Cascade Box Set [Books 1-8]

by Maxey, Phil

  A full sixty seconds passed before Daisy’s voice came through the radio. “I’m alive Abbey, but…”

  “There’s your proof of life.”

  “7 p.m, on highway twenty, west of the city. Bring Daisy. If she’s not there by then, we are coming after you and your people. And we won’t stop until you are dead.”

  “Hey, am I not entitled to a trial? Would the council approve?” he could be heard sniggering, before he continued. “But sure Zach, whatever you want, we will bring the girl,” the radio went dead.

  “That was too easy,” said Fiona.

  “Yup,” Zach looked eastwards. “Bass, get on the radio, tell Op’s that we have Abbey back, and we have arranged a meet to get Daisy back as well. If we get the chance we will take out Tinley and as many of his men as we can, but there’s a very good chance shit will go sideways.”

  Bass nodded and ran in the direction of the tank.

  Zach walked up to Abbey and put his hand on her face. “Do we have any medics with us?” it was something Zach hadn’t even thought about until this moment.

  “Yes, we have Private Chapman,” said Fiona.

  “Abbey, go find Chapman, get checked out, eat, drink then we need to talk.”

  Abbey wasn’t sure what Zach meant by that. About Tinley? But the thought of any medical help for her wrist made her hurry in the direction of the parked vehicles.

  Zach then turned to Fiona and Cal. “We need to find a good spot, just west of the city, somewhere we can defend if needed.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Geneva looked out over the city of Atlanta remembering what it looked like at dusk. He stood in a forgotten office of one of the tallest buildings in downtown, a place he always liked to go at this time of day and thought about all he had accomplished.

  As a kid he had two dreams. Be a magician, and have his own biker gang. His own hard work and obsession helped him achieve one, and the Cascade helped him achieve the other. Every summer a bike club would drive through the small mid-western town he grew up in, and even though everyone else would be afraid of the bearded men in denim and leather jackets he would be in awe of them. Not so much of their impressive looking machines they rode on, but the fear they installed in everyone in the town. They were man and machine hybrids that people respected. And to be in charge of such a mechanical army, that would be the kind of power that he could only imagine.

  The city he was in now as the sun set, was the very same one he was in when the Cascade really got bad. He had been scheduled to do a show. One that he hoped would give some local kids some relief from what was developing around the world. That he and Ollie would show these kids that there are still some real animals left and they are our friends. But then the city was attacked and he saw thousands die by tooth and claw.

  He descended with some others into the bowls of the city, taking with them as much supplies as they could carry. He also took Ollie. He was a good dog, he wouldn’t become like those above ground. Those he was with, told him to leave Ollie behind, that he will change, but Geneva refused to believe. He would not, could not lose his friend.

  Except he did, and Ollie killed a good many of the survivors that were down in those tunnels. Eventually the thing Ollie became was put down by the underground dwellers, and Martin Long was exiled above ground, to survive on his own.

  I thrived.

  By time the blood stains on the sidewalks had been washed away by the fall storms, Geneva as everyone called him, had gathered a small band of fellow bikers around him. At first they bartered with those they came across. But just by being a bike ‘gang’ he saw the fear in people’s eyes. So they started to take what they wanted, from whoever they wanted. As their numbers swelled, they grew more ruthless, ransacking any town or community they came across. Some that joined them were actual ex-gang members, people who had been released from the prisons across the land, when the states gave up trying to hold them. These people knew about weapon stashes left behind by drug cartels. So they armed themselves and a biker gang became an army. Eventually he returned to Atlanta and reclaimed those underground areas for himself and his people.

  Like any army they needed spies. People that would tell him what the authorities that were left were up to. He didn’t want the world to return to what it was. It could never do that. The animals were gone. Now there were only humans and freaks of nature. He could do nothing about the latter, but the humans could be manipulated.

