Prepper: A Story of the Future Collapse

by Franz Bates

  Reporter: The helicopter that carries the president’s daughter crashed this morning in Talladega. The rescuers are still trying to determine if there are survivors in the crash. As of this moment, the president cannot give out any statements yet as she is focusing on the rescue operations. The media asked the president if there is a foul play, but the president cannot answer questions yet.

  Seth and Father Alain both instantly knew what this news meant for the United States. President Hillary White might take a short leave from her position in order to properly mourn the loss of her daughter. They both do not like politics but they knew that it would be the Speaker of the House who will take over since the vice president has fallen also because of Superpox-99. Seth has met Mr. Kennedy, the speaker of the House many times in his long years of service and he can say that this man has no good track record in public service. He worried about the new changes to come in the government now that major changes in heads running it will happen.

  The two continued with their separate journeys both hoping to get to their destinations safely. As Seth drove back to the cabin, he thought about the news about the President’s daughter. His mind drifted back to those times of his visit to his father in Talladega prison. He began to wonder how he will start in searching for him amidst all these chaotic situations brought about by the spread of the Superpox-99. He thought about contacting his old friend to confirm that this virus is weak in places with abundant oxygen. If this case is proven true, then the Blue Ridge Mountains will be the safest place for now. He made a mental note to call D.T in the next morning. Seth hoped he could get answers from his childhood friend.

  Chapter Nine

  Back in Talladega, Amelia has just turned down two opponents that attacked them. William was extremely sick and it got even worse during the encounter. He cannot move at all and he was shrugging off Amelia as if asking him to leave and proceed without him. Amelia couldn’t see the point of arguing at this time, so with a heavy heart, he left his very good friend. He knew that his friend is dying at any moment after he leaves. Amelia is literally crying as he walked away. William has been a good student and a good friend to him. He is responsible for all the perks he is getting in his entire stay inside the prison cell. He owes this guy a lot up to the last breath that he has. He went out of the prison gate and he kept walking until he cannot see the gates that contained his life for the last 10 years. It feels odd for Amelia to be liberated at the first time. He couldn’t make up his mind where to go and what to do first off. One thing is for sure, he will go back home to his wife and kids.

  As he was walking along, trying to get a ride. He came across a crash site of wrecked UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that landed on the roof of a restaurant. Several cars were damaged and Amelia cannot find any signs of life at the crash site. He was about to walk away when he heard smalls cries from a young lady. He immediately searched for her location tried to detect where the voice is coming from. After few minutes of roaming around, he found the young lady amidst the wrecked helicopter. She was trying to escape but large chunks of the crashed vehicle were on top of her. Amelia used all of his strength to help the victim until she was able to stand up. Amelia immediately carried her out of the crash site and seated her in one corner of the road. The young lady was crying but he was looking at Amelia intently.

  Please help me. We were going to my mom in Blue Mont, Virginia when suddenly the helicopter had an engine problem. The girl cried.

  Virginia is still far away from here. But I will help you find a ride. You can come with me for the meantime. I am also heading somewhere. It is very dangerous to be out on the streets alone. Do you know that some bad guys from the prison are out to kill people? Amelia talked to the girl as if she was his daughter. She remembered her own little daughter he misses so much. Amelia remembered her always asking him to build him a doll house, a tree house, and even a dog house. He missed the time he would pick her up at school and she will beg her to drop by a pizza house. As Amelia was reminiscing the memories, he heard the girl he rescued ask something.

  I’m sorry what did you say? Amelia glanced at her.

  Are you a prisoner? Did you escape too? The girl asked, looking worried. For a moment Amelia thought if he would tell the truth to the girl. She might run away if he told the truth. And with all honesty, Amelia is concerned on how the girl will survive in such dangerous part of the city. Convicts are everywhere and surely there is no chance for this little girl not to be seen by those. Yes, I am a prisoner, but I was set free. Amelia lied. The girl seemed to have noticed his gesture. She moved away immediately, feeling unsafe. Amelia felt it so he asked for the girl’s name. The girl did not reply. Amelia tried a few more times but he failed to make the girl talk. He decided to walk away, hoping that the girl would call him back and finally talk. Amelia was right. After few steps away the girl shouted. It’s Elizabeth! Amelia stopped and looked back. The girl followed him. Amelia gladly took her hand and introduced his name politely.

  My name is Amelia. You come with me until we reached the bigger cities. I can help you find a telephone booth so you could call your mom and tell her to fetch you. Is that alright? Amelia tried to convince the young girl. He is praying secretly that the girl would trust him. As if nature has its own way of blessing him, the girl replied yes to her. They started looking for an abandoned car in the crash site that they can use to move forward. Even before they found one, they heard motorcycles approaching their direction. The pace of the riders indicates a coming trouble so Amelia asked Elizabeth to hide at the back of the abandoned restaurant. He warned Elizabeth to never go out of the hiding place until he comes back. When Amelia came out to face the riders, he pretended he is doing something in the car. He recognized them as the dangerous group inside the prison. Amelia! Adam, the leader of the group called him. He knows that voice very well. They are rivals inside but he never even tried answering back in Adam’s mocking jokes. Amelia felt that their long-time rivalry will be ended today in a fist fight.

