The Army Comes Calling

by Darrell Maloney

  Final Dawn: Book 5

  THE ARMY COMES CALLING

  By Darrell Maloney

  This is a work of fiction. All persons depicted in this book are fictional characters. Any resemblance to any real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Copyright 2014 by Darrell Maloney

  A brief recap of The Siege,

  the fourth book in the Final Dawn series

  ------------

  The group of forty one had adjusted well. After seven long years of taking refuge deep in the bowels of the earth they’d been able to emerge and begin again.

  All their hard work and all their planning prior to the meteorite’s impact had left them with many rewards. Chief among them were the livestock they’d been able to raise in the old salt mine. And the seeds Karen was able to grow in her tiny greenhouse.

  They were looking ahead to a future full of promise. The world looked bright, and they finally felt they could put the hell they’d been through behind them.

  The problem was, they had things that most of the other survivors could only dream about. And despite all their efforts to hide their compound just prior to the disaster, word got around.

  Not far from the compound was the small town of Eden. Despite its Biblical name and all the connotations that went with it, the town wasn’t particularly special. A way station, really, about halfway between San Angelo and San Antonio.

  Eden’s primary industry was a federal prison. Before Saris 7 collided with the earth and blacked out the sun, pretty much every business in town either supported the prison directly or peripherally.

  Eden prided itself on being called “a prison town.”

  Warden John Salk had a horrific choice to make. The meteorite struck northern China, sending a thick cloud of dirt and debris into the atmosphere. Scientists said the sun would be obscured for five to seven years, and ninety percent of mankind would perish.

  As panic spread and temperatures started to drop, Warden Salk’s workforce left en masse to be with their families. He had to decide whether to leave the convicts in their cells, to die of starvation or freeze to death, or set them free and give them a chance to survive.

  He set them free, then went home to his family to die with them.

  Most of the convicts scattered with the wind. Some of them raided houses in Eden, killing the homeowners and taking over their homes.

  A band of twenty stayed in the prison, locked it again to keep others out, and lived fairly comfortably on its food stores. By heating only a small portion of the prison and burning everything they could find, they managed to survive until the thaw.

  Word spread that a fenced compound a few miles west of Eden contained livestock and fresh produce. And in a world where the few survivors were scratching out a meager existence, it was too big a prize to ignore.

  The forty one had survived life in the mine together. They survived a vicious battle that temporarily forced them from their compound. Then they won another battle and took the compound back.

  In the process they shed blood and became hardened. Their innocence gone, they adjusted to a newly violent world, where few men could be trusted.

  This was a group of good people – God fearing people, who only wanted to live and be left alone. But from the beginning, they’d had to endure one struggle after another.

  Now, it seems, they’d have to take on the federal government.

  It was to be their biggest battle to date.

  But they were up to the task.

  And now, Book 5 of the series…

  The Army Comes Calling

  Chapter 1

  “Wake up, little sailor.”

  Hannah shook her young son gently by the shoulder.

  Markie, sound asleep and still hugging his teddy bear, didn’t want to stir.

  Hannah sat on the edge of bed and spoke softly.

  “Markie, honey, if you get up you can go on a special mission with your mommy and daddy.”

  He slowly opened one eye, not sure whether he was dreaming.

  Then the words sunk in. The other eye opened and he turned his head to look at her.

  “Hi, Mommy. What kind of special mission?”

  He yawned.

  “My goodness, little sailor! That yawn was bigger than your whole head.”

  “Mom, don’t be silly. It can’t be bigger than my whole head. What kind of special mission?”

  “What do you mean, it can’t be bigger than your whole head? It can if I say so, ‘cause I’m your mommy.”

  “Mommm… it can’t be bigger than my head because my mouth doesn’t stretch that big. What kind of special mission?”

  “Are you sure your mouth doesn’t stretch bigger than your head? I thought for sure it could. Your daddy’s mouth can stretch so big he can swallow his whole head down to his ears.”

  Markie giggled, but was getting a little frustrated at Hannah for avoiding his question.

  “Yes, Mommy, I’m sure. Now what special mission are we going on?”

  “Oh, did someone say something about a special mission?”

  “Oh, Mom, you drive me crazy sometimes! You said something about a special mission.”

  She loved it when he used a phrase or said something he picked up from his father. When he said she was driving him crazy, he looked just like Mark. And sounded like him, too.

  “I did? Are you sure?”

  He crossed his arms and nodded his head decisively.

  “Well, if I said it, it must be true. But it’s a big secret, and I’m not telling you what it is until you get up and get dressed and give me one hundred hugs and one hundred kisses.”

  “Oh, Mom… you always act like I’m still little.”

  “Not true, little man. I treat your father the same way. Sometimes I make him hug me and kiss me before I tell him things too. And he’s way old.”

  “But he’s supposed to hug you and kiss you. He’s your married person.”

  “My husband, Markie. He’s my husband. And you’re my son. So you have to give me hugs and kisses too.”

