by Cage, Zion
The End: Warzone
An Emp Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller
Zion Cage
Copyright © 2020 Zion Cage
All rights reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people or real people are used for fiction purposes only. Other names, characters, places, and events are the ultimate product of the author imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
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Also By Zion Cage
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Epilogue
About The Author
Coming Soon
Books In This Series
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The End: Into The Past
In events prior to the EMP, Vivien will do anything to please the one she loves. That is until he decides to put her away. Her eyes open and, for once, she realizes the truth. She will have to make a hard decision.
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Also By Zion Cage
The End: Genesis
The End: Fight For survival
The End: Captives
“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.”
General George S. Patton
Prologue
20th December 2012,
7:30 pm.
Skyline Hotel. Los Angeles, California. USA.
Suzanne picked up the papers scattered all over the table in the conference room as the other men who had been seated got up and walked out of the room. The sound of murmurs filled the air. The men weren’t satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. Their skeletons were being discovered. After all the papers were neatly organized in a file, she picked up her recorder from the round table and pressed the stop button. She looked up at the blond man sitting next to her on the table. He was forty-nine, but he seemed older than that with his round face and bushy blond beard. His broad nose spread out further when he smiled at her. Suzanne barfed in her head. She returned his smile physically, though.
“I guess that wraps things up for us,” he said, still smiling at her. He was the President Pre-Tempore of the U.S. Senate and the representative of California. She was his assistant. He had returned to Los Angeles to review the books for his business holdings. Apart from the two of them, three hefty men were in suits in the room—his bodyguards. Suzanne sighed as she drank water from her glass.
“Let me just say I’ve been a part of more honest audits,” she said, and they both laughed. The Honorable, Mr. Gregg Joseph, was a very nice man on the outside. He never bothered her and always desired the wellbeing of his staff. But he had the same problem most men of his age and in his position had: promiscuity, though he did it secretly so as not to dent his flawless reputation. Suzanne had been referred to work for him by a senator after the service tenure of the former Chief of staff had ended. Her heart ached. She regretted what she was about to do to him.
“What do you say we head out of here and go to our rooms? I’m tired,” he said.
“But sir, you haven’t still decided on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting. And, based on the outcome of today, you need to do so before the meeting tomorrow by eight a.m. if you don’t want to remain in Los Angeles longer than planned. You’ve worked so hard, sir. I know you’re tired, but we can’t let that ruin all your hard work.”
He tilted his head at her.
“First, you did most of the work. All I did was to tell you what to do. Secondly,” he groaned loudly. “Why does my assistant have to be so disciplined? I was hoping you’d be tired enough to support me.”
Suzanne chuckled. “Well, discipline is what I’m paid for.”
Gregg’s phone buzzed. It was a call from his wife. Groaning silently, he got up before excusing himself and leaving the room to attend to the call. Suzanne took a deep breath. That was her cue. She had exactly two minutes before he returned to the room. She looked at the bodyguards. They looked casually in her direction. If she made any move, they would spot her. She picked up her phone and typed.
Call me. Hurry. Now’s our chance!
She waited for another five seconds before her phone rang again. The men looked at her, startled at the sudden call. She chuckled.
“My bad. I’m lucky this didn’t happen during the meeting,” she said to herself as she picked the call and greeted the person at the other end. The moment the men’s gaze turned from her, she held the phone between her left ear and shoulders. She moved slowly to avoid drawing the men's attention to herself. Pulling the crown out of her wristwatch, she poured out white powder from the tiny hole created into her cup of water. She replaced the crown and shook the glass until all the powder disappeared. She then swapped it with Gregg's glass after pouring some water from his glass into her own so that they both looked as they had been just before he excused himself. All the time, she chattered excitedly into the phone. Thirty seconds later, Gregg walked back into the room. She looked up at him with an excited look on her face.
Right on time, sir.
She laughed. “Hey, I’ll call you back once I get to my room. I’ve got to get back to work. My boss is here. And, next time, don’t call me when you know I’m working. You almost destroyed me today,” she said before hanging up. Gregg had just regained his seat beside her. She looked at him with a guilty look on her face.
“I’m sorry, sir. I know I shouldn’t be taking calls on the job.”
“Well, yes. Neither should I. But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do, right?”
She chuckled.
"By the way, was that a guy's voice I heard on the other end?" Gregg asked, and Suzanne blushed. Gregg lit up. "Why! Am I happy you've gotten yourself a man? All this while I’ve been wondering how to set you up and liberate you from loneliness. You’re not getting any younger, you know?”
Suzanne burst into laughter. “Okay, sir,” she said as she managed to catch her breath. “Let’s get back to it. I’m sure you want to be getting home soon.”
