The Dead Familiar (Winterhaven Series)

by J. D. Mckenna

There!

  "Open it," he yelled when he caught sight of the now familiar black car’s profile.

  Dax complied and the door started sliding open. The Charger pulled in quickly and Dax reversed the door immediately, shutting it before anyone outside could have taken notice.

  "Good thing you keep that greased up,” Jack said, referring to the door. “I think we got away with it. As long as we get out of here soon, we should have a clean getaway," Jack said to Dax.

  He looked around the garage as the girls climbed out of the car. It was a big old mechanic’s garage attached to Dax's gun shop, built with high, darkened ceilings. The Charger sat idly by in one corner, dwarfed next to a pair of "Deuce and a half" M35's. Dax had spent a fortune on the mothballed vehicles, fixing them up himself so they purred like kittens. He had also mounted well protected gun nest's behind the cab on each M35.

  The vehicles were his pride and joy; the careful reconstruction showed in the clean welding lines, and the extensive and unmarred paint work. Cyrus was up in one gun nest, wrestling a highly illegal .50 caliber machine gun onto it's placement while Justin directed him.

  The trucks had been repainted a dull black that would blend into the dark night as well as a truck that size could possibly do. The cab’s had armor plating along the doors and over the engine block, protecting the sides and motor from small-arms fire. Bullet proof glass had gone in under Dax's paranoid supervision a year back, and the canvas tenting over the cargo area dropped to an armored floor and siding. Anyone inside the cargo could drop to the ground and be reasonably protected from fire while the gunners on top provided 300 degrees of coverage. The vehicle's rear was a blind spot for the nests, but could be protected by gunfire from within the cargo area. All in all they were a magnificent pair of beasts, and a big part of why Gunderson's shop had been the next stop on Jack's itinerary.

  Nicole and May were sitting and watching the work. May was trying to entertain her mother, but Nicole had clearly not come to grips with the situation yet. Jack shook his head and checked on the new arrivals. Kate and Meghan were already being put to work by Dax, and seemed happy to help. The old veteran had them loading up the last of the provisions in the trucks, stacking them to the ceiling with boxes of MRE's, bottled water, and ton’s of ammunition.

  There were also crates filled with rifles, all painted with U.S. Army stencils. Jack raised an eyebrow at Dax when he saw those. He had long suspected that the gunrunner had a few black market connections, but the crates were ample confirmation. Forget personal protection, they were now ready to outfit a small army, and to do it well.

  Good thing, may not be too long before we need an army. Combined with what we have stocked away up north, we should be able to go way past simple defense. We’ll be able to project power quickly and effectively. The only thing holding us back is the lack of trained human resources, but we can change that to. Getting our armies out securing the area around us will do more then just make us safer, it will go a long way towards rebuilding the surrounding environs.

  Jack found the metal case he had taken from his old apartment, someone had remembered to grab it from the Trailblazer when they came in. He set it in the truck next to the rifles, patting it affectionately.

  That might well come in handy someday too.

  Still unwilling to demand anything else from Nicole, he motioned Elizabeth over. Pointing out Nicole to her, he asked if she could help get the woman moving. Jack was interested to see how well Elizabeth would respond to his orders, and also how valuable she make herself. She nodded and went to Nicole's side to introduce herself without hesitation, impressing Jack with her willingness.

  With some prodding, she was able to get Nicole to start talking a little. Jack watched for a while, seeing Elizabeth coax Nicole out of her shell in just a few minutes. He was grateful as the two women started chatting, hoping a friendship might grow from the effort.

  Those three weren't planned for, but Elizabeth at least seems like she may well be an asset. She's adjusting well, thinks on her feet, and is certainly handling Nicole nicely. Adding a nurse and another medical student will be of clear benefit to our group.

  Turning from the ladies, he helped Dax wrestle the last few boxes up. Giving a whistle, he waited for Fenrir to hop out of one truck and pad over to him.

  "How are you boy, you keeping everyone safe?"

