The End

by G. Michael Hopf

  “First, let me thank you for not sinking my ships. Second, what I’m doing is taking my Marines and these sailors back home to their families. Our initial orders were to go back and assist the others in the recovery effort back east. With the intelligence we’ve received, it seems as if the entire power grid is down across the country. This leaves our families vulnerable. I could not in good conscience take the men to the opposite coast from their families to help dig up dead bodies. What has happened at home is catastrophic and we may not fully recover for years. If we don’t get back to California soon and help our families there, there may not be a home or family to go back to.”

  White just nodded and looked at Barone.

  “I thought about this carefully, and our country is gone. It was destroyed within seconds. You know these scenarios; you take away food, water, medicine, law and order and every city will destroy itself within weeks. We may not be able to help everyone when we get home, but we’ll protect our families and there we can start to rebuild with what we have. David, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that our country will not look the same in a year; hell, could be less time. The way I look at it, I’m not committing treason or mutiny when there is no country to mutiny against,” Barone finished, then took a drink.

  “Well, I’ve had a few days to ponder what the hell you were doing and I knew you wouldn’t just do something foolish. I knew you had a plan and a damn good reason.” White reached over and grabbed the bottle and poured himself another drink. He took a sip and exhaled loudly. “As you know, the Topeka’s home port is San Diego, and we have family back there too. Colonel Barone, may we join your pack of wily mutineers?” White lifted his glass in the air to toast.

  Barone was shocked and overjoyed. He lifted his glass and tapped White’s glass and said, “Captain White, you and your men are welcome to join us.”

  “Thank you, Tony. Now let me tell you how lucky you are we found you first.”

  That comment sparked Barone’s interest. He leaned forward and asked, “What do you know?”

  “I know that they have a few destroyers looking for you. They also have Hawaii on alert and plan on using land-based aircraft and even missiles to stop you.”

  “I guess I’m not getting close to Hawaii, then. Is there a way you can keep tabs on where the destroyers are by communicating with them till we are in a safe area?”

  “Exactly my plan,” White responded with a grin.

  “Cheers again, my friend,” Barone said lifting his glass.

  San Diego, California

  Gordon and his team had just returned from outside the gates. Each day brought lighter loads and more news of the destruction and collapse of the city. Every new day they pushed farther and farther into areas they had not gone before only to find few supplies but more death. They constantly encountered hungry bands of people begging for food. Gordon was sympathetic, but he would not budge and commanded his men not to assist anyone unless they could offer value to their community. Resources were tight and adding more people would only take away from their own. It was tough as he looked upon the gaunt faces of those hungry and dehydrated women and children but he would remind himself of his own children and the responsibility he had to them. His teams also were encountering more executions and more graffiti that said “Villista.” He knew now there was a group operating that was organized and lethal. A new startling development had started a couple days ago; smoke plumes on the skyline were becoming a common sight to the south. No one knew the reason, but someone was setting buildings on fire.

  The dwindling food supplies started to create stress on the community. There were some in the community who never had much food in their pantries to start, and with the rations being limited and not adequate those people were going to bed hungry. His security force had already broken up three altercations between neighbors over food rations. Gordon knew it was going to get worse unless they could find more large caches of food. The gardens were planted but would not produce food for some time. He had created hunting teams to help supplement but after a few days of hunting they had only brought back a couple of coyotes, which most of his neighbors refused to eat.

  Gordon started to see the physical decay in the community now. The grasses had just now started to brown and many of the previously well-maintained flowers were starting to look wilted. Dust and dirt were slowly starting to gather on the abandoned cars. The smell of feces was becoming more prominent as people were not disposing their human waste properly in the backyards. The one fortunate statistic after twelve days after the attack was that only one person had died.

  Seventeen families had left the security of the gates to try their luck outside. Gordon never attempted to convince anyone if they decided to leave; he felt it was their choice. He did warn them of the dangers on the outside, but he never would work hard to get them to stay. The thoughts of leaving had also come across Gordon’s mind more frequently now. He did not know how long they could maintain what they had. If the size of the loads that were coming back continued to get smaller, they would run out of food. However, before that happened the community would probably turn on itself.

  Ever since he had been subjected to Mindy’s “court,” Gordon had started to work on an alternative plan. He kept thinking of their place in Idaho. Their mountain cabin was located in the town of McCall. The town was surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of public land. It was pristine alpine country and the wildlife was abundant. He had discussed this idea with Samantha, who was supportive of whatever he thought was best. Because of his quick response immediately after the attacks, he had secured enough food to last his family months. Fuel was not an issue; he now had a vehicle himself and sufficient medical supplies. Making the journey to Idaho would be tough, but if he could get a convoy to go with him they just might make it. Gordon had yet to discuss his plans with Nelson or Jimmy.

