Unwanted World: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Survival Fiction Series (The EMP Survivor Series Book 4) (The EMP Survivor Series (5 Book Series))

by Chris Pike

  If Nico was lucky, he’d earn her respect, so he could be her partner.

  Chapter 10

  Kate was behind the bar at the Minor Hotel, inventorying the spirits, making sure glasses were clean, and ensuring no dust had accumulated on the shelves. She wiped down the counter for the third time that afternoon in anticipation of the after five crowd arriving.

  Dan Gonzales, the hotel manager, walked into the bar and took a seat on one of the stools. He had been managing the Minor for five years and knew all his employees, by name, including the wait staff of the restaurant and housekeeping employees. Kate had walked into the hotel a couple of years prior, asked for a job, and he had given it to her on the spot. She later went to bartending school at night to learn how to be a bartender, and to also receive her Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission certificate. It paid better than working the front desk. Her personality was better suited for being a bartender than placating unhappy guests. He’d seen her put a drunk or two in their places when they had gotten out of hand.

  “How’s it going, Kate?” Dan asked.

  “The usual,” she said. “Just getting ready for the five o’clock rush.”

  “Business has been good, hasn’t it?”

  “We’ve been very busy.”

  “If I wasn’t still on the clock, I’d have a drink.”

  “I won’t tell anybody if you want a shot.”

  “We’re on camera,” Dan said, motioning to the unobtrusive closed circuit camera in the corner.

  “Right. Big Brother is always watching.”

  “Only if there is trouble. Have you had any troublesome customers lately?”

  Kate replied in a long, drawn out, “No.” She briefly considered telling her boss about the well-dressed Hispanic woman and her bodyguard, ultimately deciding against it. Then the memory of Nico flashed in her mind. She had to admit, she hadn’t ever met anyone like him, but her hurt was still lurking under the surface of the brave veneer she put on for customers. While Nico had promised he’d be back, she didn’t keep her hopes up. But hadn’t he been sincere? She recalled what she had said to him, hoping he’d be turned off by it. Rather, the opposite had happened. Maybe it was time to move on, to let go of the past, but it was too difficult. It was easier to live in the past. He had probably meant well. Oh well. No harm, no foul, Kate’s dad used to say. She’d forget about him soon enough. Life goes on, at least for most people.

  “Earth to Kate,” Dan said. He waved a hand to get her attention.

  “Hmm?”

  “You looked like you were a million miles away.”

  “Sorry. I’m tired.” Kate took a hand towel and folded it lengthwise then slung it over her shoulder.

  “You work too much, Kate. You’re young, you don’t have kids, and aren’t tied down with a mortgage. Go out and have fun. Take a trip. Find somebody while you’re at it. Don’t you think it’s time you let go of the past? I know it was hard losing—”

  Kate cut him off, unwilling to go down that path. “I’m fine. Really I am. I’m doing better. Reload helps me before I get a full blown panic attack.”

  Hearing his name, Reload lifted his head and cocked his ears. The big dog lifted up off his dog bed and padded to Kate. He sensed her sudden uneasiness and saw her furrowed brow. He was a master of body language and Kate was sending strong signals she was experiencing duress.

  Her heart rate had increased and Reload had been trained to go to her, to calm her. She reached to him unconsciously, and when she petted him, her tension evaporated.

  It was his duty to calm her, to protect her, like she had done when she found him starving in the alley. She had saved him in the same sense he was saving her now, and he would never leave her. She said something to him, words he didn’t understand, but Reload didn’t need to understand words. One look at Kate and he would understand what she was feeling. He nudged Kate with his snout and leaned into her. She offered him a hand and he licked it.

  “I appreciate you letting Reload stay with me while I work,” Kate added. “And letting me live here. I can’t bear to live at the apartment by myself.” Kate’s mind wandered to the life she had planned. She still grieved for the life she’d never have, and hadn’t even told her parents about what happened.

