The Wasteland: Book 6 of The After The Event Series

by Williams, T. A.

  The Wastelands

  After The Event Book Six

  T.A. Williams

  Copyright ©2015 T.A. Williams

  All rights reserved by the author. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the written consent of the author

  Ben

  The massive Chinese base loomed in front of him.

  Rows and rows of Humvees and helicopters sat arranged in the middle of the base while hundreds of soldiers walked about and prepared for whatever their next move was. Ben smiled, as he knew that every one of those helicopters was nothing better than a million dollar paperweight. The EMP they had used four days prior had rendered all of the Chinese electronics useless and reduced their helicopters to flightless birds.

  Ben had thought there might be a celebration after their victory. That’s what happened in the movies when the good guys took down the bad guys, but this apparently wasn’t like the movies. They had been tired, bruised and hungry, with no safe place to go. At first they hunkered down inside a residential house and waited for the swarm of Chinese Humvees to die down. When it finally did and they were able to rest, they realized they were soldiers without a mission.

  Dex and Crimson were the only surviving members of the group that Ben had joined, along with his friend Ty, a group originally led by a soldier named Reaper. Reaper and Ben had never seen things eye to eye, but the man was dead now, killed during the battle to set off the EMP. During their journey through New York Ben had managed to help save a group of pinned-down soldiers of which only two, Vick and Chavez, survived the final battle. At the time Reaper had been against the mission to save the soldiers but Ben and Crimson had ignored his orders and as a result Vick and Chavez were loyal additions to the team. They were six soldiers with nowhere to go--that is, until Chavez helped lead them to a supply depot they were not aware of. There wasn’t much there: a few days' worth of rations, a handful of bullets, but nestled in the corner was a hardline radio, and that is how they had gotten their new orders.

  Ben looked over the Chinese base and remembered the fear he had had the first time he saw it. He had felt small, insignificant, overwhelmed, outmatched, but not anymore. He looked over the base now and felt a small ounce of pity. One hundred yards to his left he saw a glint of light coming from the tree line. He couldn’t see her but knew that meant that Crimson was in position. Ben grabbed his mirror and used the sunlight to signal Dex, who was a hundred yards to his right. Dex then did the same. Ben pulled out the strange piece of plastic that was shaped similar to a rifle but the only thing it shot out was a red laser light. Command had airdropped several of these when they had given them their orders. Ben pointed the contraption at the Chinese base and waited.

  He thought back to when he was still with Mason in New York when the Chinese launched their massive attack. Buildings were destroyed, friends were killed and hope had been lost. Ben had returned in hopes of finding Mason, but he never did; instead, he took the fight to the Chinese. That had meant days hidden in the shadows, nights curled up on the floor trying to stay warm and the constant threat of attack. As the missiles streaked across the sky and headed toward where Ben and his soldiers indicated with their laser lights the feeling of hope returned. The missiles rained down and turned the base into a maelstrom of fire and death. Ben felt the shockwaves and the heat from where he was but he kept the laser pointed at the fiery ball of flame. He had lost his mentor, he had lost friends and he knew in all the fighting he had probably lost something of himself he would never get back, but as he watched the remnants of the base burn before him, he felt like this war was something he was going to win.

  Ben let go of the trigger and turned his back on the base. He didn’t look back.

  Alec

  The warm breeze washed over him as he stood atop the hill overlooking the prison camp. The ramshackle buildings dotted the landscape filled with tortured souls yearning for freedom or death. Beyond that a single tendril of black smoke rose in the distance where the hellhole known as the mining camp stood. This place was his forced home.

  The members of Yankee Camp trudged past him in a loose line heading toward their daily chore of cutting wood. Most of them had their heads down, focused simply on putting one foot in front of the other, while others nodded toward him as they passed. Their clothes were torn and loose fitting; their skin was blackened with dirt and grime. At one time Alec had been nothing more than a lowly prisoner but he had stood up to Xu, the psychopath who ran their camp, and had helped to organize Yankee Camp. His fellow prisoners now looked at him with respect but it had also caused Xu to notice and take an interest in him, which was something that didn’t bode well for his future.

  Alec turned and followed the group toward the cropping of trees in the distance. As he approached he noticed a large bird land in the grass to the side and begin to feast on what appeared to be a dead animal. He had been waiting for something like this to happen. He reached into the pocket of his ragged, crusted pants and pulled out a large rock that he had found only days prior. Alec glanced at the few guards that were making their way with Yankee Camp and as usual, they were either talking amongst themselves or staring off in the distance. He crept up as close as possible and then hurled the rock at the large bird. It landed with a crack against the bird, which let out a squawk and tried to lift up in the air but its hurt wing held it down. Alec had begun to run toward it just as the rock had left his hand so after the bird’s first failed attempt he was already on top of it. He jumped on top of the flailing animal, grabbed its neck in his hands and finished what he had started.