  He reached down and scratched his pet’s ears. Unbeknown to the rest of the party, Fenrir wasn’t just a large dog, but a full blooded wolf that he had rescued a few years back. His Recon squad had been on a training mission in Alaska and he had stumbled across the young wolf pup crying in the bushes. Fenrir’s mother lay a few meters away, shot and hung with the rest of the pack.

  Hunter's had probably been after the wolves for their pelts, and would likely have been back for their trophies once the carcasses were finished bleeding out. This put the pup in immediate danger of discovery, and Jack's heart had wept for the orphan. He had picked him up, ignoring his little nips of fear, and carried him in his bag until they got back to camp.

  Once there he had gone straight to his C.O. and told him that he meant to keep the pup. Sgt. Bleisdorff had thought about fighting him on it, but Jack was a good soldier. A soldier whose eyes held a plea that was hard to refuse. Those eyes showed Sarge the depth of Jack’s need to save a life, to have something tangible that he could point to as an act of redemption. The grizzled old sergeant had seen that look before, and he knew the toll that their line of work could take on a person. Ordering him to keep the pup in line, he acquiesced, letting Jack raise the wolf on base.

  Fenrir had proven to be a loyal companion over the years. As he had grown, an almost unnatural connection with Jack had developed. Never having been formally trained, the wolf came to respond to Jack's commands as though it could understand english. Fenrir could be told to stand guard, watch Jack’s back, play sentry, hide and remain silent, or any number of other useful tricks, and he would do so with discipline.

  Now a young adult, nearing the prime of his life, Fenrir weighed in at 170lbs and stood at 3 feet or more. He was far larger than most of his wild brethren, reminiscent of legendary dire wolves, huge behemoths of mankind’s distant memory, monsters far removed from the gentle dog companions humanity had come to rely on. Jack didn’t know where the size came from, but he knew that Fenrir loved him. The animal had been a warm and pleasant companion on many a cold and lonely night.

  Jack straightened and motioned Fenrir back to the front of the shop. The wolf would keep an eye on the store and let Jack know if anyone managed to break in. With his six secured, Jack called the rest of his group together. It was time to inform them of his plans.

  He waited while they circled up, making sure he caught each individual's eyes. Justin seemed to have rebounded from his earlier shock and was now calm and ready, Cyrus was more relaxed than anyone else there, happy to have something to work on in the midst of a crisis. Elizabeth was still a mystery, her eye’s hiding what she was thinking better then Jack would have guessed possible. Still, Nicole and May stood next to her, relaxed and out of shock. He took that fact as a glowing recommendation of Miss Fel, not to mention her earlier quick wittedness in gaining entry to the armory.

  Kate and Meghan both smiled at him, giving him quick little nods to show that they trusted him and were on board with whatever he had planned next. Dax stood just to his left and a little behind, and Jack could hear him grumbling under his breath about nothing important. Jack knew it was just because he liked to grumble and not because anything was actually wrong. The old man had been through enough shit in his life; he would remain solid through any crisis.

  "Ok guys, here's our situation. Outside of you lot, there's one other nearby group that should have received Archangel alerts. They should all be gathered in Shoreview by now. Unfortunately, there is no way to communicate with them, so I have to hope that they will hold there and trust that I'm coming. Now, clearly we have some supplies here, but they won't be en
ough long term. That, I can promise you."

  Reaching into his bag, Jack pulled out a map of Minnesota and unfurled it on the Charger's hood, motioning the group to gather round. There were a number of markings and lines drawn in by hand, showing routes, military bases and even the extraction points of the people he had already gathered. He pointed once, showing their current location. Then he pointed to where the second group was hopefully gathered.

  "We have a few possible locations to hole up in. Our plan has been to take Fort Snelling if we get trapped in the city, use the walls and natural fortifications to try and hold out. The downsides to that plan are myriad however, and by making it here and getting these trucks and supplies, we can probably nix that possibility and go with a better option."

  Kate interrupted, "Why is Snelling so bad? I went there when I was a kid, and it seemed pretty cool. Actually,we went together with a field trip. I remember it as a decent fort, walls still built up, right by the river and airport. It seems like a good spot,” she pointed out.

