by Cooper, DJ
“What’s that for?”
“Somewhere on this map there will be a date.” Looking over at Janice she asked her to come over. Janice came walking up to the table looking at everyone like a child who’d just been caught with matches. Dez asked her if she knew when the mine opened. “Sure, it was a big deal when they came into the area. Some loved the jobs while others complained about the water table and other issues. I’d say it was ohhh, about five or six years back I’m guessing.”
“Ok, that’s good.” Looking up she continued, “how far could they have made it?”
Handing the magnifying glass to Ryan she told him she just couldn’t see. Dez wore glasses and they’d been broken when the bomb went off. She had another pair but they weren’t quite right. Everyone looked the map over trying to find a date. Parts of it were singed and unreadable. Finally Sam put his hand out opening and closing it in a gimmie motion. Ryan quickly handed him the magnifying glass where he could see the date was seven years earlier.
“Good! This is a concept map, that’s why they left it. All the tunnels on this map do not exist.”
“How is that good?” Jeremy asked.
“Well, we know it is no bigger than this for one. We can also see the phases, the first of which is obvious, but it is probable that this was maybe a ten year or even more map. The trick is to know what is the second and so on. I think we can find this out by the air vents.” Pointing to a mark on the map.” There would be no vents in tunnels not dug yet. It’s not like we got handed the playbook for some pro ball team, but we can figure it out from this.”
Looking around the table at them, they all stood blinking at her in silence. Suddenly, she felt awkward and began to fidget. Roger stood nodding with his arms crossed looking at the map.
“If she’s right, this could work.”
Each had their tasks to complete. A team was to seek out and note the vents throughout the woods above the mine. Another team would be tasked with gathering men, while the command team would work with the military that was left in their area. Much of the resources were moved to Lexington and some of the other larger cities as they advanced and liberated camps. No information would be given to anyone outside of those sitting at the meeting that day. The first line was to establish the breath of the tunnel system and locate the vents. After that the plan would go into motion.
Nothing would stop Dez from taking part in the biggest skirmish they’d seen since the beginning. Although Ryan wanted her to sit it out he knew that was too much to ask and vowed he would protect her.
Chapter 20
“The Day of Darkness”
I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.
-Alexander the Great
The tunnels had only made it to phase two, which meant there were only two tunnels off the main cavern. Roger reminded them not to be overconfident. “Remember what it got George that day back at the house.”
They sent runners ahead of the main force on their way to the mine, picking up stragglers and others from outlying farms and towns. This was the day. The day the raids ended, and community would begin they said. This would be the day that they could sleep without fear, the day when they’d all be free from the evil hand of George and his crew. They wanted to take them peacefully if possible, but most knew George would have no part of that.
The reports from the mine were vague on the numbers because some, like the camps were forced labor. There were areas housing women that were used by the men. The reports told of screaming in the night, they considered maybe these women were not there by choice. They saw a man shot in the field while struggling with a basket and another dragged behind a truck until the slingshot motion flung him into a steel girder. The man’s long dead body wrapped around the leg of the conveyer system, the truck didn’t stop. When it emerged from the cloud of dust all that remained on the rope was a bloody arm, the man’s body nearly cut in half by the steel.
The gruesome sight caused the scouts to grimace on more than one occasion, but this scene induced vomiting from the young Jona. He was only eighteen and had already seen his fair share of death and violence. Another angry young man yet to be tempered by the firm hand of the militia training. Astrid, not yet eighteen was in the woods at the fringe of the mine area. She’d not seen the goings on and Jona would not allow it. Ray came up and whistled to her in a code they’d made up. She whistled back and then whistled for Jona. Pointing him out to Ray, he nodded and waved her to the waiting mass of fighters and farmers. That were waiting at the bottom of the holler.
This force would be the frontal team, they would come at the main gate and surround the main mine area. It was little more than a large pit so the only way out from the fortress of sheer cliffs was up the road and out the gate. A small group with tear gas was set at each air vent and another at the only other exit. They’d wait until the wee hours of the morning and let them get drunk and fall asleep before the attack would begin. The first wave would drop tear gas and a few minutes later flash grenades into the air vents and then cover them. While they didn’t go straight down and had fans in them the flashes and noises were meant to startle them. Real ones would only inhibit the gas from getting to them.
Dez with Ryan and Jeremy led the team to the rear exit to the tunnels. Knowing that George was a coward they were sure he would sneak out the back when the fighting began, and they were right. It wasn’t ten minutes and out emerged George and a few other men. Coughing and sputtering they’d not noticed the guns on them. That is, until Dez decided to be cute. “Good morning boys, care to tango?” George fumbled for his sidearm, but Jeremy placed the barrel of his gun right to his head. “I wouldn’t if I were you. Really, she don’t need a reason to take your head clean off.” Looking at Dez who was aiming at his head with a 12-gauge, finger on the trigger. Each of them dropped their guns without a fight and were bound, gagged and stuffed in a truck to wait. The tunnel was sealed with a car that was set to drive and slammed right into the hole in the hillside. They doused the car in used oil and gasoline and set it on fire to keep anyone else from using the exit and to push more smoke into the tunnels. They left a small group of fighters to watch the exit of whom was Astrid, fierce and angry she wanted to go to the main force to fight but was given another task.