  Gordon had not seen Jimmy for days and was concerned for him. He thought of them often and hoped that he and Simone were doing okay. Gordon also thought often about his brother; he was curious how far the attacks had gone. Every time someone knocked on his door, every time he was called to one of the gates because a stranger had approached requesting aid, he’d look up and expect to see Sebastian. The thought that he’d never see him again also crossed his mind. He’d never see a lot of people again. So many people were a part of his life before. The girl who was a clerk at the grocery store or his daughter’s dance teacher, where were they now? His clients whom he’d chat with regularly over the phone, how were they making out? Samantha’s many friends were scattered throughout the county, their situations were unknown and would most likely remain that way. She had remained relatively calm about her parents; he assumed she knew there wasn’t much they could do for them. The Midwest might as well be halfway around the world. So much had changed in a blink of an eye, it sometimes was overwhelming.

  The past few days, Gordon had been teaming up with Max. It didn’t take long for Max’s smugness and arrogance to wear on him. His nonstop talking, specifically talking about himself and all the women he used to get. He would complain that the attacks “fucked up his play.” Gordon missed Jimmy and couldn’t wait for his return to the teams.

  After that day’s run, Max had dropped Gordon off at his driveway. Gordon was excited to be done with him and to see his family. He missed them terribly each day he was gone. Just before he made it to his front door, a voice he was familiar with and equally detested came from a few feet away.

  “Gordon?”

  Gordon stopped. He looked down, shook his head, and turned around.

  “What?” Gordon asked, clearly not happy.

  “I am quite aware that I’m probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but I want to say a few things,” Dan said, slowly walking up to Gordon.

  “You’re right, Dan; you are the last person I want to see.”

  “Do you have a minu
te or two?” Dan asked sheepishly.

  “Not really, but go ahead,” Gordon said, looking down at his watch.

  “What happened a few days ago—” Dan paused. “You see, I’m not like you; I saw what happened at the hospital and was freaked out by it. I am now aware that this is a new world we’re living in and it requires new tactics and a new moral code.”

  Gordon just looked at Dan and nodded in agreement. He then made a comment about Dan’s face.

  “What happened to you?”

  Touching his face, Dan replied, “An altercation on the outside. We ran into a small gang.” Dan had a black eye and bruises on his lips and cheek.

  “How come I’m just now hearing about it?”

  “It wasn’t anything, typical bullshit. Tim and I took care of them.”

  “Is Tim okay?”

  Pausing before he answered, Dan finally said, “Yeah, he’s fine.”

  “Okay, go ahead, how can I help you?”

  “I wanted to apologize and see if we could start new. We need to work together,” Dan said, then put out his hand.

  Gordon just stared at Dan and then his outstretched hand. He paused for a brief moment then reluctantly took Dan’s hand and shook it.

  “Is that it?” Gordon asked.

  “No, it’s not. I wanted to discuss something that we encountered in the field today.”

  “Go ahead,” Gordon said impatiently.

  “We were operating south near Mira Mesa Boulevard when we came across what I believe is that group calling themselves the Villistas.”

  As soon as Gordon heard the name, his curiosity perked up.

  “I happened to see four vehicles pull into a Lowes. I thought it strange when I noticed all the barbed wire fence around the store. We set up in a blind and conducted surveillance on them for about an hour.”

  Gordon was really listening now.

  “They had vehicle after vehicle going in and out of the place. A couple of times we heard screams and gunshots coming from the store. I think they are caching a large amount of supplies there.”

  “How many men did you see?” Gordon asked.

  “We counted a total of twenty-four different vehicles go in and out in the hour we watched. Each vehicle had two people in it and the site had what looked like seven guards along the perimeter.”

  Gordon was thinking, but his thoughts soon gave way to reality. He realized he did not have the means to conduct a successful attack on them and take their precious food supplies.

  “Gordon, if we could plan a raid I think we might be able to replenish our supplies and give us a boost in the arm,” Dan finished. He was very excited about what he’d seen and thought it valuable.

  “Dan, this is all very interesting. Let me sleep on it and we can reconvene in the morning.”

  Dan looked almost sad. He had wanted Gordon to be very excited and wanted him to recognize him personally for this information.

  “Okay, let’s finish the conversation in the morning,” Dan said, then turned around and left.

  Gordon watched him go. He didn’t know what to think of Dan’s apology, but the intelligence on the Villistas was a good break for them. Gordon was tired and would think more about it later. The one reprieve from the insanity was his nightly arrival back home. The door wouldn’t close shut before he would be greeted by the happy squeals of Hunter and Haley. Their innocence and tenderness was a sanctuary from the horrors outside the gate.

  December 18, 2014

  A good decision is based on knowledge, not on numbers.

  —Plato

  San Diego, California

  The banging on the front door startled him awake. Whoever was on the other end was in need of his attention urgently. Gordon ran downstairs as fast as his feet would take him. He unlocked and flung the door open to find Max standing in front of him sweating and breathing hard.

  “What’s going on?” Gordon asked, concerned.

