After the Day- Red Tide

by Matthew Gilman

  Groups of Humvees sat in the streets waiting. John had the plan ready. He waited on the roof for the right moment. As the sun rose he saw it over the skyline, shining on the shore of the docks. He raised his flare gun and fired into the sky. Seconds later the first explosion went off on the docks. Smoke rose into the sky. The drivers of the Humvees also saw the flare and hit the gas to the docks. The men on the .50 caliber heavy guns watched the windows and rooftops waiting for signs of snipers. When they came closer to the docks they instead watched the fenced gates of the docks and saw the Chinese soldiers running to the river front. The heavy machine guns opened up on the unaware Chinese men dropping several not realizing they were being fired upon amongst all the chaos.

  Soon the Chinese were split on two sides. The main gate was being attacked by two Humvees with a small squad. Along the rest of the docks all the entrances were being blocked by more soldiers and machine guns. The Chinese were boxed in. If they went to the shore they would be killed by an enemy they could not see. If they went inland they might have a chance.

  A group of militia men took to the roofs to take advantage of the high ground. From there they exchanged shots with some Chinese that had the same idea and the militia men came out on top. Then, they waited for advancing Chinese and shot at anything that moved. The rooftops of the warehouses were empty for the moment. Then two figures appeared on the building across from them. One was unarmed the second had a rifle in her hand, a woman. While they had few problems killing a woman shooting at them, something told them not to kill her unless she made them. The men yelled and screamed aiming their rifles. The Chinese girl dropped her rifle and they didn’t move. A minute later a group of militia men appeared on the roof and tied up the couple. Possibly, they were the first prisoners of war taken during the Chinese invasion.

  The battle ended less than an hour later. Most of the Chinese soldiers died trying to defend or escape the docks. A small militia with some National Guard equipment and imagination had overwhelmed a larger Chinese force.

  Chapter 11: New York City

  Wang sat on the dock, dropping the fishing line into the water. He didn’t know if he would catch anything. It felt like something to do like he would at home. The river flowed by, slow but with force. The buildings around him were empty, less life than the mountains he left behind. He could see birds and animals running, moving in the trees. Where he came from had more life and promise than the land he found himself in now. New York appeared to be abandoned. There was no fight put up to defend it and not a single shot in retaliation. The line bobbed in the water and he patiently waited like his father taught him, it was one of the few things that he learned before moving to the city. He never learned to hunt, or trap, harvest herbal plants like some of the poorer kids that he knew. Instead it was fishing and small talk with dad. Somehow, the act of dropping the line in the water connected him with home and he felt at peace with himself.

  The rest of the men played cards and mahjong. Nobody knew how long it would be until the ships arrived. It didn’t matter. Their orders were to hold the port until they arrived. Unfortunately, most of the men that were in New Beijing were not military trained, instead farmers and factory workers that were promised a fortune for some hard work. They fell for the usual promises that are told to the poor in hopes of a grand future only to be disappointed and disenfranchised after it’s too late.

  Wang relaxed and let the sun hit his face. He took his hat off and set it aside. Wang looked at the bridge down the river. He wasn’t sure which one it was, made of brick and wire, he wondered if it would hold up with all of the boats and barges piling up against it. The pile of trash in the river didn’t bother him knowing that the People’s Army would clear it off and recycle as much as they could to create their new country.

  Wang heard footsteps behind him, a rifle stock set next to him and legs placed over the edge of the dock.

  “I wondered if I would see you again.” a woman’s voice said.

  Wang looked over and saw the woman from New Year’s Eve. She still wore her coat and hat. Her clothes were bulky to hide her figure, a common sniper trick. He didn’t know what to say.

  “I thought more would have happened on the way here.” she said.

  “Me too.” he replied.

  “I didn’t think this adventure would make it to the ocean.”

  “Is that why…” he cut himself off.

  “Why we?” she said looking into his eyes. “Yes… and no. I wanted to be remembered by someone, and be appreciated.”

  Wang smiled and nodded his head.

  “I won’t ever forget.” he said.

  “Good.” she said looking back out over the river.

  Wang built up the courage.

  “My offer still stands.” he said.

  She smiled.

  “Let’s wait and see how things turn out. I think this was too easy.” she said.

  Wang bobbed the end of the fishing pole creating ripples in the water. Taking his right hand off the pole he moved it towards her and grabbed her hand. She looked down and saw their hands together. She looked back over the river.

  He didn’t question what she wanted. He felt lucky to be next to her. She was too beautiful for him, older, more mature. Had they been back in the old country something like this would never have happened. He ran with it and let things happen as they would. He enjoyed every moment and filed it away in his memory to pull it out again whenever he wanted.

