The Vanishing (The End of Time Chronicles Book 1)

by Heath Jannusch

  “Alright lads, this here’s the situation,” said Sam, “Luke and I have been talking it over and we’ve come to the decision that we need to send out a scouting party. We must know the damage to the surrounding communities and see if there’s any local news to be had. We’re asking for volunteers to come along. I’ll be leading the party me-self.”

  “How about you Shiloh?” asked Luke, pointing directly at him.

  “No thanks,” said Shiloh, “trouble finds me on its own. I’ve no desire to go out looking for it. Besides, I wanna get back to my ranch. Why don’t you just stay here and deal with the problems at hand, like rebuilding our town, getting the electricity back on and the plumbing working? Most importantly, we should be fortifying the town from the possibility of attack by looters!”

  “Attack, who’d attack us,” scoffed Luke, perched on his chair.

  “Anyone who wants what we have,” answered Shiloh. “In case you haven’t noticed, this event has affected the entire world and many people are now in desperate need. The key word here is desperate, in case you missed it. We may be on our own for a while. Have you seen the news?” he asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the television. “Governments around the world are stumbling to recover from the devastation. While they fumble to regain control, the evil men of this world will have free reign. If we don’t plan ahead, it might get very uncomfortable for all of us.”

  “Aye lad, I agree with what you’re saying,” said Sam, intervening, “we do need to be prepared. Therefore, since ya do not wish to come with us, would ya consider leading the fortification of the town instead?”

  “I’m flattered, but I know a better man for the job,” Shiloh nudged Ian, who sat sitting on his bar stool, sipping on his whiskey, not even paying attention. “Ian St. Clair was a United States Marine and he’s one hell of a soldier. I recommend him for the job.”

  Ian staggered up from his stool, with Shiloh helping to steady him. “But I thought we were heading back to the ranch, isn’t that what you want?” he asked Shiloh, confused.

  “Yes it is,” smiled Shiloh, “but I can tell that you’d like to stay in town a little longer.” Shiloh glanced over at Jessie sitting with July in the corner. Ian followed his gaze and returned his smile. “Not to mention,” Shiloh continued, “with Sam gone, the town will need someone smart and strong watching over it.”

  Ian looked flattered. “Well, I suppose I know a few tricks that might work,” he said with a grin.

  “So Mayor Sullivan,” asked Shiloh, “what do ya say?”

  “I think it’s a grand idea,” said Sam, smiling at Ian. “Feel free to recruit as many men as ya like. As for those lads volunteering for the scouting party, meet me over yonder and we’ll formulate a plan,” he added, pointing toward the corner of the bar.

  The Big Muddy

  The Vanishing – Day 2

  St. Louis, Missouri

  It was very dark by the time Lex reached the Mississippi River, or the Big Muddy, as some of the locals called it, on the border between Illinois and Missouri. He’d been driving all day long stopping only once, for food and gas, at a farm that he’d noticed with a gas tank. Lex had an eerie sense that someone was following him. It was probably just his imagination, but he couldn’t shake the feeling. One thing Lex knew was that you should always trust your gut instincts, especially, if you didn’t want to regret it later.

  The Big Muddy had flooded this year, beginning in the early spring. As Lex dismounted the dune buggy and gazed down at the river, searching for a place to cross, he realized that floods and other natural disasters had been occurring with greater frequency over the past several years.

  The last two years had been record breaking and this year had definitely been the worst so far. There’d been horrible wildfires throughout the west, and the southwest and southern plains had been suffering from record-breaking heat waves and drought. The southeastern and Midwestern states had been hit with several outbreaks of tornados.

  In the last two years alone, almost every record had been broken; earliest, latest, biggest, most people killed, most populated areas in one day, most sightings in one day, and most expensive damage. The rest of the world had been hit just as hard and the devastation was worse than anyone could’ve ever imagined.

