Dystopia Box Set [Books 1-4]

by Cooper, DJ

  From the back of the truck, I said, “I’m Rita, I was traveling with John and Amy to meet Destiny Walters, can you help us find them?”

  The man did not approach the vehicle which made us nervous but asked, “You know Dez?”

  I said, “Yes, can you help us get to them?”

  He said, “Pull over into this parking lot.” Motioning to the left, he continued, “Just wait here, I’ll be back shortly.”

  The other man watched us, he jogged across the street to his own truck and picked up what looked like a mic to a CB Radio.

  Returning to the truck, he stood back still. This made us all a little uncomfortable still. He asked, “Have you had contact with others in the last twenty-one days?”

  Rich said, “Yes, we have.”

  The man said, “Hold on.”

  Jogging back to the truck again he got on the radio, Rich looked in at us and said, “We’re ok, they are worried about quarantine.”

  I looked at him, saying, “Quarantine?”

  He continued, “Ebola, it is still out there as we know full well. They are going to quarantine us.”

  Panicked, I said, “For how long? What about Matty?”

  He reached behind the seat and took my hand and said, “We are here my love, they are trying to protect him from this. We have to do what they say.”

  The man returned and holding the mask across his face, he’d put gloves on and handed Rich a walkie talkie saying, “We will communicate with this, keep your windows rolled up and do not exit the vehicle without permission. Do you understand?” We nodded, and he continued, saying, “Does anyone need to go?”

  Rich asked, “Go?”

  “Yes.” The man said, “Go to the bathroom? We will not be stopping until we reach Ryan and the quarantine center. You will be quarantined until we are sure there is no risk of Ebola.”

  We all decided to use the makeshift outhouse, which was little more than a bucket with a bag in it, once the last person had gone, we had to tie the bag and leave it in the bucket. Getting back into the truck we did as we were instructed and rolled up the windows. The ride to London was over an hour, and we were greeted with the same caution. There was a small medical center there. We were escorted by a nurse and doctor both in NBC suits to a room where we would wait to be processed and decontaminated.

  We sat in the room for a short time when someone came in, also in the white NBC suit. He reached for Rich’s hand saying, “I’m Ryan, I’m the area commander for the three percent.”

  Keith looked confused, saying, “What is a three percent?”

  Ryan responded, “You are now in the hands of the Kentucky Militia.”

  I jumped up saying, “We were looking for the militia to help us find Dez.”

  He smiled behind his little shield saying, “You found us and I am on my way out to the farm as soon as we are done here to get someone to meet with you.”

  I asked, “John and Amy, did they arrive?”

  He smiled and said, “Yes, they are there.”

  Tears ran down my face as I shuddered almost afraid to ask, when he said, “I know who you are, and yes Matty is with them, and he is fine.” Pausing a moment, he said, “They said you were dead, what happened?”

  Rich spoke as I was sobbing at this point saying, “It is a long story. Sergeant Rich Davidson here, can you relay to Ray if he is there that I have intel on the event. He needs to see this. Tell your people not to disturb the things in the back of the truck there is the possibility of Ebola contamination on this intel.”

  We were escorted male and female into shower rooms, all of our clothes were taken, and we were given a very stinky soap and told to shower, washing all of our hair and body with this soap. Once done we were moved to the changing area where hospital greens were available for us to wear. We could move freely from room to room here. There was a bathroom, a small kitchen area with food and a Coleman stove set up. The nurse came and took blood from each of us and a swab from our mouth. She said it would take a few days to a week to run the tests for Ebola and to make ourselves comfortable. I was taken to another room shortly after that so that the doctor could look at my injuries and see if anything needed to be done. My blood came back with elevated white cell counts, so I was placed in quarantine by myself.

  We heard nothing more that day and the next, still nothing. No one came to talk to us. I was worried, I was still in my own room, the nurses came to check on me, feed me and care for me, yet no one knew what was going on. On the third day, the nurse came in without her NBC suit on saying we’d been cleared and my husband would be in to see me shortly. I asked about how they managed it so quickly, and she said, “They sent the samples to Lexington for detection of the virus or antibodies. I don’t know who you people are, but they wanted you cleared right away.”

  She finished giving me some medication for my leg and checking my vitals and started to leave, but there was a commotion in the hallway. She hurried out the door without a word. I hobbled over to the door to see a number of people injured and bleeding. On a stretcher rolling past was Dez. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My son was with them, if she is shot, where is he? Gasping I hobbled into the hallway asking about Matty. There were three men with the III% symbols on their hats in the hall, with various wounds. None of them knew about Matty.

  Ryan appeared and ushered me back into my room saying, “Matty is fine. I need you to stay out of the way. Some things have happened, and we will sort it all out shortly, but please for now stay put.”

  I asked, “Was that Dez that went by on the stretcher?”

  He said, “Yes, it was.”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “Someone named Morgan shot her.” He replied.

  My blood boiled as I spat out, “Morgan? That bitch is here?”

  He stopped short of the door asking, “You know her?”

