The Vanishing (The End of Time Chronicles Book 1)

by Heath Jannusch

  Ian however did notice the wave. He was standing behind Jessie, in front of the Shady Lady, with a beer in his hand. His heart sank a little, as he turned and walked back into the saloon. At least here, he could drink away his sorrow.

  Ramblin Rose Café

  The Vanishing – Day 3

  Kansas City, Kansas

  The sun was high in the sky when Lex opened his eyes. He glanced at his watch and discovered that it was a quarter after three. He’d slept for nearly fourteen hours straight. His body must have really needed the rest.

  Lex sat up in the grass and looked around, realizing where he was, and that the bark of a dog had awoken him. In the distance he could see Kassie chasing a dozen geese, as they ran squawking through the grass. Lex sighed; they’d spent too much time in one place and needed to get moving.

  “Come on Kassie, were leaving,” he shouted, as he gathered up his belongings and loaded them into the dune buggy. A few miles down I-70, they found a small town with a diner that had a yellow sign hanging outside that read, ‘Ramblin Rose Café – We Always Toast Your Buns.’ There were several cars in the parking lot, so they took the exit, hoping for a good meal.

  “I could go for a hot meal,” said Lex. “How about you Kassie, are ya hungry?” The dog looked at him and her ears perked up, as her head tilted to the side, almost as if she wasn’t sure that it was such a good idea.

  Lex pulled off the road and into the diner parking lot, excited to see the open sign in the window. He parked the buggy in front, where he could keep an eye on it from inside. He had no intention of losing his only transportation, in a world with few working cars. The dune buggy had a maximum speed of seventy-two miles per hour and on paved roads almost any car could quickly overtake it, however, off-road the buggy had no equal.

  Lex climbed out of the buggy and walked into the diner, with Kassie at his heels. He carried the black briefcase clenched in his hand, with the 9mm Berretta tucked behind his jacket. Once inside, he rubbed his eyes, getting them accustomed to the dimly lit diner. Lex then glanced around the room and quickly sized up each of the occupants within.

  In the corner booth, sat a stocky man with a bushy brown beard and kind, hazel eyes. He managed to smile at Lex, before hunching over his plate once more, and shoveling food into his mouth. He looked like a truck driver and probably owned the big rig that Lex had seen out front.

  Sitting opposite him, on the other side of the room, was a good-looking young couple. They sipped at their soda pop silently, staring at the empty plates in front of them. They appeared to be in shock, but who wasn’t right now, realized Lex.

  The only other guests in the diner were four men sitting together at the counter. They each wore red sashes tied to their arms and each carried a gun tucked into his belt. They sat there sipping coffee, having already finished their meals.

  “Sorry honey, no dogs allowed,” called out the elderly waitress from behind the counter.

  “The dog stays with me,” replied Lex. “I’ll be ordering food for both of us, so just think of her as another paying customer.”

  Lex didn’t wait for a response, he simply turned and strolled over to a table, where he could see the dune buggy and sat down. Kassie followed him and lay down at his feet. A moment later, the waitress approached Lex with a menu in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. She set the menu down on the table in front of Lex and without asking, poured him a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks,” he said, glancing at the menu. “I’d like two orders of the steak and eggs with hash browns, toast, and a large glass of orange juice, oh, and a bowl of water for the dog.”

  “How do ya want your steak and eggs cooked?” she asked.

  “Steak medium rare and eggs over medium please,” answered Lex.

  He closed the menu and handed it to back to the waitress and then picked up his coffee and took a sip, as she shuffled away with his order. He could hear the sound of sizzling, as the line cook dropped two juicy steaks into a hot pan on the stove top.

  A few minutes passed, while Lex sat there drinking his hot cup of coffee. The four men wearing red sashes finished their coffee and then stood up and sauntered toward his table. Lex immediately felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in anticipation.

  “Maybe you didn’t hear the woman,” said a man, wearing a leather jacket. “She said no dogs allowed.”