  One of the soldiers yelled something in his direction and Alec froze. The soldier began to walk in his direction and waved the other soldiers away. Alec watched as the soldier approached and stopped a few feet from him. Alec pulled the dead bird from behind his back and held it in front of the soldier.

  “Good enough?” he asked.

  The soldier all but licked his lips. He glanced behind to confirm the other soldiers had moved on and then he nodded his head yes. Alec handed over the bird and the soldier pulled out a small pouch from his pocket and tossed it on the ground near him. Alec picked it up and peeked inside, seeing a small comb and toothbrush. It hadn’t been easy to work out an agreement with someone who couldn’t speak English. He had watched as the soldier tried to capture birds without using his weapon, which probably would have brought down the wrath of Xu. Alec had approached him and gestured that he could get the soldier a bird if he brought Alec a toothbrush and comb. He had relayed this by pretending to comb his own hair and brush his teeth. He wasn’t sure until just now whether the soldier was going to screw him over.

  “Thank you,” he said and kept his head down.

  The soldier waved him away. Alec stuffed the small pouch in his pocket and jogged to catch up with the others. Jon saw him jogging up and raised an eyebrow.

  “What the hell was that about?”

  “Nothing,” Alec lied.

  “The hell you mean nothing?” Jon said, the stress evident in his voice. “Did you just try to kill a bird? They’ll throw you in the hole for that. Or even worse, send you to Xu.”

  “Jon,” Alec said, giving him a reassuring smile, “don’t worry, I know what I am doing.”

  Jon nodded his head and walked with Alec to the others to get started. Jon was one of the newest members of Yankee Camp, having only been there for a couple of months. Despite that, he was one of the few members of the Camp that Alec considered to be his friend. Another member of that exclusive group, Steffan, came walking over and handed Jon a saw. The man’s bald head was
covered in mud in order to prevent it from burning to a crisp in the sunlight, but it also caused the man to constantly have dirt streaks running down his face.

  “Everything cool?” Steffan asked, noticing Jon’s face.

  “Cool as rain,” Alec said, walking past them toward the nearest tree everyone was working on.

  A wide man stood off to the side drenched in sweat, despite the fact that they had only just walked over to their work area and hadn’t even started yet. The man saw Alec coming and gave him a big grin.

  “Hey Gerry, how’s it going?” Alec asked.

  The tubby man shook his head and wiped his sweaty forehead with his forearm. “Don’t know if I can do this.”

  Gerry was the newest member of Yankee Camp, no more than three days in. The last transport came through and he was the only one that was dropped off in their area; the rest were taken to the mining camp. It was obvious to see why Gerry was dropped off. The man had been overweight at one point in time. While his face had slimmed up, he still had a sizable gut that hung over his waist and waddled about as if he still wasn’t used to walking. The man may have lost the majority of his weight due to the power going out but the damage to his body had already been done.

  “One minute at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time,” Alec said calmly.

  The tears welling up in Gerry’s face retreated for a moment and he nodded his head once firmly. Somehow Alec had found himself as the go-to person for all the new members of the camp. A large part of that was probably due to the fact that the assigned leader of their group, Simon, was useless. The man had been the one that had welcomed Alec when he arrived, and Alec was certain he hadn’t said more than fifteen words to the man since. Simon worked, ate and slept. The perfect prisoner.

  The work day went as well as one could. They worked until the sun was nearly at the horizon, no one was hurt, no one got in trouble and when it was over they headed back to camp for dinner and Xu was nowhere in sight. The bowl of corn porridge was the same as it always was, completely tasteless and never enough. As Alec was finishing his bowl a member of Rambo Camp, Finn, walked over and began to talk to someone beside Alec. If it hadn’t been for Finn Alec probably wouldn’t have been alive. When Alec had gotten in trouble Xu had thrown him in the hole without food or water for days. Finn and other members of Rambo Camp had snuck him food and water until he was released.

  Alec causally stretched his back and allowed his eyes to scan the nearby area. No one was watching. Alec pulled out the pouch that contained the comb and the toothbrush and dropped it into the bowl that Finn had at his side. After a few seconds Finn turned and walked away without saying a word to Alec. Alec watched from the corner of his eye as Finn sat back down at his own table and slipped the pouch into his own pocket.

  Finn was also the one who told him about the plan to escape. A plan which was now one step closer.

  Ally

  She was hunting.

  Ally’s feet glided over the broken chunks of concrete and cut through the yellow weeds that sprouted in between them. Her eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of movement and her ears listened for even the slightest indication she wasn’t alone. She ran inside a nearby parking garage and stopped just inside the door. She listened. The only sound she heard was her own labored breathing echoing off the concrete walls. She allowed herself a second to catch her breath and then took off again. The sounds of her feet on the pavement echoed throughout the parking garage as she made her way up floor after floor until she reached the top of the garage. Only then did she allow herself to rest.