  “It’s the least I can do after what you went through.” Dan paused, recalling how Kate had called him when she was in the hospital’s waiting room, anxious to hear from the surgeon. “How are you doing, Kate? How are you really doing?”

  Kate shrugged. “Some days are harder than others.”

  “People handle grief in different ways, but working twelve hours a day won’t let you deal with your grief.”

  “I don’t want to deal with it. I want it to go away.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and breathed stunted breaths, trying to stifle emotions she worked so hard to suppress. A pained expression washed over her face. Kate blinked fast and turned away.

  Reload nudged Kate, and when she didn’t respond, he huffed. Her eyes went to her dog. “I know,” she said. “I’m trying.”

  Dan’s gaze swiveled from Kate to Reload. “Does he understand you?”

  “More than you’d know.”

  “My wife is making a chicken casserole tonight. Why don’t you come over for dinner?”

  Kate cleared her throat. “Trying to fix me up again?”

  “Sorry about the last time.” Dan shifted on the barstool. “My wife was responsible, not me. Cross my heart and hope to die. I knew absolutely nothing about her inviting her cousin for dinner.”

  “She should never admit to being a blood relative to that guy.”

  Dan broke out laughing.

  “It’s forgiven,” Kate said.

  “Great. Then come over and have dinner with us.”

  “I can’t. I’m working until closing.”

  “You have my permission to take the evening off. I’ll get another bartender to fill in for you.”

  “They’ve got other jobs they’re at. I need to stay.”

  “You work too much. Come over on Saturday and have leftovers. It would do you good to eat a home cooked meal for once. The same old hotel food we serve must be getting old.”

  “Then you haven’t eaten brunch here lately. The fruit is fresh, omelets cooked any way you like them, and they have the best bacon and sausage anywhere around here.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I can’t. I’m scheduled to work tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep after my shift is over.”

  “You’re working seven days a week now?” Dan was perplexed.

  “I’m a hard worker. What can I say?”

  “You can say you’ll take a day off, and that’s a direct order.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Alright,” Dan sighed. “That’s better than nothing. I’ve been meaning to ask you about something. Are the bikers we have staying here causing any trouble?”

  “Those guys? Nah, they’re good. They tip well, and say yes ma’am and no ma’am, although I don’t think I’m old enough to be called ma’am.”

  Dan laughed. “I thought the same thing the first time I was called sir. Get used to it.”

  The lights flickered and the TV went dark.

  Dan groaned. “Not another power outage.” He put a hand to his face and massaged the space between his eyes, hoping to thwart a headache that was sure to follow. “These power outages are causing havoc on the AC system. Customers don’t like it when the AC and cable goes out. Guess we’ll have to discount the room cost.” He paused then with emphasis he said, “Again. It always costs us money when this happens.”

  Dan kept his eyes on the still flickering lights, praying the electricity would stay on. No luck. The lights went dark, followed by the low groan of the inner workings of the hotel grinding to a halt.

  “You might want to get the AC upgraded,” Kate suggested.

  “That will cost millions,” Dan said.

  “
Let’s hope the electricity won’t be off for long. Don’t worry,” Kate said.

  “Gotta go,” Dan said. “Break’s over. I need to make sure the generator is running so the food in the kitchen won’t go bad. Next thing you know, I’ll have a city inspector telling me the food hasn’t been kept at a proper temperature, requiring it to be all thrown out.”

  Chapter 11

  After Dan made a hasty exit, Kate was alone at the bar. Light filtered in through the door opening to the street next to where the Alamo was located. She stepped over to the door and peered out through the glass. A horse-drawn carriage with a driver and two tourists passed by. Normal enough.

  The street was busy with tourists coming and going from the Alamo or Riverwalk back to the plethora of nearby hotels. Several vehicles appeared stalled and the drivers were standing by their cars. One had the hood open and a man was peering into the engine, fiddling with something.

  The door to the street opened and a man walked in. “Can I borrow your phone? My cell phone battery must have died and I need to call a wrecker.”