  “She’s the one that hit me and left me for dead in the river,” I said.

  He asked, “How is she connected to you all?”

  I replied, “That piece of work is Matt’s little whore.”

  Suddenly, Ryan turned for the door, looking back he said, “Stay here, I will be back soon. I’ll check on Matty.”

  Out the door, he rushed without so much as a glance back to me. I couldn’t understand what was going on. Sitting on the bed, I waited for news.

  Chapter 14

  “Revelations”

  “Wherever the invitation of men or your own occasions lead you, speak the very truth, as your life and conscience teach it, and cheer the waiting, fainting hearts of men with new hope and new revelation.”

  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

  It was hours before anyone came back and I had not seen Rich in two days. Pacing as best I could with a bum leg, getting more and more furious as time passed. Talking to myself in my circles in the small room I said, “I want to know what the hell is going on around here.” Stopping and shaking my head I started again, “What is going on?” Thinking to myself that was better. “Remember Rita you get more flies with honey than you will with vinegar.”

  I heard the door open and looked to see Ryan was standing in the doorway. He looked pale, and it scared me. I asked him, “Matty?”

  He said, “Matty is fine.”

  “Then what,” I asked.

  He asked me, “You know Matt pretty well, right?”

  Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “I guess, why?”

  He had me sit on the bed while he pulled up a chair and said, “I need to ask you some things.”

  I raised my eyebrows, thinking, “Geeze what’s he done now?” I said nothing and waiting for him to tell me what he wanted.

  He said, “What do you know about Matt and Dez?”

  I shrugged saying, “I have no clue what she sees in him.”

  He asked, “What do you mean by that?”

  I told him that I didn’t really know anything. Saying, “I can’t see what anyone could see in him. I couldn’t stand him, after all, w
e’d been through. Then his whore tried to kill me, and now Dez.” Pausing, I asked him, “Why?”

  He said, “We think he shot Amy to stop her from catching Morgan.”

  Eyes wide I said, “John’s Amy?”

  Ryan said, “Yeah.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Well now, this is a new low for him.”

  He said that Rich would be in soon to see me and apologized for making me wait so long. Before stepping out, he said, “I’ll let you talk to your husband, but you’re not going to like what he has to tell you. Please try to keep an open mind.”

  I felt shaken again saying, “An open mind for what?”

  He frowned and said, “I’ll send Rich.”

  A few moments later Rich came in, kissed me and said, “How are you feeling?”

  I said, “Fine, what do I need to keep an open mind about?”

  He said, “You won’t like it, but we can’t go to the farm yet.”

  Pulling away, I said, “What? Why?”

  He looked at me with sad eyes; he knew how much I wanted to see Matty and said, “Matt and Morgan cannot know you’re alive yet.” Pausing to look for a reaction before continuing he said, “Ryan wants to test the waters a bit, there is some question about Matt and not only the attack but other information getting out to the gangs. These gangs have the same markings as the others. The ones up by West Virginia had a star right?”

  I was not really interested in trying to figure them out but grunted an affirmation anyway.

  Rich continued, “The ones on the highway had the same circle, but it had something like a lower case Q, and now these guys have the same circle with the two arrows only inside their circle is a broken T. Looks like someone pulled down on the top of the T and bent it downward.”

  Not amused I asked, “And this keeps me from seeing my son, why?”

  Stammering a little, he said, “Well we think they are all connected, Ryan wants to see if Matt gets the news that you’re alive before we give out the information. Just trying to find out who is getting the info out of the valley.”

  Opening the door to leave he said, “As soon as they get you a chair you can come out to where we are. There are some people that just got here. They’re waiting in the waiting area for news of people hurt; I’m going to go see who they are.”

  Ryan came back into the room saying, “Destiny is out of surgery. She is too weak right now, but she wants to see you before anyone else does.”

  “She wants to see me?” I said.

  He said, “Yes…”

  Dystopia

  The Dark Days

  —Book 4 —

  By: DJ Cooper

  The Reset

  In the days following the reset, chaos ruled, and the world was a different place. Many, remembering how their lives had changed reflected upon the ways this new life would evolve. In only a few short months, there were cities gone mad, countrysides burned, and the dark days had begun.

  Before this chaos… Destiny along with her small group of family and friends could see, resting upon the horizon, a cloud of uncertainty. The Ebola virus had entered the U.S. and kicked off this era of anarchy. Ebola, a deadly hemorrhagic fever, was released on American soil. It was supposed to be contained, but was used as a cover for a much more sinister act against the American people…and indeed the world

  During this time of panic, the banks closed and never reopened. What was supposed to be a short banking holiday, was instituted to help correct the financial meltdown. Little did they know its true nature was to keep the public in line. Forcing citizens to seek help and safety in the camps set up by FEMA. The real event turned out to be a complete implosion of the financial system. Our fiat money had reached its pinnacle and was crashing. In the confusion of these things, there was an attack on the major substations across the electric grid; effectively ending life as they knew it.