  “We had a few people attempt to break into the clubhouse and steal food,” Max said.

  “Did you catch them?” Gordon asked. He was now putting his boots on in the foyer.

  Still unable to catch his breath, Max answered, “Yeah, we got them.”

  Gordon stood up, grabbed his jacket and shoulder holster, and stepped outside.

  “You all right?” Gordon asked, looking at Max, who was leaning against the front of the house.

  “Yeah, I’ll be all right.”

  Gordon looked at Max and thought to himself that he still looked chubby. Even with all the food rationing, Max looked like he wasn’t losing weight. Gordon didn’t give anymore thought to it.

  “You ready? Let’s go,” Gordon said.

  “Gordon, that’s not it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  • • •

  When Gordon reached the end of the street he saw the flames. The clubhouse was aglow with twenty-foot flames. A dozen people had gathered and were running buckets of water to put out the intensely hot flames shooting out of the clubhouse.

  Eric ran up to Gordon and asked, “What the hell?”

  Gordon just stared at the clubhouse.

  “What happened?” Eric asked again.

  “Some assholes broke into the clubhouse to steal food. When they were confronted there was a fight and somehow a lantern was turned over. The place went up in no time.”

  “Oh my God,” Eric gasped.

  The flames illuminated the sky with an orange glow. More people began to show up; many just stood and watched in horror at what food rations they had go up in flames.

  Gordon could see one of his sentries talking to a few people who were sitting on the ground. He knew those must the people who attempted to break in.

  He began to march over to the suspects with a defined purpose in his step. When he reached the first one, a middle-aged man, Gordon reached down, grabbed him by the throat, and yanked him off the ground. He pushed him against a tree and began to choke him.

  “What the fuck were you thinking? Who do you think you are?” Gordon yelled at the man. The man could not defend himself because his hands were tied behind his back.

  The man just gargled as he attempted to speak. Gordon pressed the man’s body against the tree with even greater force. Gordon was in a rage. He reached down to grab his pistol but was stopped when Eric came up behind him.

  “Gordon, that’s enough!”

  Eric’s voice brought Gordon back from his rage. He let go of the man, who then fell to the ground coughing and hacking.

  “Who was on post here tonight?”

  “Him right there,” Max said, pointing to a man in his twenties who was standing a few feet away.

  “Gordon, I’m sorry but—”

  “What happened, where were you?” Gordon snapped at him.

  “I haven’t been feeling well, like diarrhea, and I wanted to go home to use the bathroom. I thought this would be safe for ten minutes or so,” the man said. He was nervous and ashamed.

  “Whatever,” Gordon said looking away, disgusted. He then gave his attention to the four others who had been detained. He didn’t recognize a single person. After years of living in the community and even after having closer contact with his neighbors since the attacks, Gordon still did not know all his neighbors.

  “So, what’s going on?” he asked them.

  A man in his mid-fifties with white hair answered, “We’re hungry, we have run out of food, and what we’re getting daily from the rations isn’t enough.”

  “There’s not enough food at all,” the woman next to him said.

  “We’re starving, Gordon, we need more food,” another woman quipped.

  “I understand that the food rations are smaller than before, but you just can’t break—”

  “I have two children and they are hungry. What do
I say to them?” the fourth person, a man, quickly asked, interrupting Gordon.

  “Listen, I understand; but this is everyone’s food, not just yours,” Gordon responded pointedly.

  “When are we going to get more food?” the first man asked.

  “We need more food!” the woman next to the man said with emotion in her voice. She started to cry.

  Gordon knew it was futile for him to even have this back and forth. He didn’t know what to do with them, but he knew now he couldn’t trust them.

  “Look at what you have done!” Gordon exclaimed, pointing to the remnants of the clubhouse. Gordon knew it was a waste of time to even attempt to put it out, it was a total loss.

  “We’re sorry, we didn’t mean for this to happen,” the elderly man said.

  “Intentions are nothing. You’ve now left us with nothing except what you have in your own homes!” Gordon screamed at the man. He was so disgusted he couldn’t look at them any longer. He turned around and approached Eric.

  “What are we going to do with them?” Eric asked.

  “They don’t belong here anymore. They leave tonight.”

  Eric nodded.

  Overhearing what Gordon had told Eric, the man with two children screamed, “You can’t do that!”

  Gordon turned around and answered the man by saying, “Decisions have consequences.” Gordon then turned back to Eric and said, “Make it happen.”

  All of the detainees began to cry out and beg not to be thrown out of the community.

  Gordon ignored their pleas and walked off.

  Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

  “General, what you’re proposing is treason,” Houston said with a concerned tone.

  “I like the president, but I don’t believe killing millions of people without the full knowledge of who attacked us is the correct plan of action. He constantly has emotional outbursts and doesn’t seem to be in command of all his faculties. I don’t believe he has the moral authority to lead,” Griswald answered with passion.