  “Sure,” Kate said. “The phone is at the end of the bar. I’ll get it for you.”

  Kate placed the old black rotary dial phone on the bar. The man picked up the receiver and looked at Kate. “Do you know a wrecker I can call? All my contacts are in my phone.”

  “Check the bulletin board behind you. I saw a card for one the other day.”

  “Good idea.” A minute later, the man found a card and returned to the phone. Picking up the receiver, he put it to his ear. “That’s odd. There’s no dial tone.”

  “Let me try,” Kate said. She picked up the receiver and confirmed it was dead. She pushed the plunger down several times and listened again. No luck. “I’ll check to make sure it’s plugged in. Sometimes it comes loose from the wall.” Kate followed the telephone line to the outlet in the wall, bent down, and wiggled the connection to make sure it was solid. She stood back. “It should work. Try it now.”

  “No, it’s still dead. Is there another phone I can try?”

  “Absolutely. Go out this other door,” she said, pointing to the door leading to the main part of the hotel. “Turn right, and you’ll see the front desk on the right. I’m sure they can help you.”

  “Thanks.”

  After the man left, Kate wiped down the tables and scooted the chairs closer together. A picture hung askew on the wall so she straightened it, and righted a table lamp knocked over the previous night. She stood back and examined the table placement, chairs, and the overall tidiness of the bar. Satisfied everything was okay, she thought to inventory the amount of bourbon they had, then decided the task could wait until electricity came back on.

  Dan pushed open the door and burst into the room. “Kate, have you seen what’s going on outside?”

  “What do you mean? I looked outside earlier. There are a few stalled cars on East Crockett.”

  “You won’t believe this. Let’s step outside.”

  “Sure. Let me get Reload. He probably needs to do his business.”

  Dan ushered Kate and Reload outside where they stood on the sidewalk. Kate loosely held Reload’s long leash, letting the dog sniff the nooks and crannies of the sidewalk.

  The south side rock wall of the Alamo grounds prevented a view northward, while the tall hotels and winding streets to the east merging into a V obscured a view of the nearby interstate.

  Dan said, “Step over here and look at the street in front of the Alamo.”

  Kate peered in that direction, flabbergasted at the amount of stalled cars and trucks. Even the buses weren’t working. Tourists and office workers, cabbies, and people on the street stood around dumbstruck. Several people were looking at their cell phones curiously. A horse-drawn carriage clopped along as if nothing had happened. A red trolley car sat idle.

  “What’s going on?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t know. Not only are hotel phones not working, cell phones aren’t working either.”

  “Impossible,” Kate said. “Unless the battery died, cell phones should work.”

  “If you don’t believe me, check your phone,” Dan said.

  Kate slipped her cell phone out of her back pocket and pressed the home button. Nothing happened. She tried turning it off and on, and waited a moment. She scratched the side of her head. “That’s odd. I charged it this morning. Why isn’t it working?”

  “Look,” Dan said. He pointed to the tree-shaded plaza in front of the Alamo. “There’s a crowd gathering around Frank.”

  “Frank?”

  “The policeman stationed inside the Alamo to make sure cameras aren’t used. I know him.”

  “Right. Frank Ybarra. He’s been there a long time.”

  “Let’s see what he has to say.”

  Kate gave a tug on Reload’s leash. “Come.” Reload trotted in step, keeping to Kate’s right side. He was used to the throngs of tourists and their different smells and voices. He lifted his snout, tasting the molecules of the world drifting along air currents. Car exhaust, cooking odors, sticky kids with ice-cream covered hands, perfume, sweat, a full diaper, birds, possum scat, food vendors. The odors formed a picture in his brain of the outside world.

  None of it interested him.

  However, the anxiety laced sweat of Dan did interest him. Reload recognized the man as one who was used to being in charge and who made decisions and gave orders. Normally cool, this unusual release of sweat interested Reload. He needed to stay aware, not only for Kate, but for Dan. Unknown to Kate, Dan slipped him tidbits of hamburger or sausage from the kitchen. Reload appreciated the special food so this man had earned his protection.