  Lex had pulled the dune buggy to a stop at the edge of what was left of the Poplar Street Bridge. He needed to cross over this bridge to continue on I-70, but the meteor shower had washed away the center of the bridge, making it impossible to go across. He would have to find another way to traverse the swollen banks.

  Shining a flashlight out into the darkness, Lex could see the glint of moonlight reflecting off the water’s surface. For the first time, he noticed that the moon was still red and wondered if the moon was actually red, or if he was just seeing red because of something in the atmosphere. Lex was suddenly startled when Kassie began barking at something in the darkness. She was sitting in the buggy, behind Lex, and looking off to the south.

  “What is it girl?” Lex strained his ears into the night, and after a moment, a smile spread across his face. In the distance, he heard the subtle sound of a train whistle. “Good girl,” he said, praising the dog, which made her tail wag in delight.

  Lex climbed back into the buggy and headed south toward the train and hopefully a train bridge. Unlike most cars, the dune buggy had a narrow frame. With a little luck, Lex believed the buggy would fit on the tracks so that he could drive across the bridge and make it to the other side of the river.

  There was a dirt road that ran parallel to the river and Lex turned down it. In the rear view mirror, he noticed another set of headlights turn off from the main road and begin to follow him, confirming his earlier suspicions. When he reached the train bridge a few minutes later, he decided to cross immediately, instead of waiting till morning. A night crossing was dangerous but something told Lex that the headlights behind him brought something even more dangerous. He quickly drove the buggy up onto the train tracks and started out across the bridge.

  “Please God, don’t let there be a train coming from the other direction!” prayed Lex, as he slowly and carefully drove across the icy rapids below.

  The bridge was just barely wide enough for the dune buggy, with about one inch of space on either side of the tires. If he turned the wheel too much in either direction, the whole buggy would fall over the side and into the frigid, dark water beneath. Lex was a little surprised at himself, he didn’t usually get into messes like this, but of course everything was different now.

  The train bridge was long and Lex was about halfway across, when shots rang out from behind him. He could hear the buzz of several bullets speeding passed his head, almost causing him to swerve off of the narrow tracks. He pressed his foot down on the gas, trying to gain distance between himself and his pursuers. It only took a few minutes to make it all the way across to the other side, but it felt like the longest minutes of his life.

  Lex pulled off the tracks, parked the buggy behind some thick trees and bushes, and only then did he take the risk of looking back. The hail of gunfire had stopped and he could no longer see the headlights, or anything for that matter. He killed the engine and headlights, and then quickly climbed out of the dune buggy.

  Lex immediately grabbed one of the rifles that he’d confiscated from the three hillbillies’ on the farm. He wondered if they’d perhaps gotten free from their restraints and followed him all this way. He quickly took up position behind a boulder where he had a clear view of the bridge and anything coming across. Lex could hear men’s voices on the opposite side of the river; they were discussing their options and arguing over whether or not to follow.

  After a few moments, Lex watched as a set of headlights turned onto the tracks and slowly began to set off across the bridge. He quickly realized that they too had dune buggies, or some other type of narrow framed vehicle. Lex waited patiently and let the headlights draw closer to him, hoping that he could handle what was coming.


  When the vehicle was about half way across the bridge, Lex began firing his rifle. He wasn’t shooting at anyone directly; he just sent a scattering of bullets in the direction of the headlights. His intention was to scare them into giving up and force them to retreat back across the bridge.

  Lex fired several more shots, taking out one of the headlights. The remaining headlight swerved to the left and the dune buggy rolled off of the tracks. The vehicle fell into the rushing water and Lex could hear a man scream, as he disappeared into the darkness below. The night became silent for just a moment and then suddenly erupted into gunfire, as shots from the opposite bank of the river began to light up the dark.

  Lex held his fire. It was not his intention to kill anyone, just to stop them from crossing. Crouching low to avoid a stray bullet, he worked his way back to the dune buggy. As he approached, Kassie stood up and began to wag her tail.