Dez sent her and two others to the vents to begin dropping charges, this would cave in the sections of tunnel. She and the others ran into the woods with their charges and began the task. At the third vent stood a man, he was a full foot, or more, taller than her. In his hand a knife, oozing with blood. Terrified for her friends she reached for her gun. He began to approach her, slowly, smiling. “Honey you’ll learn to love it.” She slowly raised her gun with both hands and stood fast, not so much as a flinch as he approached. Trying to startle her he yelled and lunged at her. The gun fired, and the man fell at her feet. She’d shot him clean through his right eye. He still reached for her and grabbed her ankle. Still, she didn’t move, but stood looking down at the man. Lowering her gun, she slowly pulled the trigger and shot him again. He was dead. Looking up she could see the other two, holstering her weapon she kicked him off her ankle and returned to her task. Mumbling under her breath. “That was for my mother.”
Any hope that they would give up and be taken into custody was long gone and the mine was chaos. Some shots rang out from the sides, taking out those firing at them. As Dez and the others watched the scene from the top of the hill she shook her head. “They look like ants when you kick the ant hill. There is nothing but chaos here, how can we possibly tell who needs help from those who need a lesson?” As she spoke rage erupted in her eyes. Reaching out to Jeremy she said, “Rifle… Now!”
Dropping to one knee she rested her arm on her other bringing her eye close into the scope. Ryan saw what she was aiming at and reached for her but Jeremy grabbed his hand and shook his head no. The sound echoed as the bullet exploded from the barrel, its trajectory making way to the targ
et she loathed. Blood spewed from the back of the body as the round struck the chest and rocked her before she crumbled to the ground. She pulled back the bolt ejecting the spent casing, replacing it with a new round. She jammed the bolt forward as she lined up the next shot. Too fast she pulled the trigger and the round caught his upper arm, spinning him. He looked for where the shots were coming from and could see them on the hill. Turning he ran into the cave just before a large cloud of dust came out.
Startled by the sound of the cave in and the shaking on the ground the ants below began to take cover. Ryan looked at Dez and Jeremy. “They’re digging in, this is gonna be a fight.” The military were using drones to spot for the mortars that they kept firing on and bringing down. Below, however, there was a large radio tower. Dez watched through the scope as a man was yelling into a phone. Or at least it looked like a phone. Handing the gun to Ryan so he could see, he shook his head that he didn’t know. Calling Roger on the radio they told him to check it out.
Roger radioed that they had a military radio. “Watch your six people they may have back-up.”
As he said that a helicopter appeared and began firing on those on the rim of the pit. Three fell before they could run for cover, falling forward over the edge to the rocks below. Watching this Dez bolted the way they’d come. Jeremy called after her, “mom, wait up. What’s up?”
Screaming behind her, “George, if they have reinforcements they might go for the back door.” Pleading with them, “They’re just kids! He can’t be allowed to escape.”
Racing down the hill they could see that he’d already killed one of them and had Aaron on his knees. Dez didn’t bother to stop, she ran straight at him. Jeremy and Ryan began firing at the others just as Dez plowed into George. She had her knife out and plunged it into his side as they rolled down the hill. He got up and drew his knife. “Bitch, now you die.”
Lunging forward at him she plunged the knife into the top of his leg nearly to the groin before rolling away. George dropped his knife and grabbed at the injury. Blood squirted out like a fountain between his fingers. Dez approached him slowly the knife in her hand. “Oh, now look at that, might I have caught that femoral artery?”
George was raging, screaming obscenities at her and calling for help from the men that were all dead or taken. Dez was rabid at this point, she wanted his blood. Lunging at him again the knife sunk deep into his forearm as he swatted her away. Brushing off the leaves she rose for another attack.
Ryan caught her before she landed on him and she flailed to be released. Looking at him with disgust he said to her. “Destiny look at me.” Rage was in her eyes the tears streaming down her cheeks and knife embedded in her palm. “Let me do this.” She said through gritted teeth.
“Look at him, he’s done.”
“I need to be sure.”
“I’m sure, he is bleeding out and there is nothing he can do to stop it. Leave this worthless coward to die in his own shit as his body shuts down. There is no mercy for him.” Looking at her. “No mercy.”
Dropping the knife, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to weep. A few moments passed, and her emotions were under control.
