State of Panic: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

by Jack Hunt

“Actually he did. Well, Corey and Billy.”

  “That figures.”

  “You got a spare weapon?”

  I pulled the Glock from my waistband and handed it to her. “You know how to—”

  Before I could say anything she had released the magazine, checked it and reloaded.

  “You were saying?”

  “Do you know what room she’s in?” I asked.

  “No, we’re going to have to check them all. They grabbed her though, I saw it happen.”

  Suddenly I thought about what that guy had said. Ally must have caught the change of expression.

  “What is it?”

  I breathed in. “I think I know which area she might be in.”

  A few minutes later we were making our way down the corridor. I retraced my steps back to the main lobby and crossed over to the next hallway.

  “What room?”

  “I don’t know. I saw them head in this direction. One of them said…” I trailed off.

  “What is it?”

  I was about to respond when we were spotted. The skinhead yelled. I grabbed Ally and we fled, heading towards an exit at the far end. I unloaded several rounds behind us as we kept running. The moment I shouldered the door, Ally hesitated while returning fire.

  “What are you doing? Let’s go!”

  “I’m not leaving without her.”

  “It’s too late.”

  “No.”

  “We’ll come back.”

  I could see even more skinheads pouring out of doors. It was only a matter of time before a bullet hit us.

  “Come on,” I shouted, motioning for her to run because three more were coming down the side of the building.

  We raced into the surrounding forest. My throat burned and my thighs protested as we tried to lose them. Running was like wading through thick mud. The forest floor was covered in veiny tree roots that protruded up, and massive amounts of evergreen plants and shrubs. Ally tripped and face planted. I hauled her up while shooting between the trees. I could see there were about ten of them fanning out.

  The further we ran into the forest, the darker it got as branches spider webbed above a canopy that blocked out daylight. As we came over a rise, it suddenly dropped off and both of us stumbled down, rolling and picking up speed. If the AR-15 hadn’t been attached to a strap I would have lost it for sure. I collided hard with the ground and came to a rest about forty feet down the steep incline. Ally was off to my left side. She was groaning. I put a finger up to my lips trying to get her to remain quiet.

  I could hear them above us.

  “Where did they go?”

  “You see them?”

  “Over this way.”

  Their boots pounded the forest floor and slowly became distant. In that time I didn’t move an inch. Once I was sure they were gone I crawled my way over. Every muscle in my body ached. My shirt was torn down the side and I had a gash on the side of my ribs. Breathing hurt, so I wasn’t sure if I had broken a rib or not. When I got over to Ally, she was in an even worse state. Her dark hair was full of dirt and leaves. As I looked down at her leg I grimaced. There was a piece of branch sticking into her thigh.

  “Just help me up.”

  “With that in you?”

  “I’m not sitting here and bleeding out.”

  “Aren’t we supposed to break it and leave the piece in you?”

  “Just do it.”

  She placed a hand over her mouth and I looked at her briefly before I yanked hard. It was as sick as shit pulling it out. Now she had a wound on her right leg that was bleeding badly. I took off my shirt, tore a section, then wrapped it around her thigh and tied it.

  “You think you can move?”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  I put one of her arms around my shoulders and began hauling her up. She groaned loudly and I paused for a second to check. They were still in the forest. I could hear them shouting.

  “We need to move fast.”

  “Follow the stream, that way.”

  I assumed she knew where she was going because I hadn’t a clue. Everywhere we turned looked the same. Trees for miles. Dense vegetation and the sound of skinheads yelling. We stumbled further down the incline, sliding occasionally and a few times falling on our asses. When we made it to the bottom, we could see the stream, it lapped up against the banks. I was paranoid that at any minute they were going to jump us. But it never happened. We stumbled across the stream getting our clothes soaked in the process. We followed it on the other side of the bank for a mile or two before we took a break under a large oak tree. I removed the cloth around her leg and went down to the water and squeezed out the blood. I soaked it good, squeezed the excess and reapplied it. Looking around the forest I saw a plant that had large leaves. I went over and snapped one off, I used it as a cup to collect water and give it to Ally. She drank it down fast.

  “You think you can keep going?”

  She nodded and I helped her back up. The last thing I wanted was to be found outside. There was no telling how long they would search for us. After killing one of the men back at the home for the elderly, it was certain they would be hunting us for a while. We pressed on downstream away from the town. How long we walked, I’m not sure. When Ally said she couldn’t go any further, I placed the rifle in her hands because she had lost the Glock in the fall.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I registered the fear in her eyes. There had to be a home nearby. We were close to the main road that led into Mount Pleasant. I dashed through the forest until I came across two cabins in the distance. I crouched down behind large plant life and spied on the property for a few minutes before approaching. Circling around back, I looked through the dirt stained window. There was no movement. I tried the back door. It was locked. I used my elbow to break the glass and reached inside. Once I was certain that no one was in any of the rooms, I returned for Ally. She was jumpy when I arrived, thinking I was one of them.

