FORTRESS: A Post Apocalyptic-Dystopian EMP Attack Thriller (Reckoning Book 3)

by Lee West

  “I don’t want to do that. Eventually, families will come for their loved ones. When they do, I want to be able to return what’s left. I’d rather not have to explain that we left the bodies exposed to the elements—and the animals.”

  “Good point. There’s not much else I can do to preserve the bodies. I don’t have embalming fluid. Even if I did, they’d still rot. Draining the fluids is about all I can do.”

  “What about mummification?”

  “Mummies? Have you been reading sci-fi in your spare time?”

  “Not at all. I’ve checked with the kitchen; they said there are barrels of salt you could use for the process.”

  “Salt but no canopic jars for storing the organs?” said Sal jokingly.

  “I’m afraid not. Canopic jars are hard to come by these days. You could remove the organs and store them in regular jars. It wouldn’t be as fancy, but you’d get the job done. Then you could submerge the bodies into a salt bath. It might work. In any case, it’s probably better than letting them simply rot.”

  A spark of interest pierced the darkness of Sal’s dark mind, causing him to sit up straight. He pushed up his thick glasses and said, “I’ll grab my Anubis mask and get started right away.”

  “Anubis mask?”

  “Yes. The high priests who handled the mummification process always wore Anubis masks. Anubis is the Egyptian god of the underworld. No mummification procedure would be complete without the wearing of such a mask.”

  “Sounds like you have some knowledge on the subject. That’s a relief. And here I was only concerned about the amount of salt you’d need.”

  “Yes. As a kid I went through an ancient Egypt phase. Mummies were the main draw during that time in my life. In some ways I feel like curiosity about the mummification process blossomed into my goal to become a doctor.”

  “You think this will work?”

  “Probably not, but I could try anyway. Who knows, we might get lucky,” said Sal with a smile.

  “Terrific! Let me know if you need anything or if you’d like some help. I’m not sure I’ll get many volunteers, but you never know.”

  The doctors, nurses and medical students had slowly left the campus as the days ticked past, leaving Sal as the only medical professional on campus.

  “It’s okay. I’ll grab the hand tools I need from the morgue. You said there’s plenty of salt in the kitchen?”

  “Yes. I could ask Marta to bring it to you.”

  “Don’t bother. She won’t want to see what happens up there. For the uninitiated, removing organs from a chest cavity is a pretty rough sight, even without an Anubis mask,” said Sal with a wink and smile.

  It occurred to Sal that the smile on his face felt foreign to him. It had been a long time since he’d worn a genuine, effortless smile. Days and weeks had passed with him merely displaying the obligatory socially acceptable grin usually plastered on his face for other people’s benefit.

  “Thanks for your willingness to take on this unusual and grisly task. Giving the families of those poor people their loved ones is paramount. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll do my best to try to get you the necessary supplies. I can’t guarantee we’ll have what you need, but I’ll try.”

  “Alright. I’ll get started immediately,” said Sal, checking his watch.

  Sal was about to embark on his first trip out of the tunnels since his last patient had died weeks earlier. He’d need to access the library and retrieve any books it carried regarding the topic of mummification. All he could remember from his previous reading on the topic involved removing the organs and burying the body in salt for seventy days. Smiling to himself, he felt good to finally have a challenging task in front of him. The long days without the intellectual rigors of practicing medicine wore on him. Finally, he had an inkling of his old sense emerging from the hazy mental muck that had plagued him since his last patient died. His spirits felt boosted by the thought of presenting the families with their loved ones, who had been treated with the care worthy of an Egyptian pharaoh.

  — 6 —

  Joe and Meg surveyed the grounds from the university’s bell tower, located in the center of the large hilly campus. The tower, over one hundred years old, was the oldest structure on the campus. Over the years many of the buildings around the tall, stately tower had been replaced under its watchful eye. The bell room located at the top of the tower provided a commanding three-hundred-sixty-degree vantage point. Because of the sweeping view, Ed had stationed a two-person watch in the structure at all times. A total of eight people stood watch at different points around campus.

  The more he saw Ed in practice, the more Joe admired his leadership abilities. For a man who had never been on active duty, Ed knew how to set an appropriate watch schedule.

  “It sure is peaceful up here. Sort of makes me forget everything, just a little,” said Meg as she leaned against the safety rail.

  “Me too. It’s amazing how quiet the world is without electricity. Even when we thought things were quiet, everything around us hummed. We were living with near constant noise pollution and didn’t even know it.”

  “Especially living right downtown. We had constant noise around us. I could get used to this sort of quiet,” she said.

  “You saying when all this is over, you’d rather live in the country than in the city?”

  “Maybe.”

  He came close to her and nuzzled against her shoulders. The warmth of her body felt reassuring next to him.

  “When do you want to leave for the camp? I’m curious to see how my brother is doing,” he said.

  “Soon, I guess. Do you think Jeff and Kim will still be there?”

  “I really don’t know. I’m also not entirely sure where the camp is located. I just know that we can’t stay here indefinitely. Eventually, they’ll find us. The camp might be more secure. Besides, Jeff and Kim are survivalists. They go to the camp every summer to hone their survival skills. It has to be the best place to hunker down and hide.”