George was still alive but only barely. She stood over him, looking down at this pathetic man and spit on him before she turned and walked back to the others. The choppers were still firing but some of the artillery from their own military back up had begun to take them out.
Climbing to where Astrid sat, blood on her leg, watching the chaos below. The gang was boxed in with no where to go and the fighters were just out of range. All they had to do was wait them out.
Until...
A loud swooshing sound blasted past overhead raining fire on the main entrance. Ryan stood taking in the scene. Looking at the others and asking no one specific. “What the hell?”
“Where did that come from?” Jeremy asked.
“I thought all the heavy stuff was sent west to fight at the bunker of the old administration.”
“Shit man, we gotta get our people outta there.”
Ryan began to key the radio but all that came over was static. “Not this again.”
“What?”
“We’ve been getting periodic radio interruptions across all bands and frequencies. Arthur figures someone has hacked a satellite or created a jamming device.”
“Keep trying before they come back. What the hell guy, this shit only happens on the internet.”
“Nothing, it’s all static.”
Dez began to wave her shirt to the fighters below trying to warn them to run, but they were scrambling to help the burned. They could hear the jet in the distance. Her waving became more frantic as Ryan continued to key the walkie.
A weird sound came over the airwaves, they could hear it below. The fighting had stopped when the jet flew over. It was like tuning an AM dial.
Then a computer-generated voice said… “Enough!”
Looking at one another they wondered who’d said it. Below the others were looking around as well.
Again, the voice boomed across all radio waves. “You cannot be trusted to correct the problem. Like the others before us… We are anonymous… And you… Are no longer in control.”
The radio went dead.
Epilogue
“I’m telling you ma, these guys are some serious hackers. They’d been testing their reach this whole time.”
Turning to look at him she sighed, “Ok Jeremy… It was hackers. They EMP’d the whole world and now you need to help dig the potatoes or else you’re gonna go hungry this winter.”
“I know, I’m just trying to work it all out. Arthur agrees with me. He thinks that they may have been planning this all along. Remember the internet videos where they would say stuff and have masks on? They said back then that it wasn’t a person but a whole network of people… hackers.”
“I know son, but none of it matters now. George is dead and so is Morgan. I suppose Matt is too after that cave in. The raids are less and less as Sam and the others find and deal with the gangs. The clans are trading, and we have our first big barter day at Blackridge in two days and you haven’t built a single thing to barter. Get your head out of the clouds and get to work.”
# # #
The debris was heavy on his legs, the dust in the mine choking his breathing. He had no idea that the battle was over, but he did know he was trapped. He’d made it to the middle room before the mine collapsed. It was only about fifty feet or so up the tunnel. He knew that making it to the rear entrance was his only hope. Matt clawed his way through the debris pulling rocks from the pile and tossing them aside.
He did this till he was tired and then he would eat the food that was stored in that area. He had some lanterns for light, so it wasn’t too bad. The fans weren’t working on the last vent pipe but when he stood close to it he could smell the fresh air outside.
Digging he found beneath the pile emerged the hood of a car, it was covered in rocks, but he’d hoped. Clearing the rocks from the car he soon saw the steering wheel and then a dim light out the back-window area. Crawling into the burned-out heap he emerged through the rear window to the light of a full moon hanging high in the silent night.
Climbing to the top of the hill overlooking the mine, there was nothing left, only silence. He turned and left for the woods he’d emerged from leaving the sight of the war. “How long was I stuck in there? Couldn’t have been too long there wasn’t that much food, few weeks maybe.”
The woods were dark, stumbling over a rock he tripped, falling into a gooey pile of something. Pulling out his lighter he lit it to see where he’d fallen. Staring in horror he recognized the partially decomposed and partially eaten face of George. The animals had been at the body of the man that Dez and the others had left to die in the woods.
Matt ran through the woods without direction crashing into branches until he fell into the small stream at the bottom of the holler. He splashed water on himself and tore his shirt off trying to wash aw
ay the remains of George. “Where can I go now?” he sobbed. A time passed as he sat without hope or home. There on the edge of the stream staring at the glimmer of the moon as the water trickled by. As an epiphany dawned on him he looked up.
“North, I’ll go home.” He stood and began to walk away.
About the Author
DJ Cooper is the author of the Dystopia series and other works. She is currently a student at Southern New Hampshire University studying for a Master of Fine Arts in English & Creative Writing.
She spends time working in the preparedness community with Prepper Podcast as the host of Surviving Dystopia and Executive Producer. As the founder and CEO of Angry Eagle Productions, she works to bring knowledge through varied forms of media. http:angryeagleproductions.com
Works by the Author
Dystopia Series Books 1-4
Apocalyptic Winter (an anthology)
Nine Meals from Anarchy Series
Sun’s Fury
Civil War