  His spies in the camps kept him informed of their desperate attempts to survive. And when needed he would give the camps a little ‘push’. A gate would fail allowing E.L.F’s in, or their water supply would suddenly be contaminated. Each event pushing the camps closer to disaster, until they would be overrun. The freaks were working for him even if their mutated bodies didn’t realize it.

  Towards the end of the previous year, he knew of three remaining camps, although the camp near Boston was virtually dead and wasn’t worth bothering with. That left the camp near Portland and the one near Austin. Of those, Portland was in the worse shape, so that’s the one his infiltrators would concentrate on first. Soon, their defenses were failing and it was inevitable that the camp was doomed. Then he got word that the new man in charge, a Colonel by the name of Tinley was not what he appeared to be. He was telling one thing to the remaining survivors but was instead creating his own private army of people that were stripping the resources of what was left of the camp for their own purposes, even if those purposes were not clear.

  This was a man he would work with.

  When they finally met on Tinley’s ‘great’ rescue mission from Portland, he looked into the eyes of a man that was more machine than human. That if you stripped away his flesh you would find only wires and hydraulics driving his passions.

  Together they hatched a plan to take over the last camp. Tinley would be greeted as a hero, despite the losses and soon his people would take over. Geneva would then join him, and together they would expand their territory, killing the freaks as and when they found them.

  But a Captain by the name Felton messed that up. Instead, Tinley and his people were locked away.

  Geneva thought about leaving him there, letting his trial run its natural course, but Tinley had information. He knew how to access the old army’s ‘big’ weapons. He also had people that would still be loyal to him. So some of Geneva’s spies revealed themselves and Tinley escaped and was brought to Atlanta.

  Capturing the women was not part of the plan though. That was all Tinley. Geneva learned that he had a hatred of the opposite sex that ran deep, but that was Tinley’s business. Until now.

  Clovis appeared behind Geneva with a flashlight. “It’s time. He says that the Captain is to be his.”

  Geneva sighed. “Tell him that’s acceptable, but I want the tank intact.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Cal looked down the night-scope on his sniper’s rifle at the twin bridges. His location wasn’t ideal, being only slightly elevated but he had a clear view of where the handoff was going to take place, and from this distance he could shoot the skin off a cup of milk.

  Even though Zach wanted the honor, they agreed that whoever had a clear shot at Tinley once Daisy was safe should take it. They also knew Tinley wouldn’t make it easy for them, even if he was there, although Zach was sure he would be.

  Zach had sent the message of their location back down the radio which they had talked with Tinley on earlier. There was no reply, but he was sure Tinley heard.

  The rain started to turn to snow. It was 6:45 pm.

  An hour earlier they arrived at the spot which Zach immediately designated as the right location. The water below the bridges was undisturbed ice, meaning no E.L.F’s had passed through recently, and Cal didn’t detect anything anyway. It was also a fairly long bridge meaning, only one way in and out. Each group would wait at their side of the bridge, and Daisy would be sent forward by Tinley’s people to the other side. Then everyone would leave. At least tha
t was the fairytale that no one believed.

  Zach was sure that Tinley would try to come for him, that was his weakness.

  Fiona sat in the Humvee with Zach on the west side of the bridge. Everyone else was either in the turreted Humvee, the truck or the tank.

  “Are we sure the missiles the tank has will take out a chopper,” said Fiona, tapping on the steering wheel.

  “Bass thinks they would. It’s got a fairly accurate targeting system, should be enough.”

  “And we’re sure he’s going to be using a chopper?”

  “They got Abbey and Daisy to Atlanta by air. Likely to be a chopper with a few stops, or a plane. If it’s a plane, then we might have a problem,” he smiled.

  “I hope this Daisy is worth it.”

  “She’s the reason Abbey escaped. I owe her. And anyway, Tinley’s not going to stop being a problem for us and the camp, unless we stop him.”

  Tinley’s voice came through the old radio. “Ready or not, here we come Zach.” Zach clicked on his own radio. “Here we go. Everyone stick to the plan. Stay sharp. Over.”