  Dan and Kate crossed the street and hurriedly walked along the sidewalk a few paces until they reached the canopy of oak trees shading the lawn in front of the Alamo. A policeman was standing on the brick boundary of the plaza where a crowed had congregated, waiting for instruction.

  Reload tugged backwards to keep Kate from getting too close to the group, knowing from experience she became anxious among crowds.

  Taking her faithful pet’s cue, Kate held back. “Dan, stop,” she said.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. Reload is trying to prevent me from getting any closer, so something must not be right.”

  The crowd surged toward the policeman.

  “When will the electricity come back on?” someone demanded.

  “Why did all our cars die?”

  “And what about our phones?” chimed in another person.

  Frank Ybarra put his hands in front of him and motioned for people to quiet down. “I don’t know what’s going on. Stay calm and I’m sure everything will be okay.”

  “Yo no entiendo!” an elderly Hispanic woman cried out, deep worry lines etching her bronzed face.

  Frank repeated in Spanish what he had said so she would understand.

  “What does police headquarters have to say?” a tourist asked. “I’d call, but my phone doesn’t work. I’ve got a plane to catch this afternoon.”

  Mumbled voices in the crowd confirmed there were no working cell phones.

  “All communication appears to be down. As soon as I know something, I’ll let you know,” Frank said. “In the meantime, stay in the shade, or visit the Alamo. If anyone wants to visit the gift shop, it’s still open. If anyone is thirsty—”

  The loud report of a shot sliced the air, followed by another one.

  The crowd ducked, and someone screamed.

  Frank Ybarra stumbled back and clutched his shoulder. Another shot rang out, hitting him in the leg. He crumpled to the ground. Frank tried to draw his service weapon but his right arm dangled uselessly to his side.

  A man with baggy pants and a hoodie ran up to Frank. He pointed a 38 Special at the longtime policeman. “I hate pigs.”

  Dan and Kate watched in horror as one shot after another rang out, jerking Frank’s body with each round.

  The tourists stood frozen in disbelief.


  The man whipped around. “Don’t anyone move! Give me your money!” he ordered, pointing the gun at a mother holding a child.

  The teen swiveled the gun at another tourist. “You! Give me your jewelry. Now! Hurry!”

  As he was unable to control the entire crowd, men and women scattered in all directions.

  “Kate!” Dan whispered through tight lips. “Let’s go.”

  Kate didn’t hear him. Her mind raced at warp speed, trying to understand what she had witnessed. Emotions and memories she had tried hard to suppress came flooding back. She fixated on the man taking in his posture, clothes, mannerisms, his face.

  Especially his face.

  That face.

  That scar.

  The scar she could never forget. A burst of adrenaline flooded her body, and she trembled.

  Reload’s gaze swiveled from Kate to the man, then back to Kate and he recognized it was the man in the hoodie causing Kate’s reaction. Her stance, her eyes, her unresponsiveness propelled Reload into action. His ruff bristled and he growled low in his throat. A look of laser sharp determination captured his dark eyes, and with all his might he lunged forward.

  The leash flew out of Kate’s hands, snapping her out of her trance, and before she could command Reload to stop, he bolted to the crowd’s direction. He ran low to the ground, legs stretching out and gobbling distance.

  “Noooo!” Kate yelled. “Reload, come back!”

  A woman in the crowd screamed.

  The man swiveled and his eyes went wide at the beast of a dog barreling toward him.

  In the moment it became clear what the dog was doing, the man brought up his gun and fired.

  The shot went high.

  Undeterred, Reload stepped on a tourist who was face down on the ground, leapt up to the curb, stretched his legs out, and all seventy pounds of snarling dog launched through the air and landed on the man, knocking him down.

  The gun flew out of the man’s hand and clanged on the concrete pavement, only inches away from his hand.