  Jack waited to see if anyone else would point out the issues, trying to get a measure of the group. Dax knew well enough why Snelling was a long shot placebo plan if everything went to hell, but the old vet kept his mouth shut. He also knew that Jack was gauging the group, looking for strengths, possible leaders.

  After a couple of seconds, Elizabeth stepped up again, "some of that is exactly what's wrong. It's near heavily populated places, right on the route out of town if people start leaving en masse. It's also well within the blast or fallout radius for any kind of strike,” she guessed, looking at Jack for confirmation. He nodded, impressed again by her knowledge.

  "Basically, we don't know what is going to hit the Twin Cities, if anything. While they have plenty of Reaper Virus to spread around, that's just because it doesn't take much of it to knock out a population center. The Chinese nuclear arsenal is quite a bit smaller than ours, but still a threat. They also have some pretty advanced EMP weapons that we have seen them use elsewhere. Given the makeup of their arsenal, they will likely have to pick which higher priority targets take a direct nuke. A lot of cities will get hit with EMP's and Reaper Virus once the infrastructure is down, meaning after the first strikes. The numbers we ran generally showed them nuking our missile silo's in the Dakota's, as well as Chicago and Detroit, and then either us, St. Louis, or Kansas City. Whoever doesn't get a direct strike will still suffer from some fallout, and likely suffer an EMP attack to cripple our ability to organize resistance, so keep that in mind. In other words, we could get anything from a nuclear warhead down to nothing at all dropped on the Twin Cities, but I suspect it will be an EMP device that takes down our communications and power. It would leave the buildings intact, but not much else,” he explained.

  Jack clenched his fist, outraged by the very possibilities he was discussing. Forcing his jaw to keep working, he went on, “regardless of what does or doesn't hit us however, we don't want to be in major population centers if we can help it. People will go nuts once the structures of civilization are stripped from them. No water, no power, no food. They will be clawing their way over their neighbours carcasses just to survive, I promise you. Our upgraded mobility with these trucks lets us get out of the city with a lot more certainty, so we won’t have to rely on Snelling. That leaves us plans A and B."

  He pointed to two more circled area's.

  "B is Camp Ripley. It's far enough away to avoid direct attack, though maybe not fall out, and if the military keeps itself together, it will provide some added protection. I don't think they will be able to though, and the men at Ripley may become a threat instead of an asset. It depends on their leaders and some amount of luck, which I don’t want to rely on. Still, its better then staying in the city."

  He tapped the map twice, "this is our best bet, Option A if you will. If we can get out of the city soon and travel through the night, we can be there by morning. This is the place that we have been preparing. There is a compound here on Lake Itasca. I helped my friend Gary pick the site out, and using his considerable wealth, we have made it as safe as we can. It is fully sustainable, defensible, and built to handle a lot more people than we are bringing now. It will be able to provide us with a long term home, and a base of operations to expand from down the road. It's our best bet, and I want to get there if we can."

  He paused before continuing, wondering which way the group would fall on his next question.

  "As I said, there is a second group, and I’m going to get them. Which means you all have a decision to make. I can go alone and meet you at the compound, or you can come along with me. Leaving now increases the chances you'll be out of the city before anything hits us, and if you stay, we may see things start to deteriorate fast. Rioting, fighting, looting; all likely in the next few hours. Given those realities, I won't make you hang around with me if you don't want to at this point.”

  He let them all think about it for a little bit, watching them for some hint of their feelings. He saw Nicole look to May and understood she was deciding what would be best for her daughter. Everyone else seemed a little bemused by his question however, and he raised an eye at Cyrus, waiting for an explanation.

  Happy to oblige, Cy Rovari explained, "I think I speak for just about everyone here in that we think it's kinda funny you think we might run. We would all be in our homes, unaware or scared shitless if it wasn't for you. Your Archangel alerts are the only reason any of us will likely make it out of the city at all. If you want to save a few more, we're coming with you. Convoy style." He looked about for confirmation and smiled as everyone else was nodding. "See, I told you," he smirked.

  Jack checked back with Nicole but she nodded fiercely at him and he took that to that mean she too preferred to stay with him.