  Hidden in the trees off the highway, Bass from the top of the tank looked towards the east for any lights. There were none. “Not seeing anything. Over.”

  Suddenly the bank on the other side of the river lit up. Hundreds of lights stretching a mile in both directions illuminating the ice.

  “Fuck,” said Fiona.

  “Stay focused.”

  “Where did he get all those people? Zach, there must be at least five hundred! If they come across that river… and we must be visible for miles around. If there’s any E.L.F’s around here…”

  The old radio came alive once again. “On the ice, leave your weapons behind. And Zach, I’m only going to hand the girly to you, personally.”

  Fiona went to say something else, but Zach spoke before she could. “We always knew it would come down to this. Just stick to the plan and we will be fine.” He then got out into the snow that was beginning to settle.

  Most of the river looked solid, but there were a few pools of water which splashed onto the surface, a reminder of the flow just a few feet below. Zach carefully made his way down the bank, sliding on his backside when he needed and made his first tentative step onto the frozen river, sweeping his flashlight left and right.

  The other side was a haze of light. Fiona was right, there are hundreds. Holding his hand up, he tried to focus when he noticed some of the lights were moving in his direction. Walking forward and trying each step twice he slowly moved towards the oncoming bobbing lights, without being sure who was at their source. I know you’re there.

  “Let me see!” pleaded Abbey, while grabbing the scope from Bass, balancing it best she could with her good hand. “He’s out there alone!”

  “That was the plan, Abbey.”

  “Yeah but on the bridge, not on the ice.”

  “They might have the numbers, but we got enough to hold them back, at least long enough for us to get the hell out of here.” He then clicked on his radio. “If anyone tries to get across that ice, shoot it up. Over.”

  Abbey watched as Zach’s flashlight and the other flashlights grew closer and closer. “I can’t watch from up here, I need to be closer.”

  Tossing the scope back to Bass, she ducked back into the tank, pushing the back open and jumped out. Checking the gun she kept tucked in the back of her pants, she ran through the woods ignoring Bass shouting at her to return.

  Zach watched Tinley, a woman in a hood, and two other men approach. The two men were holding old fashioned burning torches, which were doing their best to stay alight between being hit by snow flakes.

  “Going back to the stone ages with your lighting there I see,” smirked Zach. “That makes sense.”

  “You make a joke because you have your Abbey back?” replied Tinley, his eyes fixed like stones on Zach.

  “Oh I’m happy for lots of reasons. But why don’t you let Daisy go, so we can get on with things.”

  Tinley smiled, then pulled her hood off to reveal a face that only hinted at being what it once was. Slices crossed her face while her eyes looked out from blue and black skin. She could of been crying but Zach couldn’t tell. He felt sick.

  “Well, yeah I know she looks a state, but she had to pay! I really liked Abbey, we were getting on so well, and then this bitch helps her escape. Anyway, she functions pretty much as she did, just won’t be getting married anytime soon!” He laughed, then hit her in the middle of the back, sending her sprawling forward onto the ice.

  Zach swiftly moved to her, helping her to her feet while trying to keep his view on those in front of him. “Can you walk?”

  She nodded.

  He then handed her his flashlight. “Take this, get as quickly as you can to the other side, someone will be waiting.” She staggered off towards the other bank. “Well looks like you got me,” said Zach looking back at Tinley.

  “Looks like I have. I could just kill you right now, but I want your lady to watch you suffer a bit, and it will also be good for the moral of my people. I’m sure you understand.”

  Take the shot Cal.

  “Your people? I thought they belonged to the Hell Fire gang?”

  Tinley smiled. “Take him.”

  The two men walked towards Zach. One swiped at him which he deftly avoided, instead kicking the man in his knee, then the stomach, then the middle of the chest planting him on his backside. The other though grabbed Zach’s jacket, and pulled him knocking Zach off balance, causing him to slip and fall on his shoulder. The pain vibrated through him, making him momentarily dizzy.

