The Dead Familiar (Winterhaven Series)

by J. D. Mckenna

  His problems were growing rapidly.

  Cyrus is down, that bus is too damn slow on this offroad shit, and I have nothing left to throw into the fray. If I stop covering the bus, the enemy will get in close enough to overwhelm it or take the wheels off… but if I don’t stop covering them, we are about to lose this gate. Shit!

  He was also running low on .50 cal ammunition and expected that Dax was in a similar position. The Cove SUV, outpacing the rest of the convoy, went shooting through the doors behind him. The Bus, Charger, and Xander SUV were about five hundred metres away and bouncing hurriedly over the rough terrain.

  Sooo close....

  Just then, he felt the sudden rush of an imminent attack from behind. Dropping the heavy machine gun, Jack ducked, letting a big knife go rustling through the air over his head. One of the convicts had made it atop the M35, trying to take control of it’s gun. Jack got his legs tangled as he tried to turn and defend himself, tumbling backwards into the gun nest. The bald, tattooed white supremacist that was attacking him grinned a toothy snarl before jumping forwards at Jack. With nowhere to go and nothing to defend himself with, Jack prepared for the inevitable. Eye’s open, he stared death in the eye, amazed as each microsecond stretched out into an infinity of time. Even as the knife began to plunge towards his chest, Jack saw it’s wielder shudder and grimace in a curious dance that ill befit the man’s coming victory.

  Expecting death, Jack was confused as his attacker instead stumbled to the right, knife clattering to the floor of the gun nest with a noisy clang. In adrenaline fused curiosity, Jack watched as the man slowly tipped farther to the right, falling off the side of the truck in comically slow motioned fashion. Standing behind him, big .357 in his hand, stood Duke Sutherland. His eyes were wide and his hand trembling, but he stood there bravely nonetheless.

  As soon as the SUV had made it through the gate, Duke had jumped out, sprinting back to help Jack with the defense. He had seen the big white man climbing up the side and yelled to warn Jack, but his shouts hadn’t been able to travel the distance amid the crash of war. Gritting his teeth and steadying his nerve, Duke had run after the man, climbing up the truck and reaching it’s top just as the man was readying his kill strike. Without time to think, or to aim, Duke had snapped Brian Cove’s .357 revolver up and squeezed the trigger. The heavy round had ripped into the convict’s backt, erupting out the chest before flying off harmlessly into the distance.

  Even as Jack pieced together the reality of his salvation, he jumped back to the gun, pausing just long enough to shout his gratitude with the bloodthirsty laugh of the recently reprieved. Duke had just saved his life, and he felt hope and excitement flood through his body once more. Duke smiled back before kneeling to fire down at the masses of enemies that had approached in the preceding moments. Together, the two friends renewed their fire, pushing the hardened criminals back from the gate once more.

  The tide finally turned a few minutes later. After opening the gate, Sam had gathered up a force of men inside the fortress. Consisting of construction workers, football players and the soldier boyfriend of Gary’s assistant, they came striding out the gate with guns blazing. It had taken time to arm them and formulate a rough plan, but they arrived just in the nick of time.

  Just a few minutes after Duke had plunged back into the fray, Sam led the more sizable contingent out the door. Armed with fully automatic rifles (although with no idea how to use them properly), the force took positions by the trucks, ten or so men per truck. The addition of their fire finally forced the convicts to retreat. The heavy losses and superior weapons of their intended victims had cost them severely. Whoever held control of the group pulled them back into the woods, and the bastards cut out in a full blown retreat.

  Even with the slaughter that Jack’s group had perpetrated on convicts, their numbers were still sizable. Jack counted almost a hundred men running back to the woods.

  As the convicts gave up the fight, the school bus finally rumbled through the gate, followed closely by the second SUV and the Charger. With all of his people safely behind the walls, Jack ordered a full withdrawal. Those on foot turned and ran back through the gates, followed closely by the M35’s.

  The gate swung ponderously shut behind them, heavy reinforced steel doors nigh on impervious. At least to anything short of a tank. As they locked, Jack finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had started checking for casualties as soon as his M35 was through the doors, and now knew them to be limited.

  Other than Gary, only one of the construction workers had been unlucky enough to take a fatal wound. Dax had been grazed on the arm, but would be fine, and Cyrus had been protected by his bulletproof vest. He would have a hefty bruise, but he would live. It seemed that the convicts had been completely unprepared for the unexpected attack from their rear.

