Kim had always been a bit of a tom boy. She loved to play baseball, drive fast, and she was always looking for something to conquer. She liked boys and had several relationships but none of the men were able to keep her challenged and she would often drift away and on to something else.
She was what most men would describe as attractive. Not an earthshaking beauty but she knew how to use her assets to their full advantage when she felt like it. The problem was that she didn’t feel like it all that often.
Her intelligence was often another problem when dealing with men. She had the ability to see beyond the present situation and figure out how it fit in the larger scheme of life. Two and two would often add up to more than just four. She would quickly see that four was just a number that had to go with something else to make any long term sense. It was often too much for the guys she dated.
If that wasn’t enough she had one other tiny fault that caused problems. She was extremely blunt in her conversations. She simply told it like she saw it, often without all the politically correct terminology that the world felt was so necessary. While she made friends easily she lost them just as easily. The ones that she had for any length of time found it was better not to ask her opinion unless they were ready to hear what she really thought.
Sprawled out on the huge bed in the Presidential Suite at the top of the Venetian Casino, she was studying the road map she had picked up while shopping along the Grand Canal. She knew she just couldn’t be the only one to have survived. People had to be alive someplace. The trick, she concluded, was to determine the most likely spot. She considered heading north to Canada but not only was it a long way, she didn’t really know much about that place. No, she decided, she would stay in the US and look for others here first.
Kim decided she would leave the first thing tomorrow. While it had been like a dream, getting to spend the night in Bellagio, Ritz-Carlton, and The Venetian, it was also a little spooky.
She had picked up several large candles and a couple of big lanterns that she used in the room but she wasn’t very brave about going out in the casinos once the sun went down and the darkness took over. She tried reading by the candlelight but decided that it was just too darn hard. She looked at her watch. 7:30 p.m. It would start to get dark soon. She decided she had better get something to eat and get ready to settle in for the night.
She went down to the lobby, which she found amazing. The huge arches, marble floors and the dynamic gold colored globe were certainly thrilling to see. She noticed that the clouds seemed less angry than they had been when she left Death Valley.
She drove the old truck over to The Bellagio Hotel and Casino. The lobby was just as visually stunning as the exterior. She made her way to the Jean-Philippe Patisserie and went behind the counter and helped herself to some of the incredible pastries. They were becoming a little stale but they were still delicious. She was only sorry she couldn’t have seen the twenty-seven foot tall chocolate fountain actually working. She stuffed a shopping bag full of the pastries and chocolates before she walked to the pool.
Even with little sun, the pool glistened. She took off her clothes and dove naked into the cool water. She felt deliciously sinful as she swam across the pool with nothing on. She spent almost thirty minutes floating and swimming before she finally reluctantly gathered up her clothes, dried off and headed back to settle in for the night. She munched on the pastries and chocolates and finally fell asleep.
****
When she awoke the next morning the first thing she noticed was that the gloomy clouds were lifting and it was much brighter. It gave her a restored sense of hope that things were going to get better. Leaving Las Vegas in the rearview mirror, she headed first through Arizona, New Mexico and then up to into Colorado. Getting gas transferred to the truck was no longer a struggle like earlier.
She was driving along I–25, just outside of Colorado Springs when she got a huge surprise. At first she wasn’t sure what she was seeing but it was true. Four men in uniform were walking across the interstate. She shook her head, unbelieving what she was seeing. The men stopped and just stared at her in return. Time stood still for a few seconds and they gazed at each other.
“Uh, hi. You are real, aren’t you?” she stammered, realizing how dumb it must sound.
“We’re real all right. Who are you and how did you get here?” one of them finally asked.
“God, this is so unreal. I didn’t know if I would ever see another living person again.”
“It’s kind of a shock to us too. We didn’t know if any civilians were still living.”
“Not many. I started in California and have been driving across the country. You are the first living souls I have come across,” Kim said.
“I guess that gives us new hope. If you survived, maybe others did as well.”
“Not out west. At least as far as I know,” she told him, climbing out of the truck.
“Where are you headed and how in the world did you get that truck to run?”
“I started in Death Valley. It’s a long story. Anyway, I found this old truck at a gas station and the damn thing just started up. I tried a bunch of other cars before I found this one,” she said.
“And you haven’t seen a single person until us?”
“Nope. Not in Las Vegas, Phoenix, or any other town. Driving is a real bear, trying to get around all the cars and trucks, especially in the big towns.”
“I would imagine,” the man said.
“Do you know what caused all of this?” she asked.
“No. Several ideas have been kicked around but none of us know for sure. We just found the same thing you found. No one around and the strange looking sky. Well, it was strange until yesterday,” he replied.
Kim looked at the sky. It was improving by the hour it seemed.
“Where were you when it happened?” she asked.
“NORAD.”
“NORAD? What’s a NORAD?”
“Not ‘a what’, it’s a place. In Cheyenne Mountain. Part of the North American Air Defense System,” he explained.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve heard of that. Way back in a mountain or something like that,” she said.