Gregg nodded, and they investigated her tablet together. Twenty minutes later, they were done. Suzanne sighed and took a long drink from her glass. She sighed again after setting it down.
“Am I glad this is over!” she said.
Gregg chuckled as he also drank from his glass.
Suzanne took up her phone again and typed into it. “Can I go now, sir?” she asked, blushing again.
“I see you’re very eager to talk to your mystery man, right?” Gregg said as he got up. “Okay, let’s get going. You’ll let me walk you to your room, right?”
Suzanne smiled. That question was a weird one for even the kind-hearted Gregg.
It was working.
“No, sir. I’ll come behind. I’d like to take a walk outside tonight.”
Gregg remembered how she had taken evening walks every day since they came to Los Angeles two days ago. He shrugged.
“Well, then. Be safe, okay? And be careful in your relationship. I don’t want any man to break your beauty,” he said, placing a palm on her chin.
Suzanne smiled as she bowed her head.
“You’re sure you don’t want to get to your room first? It’s not every day I offer to walk my assistant to her room?” he asked with a lopsided g
rin. He was flirting with her.
Oh no, Mister. That drug isn’t for me. Your victim is waiting for you.
“Oh, no sir. I just have to clear my head. I'll be back soon," she said, and Gregg nodded.
He motioned to his men as he headed out of the conference room. Suzanne got her things ready and followed them. She waved to her boss as he entered the elevator going up. She took the one going down. Once she was out of the elevator, she walked briskly out of the grand hotel and into the cold dark street.
She strolled down the street as though she were deep in thought. As she turned the corner to the next street, she spotted the black car she had been looking for. She walked calmly to it, not wanting to draw any attention. Entering the front passenger seat, she sighed in relief, allowing the night’s tension to wash away.
“How did it go?” Daan asked her from the driver seat. She looked at him.
“How do you think it went? Of course, he drank it. Any response from Agent Pheromone?” she asked.
"I spoke with her a couple of minutes ago. She was waiting on the next floor. I'm sure that she must have entered the elevator with him by now," Daan said, and Suzanne moved forward to turn on the small laptop that sat on the dashboard. She navigated through it till she opened a window that displayed the live feed of one of the hotel rooms. It was a grand room with a neatly laid queen-sized bed and pristine antique décor. No one was in it. Suzanne looked at Daan.
“Where are they? No one is in his room,” she said.
“Relax, Suzi. Pheromone is the best in the game. She’ll get it done.”
“Well, she’d better. This mission can’t go awry. I don’t want Adrik breathing down my neck.”
Daan laughed at her comment. Suddenly, from the footage, the sound of a door slamming hard against the wall emanated. Daan’s and Suzanne’s attention turned to the footage. Gregg and a lady entered the room, all over each other. She and Daan cringed as they watched the sex scene unfold before them.
“Is that Pheromone?” Suzanne asked Daan. Daan nodded.
“I already feel pity for her,” Suzanne said as sounds of feminine wails came from the video.
“Gregg is a complete monster. I mean, just look at what he’s doing to her. What was that drug you gave him?” Daan asked.
“I’m not sure. It was sent in the wristwatch via mail this morning by the Ray of Hope. Though on the instruction manual, it mentioned something about high doses of powder form testosterone, sildenafil citrate, and gonadotropin, whatever those mean. However, I know the drug is supposed to boost his sex drive and make him an overdose.”
“Well; they’ve got your boss behaving like a complete animal,” he said.
The sound of choking came from the footage. They watched as Gregg began to hold his chest and struggle to breathe. The man was dying. Pheromone pulled a small package out of her hair and opened it on the bed, spilling out some pills.
“That’s the wrap of Viagra?" Suzanne asked Daan, and he nodded.
The look of confusion on Gregg’s face couldn't be missed. Pheromone began to shout for help. In a matter of seconds, Gregg's bodyguards ran in and found Pheromone trying to save the man's life. Pheromone was crying desperately.
“Save him, please! Don’t let him die!”
Suzanne turned to Daan. “She’s such a great actress,” she said.
“The best from the academy,” Daan said, nodding.
Then Gregg gave up the ghost. Suzanne was horrified by what she had done, but she restrained her sadness from being visible on her face. She wanted to, but she couldn't justify what she had done to Gregg. The man had been good to her. She was becoming fed up with all the things she had to do for the organization. Faking a smile, she turned to Daan and spoke.
“Cheers to Marksim Sergei, the new President ProTemp of the United States Senate. We’ve hit another milestone in our mission.”
“Great job, Vivien. You’re such a strategist. I never want to be on your bad side.”
“You got that one right,” she said as she saved the recorded footage and pulled a flash drive out of the computer.
“The guy in charge of infiltrating the army is slower. He’s taken some positions over but it’s not substantial enough yet. I’m guessing they’ll soon remove him,” Daan said.