  The man had greasy, long brown hair that hung well past his shoulders, but more concerning, he looked like he was possessed by some kind of evil. Lex knew he had to be smart about this. He sat back in his chair and looked up at the man. He cleared his throat, smiled, and took another drink from his cup of coffee.

  “Hey buddy, I’m talking to you,” said the man, as he kicked Kassie, causing her to let out a yelp followed by a deep growl. He leaned forward resting his fists on the table in front of Lex.

  Lex bit down hard, clenching his jaw, in an attempt to control the rage he was sure these men were expecting. “Oh I heard you,” he said, as he took another drink to buy himself a moment to compose his thoughts, “but the waitress seems to be okay with it.”

  “Maybe the customers don’t like mutts in here,” sneered the man, attempting to bait him once again.

  “Well since you gentlemen have already eaten, you cease to be customers anymore, and the other customers don’t seem to mind. After all,” Lex smiled at the man, “they allowed rodents like the four of you in here, didn’t they?”

  The man’s grin faded and his face flushed red with anger, as Lex calmly took another sip from his coffee, happy in the knowledge that their plan had backfired. The man straightened up, removing his hands from the table and started to reach into his jacket.

  Without a word, Lex flung his steaming cup of coffee into the man’s face and then kicked him hard in his knee. This caused the man’s leg to buckle in the wrong direction. A ligament inside the knee tore, making a loud pop and the man cried out in pain, as he crumpled to the floor.

  Before the other three men could even respond, Lex swiftly stood up and withdrew the 9mm Berretta from inside of his jacket, in one fluid motion. He smashed the gun into the nose of the closest man and heard a crunch, as the nose broke and began spewing blood. Lex grabbed the third man’s jacket and swung him onto the table, pressing the muzzle of his gun to his left eye. The fourth man was of no concern, because Kassie attacked him and wrestled him to the ground; her teeth pressed against his exposed throat.

  “Now boys, I didn’t come in here looking for trouble,” said Lex, “but as you can see, I am ready for it. So unless ya want me to end the miserable existences that you call life, I suggest you leave at once.”

  The man, whom Lex held a gun to, raised his free hand in submission and Lex let go of him. Before shoving the man toward the exit, he reached into his jacket and took the gun he was concealing and the one in his belt. The other three men surrendered their guns, before Lex sent them out the front door, close behind their foolish friend. Two of the men had to help drag the one with the busted knee.

  “This ain’t over,” cried out the man, as he was dragged away. “We’ll be back!”

  Lex watched in silence from inside the diner, as they piled into a pickup truck and sped away. He then turned and sat back down at his booth. Kassie rested her head on his lap and sighed, as Lex placed his hand on her head and lovingly scratched her ear.

  The waitress walked back over with the pot of coffee and a new cup; the first one in pieces on the floor. After filling Lex’s cup with coffee, she smiled at him. She then got a broom and started cleaning up the mess left from the confrontation.

  “Sorry about that,” said Lex, as she swept up the shards of glass.

  “Don’t be!” she shook her head at him. “Those men come in here all the time, acting tough and taking advantage of people. They got what was coming to them.”

  “Why the red sashes?”

  “They’re members of a gang,” she explained, “and the red sash is how they know each other. Apparen
tly there are quite a few of them.”

  “ORDER UP!” shouted the line cook, from the kitchen.

  “I’ll be right back with your food,” said the waitress, as she hurried off.

  The young couple that was sitting at the far end of the diner got up slowly, and cautiously started walking toward Lex.

  “Sir,” began the pretty young lady, “my name’s Betsy and we just wanted to thank you for what you did for Tom and me. We were praying that God would send us protection.”

  “I didn’t really do much ma’am,” replied Lex. “I was just defending myself.”

  “Oh but you did sir!” said Tom. “Those men were waiting for us to leave with the intention of robbing us, and doing, well God only knows.”