“Something like that,” he said.
The men had started inching closer to the truck.
“You’re the first person we have seen outside of the mountain,” the leader said.
“Oh gosh, I’m Kim. Kim DeLaine. Sorry, in the excitement I forgot to tell you who I am.”
“I’m Ben. This is Karl, Sam, and Terry.” They each nodded.
“Gee, it’s great to meet you. I have been hoping and hoping that I would run into someone else. I just couldn’t believe I was the only person left alive,” she said.
Her eyes sparkled and the words bubbled out of her mouth.
“How many others are with you?”
“Just the four of us now. We are on patrol. The others are back at the mountain,” Ben replied.
“Patrol? For what?”
“Well frankly Kim, we don’t know who or what caused this. We are trying to make sure that if it was terrorists, we are ready.”
“You think terrorists could have done this?”
“Who knows, but we intend to be ready if it was.”
“What about radiation. I’ve been worried about that. I knew I couldn’t do much about it but it has had me worried,” Kim said.
“So far we have found no readings to indicate anything like that. The radiation levels have actually been lower these past few days. They started to raise a little as the sky gets lighter.”
“Are we in danger?”
“It could get worse. Who knows? We intend to get inside just in case. You probably should come with us to be safe,” Ben suggested.
“Yeah, I’ll take good care of you,” the one called Terry leered.
“What?” Kim said, glancing at him.
“Knock it off Terry."
"Kim, he is just being a jerk. I’ll make sure you are well take
n care of,” Ben assured her.
“Cut the crap Ben. You’re thinking the same thing we are. We all want a piece of that,” Terry said, pointing to Kim.
“Hey,” Kim said, pushing back against the door of the truck. “What’s going on here?” she said.
“He is just messing with you,” Sam said.
“That shit isn’t funny. What’s really going on?” Kim said angrily.
“Baby, you are going on. I ain’t had me a woman since this happened and look what just dropped out of the sky. A right good lookin’ piece,” Terry replied
“Look, I didn’t survive and drive all this way to become a plaything for a bunch of jerks,” Kim said.
She pressed against the truck. Her mind was racing. What the hell was wrong with these idiots? Instead of helping they were trying to assault her. What the hell was happening? Was it going to be the same every time she ran into survivors?”
“Stop it. Just leave me alone. I’ll just keep going. I am not going to become a piece of meat just because no one else is around,” she said.
“Don’t know if you have a say in that girlie-girl. You’re ass belongs to us now and there ain’t shit you can do about it,” Terry said.
“You might as well come with us. It will be better all around. Putting up a fight will only make it worse,” Ben replied.
“Leave me alone,” Kim shouted, but they kept coming toward the truck.
Kim’s mind raced, trying to figure out what she should do. They had guns but none were even raised. They were so smug that she would be easy prey.
She reached in her backpack and pulled out the gun she had been carrying. Without even thinking she pointed it at the first guy and pulled the trigger. The explosion caused everything to stand still as if frozen in time. Only Kim moved, pointing the gun at Terry and pulling the trigger again. He went down with a loud yelp, his head hit the pavement as he was thrown back.
“You bitch,” Sam yelled and started to raise his gun but he was too late. The left side of his head exploded in a mist of blood and brains.
“Don’t” Kim yelled as the last man started to raise his M-16.
“Don’t or I’ll shoot you too,” she screamed.
“Easy. Easy. I’m putting it down,” he said, holding the gun out to his side.
“Get your finger off the trigger or so help me I will shoot you,” Kim said, trying to collect her raging adrenalin.
“Okay, my finger is off the trigger. I’m laying the gun down,” he said.
“Easy,” Kim said, pointing at the middle of his body. “You’re Ben, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, that was Terry, he said pointing to the still body on his right.
“All right Ben, I didn’t ask for any of this. I just wanted to find other survivors but I belong to no one and that includes a bunch of thugs like you and your friends here. I’m not your piece of meat, you asshole,” she said, still pointing the gun at his chest.
“Easy. Could you point that thing away a little?” Ben asked.
“Hell no. I should just shoot your ass. You seem to think you don’t have to abide by any laws or even be civilized,” she said, still shaking.
“Look, it’s over. You made your point. I’m not stupid enough to try anything,” he said, trying to sound sincere.
“Really?” she said sarcastically, “Kick the rifle away from you,” she ordered.
Ben kicked the weapon away.
“Sit and cross your legs,” Kim ordered.
He hesitated but she raised the gun and he quickly sat down and crossed his legs. Kim came away from the truck and picked up the rifle and tossed it toward the pick-up.
With the gun still on Ben she went over to check on Terry. He was breathing but just barely. His skin was cool and pale. Sam was dead; she knew that without having to check. Most of the left side of his head was missing. A portion of his brains were oozing out of what was left of his skull. Terry was alive but the bullet had entered his gut and he had gone into shock. He wouldn’t live much longer.