  “I doubt they’ll try that again anytime soon,” he said to the dog, as he sat down next to her. Lex quickly built a fire, and left it burning, as he and Kassie drove off into the night. He hoped to fool his pursuers into believing that he was still there and ready to ambush them if they even attempted to cross. Lex and Kassie drove all night long, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and those that followed.

  It was late in the evening, on the second day following the vanishing, when Lex, totally exhausted, finally stopped to sleep. He and Kassie spent the night at a rest area, just outside of Kansas City. The hour was well after midnight when Lex finally fell asleep, with Kassie lying next to him, her head resting on his leg. He lay in the grass, with the 9mm Berretta held tight in his hand, and slept soundly. It was hours before the sound of Kassie’s barking, finally woke him from the dream he was enjoying.

  Refugees

  The Vanishing – Day 3

  Clearview, Nevada

  Mayor Sullivan was able to recruit ten men for the scouting party before it set out. He led the volunteers on horseback out of town at daybreak. Sam left Deputy Mayor, Luke Slater, in charge during his absence. Shiloh had tried several times to change Sam’s mind about these choices, but he had to admit defeat when he waved goodbye to his eleven friends.

  Since Shiloh had been the one to nominate Ian as the town’s defender, he decided to stick around and help him get started on the fortifications. The group of men that Ian recruited were highly motivated and dedicated to the project at hand. Ian’s skills in commanding were impressive and the town quickly began to retake its former shape and beauty, as buildings were mended and houses rebuilt.

  Ian had men dig wide trenches around the town’s perimeter, to keep out any unwanted visitors. He even put together a team of mechanics, led by Rollin Hicks, whose job was to repair the older vehicles that had survived the meteor shower. There was still only a limited amount of fuel, so people were not using the vehicles yet. But everyone felt better just knowing they were there, in case of an emergency.

  Ian built lookout towers into the tops of tall trees to the north, south, east and west. The tower’s ensured that the town would receive advance notice in the event of an attack. Manned night and day, the lookout towers were equipped with an alarm bell and a signal fire to be used to notify the town of visitors, friendly or not. He also set up a town militia and held daily training exercises, which included target practice, physical fitness, and combat training.

  Some of the people grumbled complaints, believing the preparations to be excessive and unnecessary, but Ian persisted and most of them followed his lead. In the small town of Clearview, people still did things for each other, just because it was the right thing to do. Shiloh was proud of his friends for doing what Ian asked, even if some of them thought he was crazy.

  Before Shiloh knew it, one day turned into two and two into three, until finally it had been a week since the vanishings. He was eating breakfast at the Shady Lady, after finishing his morning drills with Ian, when he realized it had been a week since the scouting party had left. Today he was finally heading back to his ranch and was excited to do so. He’d just taken a bite of crispy bacon when he heard voices shouting outside. “I’m never gonna leave this town,” he mumbled, as he stood up and went out to explore.

  “Refugees!” shouted a voice from outside.

  In the middle of the street was a group of about twenty or so men and women. They looked like they’d been sleeping outdoors and traveling by foot for days. The refugees appeared tired and ragged, as the scraggly group came stumbling down Main Street. It seemed like the whole town had come out to see what the noise was all about.

  “Who’s in charge of your group?” questioned Luke, as he strutted out of the Sheriff’s office, with Sheriff Garrett at his heels.

  “We don’t really have a leader,” answered one of the men, “but Savannah has been the one making most of the decisions.”

  “Savannah, you’re led by a woman?” scoffed Luke, in disbelief.

  “A woman is just as capable as a man. Wouldn’t you agree sir?” encouraged a small, but full figured woman with jet black hair. Savanna had chocolate brown skin and coco brown eyes that held sparks of fire, as she gazed defiantly at Luke. Shiloh liked the woman immediately.

  “My name is Slater. Deputy Mayor Luke Slater and I’m afraid that you and these people can’t stay here. We simply don’t have enough food or water to support ourselves, let alone outsiders.”

  “But Mr. Slater, surely we can make ourselves useful in some way. We’ve been on the road for a long time now, and we seek only a place where we can rest and start fresh. Will you not welcome us into your town?”