  She looked out toward what was once downtown Los Angeles. The skyscrapers towered before her. Some looked like the tops had been cut completely off; most had large holes in their sides and evidence of old fires. The large highways leading downtown were shadows of their former selves. The roads were twisted and broken, cars were overturned and scattered over them, and nature had begun to take the area back. Ally didn’t care about any of that. Her eyes scanned for telltale markers and sure enough, she found one. Fifty yards away she saw the smoldering remains of what had once been a fire hidden behind a partially dismantled wall. Tendrils of black smoke still floated above it. Without a second thought Ally turned and made her way down the parking garage toward it.

  This was where she belonged. The Wastelands were her home now. She had tried staying with Adam and Dena but it was too much. Colby, their son, was just a child and couldn’t handle his emotions when he found out Tiger had been killed. Dena clung to her, refusing to let Ally spend a single second alone. She constantly hovered and asked how she was doing every few minutes. Adam tried to give her space but every time she looked up the man was staring at her. Always watching. So Ally left. She hadn’t left for good; she still returned every few days but that was only to get some rest and fill up on supplies. Dena tried to stop her the last time she left. She stood in front of the door and refused to move so Ally went upstairs and went out the window. That family had found her after she had escaped from being held captive. She had been hurt and they had helped nurse her back to full health. That is why she had followed them across the country as they searched for their daughter. She did care for them; they were good people but they thought she was a child. They thought she still needed someone to watch after her. She hadn’t been a child for a long time, and she hadn’t needed someone to watch after her for even longer.

  Ally had her bow out as she made her way to the remains of the fire. The black tendrils of smoke had disappeared but Ally could still smell it. The ground around the fire was disturbed but not by much. The group was either really small or really good. Ally searched the area and found a discarded wrapper with Chinese writing on it. She was hunting the right prey. A few feet away she saw an old bandage with dried blood all over it. One of them was wounded. Ally found the tracks a few feet away and confirmed it was a single person, so she followed. The right footprints were closer together as if the soldier was nearly dragging his right foot; it was likely that was his injury. With the fire still smoldering and the leg injury the soldier couldn’t be far away.

  She heard jingling off in the distance and stopped in her tracks. The jingling continued and seemed to be getting closer. The building to her right had a large hole with burn marks all around it. Ally climbed inside it and waited. The jingling continued and was soon followed by the sounds of movement. It sounded as if a herd of animals was approaching. Within seconds over a dozen dogs broke through the brush across the street and jogged over to where the fire stood. The dogs stopped at the fire and began to sniff all around, allowing Ally to get a better look at them. They had once been domestic, that much was evident. The jingling she had heard was due to a bell one of the dogs had on its collar. Their fur was overgrown and she could see most of their ribs. They were starving, which meant they were dangerous. One of the larger ones growled and faced in the direction of the wounded soldier’s tracks. The other dogs stopped what they were doing and followed its gaze and then they took off in that direction. Ally got to her feet and made her way farther into the building. She ducked under the fallen ceiling and past the broken cubicles and computers until she made her way to the top of the building. By the time she had gotten to the top she could already hear the screaming. The tree tops blocked her view but the dying screams of the wounded Chinese soldier floated up and over the city. His screams didn’t last long. Just as quickly as they had started they stopped, but the sounds of growling and barking continued for several minutes after that.

  Ally felt a sickness in her stomach that she tried to push away. He had gotten what he deserved. She didn’t feel sorry for him. Her hands began to shake and she started to back up until she stumbled and fell back on her butt. She was tired. She needed just needed rest. The sounds of the dogs finally died down and she decided it was time to go back home, for just a little while.

  Alec

  His muscles ached the same familiar ache. The corn porridge was the same, all texture with little
taste. The days were always the same but for the first time there was a hope for a better tomorrow. Alec made a point to finish his food as quickly as possible and he casually returned his bowl and stood off near Yankee building. The rest of the prisoners continued to eat or sit at their tables, enjoying the cool night air before they were ushered into their cages. The guards stood around eating or talking. They were always more relaxed at the end of the night, unless Xu was around, so they didn’t pay Alec much attention. After a few moments Finn got up from his table, returned his bowl and stood a few feet from Alec but faced a different direction. For a few moments he just stood there and after it was clear no one was looking he reached in his pocket, pulled out something and dropped it on the ground. Alec looked down and saw what was left of the comb he had given Finn. The bottom part of the comb remained the same but the top part had been shaved down to a sharp point. His comb had been transformed into a shiv.

  “What do I do with it?” Alec asked under his breath.

  “Hide it, but not on you.” Finn laid his head back against the cool building and looked up at the stars. “Hide it in the ground where you can find it, and make sure you can get to it quickly.”

  There was a bare spot near the eastern side of their building. That was where he would hide it. Finn had only told him to get a few items they could turn into weapons; he still hadn’t told Alec the plan. “Now what?”

  “Gather supplies,” Finn said.

  “Are you planning on letting me in on the details?” Alec asked.

  Finn let out a long breath. “There aren’t many.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means the details are still…in flux.”

  “So you don’t have a plan?” Alec asked.