  Bass watched Zach kneel on the ice with the two men and Tinley close to him. Get away Zach we can’t fire. He then clicked on his radio. “Cal, if you get a clear shot on Tinley and the others take it! Over.”

  Back on the ice Tinley sniggered. “Oh right, I keep meaning to ask, how’s the shoulder? No permanent damage I hope?”

  Zach tried to get to his feet, as the two men bore down on him. The fist of one connected with his face, knocking him backwards. The other came in to kick him, but he dodged, grabbing his foot sending the man tumbling backwards and falling onto the ice which was now beginning to crack. Take the shot Cal!

  Looking around, he tried to see where Tinley was. He then went to get to his feet again, when he felt the butt of a gun connect with the back of his head, and he went down, his face hitting the cold wet ice with a slap.

  “Abbey, I do hope you can see this!” Tinley shouted towards the far bank, he then beckoned to the man who was now back on his feet. “Pick him up,” the man pulled Zach onto his knees. “Zach, you still with us? Not sure how hard you hit the ice?”

  Zach’s world was a blur for a few seconds, then Tinley’s face came into view. “I will kill you.”

  “No. No you won’t. But I am going to kill you. But not before you watch all you hold dear die. Look behind you Zach.”

  Zach turned slowly, back towards the bank he had just come from and the one that he had just sent Daisy to. To the south and north orange streaks rained down on his friends positions. More streaks flew in the opposite direction, and the silence of the evening was cracked open by the constant drone of automatic fire and explosions.

  “While you have been doing your long walk to your final resting place Zach, my people have been crossing the river, and soon will be killing whoever you have waiting for them.”

  No.

  Tinley clicked on his radio. “What’s the condition of the sniper? Over.” Zach didn’t hear the reply. Tinley looked again at Zach. “Did you expect that I wouldn’t know you had a sniper somewhere out in these trees pointing straight at my head?” he moved close to Zach, and pointed his gun at his head. “So you go to your end, knowing you couldn’t save anyone. Not your wife, not your…” The sound of a bullet flashed past, causing him to duck slightly. When Tinley stood back up he was smiling. Another bullet flew past.

  “Looks like Abbey can’t keep away from me.�
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  One of the men fired back, hitting her in the leg. The impact causing her to fall onto the ice in agony.

  “Don’t kill her!” shrieked Tinley.

  Zach made a lunge for the man firing at her, catching his back leg and causing the next shot to fly into the gray darkness above. The other man pulled him off, holding Zach’s arms behind him, while the first ran towards Abbey who was trying to lift her arm off the ground to fire at him. Soon the man was with her, kicking the gun out of her hand. He then picked her up, and half carried half dragged her back to where Zach was.

  The sound of battle reigned on Zach’s side of the river. “Everyone get across the river, I want this finished quickly, and don’t screw up that tank, Geneva wants it. Over.” Hundreds of lanterns and flashlights fell upon the ice and started moving across it.

  Tinley looked at Abbey and Zach in front of him. “So who’s dying first? although it looks like it might be Abbey.”

  Zach tried pulling his arms free, but his strength was somewhere else. He looked at Abbey who was also struggling, then he heard it. The sound of ice cracking.

  Tinley and the men heard it too, looking at the ground around themselves nervously. Tinley slowly started to raise his radio to his mouth, and the dots of light up and down the river had stopped moving forward.

  Zach watched as Abbeys eyes closed as if the pain had switched from her leg to her head.

  With an almighty roar about a hundred yards to their south, a tentacle the size of a semi-truck burst through the ice sending the people carrying the sources of light flying into the air. Shockwaves rippled through the remaining ice, knocking Tinley and the two men to the ground. Tinley’s gun and radio spiraled across the ice, with the latter instantly being swallowed into a crack.

  Zach saw his chance, and threw himself forward to grab the gun. Tinley saw the danger and slammed into Zach with both men landing on a piece of ice that was now fully separated from the rest.