  “Sorry Savannah, but we just don’t have the room,” Luke lied.

  “Sure we do,” called Shiloh, from the porch where he’d stood silently watching. “Half of the town is either dead or missing. We’ve plenty of room and plenty of work for those who are willing.”

  “We are willing,” answered Savannah, relieved to see that there were good people left in the world.

  “Good, than it’s settled,” smiled Shiloh.

  “I said no,” stammered Luke, “and I’m in charge here!”

  “Well I agree with Shiloh,” intervened Ian. “These people can help us in many ways and we have more than enough room for them. You’ve been overruled Slater. Now deal with it,” taunted Ian. “Come on folks I’ll show you around, we have several vacant homes that you can live in and many jobs for you to choose from, but everyone must participate in health, safety and self-defense drills in the morning. I’m sorry but the only exceptions will be granted by me.”

  “I noticed that the library was boarded up on my way through town,” commented Savannah. “I used to be a librarian. Perhaps I could clean it up and get it operating again?”

  “That sounds great!” exclaimed Rupert, who stood listening in the crowd.

  “We’ll get you washed up and get you some clean clothes and food. Then we’ll get you all settled into your new homes. Tomorrow we can find jobs for each of you,” suggested Ian, guiding the group toward the vacant homes that he’d spoken of.

  Shiloh watch as the group walked off with Ian. Satisfied that the town was in good hands, he turned and without a word to anyone, headed toward the station wagon. He stopped for just a moment, after noticing a rainbow off in the distance. Admiring its beauty, Shiloh sighed softly.

  “Magnificent isn’t it!” commented Rupert, from behind him.

  Shiloh glanced at Rupert and smiled, “Yes, I’ve always liked rainbows, ever since I was a kid.”

  “Me too!” smiled Rupert. “Every time I see one; I’m reminded of God and his love for us. Do you know the history of the rainbow?”

  “Nope,” answered Shiloh, hoping this didn’t ruin his chance to get back to his ranch.

  “After the great flood,” began Rupert, “God made a covenant with Noah, that He would never again destroy the earth with water. The rainbow is the sign that God gave us to let us know that He remembers His promise. A rainbow is the sun’s reflec
tion off of the water particles in the air, and before the great flood; the earth was covered in clouds so thick, that sunlight couldn’t penetrate them enough to create a rainbow.

  During the flood,” continued Rupert, “this cloud cover turned into rain for the first time in the history of the world. Noah and his family were the first to ever see an actual rainbow or to feel direct sunlight on their skin. Read it for yourself,” suggested Rupert, with a big smile on his face. “It’s in the beginning of the Bible, in the Book of Genesis,” he added, extending his Bible to Shiloh, who graciously accepted it.

  Shiloh glanced down at the Bible in his hands. Judging by the wear and tear of the cover, it looked very old and very used. Some of the pages were folded and had passages highlighted. “Thanks,” he said, tossing the Bible onto the passenger seat of the station wagon.

  “Anytime, the Bible can answer any question you have and guide you through any problem. It’s the only true history book in existence,” said Rupert, proudly. “Are you sure you won’t stay here in town, we could really use you?”

  “Thanks again, but I’ve already stayed longer than I intended. I need to get back to the ranch and check on Alfonso.”

  “Of course, God bless you Shiloh. I’ll pray that you find everything as it should be. Have a safe trip back and check on us soon. I know that many of the people in town will be missing you.”

  “Thanks!” Shiloh smiled, as he climbed into the wagon feeling surprisingly blessed to be loved by so many good people. “Goodbye!”

  Shiloh started the engine and drove down Main Street, heading north out of town. He was in a hurry to get back and check on Alfonso. He also wanted to know if the meteor shower had destroyed the secret project that he’d been working so hard on, for so long. As he sped out of town, Shiloh was so preoccupied by his thoughts that he didn’t see Jessie standing in the middle of the street, watching and waving, as he drove away.