“You’re pretty much on your own now. Where are the rest of the survivors?” Kim asked, standing back up.
“Some are in the town and some are still back at the mountain.”
“Why are they split up?”
“The groups had a disagreement about the way things should be,” was all he said.
“It’s easy to see which group you’re in.”
He didn’t answer but just smiled.
“Asshole,” she said.
“You had better choose carefully,” he murmured as she started for the truck.
Kim kept the gun carefully aimed at him as she picked up the other weapons on the ground and tossed them into the back of the pickup.
“You’re just going to let these men die?”
Kim didn’t reply but just put the truck in gear and drove off. She watched in the mirror to see if he was going to try to chase her but he just sat there. She was still glancing in the rear view mirror when three Hummers came racing out of the on-ramp. She slammed on her brakes and jammed the truck into reverse. The Hummers easily caught up with her as she was trying to maneuver the pickup backward around the abandoned vehicles.
It was no use and she knew it. There were too many of them and no place for her to go. She stopped the truck and just sat there. She wished she had put one of the M-16s in the cab with her. All she had left was one round in the gun. She considered her options. She obviously couldn’t shoot it out with them.
She thought about just shooting herself but dismissed the thought as quickly as it entered her head. She had make it this far, she wasn’t about to just give up now. A man in an officer’s uniform got out of the Hummer and walked toward her. He didn’t have a weapon as far as she could tell. Kim pointed her gun at him as he approached.
“Easy lady,” Colonel Webber said as he saw her raise the gun.
“Back off,” Kim said.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, who you are or where you came from, but I’m Colonel Webber. We heard shots and came to investigate. We aren’t here to harm you,” he said.
“Get your hands up,” Kim demanded. Webber put his hands on his hips and just looked at her.
“Stop and think about this a second,” he said after a brief pause. “See those Hummers? Each one has a gunner with a .50 cal machine gun. They are all pointed at your vehicle. They are not real big on having someone point a gun at their commanding officer. You shoot me and they will make Swiss cheese out of you and the truck. I suggest you put the gun down and tell me who you are and what is going on,” the Colonel said.
“Look, I just want to be left alone. Just let me pass and everything will be fine,” she said.
She was tired now that the adrenalin was starting to ebb out of her system.
“We will. I just want to know what the shooting was about and how the hell you got here.”
Kim sighed and lowered the gun, placing it on the seat beside her.
“My name is Kim DeLaine. I’ve been traveling for what seems like a lifetime now. I started in Death Valley and have been driving, trying to find other survivors. I came across four men just down the road,” she said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. “They were the first people I have encountered since this whole thing began.”
“And the shots? I assume it didn’t turn out so well.”
“You could say that. They decided that I should become their plaything. I declined.”
“By declined, I suppose you mean you shot them.”
“Most of them. Look, I know they were in the military but I don’t belong to anyone. I survived whatever it was and I'm damn sure not going to roll over and play whore for a bunch of military dudes,” she said angrily.
“Easy. Don’t get worked up. They are renegades. They tried to take over the base but didn’t quite get it done. I thought they would have been long gone by now. How in the hell did you get all four of them?”
“Three. One is still sitting in the road, or w
as.”
“Still. How did you pull it off? They were armed weren’t they?”
“They were so busy trying to figure out what they were going to do with a sweet little girl like me that they never expected me to have a gun. I just shot. I didn’t think. Suddenly I had the gun raised and three of them went down. The fourth guy just froze. I killed one of them. When I left the other two were in pretty bad condition. You might want to send someone to look at them,” she said.
“Amazing. You must be one hell of a shot to get three out of four like that.”
“I’ve been shooting guns since I was ten. My dad taught me how. We used to go out in the desert and he would spend hours teaching me how to handle a gun. I never said thanks to him and now it’s too late.”
“He is smiling down on you today. He knows.”
“Yeah, but I should have told him.”
“Can’t do anything about that now. So, where are you headed now?”
“I can go?”
“If you want. We have a facility just up the road. It has food, hot water, showers and you won’t be the only woman. We have about thirty of them at the facility. I’m the commander and I personally guarantee your safety. You are more than welcome to join us and have some human contact with other survivors,” Webber said.
“You’re not with them?”
“We were all a part of the same military but when the change happened, I guess it was too much for some of them. Now they are on their own. Eventually we will round them all up but for now we have more important things to do,” Webber told her.
“And I can leave when I want?”
“Absolutely. Look, you obviously can take care of yourself but who knows what is out there?” Webber said, sweeping his arm around.
“If you survived, others did as well. How many? Who knows? But I know some have. I talked to a group when we flew to D.C. They were in a cave. They were underground at the time of the event. We were inside the mountain when it happened. Where were you?”
“In a cave. I was in the back of a rock formation.”
“Makes sense. It seems that being deep enough underground or having some kind of heavy protection is what saved us all. I’m confident that we are going to find many more survivors as time goes on.”
THE END - Book I - Of THE EVENT SERIES Page 23