  We just got hella lucky is all. That could easily have gone the other way.

  Jack rotated his head, looking quickly around. He spotted his family just a few feet away and jogged over to them. He hugged his mother, Lynn, then turned to his brother and shook hands. With his casual smirk, Jack gave his brother some shit.

  “Took you long enough, what, stopped for tea?” Jack asked innocently.

  “Oh shut it, you interrupted my nap, and you KNOW I hate to fight without a shower first.” Sam said grinning. Adrenaline coursing through his veins was keeping the reality of the situation at bay for the moment. Humor seemed the only possible response.

  Jack grabbed his brother and pulled him in for a hug. Stepping back, he got more serious, looking at Sam and Lynn.

  “You have no idea how glad I am to see you. I was so worried. I kept thinking about how you would make it, if you were on your way, already here... I don’t know what I would have done without you guys.” he said sincerely.

  Lynn reached out to squeeze her eldest son’s hand. “You would have kept going on, for everyone. Thankfully you don’t have to, everyone’s safe, thank the lord. I came straight here and Sam showed up an hour or so later. We were both here when those men attacked us, well, mostly.” she said.

  “They came upon us back at the guardhouse, attacked us while I was talking to Gary. Most of my group managed to get away, but I’m afraid they followed us back here.” Sam explained.

  Jack stiffened in remembrance. “Oh my god, Gary... I couldn’t hear you on the radio for shit, how is he..?” Jack asked with bated breath.

  Lynn and Sam looked at eachother, and then back to Jack with pity in their eyes.

  Lynn spoke first, “He didn’t make it Jack.”

  Sam continued, “I did everything that I could, but he got hit in the lung, with damage to the heart as well. He died in my arms Jack, I’m so sorry.” Sam said, looking guiltily at his brother.

  Jack drew a deep, shaky breath, unsure of what came next. He had lost a dear friend, but he had saved many others and knew that Gary would expect him to put their needs ahead of his own grief. Jack tried to focus on the positives for the moment.

  “It’s okay Sam, it wasn’t your fault. I’m so sorry that you were alone when it happened, I should have been there. I know Gary wouldn’t want me to fall apart now, not after everything we did to make this place a reality. I’m going to miss him, and I don’t know who will lead us without him, but I’ll help. I have to.” Jack said with a slight shake of emotion in his voice.

  Lynn looked her son in the eye, making sure he understood one thing, “Jack, YOU will lead them. This was just as much your work as it was Gary’s, and you saved these people. More will likely come, and you are the one most suited to defend and protect them. You have no choice Jack, these people are now all your family.” she said.

  “I know some of us will be able to help you, if you need it, but right now you need to talk to these people. Help them. Just getting them here isn’t enough Jack, you have to give them hope, and a future. Can you do that?” Lynn Hightower asked her eldest.

  Jack was dumbfounded at first. It had never been the plan for
him to take over leadership, had never even occurred to him. He didn’t know if he was up to the task. Taking responsibility for the lives of everyone who he had saved was a lot to ask. His friend had been the heart and soul of the plan, the one with hope for a future…

  The hope. That was always the point wasn’t it? Preserve something, not for its own sake, but as a foundation for a future… If I don’t step up, what will Winterhaven become?

  He shook his head in solemn realization.

  I am their leader, and I damn well better do a good job of it.

  Determined, Jack climbed up into the M35’s gun nest, trying to get to a high enough vantage point that everyone would be able to see him.

  Jack stood quietly, counting his new family. The twenty or so men of the construction crews stood huddled around each other, watching the new arrivals. Sam had walked with Lynn over to join the fifteen or so young college students. There was the group that had arrived with him, still clustered around their vehicles and Bear with his team and bus. All told, he had nearly one hundred and fifty survivors gathered together, a daunting number of lives to protect.

  The survivors were collected within the gate. The entire compound was ringed by a thick, thirty feet tall wall. It was built of stone and steel, intended to last. The massive wall was topped with a walkway,and regular towers to provide vantage points and protection. It was an unbroken circle but for the exception of the sturdy, steel gateway from which the survivors had entered. The gate consisted of heavy swinging steel doors and a massive portcullis that slid down to reinforce it. Within the wall, several football fields worth of space were sheltered and protected.