  "Ok then. The trailblazer is lost I think. That crowd is still out there and our trick won't work twice. I don't really feel like killing people just for a vehicle, so we will do without it. That said, here's your vehicle assignments. Elizabeth, Nicole, May. You three and Fenrir are in the Charger, Miss Fel, you have the wheel. Be gentle though, I want her back when this is done,” he joked.

  "Justin and Cyrus, you're with Kate and Meghan respectively. Figure out who the better driver is per truck and don't be an ass about it. If the girls can drive, let them. I've got no time for macho bullshit. Me and Dax will ride overwatch on the .50 caliber's, hopefully we won't have to use them but if we do it’s best we have some experience up there. Any questions?"

  Everyone nodded and he pushed onto the last piece. "Ok, last thing. I want more guns available if we DO end up in a fight. Who's used one before,” he asked.

  Kate, Meghan and Elizabeth raised their hand, as did Cyrus. Only Justin and Nicole hadn't had any experience with firearms before. "Experience levels?" he asked.

  "Hunting: shotguns and rifles," Kate answered. Meghan and Cyrus said the same.

  "Pistol mostly, just shooting range stuff," explained Elizabeth.

  "Ok, you four go find a weapon that suits you and you feel comfortable with. Grab some ammo while you're at it and then meet back here,” he ordered.

  Walking over to a box he had left out, Jack pulled out the last surprise. Matching black combat gear. Durable fatigues like his, Bulletproof vests, combat knives and tactical radios. He proceeded to pass out a set to everyone gathered.

  "Everyone wear your gear. The vests will protect you and we have to limit our vulnerability however we can. The radio's will help us stay in touch, a highly valuable commodity in the next few hours. The earbud is obvious, and the mike straps to your throat. It can pick up spoken words or sub vocalizations if we have to be quiet, so there is no need to yell. I can teach you how to do that later, but for now, feel free to talk. The knives are for everything. Up-close and personal fighting, utilities, whatever you need. Always carry a knife."

  He looked at Justin and Nicole, "We'll get you trained in on firearms once we hit our destination, but I don't need to be worrying about rookies shooting
me from behind tonight."

  When he finished passing out the gear, Cyrus, Meghan and Kate wandered over to the gun racks. Meghan and Kate each selected semi-automatic hunting rifles with attached scopes and matching ammunition. Cyrus went in for a heavy duty, and highly illegal combat shotgun. It was fully automatic, firing multiple clips at a rapid pace, but requiring frequent reloads. Jack nodded Dax in Cyrus’s direction, and the old-timer hastened over to give Cyrus a quick overview of the weapon. Somehow, Jacks 9mm had ended up in Elizabeth’s hands, probably given to her by Cyrus, and she seemed comfortable with the weapon, strapping it to her vest with a practiced ease.

  He looked at his group, armed and looking ready for battle. They were a far cry from ready for the rest of the night, but they were all more so than could have been expected, and he felt comfortable enough to take them with him.

  With a grin, he yelled out,"Ok everyone, saddle up!"

  The group broke for their assigned positions, throwing packs into vehicles and roaring them to life. Jack walked over to the garage controls and slapped the open button. Door sliding up, he sprinted back to the rear truck, vaulted from the floor, and clambered up into the gun nest. Switching on his mike, he gave the order.

  "Lead truck, head out. We'll fall in behind the Charger and protect it's six. You driving up there Kate?"

  "You better believe it," came her response.

  "Good, then you won't need directions to Liz Cove's place. We're gonna go get Duke, Liz and her family, and the Xanders.

  Kate let out a laugh and gunned it, "So we're saving our ex's in the face of the apocalypse. Fucking Beautiful."

  The convoy rolled out, heading north.

  Chapter 8: The Mother

  10:04 pm

  August 15th, 2015

  Highway 59, Northwest Minnesota

  Lynn Hightower had kept her husbands name when they split. It had been a difficult decision, but after some consideration, she had chosen to stick with it. It wasn't out of any loyalty to her homosexual ex-husband the congressman, she was fresh out of that. Rather, she chose to keep the same name as her sons, providing a sense of continuity to her life.