  “It’s true,” said Betsy, “we could hear them discussing their evil intentions. You saved our lives mister. Thank you!” Lex blushed, as she bent down and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “We’ll never forget what you’ve done for us, regardless of whether or not you were aware at the time.”

  “Well, you’re welcome,” said Lex, feeling a little uncomfortable with all of the attention.

  “We should get going before they return,” suggested Tom.

  “Thanks again!” they called out waving, as they hurried out the door and left the diner. Lex watched the young woman’s pink backpack bouncing up and down, as they walked down the road and out of sight.

  The waitress walked up next to Lex and watched the young couple walking away together, holding hands. She placed two large plates down on the table. Each plate had four eggs, hash browns, toast and a nice, big, juicy steak. The delicious aroma of the food sent Lex’s stomach into a grumbling fit. He was so hungry; his stomach thought his mouth had been sewn shut. The waitress also placed a large glass of orange juice down in front of him.

  “Thank you,” said Lex, as he set one of the plates on the floor for Kassie. Then with fork in hand, he began devouring the food in front of him.

  “They were right ya know,” said the waitress, nodding toward the young couple in the distance. “I overheard those men and they were planning on murdering that young couple. You may not have meant to mister, but you did save their lives.”

  Lex nodded his head in acknowledgment, but said nothing, and continued eating. After a moment, the waitress turned around and began clearing tables. Kassie finished gulping down her food before Lex had even eaten half of his, and then she just sat there watching him, trying not to beg for more.

  As Lex sat there eating, he noticed a small television behind the counter. The line cook was watching the news, and from where Lex sat, he could see the screen, but couldn’t hear the sound.

  “Excuse me ma’am, would you please turn the volume up on the television?” he asked of the waitress.

  “Of course,” she replied, as she went over to the TV and turned it up. She also turned it a little so that Lex had a better, more direct view.

  “Thanks,” he said, and began watching the live broadcast. The reporter was listing different cities around the world that had been devastated by the meteor shower.

  Lex quickly scanned through the list…Amsterdam, Athens, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Belfast, Berlin, Bogotá, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Copenhagen, Damascus, Dublin, Edinburgh, Georgetown, Havana, Kiev, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, Nassau, New Delhi, Panama City, Paris, Prague, Cape Town, Rome, Stockholm, Tokyo, Vatican City, Vienna, and Washington D.C. were just some of the cities on the list.

  Lex was surprised at how many cities had been affected and as he read the names, he realized that they were all capitals of nations. Without leadership, power hungry men would have the opportunity to seize control and take advantage. Evil men had been causing and taking advantage of situations like this for centuries.

  The news reporter was handed a piece of paper, and after a quick glance, said, “This just in…A new mysterious epidemic is spreading across Europe and killing everyone in its wake. The disease is believed to have originated in Munich, Germany. The first outbreak has been traced back to a laboratory, where scientists were conducting genetic experiments. The scientists were splicing human and animal genes trying to create a stronger, faster, and more powerful type of race. During these experiments, they accidentally created a new and deadly virus. A virus, that for the first time ever, has a one hundred percent kill rate and no known cure.”

  The reporter paused briefly and then continued, “Experts from around the world have been called in by the United Nations, as they frantically search for a cure or vaccine. They have instituted several quarantines in Europe, with little hope that they’ll be effective. Meanwhile, the numbers of the dead and dying increase every day. People are advised to stay home and avoid anyone who appears sick in any way. Dark blotches and extreme sweating with high fevers are symptoms of the disease, which experts have coined Chimaera.”

  Lex remembered the name from Greek mythology. The Chimaera was spawned by Typhoeus and Echidna; it had three different heads, a lion, goat, and snake. Its body was also mixed; with the front part being that of a lion, the middle part of a goat, and a snake’s tail at the end. It breathed fire and ravaged Lycia, killing cattle and setting fires until it was killed by Bellerophon.

  When Lex finished eating, he signaled the waitress that he was ready for the check. When she walked over, he asked, “How are you guys getting power, I thought the whole country was still out?”