  Without amenities of grocery stores and electricity, all the things that they were so accustomed to in life were gone. The small community would now need to learn how to build a new way of life.

  The arrival of friends from the northern states to their hundred-fifty-acre farm in southeastern Kentucky, brought not only joy…but death. Unbeknownst to them, what followed that group was a new threat, one that was set upon the destruction of these survivors. That first battle came within a day. Unprepared for such an attack, they fought desperately. They stood alone against those who would see anarchy reign in the new world.

  Destiny, the group’s matriarch and leader was shot; hurried off to town, with fears for her life and that of the community became a heavy weight in the minds of the people. Matt had done the unthinkable and his loyalty now lay in question. There is a new threat; Morgan, one who would stop at nothing to end this cohesive group and destroy Destiny.

  There are many people living on the farm now, each working towards the protection and sustainability of the community. It’s survival, now paramount… lay ahead.

  Chapter 1

  “Dark days loom ominous”

  “We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.”

  -Ayn Rand

  Racing down the dirt road to town, Dickie sat shotgun. Jeremy and Charleigh sat silently in the back of the jeep. Dust and pebbles flying into the air, with every turn that Ryan made. The cloud of dust in the wake of the speeding vehicle could be seen through the cut in the tree line. They were worried about the condition of those sent to the infirmary.

  No one knew if Dez was even alive. Dickie sat staring off into the trees worrying about his newborn daughter. Even as they made for town, the fate of those left at the farm was, as yet, uncertain. Though the battle was brief each knew it would not be the last. Morgan would not give up so easily and her treachery was without bounds.

  She had a vendetta after being exiled, and now with Matt’s loyalty in question much was unclear. Dickie sat, blankly staring off into the woods along the roadside. Wondering if Matt intentionally shot at those within their own group, or… if it was indeed just an accident. Jeremy’s face was pure anger, while Charleigh’s was sheer worry. She worried for her four-year-old daughter, who was also at the infirmary along with the other young children. This little ball of fire, though small for her age, was a joy in a world that seemed void of such things.

  Each of them sat watching out their own sides of the Jeep wrapped up in their own thoughts. Thoughts that were so clearly etched in their facial expressions as they silently sat through the bumpy dirt road into town.

  Arriving at the infirmary Dickie leaped from the Jeep before it even stopped. Sprinting into the building he found a nurse, and anxiously he asked. “How is she?”

  “To whom do you refer?” Replied the nurse.

  Standing back slightly as if in disbelief that she didn’t know. “My daughter, the newborn brought here yesterday.”

  Much to his relief, he sighed as the nurse said, “Oh, yes. She’ll be fine. Although, she’ll still have to spend some time here growing stronger.” Abruptly turning to the rest of them. “Are you here about the wounded from last night?”

  Jeremy stepped closer. “Yes, how is Destiny Walters?”

  A confused look came across the face of the nurse and then one of understanding. Her look softened and she replied, “You mean Dez?”

  Not accustomed to the informal nature in a medical facility Jeremy nodded in affirmation. She continued, “Dez is in surgery. There is no word yet on her condition, but I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything.”

  Ushered into the area adjacent to the rooms used for the nursery they quickly found Dickie’s newborn daughter and the other children. She was unusually fussy and had an IV for fluids. She was cozy and warm in an incubator, but the nurses were having a tough time getting her to eat. Dickie’s look softened as he gazed upon
his child. Addressing the staff, he explained that she’d been held very close during the trip and suggested that maybe she was uncomfortable without the human touch.

  Choking back tears as he went on to explain. “Her mother was an insulin dependent diabetic and died in childbirth a few weeks ago.”

  The nurse nodded in understanding. “That definitely helps us understand things a little better. She’s probably been producing insulin for her mother while inside the womb. It’ll take some time for her little body to adapt from this symbiotic relationship between the mother and baby.”

  Dickie was a tall man with a few extra pounds and a scruffy beard, making him look intimidating. At that moment he looked smaller, two tears trickled down his face as he stood looking down at his newborn daughter. Interrupting his thoughts, the nurse said, “She will have to be forced to take special formula; even just a little, until she adjusts.”

  They did find some formula along the trip, but it was inconsistent and made her gassy with a temperamental stomach. Charleigh, sat with her own daughter; and hearing what was being said, she volunteered to take care of feeding the baby. Walking over to the small infant swaddled in a nursing blanket, she cooed at her, gently picking her up. The tiny infant immediately began to quiet. Offering her the bottle of formula she readily rooted looking for the nipple. Smiling, the nurse commented, “She must have just needed a little familiar comforting.” Turning to Dickie she placed a comforting hand on his arm and said, “The doctors feel optimistic about her chances despite all the adversity. Not to worry, she’s going to be fine.”

  They sat quietly in the makeshift waiting room, hoping for word on Dez. Jeremy however, could not stop pacing. Sitting one moment, then standing as if jolted with lightening, and he would begin pacing again.

  Dickie asked in his unique British accent. “Ants in ya pants?” Giving it an almost comical sound.