  The loud crack rattled and shook the dock. Wang dropped the pole and turned around. A truck had exploded and was billowing sparks and smoke. People were running around as another vehicle exploded. By then they were on their feet. Wang led the way while still holding her hand. She carried her Dragonov rifle and stayed close behind him. The dock was clear and Wang ran at full speed. He second guessed his run when he realized they were running towards the exploding vehicles on the shore. He took them past the already exploded truck. He figured there was no point in firing on a destroyed vehicle. Wang covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve going through the smoke.

  Time had slowed down, every step took years. His mind panicked while he fought the urge to reach safety. He questioned where there was safety. One wrong turn could be the end of him, and her. He ran to the nearest building, a warehouse. It was large enough to stack shipping containers and was left with several inside. They reached a steel door and he moved the knob. He pushed and pulled to find it locked. He turned around and ran further down the side of the building. Another truck exploded on the shore.

  Gunfire opened up further away from the shore. The further they ran into the city the more shots they heard. Wang suddenly realized he didn’t have a gun. He changed their plan and forgot the warehouse. Wang took them from building to building. Open spaces were answered with fast dashing sprints. He never let her hand go. When they came close to the gates of the harbor, Wang looked around the corner to see a gun battle happening. The Chinese were pinned inside. Another force sat opposite of the fence firing inside. Wang watched Chinese drop as they tried to rush the fence.

  The girl pulled her Dragonov up and aimed her rifle. She fired hitting one of the men behind the fence. The brick wall in front of them exploded and sent small fragments of brick and mortar into the air, Wang pulled her back around the corner as the building took all of the bullets for them.

  “We need to get out of here.” Wang said.

  The girl discharged the spent round from her rifle and slide another in the chamber. She moved to fire again and Wang pulled her back. The wall exploded again from the short second she was visible. They moved back where they came from and double checked every path. Wang started looking for buildings again. He finally found one. The shooting sounded as if it was moving into the harbor now. Trucks were still exploding on the shore. The building rattled and shook as they huddled inside.

  Looking around Wang saw the inside of the warehouse. No large containers. Instead it was filled with wooden shipping crates.
It was easier to hide in the smaller gaps. Wang looked for stairways and took the two of them to the roof. The steel stairs rang as they climbed. The door at the top pushed open to the sunlight. The sudden change of lighting hurt Wang’s eyes. He hoped they could hide on the roof for a short time. The view looked over the rest of the roofs. Wang looked for the air conditioners and vents to hide by. When they stepped away from the stairway Wang saw movement from an opposing roof. Two men, not Chinese, were now aiming their rifles at them. Game over.

  Wang stopped and raised his hands. The girl saw the two men aiming at them. She had her hand raised with his, her rifle in her left hand. She too was dead. They couldn’t understand what the men were saying but they hadn’t fired yet. She dropped her rifle to the flat tarred roof.

  At that point both parties contemplated what to do. The two men couldn’t simply jump over and tie them up. Wang and the girl couldn’t run away without being shot. It was a stalemate.

  One of the men took a radio out and spoke into it. The second man kept his aim on the two of them. Minutes later a group of Americans arrived on the roof, three men total, they tied up Wang and the girl and hauled them off the roof back through the warehouse. They were brought back to the shoreline. There was a small group of Chinese that were also tied up and sitting along a brick wall. Wang thought they would be shot there eventually.

  Wang turned to the girl, “I’m sorry,” he said to her.

  They sat and waited for over an hour. Then a man showed up in an old American Jeep. He wore simple camouflage and only had a pair of oak leaves that set him apart from the rest of the men. A young white man, average height, and short cut light brown hair. He talked to the rest of the Americans. Wang didn’t sense any evil intentions from the man but that didn’t mean much.

  The Americans continued talking and looked at the group. They seemed a bit confused as they looked at the prisoners. Then, the leader with the oak leaves spoke, Wang didn’t know what he was saying.

  The girl rose from the wall and spoke in English.

  “I think I’m the highest rank here.” she said.

  “Is that so?” the man with oak leaves said.

  “We did find a Dragonov rifle with her.” one of the other men said walking up and handing the rifle to him.

  The major looked the rifle over. Pulling the bolt back and ejecting the round he held it up and looked at the large bullet.

  “Impressive.” he said looking at the girl.

  “What is your name?” the major asked.

  “Li.” she said.

  “Come with me, we need to negotiate the terms of your surrender.” the major said.

  She turned around and looked down at Wang. She spoke to him in Chinese.

  “Now it’s my turn to save your life.” she said as two men took her to the Jeep.

  “I love you,” Wang yelled in Chinese as she sat in the back of the Jeep. Some of the Chinese men laughed and others were still worried about their future.