  Once we made it to the cabin, I barricaded the door with a large wooden cabinet and then used a table to do the same for the front door. I fished around inside the cupboards for a first-aid kit. I found some clean bandages. There was no lotion or anything that might have helped me clean the wound. Inside a drawer was a pair of scissors. I returned to the living room and began cutting up the pant leg.

  “Hey, don’t go too high.”

  The wound looked nasty, but once I got some water on it and wiped away some of the dirt, it didn’t seem too bad. It was going to hurt for some time but she’d live. I went and looked around an office, and then in the living room. It was sparse, partially furnished and lacked a woman’s touch. That’s when I found a bottle of bourbon. I used it to clean the wound. Ally grimaced as I poured it on her leg. She then grabbed it from me and took a swig.

  “I think you should be okay. Just a flesh wound,” I remarked with a faint smile.

  She studied me as I leaned back and tried to catch my breath. We sat there in the quiet occasionally glancing at one another.

  Ally took another swig. “So how did you end up at my father’s program?”

  “A pissed-off judge and an equally pissed-off foster parent.”

  She smirked. “No, I mean what did you do?”

  “I was caught with drugs. They got me for intent to sell.”

  “Were you? Selling, I mean?”

  “Yeah. Though to be fair they weren’t mine. I was doing a favor for a friend.”

  She nodded and offered me the bottle. I took it and chugged back the amber liquid. It felt like fire going down my throat. I was more into drinking beer than spirits. I got up and went over to the window to check if there was anyone outside. Satisfied that there was no one I sat back down.

  “That tattoo on your wrist.”

  I glanced at it making a mental note to get it removed if I ever made it out of this mess.

  “What about it?”

  “They make you do that too?”

  “No, I
did that on my own accord. I kind of wish I hadn’t now.”

  “But you didn’t know about what they were going to do, did you?”

  “No. This is as much a shock to me as it is to anyone else.”

  “But didn’t they talk about this?”

  “No. I mean, they talked about taking back the country but I didn’t think it meant this. They don’t share everything with you.”

  “Just the stuff that gets you in trouble.”

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  I took another swig from the bottle then handed it to her. She was shivering.

  “I’ll go get us some towels.”

  Our clothes were soaked through from falling into the stream. I returned a few minutes later and handed over one. I dried off my hair and she looked at me.

  “A little privacy?”

  My eyebrows rose. “Sure.”

  The living room had French doors. I pulled them together and changed out of my clothes, dried off and then rooted around the rooms for something I could wear in the meantime. The cabin must have belonged to a hunter. All I could find was camouflage tops, plaid shirts and zero pants.

  “Any luck?” Ally asked.

  I opened the door partially and caught a glimpse of her. She had her top off and was hugging her breasts with one arm. I stood there for a second and swallowed hard.

  “Are you just going to stand there and gawk?”

  “Sorry. Um. Here you go.” I tossed her a shirt.

  VISITORS

  It would take a while for our clothes to dry and time wasn’t something we had. “How did you manage to survive last night?” I asked. I was still puzzled at the fact that she had managed to escape the skinheads even though she had stayed the entire night in the same residence that some of them had slept in.

  “I told you. I hid. When they went door to door checking the rooms I pushed up the ceiling tiles and stayed there until they left.”

  “Resourceful.” I looked down at the ripped jeans. “You should probably take them off.”

  “I bet you would like that, wouldn’t you?”

  I smirked. “I didn’t mean it like that. Besides that’s the last thing on my mind.”

  “Really?”

  I turned my eyes away from her and went over to the window thinking I heard something outside. A wind blew the leaves. I thought I saw movement in the tree line but there was nothing.

  “We should really go back.”

  “You are in no state to be going back to the residence.”

  “Kiera is there by herself.”

  “I understand but everyone is in the same predicament. Hiding, running. We don’t know how many of them are inside that building. I shouldn’t have even gone in there by myself.”

  “Why didn’t you bring others with you?”

  “I did, they were across the road checking other homes.” I stared at her for a second and she looked as if she was becoming self-conscious. “Have you eaten anything?”

  She shook her head. I nodded. “Okay, I’ll see what I can find.”

  I went back out into the kitchen and started looking through the cupboards for canned goods. There were canned beans and soup. Without some way to cook them they would taste pretty nasty but it was all we had. I checked the drawer for a can opener and returned to the living room. Ally was wearing these skinny jeans, a large section was torn where I had ripped them to get at the wound and bandage it up. She had pulled them down and was examining the wound. Her ass was the first thing I saw when I came in. She whipped around and got this embarrassed look on her face.

  “Nothing I haven’t seen before,” I said placing a can of beans down and opening it there. She grabbed at the towel and wrapped it around her waist.

  “How come I never saw you with any girl?”

  “What?”

  “Before this.”

  I shrugged. “I haven’t been here long enough to get to know any, and let’s face it, I don’t exactly fit with in with the crowd.”

  She took a seat across from me and began peppering me with questions about where I had grown up.

  “How many foster homes have you been in?”