  “What about the tunnels? I feel like we’re safe down there, don’t you?”

  “Sure I do. For now. If the troops end up taking over the campus, like they did with Brett and Nancy’s house, we’re in trouble. We can’t live down there for the long run if all of this is occupied,” he said, waving his hand over the campus grounds.

  “Do you think they’d want us there?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I wonder if Jeff and Kim will want us to join them? We always mocked them for this. Who knows? Maybe now that it’s clear they were right to amass all that stuff, they’ll turn their backs on us?”

  “I don’t think Jeff would ever do that to me. He’s my brother. I know we aren’t super close, but he’s still my brother. Besides, we aren’t asking to share limited supplies. This situation really doesn’t require them to lose part of a stockpile to us. There’s plenty of food out there!”

  “I guess you’re right. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see us.”

  “Jeff will be. I’m not so sure about Kim. She’s always been a little standoffish,” he said.

  “A little?”

  “Okay. A lot. But you’ll see. It’ll be fine. If anything, we can share information with the camp and then continue to stay here. Who knows, the troops may never take over campus. I just like having a plan B, just in case. I think the others must feel that way too.”

  “You’re probably right,” she said softly.

  The handheld crackled to life. “All quiet on One.”

  The people on watch checked in periodically by simply saying those words. The check-in occurred every thirty minutes. Like most watch-standing protocols, the check-in served to keep the people on watch awake more than anything else.

  “All quiet on Two,” said Joe into the handheld.

  “All quiet on Three.”

  “All quiet on Four,” said the final person on watch.

  Meg yawned and stretched out then said, “Now what?”


  Checking his watch, Joe said, “We have three more hours. I’ve got a couple of ideas on how we can spend the time.” He nibbled her neck playfully, pulling her into him.

  The handheld chirped again. Vicki Smith’s voice broke into their private moment. “I have lights coming this way on the main road! I say again, lights on the main road!”

  “Shit!” said Joe.

  Joe hoped the watch stander nearest the tunnels had heard Vicki’s report. With any luck, early warning of a threat would ensure everyone had ample time to seal off the tunnels. The people outside the dark system had to find safety in place wherever possible to evade discovery if the troops conducted a thorough search. Joe felt reasonably sure the bell tower provided the best position outside of the underground fortress.

  “What do we do now?” said Meg.

  “There’s nothing we can do. We just have to wait it out and hope they don’t come up here.”

  “Do you think they will?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s hope not.”

  The lights from the trucks illuminated the dark campus as the vehicles drew closer to their location. Soon the soldiers would be right beneath Joe and Meg.

  “We need to get down. If they shine a light up here, they’ll see us!” said Joe excitedly.

  Earlier teams had been through this situation before. Crouching down in the dark, unable to see the movement of the troops, put whoever sat in the bell tower in a dangerous position. Someone had thought to make things easier by fastening a mirror to a long pointer stick. With the mirror angled over the safety rail, they would be able to view the movements on the ground.

  Joe slid the mirror up the side of the wall, just above the safety rail. At first he didn’t see anything through the darkness. Then, as the soldiers moved closer, he could count the trucks and men.

  “Three trucks. Looks like at least four people per truck,” he whispered.

  “What are they doing?”

  “So far nothing. Just getting out of the trucks.”

  Doors slammed beneath them, making Meg jump.

  “We’ve got this side! You guys go through those buildings!” yelled one of the men.

  “Crap. They’re searching buildings.”

  “We need to warn the others on watch. None of them can see the center of campus. They’ll have no idea the men are on foot searching. They could be discovered.”

  “I’ll do it quickly before the troops get inside any of the buildings. I don’t want their radios going off when they’re trying to hide,” whispered Joe.

  He whispered a harried, tense warning into the radio and then turned its volume all the way down to prevent a response from giving away their position. For all he knew, the others on watch had done the same, never hearing his warning.

  Through the mirror, he could see that all the men had scattered throughout the campus. Nothing else could be seen in the darkness.

  Several torturous minutes passed. As time ticked by, Joe’s nerves became more and more frayed. Worry for the safety of his new companions stood solidly next to concern for himself and Meg as his mind swirled with worst-case scenarios.

  “What are they doing? What’s taking so long?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know. I can’t see too well with the mirror and don’t want to stand up. We locked the door to the tower, right?”

  “I think so. I guess we did. Oh my god! I don’t know for sure!” she whispered loudly.

  “You came in behind me—THINK! Did you lock it or not?”

  Meg’s face looked crestfallen and stunned. Finally she said, “I don’t know.”

  Joe felt bad for pressuring her, but the situation had unraveled quickly. He knew he needed to be certain if she had locked the door. Their safety depended on it.

  “It’s okay. I’ll run down and make sure,” he said softly.

  “No! You have to stay here. It’s not safe!”

  “I’ll be fine. There’s no one down there right now. They’ve gone to other areas of campus. It’ll only take me a few minutes to go down, check the lock, and then come back up here. You hold the mirror and watch the grounds for me.”