  “I’ve seen the way you kiss Dad. I’m never gonna kiss you like that.”

  “Oh, I don’t want you to kiss me like that, honey. Just pucker up your lips like you’re going to whistle and kiss me on the cheek. And then I’ll be happy.”

  She leaned over and he kissed her on the cheek.

  She said, “Good. Now only ninety nine to go.”

  “Oh, Mommm…”

  At that moment, Mark walked into the room to see what was taking so long.

  “Ewww, now you have Markie cooties! Now you have to go get another shower!”

  He looked at Markie and said, “Get up, sleepy head. How are we going fishing if you’re going to stay in bed all day?”

  His little eyes grew as big as saucers.

  “We’re going fishing?”

  Hannah looked at Mark and said, “Spoilsport! You had to go and tell him before I got the rest of my kisses. Now you’ve ruined everything.”

  Mark was lost. He looked at his son.

  “Mommy wasn’t gonna tell me until I gave her a hundred kisses.”

  “A whole hundred?”

  “Yep. A whole hundred.”

  “But that’ll take forever!”

  “I know, right?”

  “I’ll tell you what. Give her ten, and we’ll call it even.”

  “Oh, Dad! Seriously?”

  Hannah stuck her tongue out at Markie and said, “Ha, ha, little man. Daddy’s on my side!”

  “Not fair!”

  He looked at Mark and asked, “How come I have to kiss her ten times? I already know where we’re going.”

  “Because kisses are very important to mommies and girls in general. The
y need three things to live. Air, food and kisses. And if you don’t kiss her she’ll make me do it.”

  Markie knew he lost the battle at that point, and puckered up and kissed his mom on the cheek again and again.

  She counted.

  “Seven… eight… nine… four…”

  “Mommm!”

  “Oh, okay, grouchy boy. That’s enough for now. Go get dressed.”

  He stripped off his Spiderman pajamas as he asked, “Are we really going fishing?”

  “Yep. We sure are. We’ve got everything all packed up and ready to go.”

  “Yay! But what about breakfast?”

  “Miss Helen made some great breakfast tacos and packed them for us. We’ll stop halfway to the lake and eat.”

  “How far is the lake?”

  “I don’t know, little man. Maybe a mile or so.”

  “How far is a mile or so?”

  “It’s as far as it is from here to the bathroom. A zillion million times.”

  His mouth dropped.

  “I don’t think I can walk that far. Can we drive there instead?”

  “I’m sorry, son. The woods are too thick. But I’ll tell you what. If you enjoy our trip and want to go again, then you and I can start working on your first big man project together.”

  “Wow! My first big man project?”

  “Yep!”

  “Wow, Mom! Did you hear that?”

  Hannah cast Mark a wary eye.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Dad, what’s a big man project?”

  “That’s a project that only superheroes and he-men can handle. If you have fun on our fishing trip, then you and I will take the Gator out to the woods and start clearing a trail to the lake. That way we can start driving there instead of walking.”

  “Wow! For the reals?”

  “Yep. For the reals.”

  Fifteen minutes later the trio were heading down the stairs on their way out of the building. They stopped by the control center so they could change the batteries on their radios.

  Hannah said, “Baby, we can leave one of the radios behind, right?” I mean, no sense in carrying two of them if we’re gonna be together.”

  “Good point.”

  John was on duty at the security desk.

  “Do me a favor, guys, and take two anyway, okay?”

  They looked at him.

  “How come?”

  “Because some of them have been acting up lately. If one of them doesn’t have a far enough range, or gives out, I don’t want to be out of touch with you.”

  Bryan was walking by.

  “Yeah, that’s right. In case he tries to stand up in the boat again and we have to come and fish you all out of the water.”

  Mark looked at Hannah and said, “Blabbermouth.”

  “Hey, it’s a cute story. I had to share it with Bryan and Sarah.”

  “And everybody else, I imagine.”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Okay, John. We’ll take them both.”

  Mark looked at Bryan.

  “And the only way I’ll need your help is if I catch a fish so big we can’t carry it back by ourselves.”

  Markie’s eyes got big again.

  “Like maybe a whale?”

  Hannah laughed.

  “Yes sir, little man. Maybe. Now, let’s go, so somebody else doesn’t catch all the whales before we get there.”

  John waited until the trio was out of sight before he turned to Bryan and said, “Okay, I’m officially curious. What’s the story about him falling out of a boat?”

  Chapter 2

  “When they were still in college at Baylor and they started dating, Mark was trying his best to impress her. He fell for her hard, and decided he’d do whatever it took to land her. So when she mentioned that she loved the water, he rented a sailboat and took a quickie course on how to sail.”

  John smiled. He already knew how the story ended, but didn’t interrupt. He wanted to hear the details.

  “So, they get out in the middle of this big lake and everything is going fine, until he gets cocky and stands up in the boat. The wind changes direction and the sail swings around and knocks his big dumb ass right in the water.”

  John cracked up laughing and said, “I knew it!”