  Amelia tried to avoid them, hoping that they would just go away but Adam stood straight in front of him and challenged him to a fight. His two other companions are standing to his left and right. Amelia quickly pulled out the small pistol and fired two shots to left and right. Adam was shocked to see his two other companions lying dead both with gunshots in his head. Amelia faces Adam at this point.

  If you want a fair fight, we can do it one on one. Now that you don’t have any backups, are you still up for it? Amelia is almost tempted to ridicule Adam this time. Adam attacked Amelia but he was able to brush him off easily. Adam fell on the ground and he immediately stood back up and launched himself to Amelia to which the latter manage to avoid. Amelia launched his strongest front kick to the abdomen of Adam and punched him in the left temple of his head. With those two strikes, Adam fell off the ground unconsciously. Upon seeing him finally down, Amelia ran to Elizabeth’s location and immediately asks her to look for supplies such as food, clothes in the abandoned restaurant while he looked around for any car that they can use. As soon as they found the necessities they can bring, Amelia drove off that place and headed to the main road’s direction.

  While spending a long drive together, Amelia tried to pull off some information from his new found company. Gladly the young girl seemed to have warmed up to him as she tries to share some general information about her.

  Just call me Liz for short, I was born in the United Kingdom when my mother was taking up her doctorate studies there but I grew up in Washington D.C. Elizabeth shared to him.

  I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. I met my wife there and we have two children. They are both grown up now. My eldest is a boy; he is now Deputy Marshal of the State. My youngest daughter is a newspaper editor. Amelia replied to which the girl just nodded. They talked about their families their school and educational backgrounds, their likes and dislikes. Elizabeth learned that Amelia is a martial arts instructor that accidentally killed someone in try
ing to help a robbed woman. He got convicted by the court for killing because he is not a law enforcer to put the law into his own hands. He spent many years in prison but Elizabeth could see a good person and a father in him. From the way he talked about his kids and his wife, she could see that he really loved them. When it’s Elizabeth’s turn to talk, she felt a little guilty for not fully trusting him with her details. She told Amelia that she is a motocross player back in high school to which the latter is amazed. For a small young woman like her, being a motocross fanatic is far from what people could think of her. Elizabeth also mentioned that her mother asked her to stop because it’s too dangerous.

  Why did you stop? It’s something that your heart desires. Tell that to your mom and she would understand. Amelia tried to convince Liz.

  I’ve tried countless times and we will just end up in an argument. So I will just concede because I don’t want to add to the cause of her stress. She had enough already of that. Liz added. Amelia understood the young girl’s point but even though she has shared a lot of things about herself, he could still sense that the girl is still hiding vital information about her background. After a few hours of talking, Elizabeth fell asleep.

  Amelia took the chance to focus on his driving while planning their days ahead. Later at dinner time, they will look for a place to stop by. He will let Elizabeth take her dinner while he will check for the car’s engine. Amelia thought about how he will get home to the Blue Ridge Mountains where his family lives. Before he could do that, he needs to assure first that Elizabeth is home and safe with her family. Amelia wondered if he could listen to the news about this virus that seemed to have infected some prisoners. He remembered that this infection was the reason as to why some of them were set free but also became the reason why even those in the maximum security were able to escape and run away.

  He began to wonder if Seth is on the streets again performing his law enforcement duties. Knowing his son, he will not just sit around and watch the society melt down because of a virus. Seth is always in the front line of his duty, serving his countrymen to the best of his ability. He never mentioned it to Seth but he was so proud of how Seth has become. Although they had some misunderstandings when he got convicted, his love for his son never diminished. He wonders if one day, the can resume their combat lesson sessions as father and son. He would never admit it, even to his self, but he missed his son so much. Amelia continued driving while the thoughts of his family continue to float in his mind. He will make sure that William’s sacrifice will not go for anything. He will make use of this freedom to rebuild his broken relationships with his family and to help the community that needs good people like him the most right now.

  Chapter Ten

  We would like to appeal to your good hearts, to extend your patience and understanding for the situation. The president just recently lost her husband because of the Superpox-99, and yesterday her daughter got involved in a helicopter crash. Let’s give her some private time to mourn for her family. – Mr. Kennedy, the Speaker of the House faced the interviews in behalf of the president.

  Is there an angle for a possible foul play in the helicopter crash? CNN Reporter directly asked Kennedy. There is none. The investigators said that the engine of the helicopter had a trouble and things got out of hand that resulted in the accident. The rescuers did not find any survivor in the crash. Casualties include the president’s only daughter. Kennedy denied the issues arising out of the accident.