“He needs to learn from the mistress,” she said. Daan reclined in his chair and took Suzanne’s hand.
“So, tomorrow is going to be the end of the world. What are you going to do with your last day? Want to hang out?” Suzanne was already comfortable with those kinds of gestures from Daan. They had drawn a line on their relationship early on and had decided to keep it at the close friends and confidants’ level.
“I’m going to be cleaning up after my dead boss, thank you. I’m going to have to pretend that I’m appalled by this and that I’m trying to cover the secret of his shameful death while, in reality, I’ll secretly leak the footage of his escapade to the press and blame it on the hotel later. Believe me, tomorrow is tightly booked.”
Daan laughed. Just then, a call came in on Suzanne’s phone. It was from a private number. She already knew who it was. She picked it.
“Hello, Adrik. Good evening.”
“It’s morning here. Good morning, beloved. How is the mission going?” he said.
I’m fine, Adrik. Thanks for asking.
She thought in irritation.
“Oh, it’s done already. No tracks left uncovered. Gregg is dead. Your link can now install Marksim as the new President pro temp.”
“Great job, Vivien. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, boss. Just doing my job. Besides, I can’t take all the credit. Daan helped a lot," she said, and Daan gave her a warning face. There was a brief silence on the other end.
“Well, that’s what Daan is supposed to be, right? Your assistant. I’m sure you are careful enough to make boundaries,” he said and paused, allowing her to get his point. Then he said, “Don’t worry, you’ll be back with me here in Russia very soon. I promise you that, my love.”
Suzanne understood the silent threat, but she didn’t care. She was already tired of the promises. However, she played along.
“Thanks, boss,” she said.
“Adrik,” he corrected her.
“Thanks, Adrik.”
He cut the call, and Suzanne sighed.
“The Boss seems to be quite jealous over you," Daan said, and Suzanne nodded. "I'd better keep my distance, then and you'd better stop mentioning my name to him. I don't want to die before my time," Daan said, raising his hands. Suzanne forced a chuckle at his joke. She put the flash drive into the wig she wore and opened the car door. Sadness covered her face.
“I’ve got to go, Daan,” she said. He noticed her face.
“Is everything alright, Vivien?" he asked, and she nodded.
“Yes. I’m just practicing the face I’ll use when I find out that Gregg is dead of a drug overdose. Bye,” she said as she got out of the car and walked away. Daan was sure that she hadn't told the whole truth.
Chapter One
They had a good conspiracy going…
15th November, 20215:16 am
Columbus, Ohio. USA.
Stephen Wallace sat up on the small mat he slept on. It was a cold morning. He could see the vapor form from his breath whenever he exhaled. He stayed in a small apartment in an Italian Village. He had chosen that place because of how low key it was. He could work and enjoy solitude just the way he wanted it. He really didn’t want any attention.
He got up and checked his watch. It was past five, which meant that it was time to hunt. Once the sun appeared in the sky, all his favorite kinds of animals to catch would be gone to their hiding places. Asides that, he needed to prepare for work once it was dawn. There was no time. He sold barbequed meat in a small stand. His customers didn’t know he got his meat from the woods. And it was better that way. People were appalled when they realized they were eating Bush rats.
He was a long way from home
because he was running for his life. And the funny part was that he didn’t know why he was being chased.
His life had been full of ups and downs, as was the life of any other person that lived on Earth. He had stayed in Ohio for most of his life. Growing up, he had a simple view of life: if everyone did good to every other person and the strong defended the weak, the world would be a better place. Since he'd been little, he'd been a deep thinker and had opinions about almost everything. He’d lived with that mindset till he got to High school. There, he’d been bullied most of the time since he hadn’t been strong enough to defend himself. Obviously, it was a world where everyone was alone. That had led him to the decision to join the Air Force in Ohio. He had prepared himself for it, joining the U.S. Air Force academy and getting trained. Luckily for him, upon graduation in 2015, he had been posted to the base at his native state of Ohio as a Second Lieutenant. With extra hard work, he had progressed to become a Captain. Those were the Up-days. Everything had gone perfectly. Then one day, early in March the same year, for no reason, he had been given a test that had nothing to do with his specialty, and upon failing it, he had received a dismissal letter from the military. They had said that he had been 'mentally unfit to carry out the office's duties.
It was against the contract he had signed. In fact, it was absurd for it to be done in the military. He had spoken with his commander about it, but his commander had told him that the instruction had come from the top and, therefore, couldn’t be countered.
He had returned home to his family in shame. His family consisted of his parents, paternal grandmother, kid brother, who had always looked up to him, and his ever-loyal German Shepherd dog, Tanner. Somehow, the news had spread fast that he had been rejected by the air force. He was content, though, to be with his family and to work as a mechanic at the automobile shop in his town.