  He handed her the mirror with a shaky hand. He didn’t want to chance going down the tower. However, if the door to the belfry stood unlocked, they were in trouble.

  “Be right back!” he whispered loudly, giving Meg a peck on the top of her head.

  Joe ran down the interior of the tower toward the outside door. They should have locked the door behind themselves, as the other watch standers had recommended. He cursed himself for not double-checking the mechanism before going up the stairs.

  Jumping the last few steps to the ground, he landed with a thud on the hard concrete. In the dark he could not see if the jamb locks on the top and bottom of the door were engaged. He would have to go to the door and feel for the locks, his hands able to feel better in the dark than his eyes could see.

  Out of breath from the run down the stairs, he breathed heavily, fogging the glass door as he clawed in the darkness for the top lock. He moved his hand across the top of the doorframe to the lock. His fingers caressed the mechanism, confirming its secure position. The top had been engaged. He then bent to feel for the bottom bolt. A beam of light flashing across the grass caught his attention as the men moved in his direction. He lurched backward, away from the glass door, receding into the shadows.

  “Get her over here! We’ll take her with us!” yelled one of the men.

  “Who else is with you!” yelled another faceless soldier.

  “No one! I’m here alone! You killed my only friend!” yelled a woman.

  Joe immediately recognized the voice as coming from Sun, a Chinese exchange student. She did not use her given Chinese name, saying it would be too difficult for the English speakers. Instead, everyone knew her simply as Sun.

  “Bullshit! We know there are more of you!” said one of the men angrily.

  “You’ll never find all of us! You can’t win this battle, soldier boy!” yelled Sun.

  “Get her in the truck!” screamed the soldier. “And gag her. I don’t want to hear any more of her commie crap!”

  Joe remained still as the soldiers got back into their trucks and drove off. Once he felt certain that the last vehicle had left the area, he chanced a look outside the glass door to confirm his assumption. All clear. He bounded up the stairs to Meg, taking two at a time.

  “Meg! They’re gone! They took Sun!”

  “What? Sun? You mean the Chinese lady?”

  “Yes. I think so. I couldn’t actually see who they were talking to, but it sounded like her.”

  “No way! That’s terrible. Are you sure?”

  “Not a hundred percent, but yes. She must’ve ditched the handheld before they found her. Otherwise, they would’ve known she wasn’t alone and would’ve searched more thoroughly.”

  Ed’s voice, a mere whisper on the handheld, interrupted them. “Joe? Meg? You guys okay out there?”

  “We’re fine, but we think the soldiers took Sun with them.”

  “They did. We sent a team to confirm. I’m sorry. We weren’t fast enough. They got through one of the locked doors of the science building. They cracked the glass and forced their way inside to search the premises.”

  “They were out there searching for what seemed to be an eternity.”

  “I know. It seemed like a long time for those of us down here too. I’m sending two people to relieve you guys. I’m sure you could use the break.”

  “Thanks.”

  Joe turned to Meg. He stroked her face and then kissed her. “You okay?”

  “Yes. I guess. Don’t you think it’s odd that they come at night and only do these limited searches?” she said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. It’s almost like they’re playing with us. Why not do a comprehensive search and be done with it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. Now that you mention it, their actions do seem a little odd.”
/>
  “Exactly,” she said.

  “Something one of the men said about Sun struck me as odd too.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He told another person to put a gag in her mouth because he didn’t want to hear her commie crap,” he said.

  “Commie crap? Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure. Their voices were a little muffled through the glass door, but I could swear that’s what he said.”

  “What was she saying?”

  “I couldn’t tell. Only something that sounded like ‘soldier boy.’ It was odd,” said Joe.

  “That is odd. All I know is that I can’t do this anymore. I can’t just sit here and wait to be yanked out by them. I think we should go find your brother sooner rather than later. Maybe it’ll be better at the camp. Who knows?”

  “Me too. I don’t know what we’ll find, but I’m guessing it has to be better than what we’re dealing with here. That scared the crap out of me.”

  “Me too,” she said, hugging him.

  They walked slowly down the stairs together toward the glass door. Joe held Meg’s hand and tried to calm himself.

  — 7 —

  Nancy paced the tunnel, unable to wait patiently for Meg and Joe to return. She hated that they’d volunteered to stand watch. It worried her to have their group spread out. Something about keeping the initial group together reassured her. They had successfully survived together for so long, she could barely imagine any other scenario. To her—splitting up could only result in the opposite. A disaster.

  “Have a seat, Nancy. You’re making me nervous,” said Brett, trying to appear calm.

  Deep worry lines in Brett’s forehead betrayed the level of angst he felt.

  “I can’t. I’m worried sick about them,” said Nancy.

  “Ed said they’re fine. Just sit. They’ll be here shortly. Besides, we can’t do anything to help.”

  “I know. I’m just being a little paranoid. I guess I won’t be able to relax until I finally see them.”

  The level of fear she felt for their safety surprised her as she tried not to imagine what things would be like without the young, vivacious couple at their side through this disaster.