  “Too many.”

  I handed her the can and a fork. She began scooping it out and eating fast as though she hadn’t eaten for a week. She only slowed when she realized that I was looking. She chewed and swallowed hard.

  “I never liked beans but I’m famished.”

  “Amazing how picky we get when everything is before us, isn’t it?”

  She nodded.

  “Your father. What’s the deal with him?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When did he separate from your mother?”

  “Three years ago.”

  “Why?”

  She had a mouthful of food. She cleared her throat before answering. “My father had always been away with the teams. SEAL teams. We didn’t really see him much and when we did he wasn’t exactly there, if you know what I mean.” She paused and began digging at the food in the can. “I guess my mother got lonely.”

  “And Matt?”

  “Was an old work friend of my mother’s. She’s a nurse.”

  It dawned on me that I hadn’t told her that Matt was dead. I wasn’t sure how she would react so I decided not to say anything. We had enough on our plate as it was. The last thing she needed was more bad news. If we managed to get out of this I figured her mother would tell her.

  “Why did your father leave the teams?”

  “After my mother filed for divorce. He kind of went to pieces for a while. He said it was PTSD but I know him better than that. Besides, do you think anyone would have allowed him to get involved in a program helping others if they thought he was mentally unstable?”

  I chuckled.

  “Something amusing about that?”

  “No. Just after what we went through in the past month in the wilderness, I’m pretty sure most would have said he was unstable.”

  She shook her head and the corner of her lip went up. “That’s more Dan than him.” She finished up the can of beans and set it on a side table. Ally got up and hobbled a little over to where a fireplace was. She picked up a photo frame of an Indian family.

  “Where do you think they went?” she asked.

  I didn’t answer her. I had caught something out the side of my eye. Movement by the window. At first I thought it was just blurred vision but when I saw it a second time I was certain it had been someone peering in.

  “Ally.” She turned around still holding the photo frame.

  “Put the frame down, smile at me and then come over.”

  “What?”

  “Just do as I say.”

  My eyes darted to the window and then back to her without moving my head. She must have understood as she laid the photo back down and shuffled over. We walked out into the corridor.

  “Go upstairs. If you hear anything, get out the window and run.”

  I went over to the back door where the large wooden cabinet was and tried to see if I could get a better look at who was outside. When I saw the door handle begin to turn I pointed for her to go. I readied the rifle and backed away. The door unlocked and whoever was on the other side pushed against it but the door just hit up against the cabinet.

  I contemplated shooting through the door but without knowing who it was, I didn’t want to risk killing an innocent. It was possible that someone else was looking for somewhere to hide. I moved back into the living room and went over to the window. They were gone. I was about to join Ally, when I heard the sound of a window being shifted up in the room across the hallway. I edged my way over to the French doors and pushed on aside. With my finger dancing near the trigger I felt my pulse race as I heard heavy boots hit the hardwood floor. I shouldered the rifle and prepared to fire. Whoever it was shuffled through the next room into the kitchen and began rummaging around in the cupboards.

  I eased my way around the French door, then slowly approached. They wer
e wearing a large anorak that covered them from their head to their knees.

  “Slowly turn around,” I said with the gun aimed at them from across the room. Their hands went up. Just as they began turning I heard a click right by my ear.

  “Drop it.”

  Shit! I thought. I began bending at the knees to lower the gun when I saw who it was in the jacket. “Billy? Shit. I could have killed you.”

  “Sam.”

  I turned to find Corey behind me. “Surprise.”

  “You assholes,” I replied grabbing up my weapon.

  “Ah, it was his idea. He said it would freak you out. I borrowed the jacket from a house. Like it? By the way, where are your pants?”

  I shook my head. “Drying off.”

  “Yeah I bet. Where is she?” Billy asked.

  I hollered up the stairs. “Ally. It’s okay, you can come out.” Her feet padded across the floor and then she came down. Billy’s eyebrows rose. “Well damn, if I’d known you were getting it on, I would have left you to it.”

  Ally still had the towel wrapped around her waist and the shirt she was wearing was a little bit too big for her. The top buttons at the front were undone enough that Billy got a good shot of her cleavage.

  “Don’t be a dick.” She brushed past him and he sniffed, smelling her hair like a freak. I scowled at him. A minute later she reappeared from the living room wearing the torn jeans.

  “How did you know we were here?”

  “We heard the gunfire and figured we should come and help.”

  “Oh, you figured that, did you?” Ally asked.

  “What’s the deal with her?” Billy asked thumbing at her but asking me. “Anyway, we saw you make a break for it into the forest.”

  I went over to the window and looked out. “Anyone follow you?”

  “Do you really think we are that dumb?”

  Corey didn’t say anything. He went back into the kitchen and began looking for some food. I told him there were a few cans of beans left.

  “Did you see where they went?”

  “Yeah, they circled back around to the residence. Anyway, are we getting out of here?” Billy took out a packet of cigarettes and banged one out. He placed it between his lips and lit it then blew a big puff of grey smoke.