  A few minutes later, President Hillary appeared from her private office and faced the media. She thanked everyone that expressed their sympathy for her losses. She also announced that the rescuers and investigators declared the crash site totally lifeless. She is asking for further investigations to find her daughter’s remains. She also announced and signed papers appointing Mr. Kennedy as the new acting Vice President of the United States. President Hillary knew that this is a critical decision. If she will backtrack Kennedy’s performance in the last few years, it will be a history full of involvements in many controversies. She herself wondered how magical this official can get away with those issues. She is left with no choice since her vice president was taken away by Superpox-99. Hillary went back to her office. She can’t help but contemplate on her decision to appoint Kennedy. Now that she is planning to delve deeper in the search and rescue operations of her daughter, she might need to pass on some of her responsibilities to the newly appointed vice president. Hillary White’s thoughts were plagued by many possibilities when suddenly she heard a knock on the door. She opened it from her control buttons and it revealed her assistant Michael. He has been working for the president since he graduated Political Science in Washington. Michael is the only assistant to the President that had gotten close to her daughter.

  I asked them to stop bringing you coffee so that you would be obliged to eat. Michael said as he approached the table of Hillary. The president smiled briefly at her assistant’s genuine concern. You sound exactly like Liz, I bet she gave you that idea in one of your many demo lessons together. Hillary responded to which Michael only smiled back. Apart from being the president’s personal assistant, Michael is also her daughter’s tutor for music. Apparently, the president discovered her daughter’s love for a violin when she attended one of her school events and Michael offered his tutoring services. The two easily clicked and became good friends. President Hillary was confident that Michael will take her of Liz just like his own little sister. When things started to get rough because of the Superpox-99 outbreak, she immediately sent Michael to Washington, for his safety against the infectious virus and to make sure that Liz is ok. But even before, Michael was able to fly to Washington; the news broke out that state also got rising cases of Superpo99 related deaths. So instead of Michael going to the White House, she ordered her security team to fly by helicopter and bring Liz to Virginia and that’s when the accident happened.

  Upon hearing the news, President Hillary crumbled in tears. She just lost her husband to the Suprepox-99 few days ago. And Liz was flying to Virginia so that they could spend more time together after the funeral. She cannot believe she lost her family in a span of a week. If Hillary would be honest to herself, she would say that she’s the weakest person standing on earth right now but that is ironic because she also happened to be the President of United States of America.

  She was taken away from her deep thoughts when she heard Michael cough. He brought him proper breakfast that includes eggs, bread and butter and a slice of apple. Michael politely asks her to finish the meal because she hasn’t really eaten anything for over a week now aside from few cups of coffee. The president felt obligated to eat, now that it was Michael asking for it. As she began to eat, they discussed the details of the special team they will form to search for her daughter. Michael is the only one left, with a firm belief that the president’s daughter cannot be declared dead without any remains found. So for him, Liz is still alive and he will continue his efforts to find her.

  After the long meeting with president Hillary, Michael went back to his small office located just on the same floor of the operations center. Upon entering his office, he remembered that Mr. Kennedy was asking for all the files of the deceased vice president that was given to him during the transition period. Upon learning that the vice president passed away, Hillary ordered Michael to immediately recover all the important documents inside the VP’s office. Michael gathers the several brown envelopes he obtained and ready to surrender it to Mr. Kennedy whose office is located one floor down from theirs. He took the elevator and headed to Mr. Kennedy’s office. When he reached the front door of his destination, Michael was about to knock when he heard someone shouting angrily from inside. To his assessment, it was Mr. Kennedy most likely talking to someone over the phone.

  What do you mean you can’t deliver as promised?! I paid a lot of money for this mission! Mr. Kennedy’s voice is laced with anger. I cannot accept excuses! Burn the whole site if it’s necessary. We cannot fail
at this, the only chance we have is this plan and nothing else! Mr. Kennedy drops the line and released a deep breath. He was obviously stressed. When Mr. Kennedy opened the door, he was shocked to see Michael standing in front of it. He seemed speechless for few seconds and Michael was just standing there, staring at him.

  Have you been standing there long? Mr. Kennedy asked nervously.

  No, I just got here. I was about to knock when you opened the door. Just in time. Did you hear my footsteps coming? Michael smiled sweetly and Mr. Kennedy’s face immediately smiled back. Feeling relieved, most probably. I came to bring these envelopes you were asking for early this morning. Michael handed him the envelopes carefully place in a small box. Mr. Kennedy examined them carefully and looked at him. Who else have the access to these files? He asked. No one else. It’s basically just me and the president, but now you have everything in your hands. Those are pertinent files in the office of the VP. The on-going projects, the running funds and future provisions for the VP campaigns. Before Mr. Kennedy can answer, Michael’s phone rang and he politely excused himself from answering an important call. Mr. Kennedy signaled him to proceed and he went back inside his office.