  Ever the romantic, she thought to herself.

  “I know,” she said moments before the Jeep took off and disappeared behind a building, the roar of the motor echoing between the buildings until it disappeared.

  “My name is Major Adams.” John said to his prisoner sitting in the back of the Jeep.

  The Jeep took several turns and finally stopped in front of an old Starbucks coffee shop. The Americans hopped out and helped Li step out and go into the café. The driver of the Jeep sat Li down in a chair.

  “I’m sorry we don’t have any coffee to offer. It doesn’t seem right. And it looks like the coffee that was here was looted shortly after Washington was bombed. Do you know if the Chinese did that?”

  Li stayed silent.

  “Just wondering, what is your rank Li?” John asked.

  “Sergeant,” she replied.

  “Sergeant Li, do you and your men surrender to our militia?” John asked.

  “Do I have a choice?” Li asked.

  “No, I guess not.” John said. “However, there is a big difference between what happens to you and your men if you surrender and if you decide to fight us.”

  “Are you going to kill us?” Li asked

  “Some of my men are encouraging it.” John said. “I’m not in favor of doing that. That young man you were talking to, boyfriend?”

  “Something like that.” Li said.

  “You care about him?”

  “Yes,” Li said.

  “Then tell us what we want to know and you and your men get to go back home. Your army came from New Beijing right.” he stated as a fact to be confirmed.

  She paused for a minute.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “You take the harbor and the ships, unload more soldiers?” John asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Any other cities that have harbors being taken over like New York?”

  “I don’t know all the details, our next mission was Chesapeake Bay.” she said.

  “So New York was the first part of taking the east coast?” John asked.

  “Yes, as far as I know.”

  The interrogation went on. Li gave the signals for the incoming ships and where the ships were to dock first. John’s men had already secured the tanks and heavy armor and were in the process of moving the tanks to the shore.

  “Ok, here is what is going to happen from here. These two men here are going to take you and your men out of town. They are going to wait and see how things go and if it turns out you lied in any way then you and your men will be shot on sight.”

  Li’s face didn’t change. She was expecting that from the beginning. She nodded and rose from the chair. John radioed the men who had the prisoners to have them loaded up in a truck. John went outside and saw the trucks pulling up. Li was brought outside and loaded into the back of one of the trucks with Wang and the rest of the men.

  “If your info is correct you and your men go free, you have my word.” John slapped the side of the truck and they took off down the road with a Humvee following. John and the other two men got back in the Jeep and drove back to the shore.

  When they arrived the soldiers were dragging bodies into the warehouses and the blown up trucks were being pushed off the docks into the river. Tanks were being parked where the explosions happened to hide any damage that was left. The Chinese tanks sat on the shore, Chinese red flags flew on the building flag poles where available. Uniforms were removed from the dead soldiers and the militia men put them on over their own uniforms. The U.S. tanks were parked inside the warehouses, aimed at the docks and waiting for the day that the ships arrived. Snipers were placed on rooftops. Infantry waited inside the warehouses.

  The militia was ready, now it was a matter of waiting.

  Chapter 12: Midwest United States

  Ricardo worked hard to stay silent as he navigated through the woods. He knew where he was having been in this area before. The small town he was working through had been picked through really well but if there was one thing Ricardo was good at it was finding the good stuff. Most people didn’t want to spend time looking through every nook and cranny. Since he knew where to look, it wasn’t too hard to come back to town with the good stuff.

  Before The Day Ricardo was a street kid. He wasn’t book smart, dropped out of school in third grade. He could still read, at a simple level. During those days he learned how to do breaking and entering or B&E’s, shop lift and even stole cars. These days cars were non-existent but the good stuff was still hidden away and people had not found it yet. He didn’t know why he survived the flu but he did and didn’t think about it much. He just considered himself lucky and continued on with life as he knew it. Every day was a new hustle.

  He looked at the house he was working to. The next one on the map he made a week before to make sure he hit every spot before he moved on. It was a typical two story home. Three bedrooms at least, full basement, and a shed out back. The funny thing was that nobody was checking out the sheds but he was able to find
the tools that everybody wanted and traded for these days. The early years of the collapse people looked for food and that was it. Real early people were still looking for money and precious metals and jewelry. Now it was tools for survival. The biggest items he made bank on were hand tools, weapons, and the big trades were in ammo. He couldn’t guarantee that they were stored properly but people would trade just the same on the chance it was still good.

  Outside he started out in the shed and found it was already unlocked. When he opened it he found that it appeared untouched. The tools still hung up and everything in its rightful place. He looked around and found trowels that went in his bag. The hand tools he found were not the best quality but he would come back for them and take them to town tomorrow. He closed the shed and went to the house.