  “Hold on, John, that’s not even the best part. He got back in the boat and tried to play the whole thing off, and Hannah wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or cry. She said she was mainly impressed that he went through so much effort to try to impress her, so I guess in a way his evil plan worked.”

  “Yeah, yeah… get to the good part.”

  “So, after Hannah fished Mister Show-off out of the water, he couldn’t figure out how to steer the boat. The guy he’d rented it from showed him how to raise the sail and lower it, and how to tie it off, but not how to steer the darn thing.

  “Hannah had to show him how to do it. If she hadn’t, they’d still be in the middle of the lake today.”

  John laughed.

  “Anyway, that’s where his nickname came from. To this day, that’s why Hannah calls him ‘sailor,’ and she calls Markie ‘little sailor’ because he’s just like his father.”

  Brad and Sami walked up. Sami asked, “Are you telling Dad the sailboat story?”

  “Yep.”

  “Don’t forget the romantic part.”

  John asked, “There’s a romantic part?”

  Sami finished the story.

  “After the fiasco at the lake, Mark figured he’d struck out and Hannah would never speak to him again. But Hannah’s place was very close to the lake, and Mark lived miles away. Since Mark was sopping wet, and it was a chilly night, she felt sorry for him and took him home. She let him wear her grandmother’s ratty old housecoat while she washed and dried his clothes. He wound up staying the night, and she swears they fell in love that night.”

  “Well, to hear Mark tell it, he was already in love with her. And he swears he fell out of the boat on purpose, just so he’d get lucky that night.”

  “Oh, please. Mark’s not smart enough to hatch such a plan. And his pride wouldn’t let him do anything that embarrassing on purpose.”

  Sarah and Frank Woodard walked up and Sarah asked John, “Is this where the meeting is gonna be?”

  John had called a meeting of the security committee.

  “Yes. We have to hold it here because I’m on duty. I hope nobody minds.”

  “I sure don’t. Where are Hannah and Mark?”

  Sami said, “They went fishing with little Markie. I told them I’d take notes for them.”

  John said, “Yep. And you two are the last ones here, Sarah. So we can get started. The reason why I called the meeting is because I’m afraid we’ve been getting too comfortable. I fear we’re getting complacent.”

  “But John, it’s been six months since the attack. Things have been going great. It’s been nice living without fear for the first time.”

  “Well, I can’t argue that point. But you guys asked me to head up the security program so that at least one of us thought about the bad things that are out there while everybody else is relaxing. And I’m a worry wart by nature. So I’m just doing my job.”

  “What bad things are you worried about, specifically?”

  “Well, when Brad and I drove into Eden a couple of months back to see how things were going, we didn’t exactly get a warm welcome. We saw a couple of produce stands and stopped and talked to the farmers who ran them. They were bartering for gold and silver instead of cash because the monetary system still isn’t set up. And they seemed friendly enough, even though we didn’t have anything to barter for their crops. But most of the other people we encountered in town just gave us cold blank stares. And one thing we noticed was that there were no women around.”

  “Do you think the people you saw were prisoners they released from the prison?”

  “Not all of them. The farmers were hesitant to talk about the situation in town, but I think a
good percentage of the town’s population came directly from the prison.

  “As far as the women, it’s anybody’s guess what happened to them. Maybe they’re just afraid to come out of their homes because of the criminal element. Or maybe when the prison population took over the town, they all evacuated a hundred miles north to San Angelo.”

  “I hope they didn’t kill them.”

  “I thought of that. It’s a possibility. But the fact that we didn’t see any children either leads me to believe they probably took off en masse when the warden set all the prisoners free.

  “Do you think the gang who attacked us came from Eden?”

  “I think it’s a safe bet. The only question is, did they tell anybody else in Eden what we have here? Is there anyone else in town that knows we have livestock and crops, and who wants them bad enough to try their luck as well?”

  “I sure hope not. I would like to think the fighting is over. Isn’t it true that if they have farmers selling produce there, that our crops are less attractive?”

  “Hopefully. But we made a point to ask the farmers if they knew of any livestock or poultry available anywhere. They said they remembered hearing rumors a year or so back that some farm animals had survived the freeze. But they didn’t have a clue where they might be. They seemed to feel the stories were little more than fairy tales.

  “Plus, they were very limited on the produce they were selling. Tomatoes, corn, yellow squash and potatoes. That was it. So apparently we have the only berries and citrus and melons in the area.”

  “What do you propose we do, John?”

  “I’ve already talked to Karen. She’s going to prepare some small packages of seeds that we can take to those same farmers. They seemed like good men. I want to give them seeds for a larger variety of crops they can grow and sell. And I’ll ask them to share some of the seeds with other farmers so we can get everything growing throughout the area again. Once we no longer have a monopoly on such things, we’ll be less vulnerable.”

  “Great idea,” Sarah said. “Can I go?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Sarah, but you’re a beautiful girl. I’d rather you stayed here.”