or take one of those boats in the harbor and just get the hell out of here."
Melinda started to respond, but a knock at the door cut her off. We looked at each other and her eyes reflected mine, surprise and fear. I gave her a weak smile, then got up and walked to the door.
The knock sounded again. This time more urgently and I wanted to grab my family and run off rather than open it.
"I'm coming," I said.
Swallowing, I unlocked the door and cracked it. Greg was standing on the porch looking nervous and scared. Without a word, he rushed inside.
I closed the door behind him then turned around. "Everything okay?"
"Did you see...did you see what's going on out there?" he asked with a trembling voice.
"You mean with the army or whatever?"
"They're taking people!"
"What!?" I snapped and looked back at Melinda.
"You heard what happened to Mike right? I can't believe it man." He lowered his head and seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment.
"I was there."
"Holy shit! I'm sorry man," he sighed and rubbed his hands across his face. "Fucking Mike...can't, can't believe he's gone. Wait! You told them that...they know you were with him? They're gonna come here. They're gonna take you too."
"Greg chill out. What are you talking about?"
At this point, Greg was looking around the house with crazy eyes and waving his hands hysterically. He looked like a mad man and I could tell he was on the verge of completely losing his shit.
"They went to Mike's house...took them all."
"Well, Mike's dead. They had to do something and they probably took his family to help them."
"George was fighting them. Jennifer and the kids were screaming like hell. That doesn't sound like help to me."
I twisted my face in surprise. "Swonski didn't seem all that interested in what had happened to Mike when I told him about it."
"Who?"
Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. Greg froze then started searching the house for a place to hide.
"It's them!" he said frantically. "They can't find me here. I have to go!"
Greg sprinted through the house to the sliding glass door. He yanked it open and rushed through the lanai into the backyard. Tripping over toys, he darted through the hedges and vanished.
I stared after him for a few minutes to make sure he was gone then headed to the door. He was right. I opened the door and Captain Swonski and a few of his men were gathered on my porch.
"Do you mind if we come in?" he asked.
I looked them over as if I had any choice in the matter. Grunting, I nodded and stepped to the side. The captain and his men stepped inside and I led them to the living room where Melinda was still sitting.
"This is your wife?" he asked.
"Yes. So, what's going on?"
He didn't answer immediately. He walked toward the back window and stared out into the yard. He seemed to be searching and I could tell, he was the type of man that was used to finding what he looked for.
"Captain," I said with a slightly raised voice. "What is all of this about?"
He turned and came back to where we were sitting. He took a deep breath then sat down in a chair across from us.
"Do you people have any clue of what is going on?"
I laughed even though I didn't mean to. "No... that’s what I'm asking you," I replied. "People are looting the stores, killing people. We have no phones, no electricity, no water. And then the army shows up. No, I don't have any clue what's going on."
The captain looked tired. I could see the strain in his eyes along with broken red lines that webbed across his pupils. He looked weighed down with thoughts, thoughts of things I wasn't aware of.
"Civil unrest is just the tip," he said in a labored voice. "These...these weather anomalies are only going to get worse."
"Weather anomalies?" I asked.
"We...we were supposed to be ahead of it all. Evacuations and the plans we made should have worked, should've kept them safe."
He was talking to himself, staring straight ahead with unfocused eyes. It was like he'd forgotten he was in my house.
"They weren't safe and now we have to do this. Things will only get worse if we don't do this."
"Do what?" I asked.
His face hardened and his eyes focused as he stood up. He shook his head from side to side as if to rid himself of the bout of empathy he'd just had.
"We are here to maintain order, to keep the peace and ensure that nothing happens...that nothing else happens. Soldiers will be stationed at the gates as well as at posts along the streets. Stay in your homes as much as possible and we'll sort this out."
"What about the weather?" I asked again.
"That will be all Randall," he said and then walked out of the door with hi
s guards.
CHAPTER 10
OCCUPYING BY FORCE
"What do you think they want?" Melinda asked as we sat at the dining room table.
"I don't know. To keep everyone in check...it's martial law I guess. I mean after what I saw at the store, it's not that hard to believe."
I pushed around the sliced hot dog in front of me and rolled it through the ketchup. This was the fifth day in a row that a grilled hot dog and corn on the cob was dinner. I guess it could be worse, but my stomach missed the disastrous taste of fast food.
"You hear that?" Melinda asked and broke me out of my McDonalds nostalgia.
"What?"
As soon as I asked I heard a faint scream outside. I waited, straining my ears and then I heard it again.
"Sounds like it's across the street," I said and stood up.
I glanced at Melinda and then started toward the door. As I got closer two more screams rang out and then a man shouted something I couldn't make out.
"Dad, what is that?" Alistair asked and poked his head out of his room.
"I'm not sure. I'll be right back."
I stepped outside and immediately saw the source of all the noise. Across the street our neighbors, Sue and Debbie, the two nurses, were wrestling with one of the soldiers. Two more soldiers were standing on the sidewalk, watching them with mild interest.
"Calm down!" the soldier said and held Debbie's wrist while he kept Sue at bay with his outstretched hand.
"We're not going anywhere!" Debbie screamed. "You can't just make people leave their house."
"Ma'am it's not safe."
"For the love of God Jackson, just throw the bitches in the truck and let's get moving already," one of the soldiers on the sidewalk said. He was a short guy with a foul look on his face and slicked back red hair.
Jackson waved him off. "Ma'am please, I'm trying to help you. We're trying to get you somewhere safe."
"Get off of her," Sue yelled and jumped on Jackson's back.
The other soldier had seen all he could take. " Hey!" he shouted.
Jumping forward, he grabbed Sue by her collar and yanked her to the ground. She landed flat on her back and let out a rattled grunt. Her head smashed into the concrete and she reeled across the ground in pain.
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 5