  “We operate on wind power,” answered the waitress. “The whole town is hooked up to it. It went down at first, but then an electrician in town got it working again pretty quickly. Here’s the bill, sorry about the high prices, but food is scarce.”

  Lex glanced down at the bill and his mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?” he asked, surprised at the amount.

  “I really am sorry,” said the waitress, lowering her head. “The supply trucks haven’t been seen in days and our food stock has been really expensive to replace.”

  “I understand,” nodded Lex. “However, I seem to be little low on cash. Is there another form of compensation that you might consider?” Lex glanced up and noticed the waitress was eyeing his new collection of guns, which lay spread out on the diner’s table in front of him. “Maybe one of these guns could cover the cost?” he suggested.

  “Absolutely,” smiled the waitress. “But are you sure, that’s worth more than your meals?”

  “Tell ya what,” smiled Lex, “you prepare me and my dog a meal for the road, and we’ll call it even.”

  “Deal mister!” The waitress accepted the gun that Lex handed her and scurried off to prepare a couple of sack lunches. She returned a few minutes later, with the food and a to-go cup of coffee. “Thanks again,” she said, setting the food on the table.

  “Sure.” Lex gathered the remaining guns from the table, tucking them in several pockets and behind his belt. He was beginning to stockpile a small, varied arsenal of weapons. “Thanks,” he said, picking up the food, coffee and his briefcase. Lex turned and left the diner, stepping out into the sunny afternoon. Outside, the large man with the beard stood lingering near his eighteen-wheeler, smoking a cigarette.

  While Kassie ran about sniffing the ground and looking for a spot to do her business, Lex pulled a cigar from his pocket and clenched it between his teeth. He lit one end, while puffing on the other and then exhaled a large cloud of smoke. Leaning against the dune buggy, with the cigar clenched in his teeth, Lex pretended to watch Kassie, but he was really watching the trucker out of the corner of his eye. He was not sure of what to make of the man and was not about to let his guard down.

  After a few minutes, the man stepped on his cigarette, after throwing the remaining butt on the ground, and then climbed into his truck. A second later, the engine roared to life and the large truck moaned as the tires slowly began to roll forward. Kassie sat down next to Lex, while they watched the truck drive off in the same direction that the young couple had gone.

  “Come on girl, let’s go,”
said Lex, glancing down at the German shepherd. She happily barked twice and then jumped into the dune buggy. Lex put out his cigar and climbed in after her. Starting up the engine, he pulled out of the parking lot and set off heading west, in the same direction as the trucker and the young couple.

  The Enlightened Ones

  The Vanishing – Day 3

  Paxico, Kansas

  Lex slowed his speed a few miles down the road, when he saw the same big rig from the diner, parked in the center of the road. He rested his hand on the grip of his gun and scanned either side of the interstate; thinking it could be an ambush.

  He pulled to a stop, a good twenty yards from the truck. He wanted to keep his distance, in the event that he may have to turn around, and make a run for it. Leaving the Berretta tucked behind his belt, Lex reached into the back seat and selected one of the shotguns. Checking to make sure it was loaded, he pumped a round into the chamber.

  He then climbed out of the dune buggy, as stealthy as he could, expecting at any moment to be shot at. When Kassie was about to follow, he turned and said, “No! Stay!” She made a whimpering sound and then sat back down on the driver seat, doing as she was told. Lex didn’t want to risk her getting hurt again, and he couldn’t focus when he was worried about her.

  As he walked toward the truck, Lex bent down low, so that he could see underneath. There was no movement, or sign of anyone. He held the shotgun waist high, ready to fire, as he came around the front of the cab. There in front of him, was the large man with the beard from the diner. In his hand, he held a baseball bat. For a moment, the two men just stood there, staring at each other.

  Finally the trucker broke the silence. “Hey there, I uh, I don’t know if you’re gonna wanna see this or not.”

  “See what?” questioned Lex, directing his weapon at the man’s midsection.

  “Hey, hey now I had nothing to do with it. I just got here myself.”