  The grounds held a barracks and armory to the left of the gate, and a garage to the right. In the back of the compound, several hundred meters from the gate, the most ambitious aspect of Gary’s vision stood imposingly.

  The keep.

  A towering replica of a medieval castle, it was large enough to house everyone assembled and two or three times more again. A single footpath led from a car pad by the gate to the keep itself. From his vantage point atop the truck, Jack found himself staring down this path to behold the incredible fruits of Gary’s vision and wealth. It was awe-inspiring indeed.

  With a quick intake of breath, Jack steadied himself to speak to the expectant mass.

  “Hello! Let me introduce myself quickly before ll lead you all inside for a tour and some explanations. I’m Jack Hightower, and I am so glad to have you all here, standing with me today. The actions of many of you were no less than heroic, and I can’t thank any of you enough for helping to defend our new home and family. Gary and I built this place together, and it was supposed to be he who stood here addressing you now. Many of you never got a chance to meet him, but I know he would have been so happy to see all of you safe and sound in the place that he helped create.”

  Jack paused for a second, lost for words. He felt the emotion of his losses rising, strangling this heart in sorrow. His father, his friends and coworkers, the millions of human lives extinguished in a single night… It was too much to consider, and he shoved it down roughly. Collected, he went on.

  “This place can be our salvation, but only if we work together. The coming days will be worse than anything we have yet seen. Worse than we could have imagined. Truthfully, keeping this many strangers together, and safe, will be harder than surviving just by myself.” he said, noticing brief looks of panic spread among some of the strangers.

  He hurried to calm them, “This place isn’t just about surviving though. It’s about rebuilding. It’s about preserving something and planning for the future of our people. That’s why we built it, Gary and I; to provide hope of a future.”

  He hopped down from the truck, waving a hand to tell everyone to follow along behind him. He walked backwards, face to the crowd as he projected his voice to carry. Subtly, he urged Dax towards the wall. The old man and Fenrir would keep an eye on the woods, just in case. Defenses satisfied for the moment, Jack spoke loudly, “lets get everyone situated. Follow me and I’ll give you a little tour.”

  He continued walking, leading the group down the small footpath and towards the keep.

  “This wall that you see is thick enough to survive an RPG, much less small arms fire. It will help protect us from our enemies in the future.” he said before pointing out other features of the compound.

  “To your right, the garages can fix up and house our vehicles for as long as we can keep them running. There’s a huge reservoir of gasoline underneath it, so we should be able to stay mobile for some time as long as we’re careful.” he said. Nods and thoughful glances were spared for the garage before he drew their attention on. “The Armory houses an extensive supply of ammunition and weaponry… enough to outfit every person here ten times over in fact. We built secondary housing next to it, but the bunks there are a bit spartan.” In truth, the secondary housing was to serve as a barracks, but he didn’t feel the need to spook his new family with thoughts of a standing military just yet.

  Jack led the group to the castle steps. He opened the doors, walking into the huge meeting space that lay beyond them. The room was cavernous, with high vaulted ceilings and lovely oaken beams and panelling that were offset by heavy tapestries and the warm light of burning torches.

  Jack blinked.

  Wait, torches? what the hell? This place should have electricity, with its own power supply. He shook his head, he could sort that out later. As the room filled, Jack continued to stride forwards. Gary had insisted on the next feature, and Jack finally understood why. A lengthy raised dais had been placed at the head of the room, with a massive fireplace set behind it. It gave anyone standing on it the ability to see out over the crowd while letting the entire room see him. It imparted a sense of authority that people naturally accepted, and that sense of authority was the key to leading them at this point.

  Stepping up to the dais, Jac turned to face the crowd that had gathered around him. He sought to steady his nerves by seeking out familiar faces. Noting Cyrus’s goofy grin, his brother’s reassuring nod, and Liz’s hopeful eyes; Jack gathered the courage to speak.

  “I want to explain a couple of things right away. They may be hard to hear, but I ask you to bear with me... This is no longer a democracy.” Worried sounds began to escape from the crowd, and Jack knew it would only get worse as he continued.

  “Furthermore, we are no longer American’s. Our country, our world, and our society has failed us. The old laws are gone, the strictures of our dying society along with them. I know it sounds harsh, but those things must be left in the past. Our world died last night, and I’m hoping you all know what I mean by that. You may not yet understand the full ramifications of that truth however.”

  Outraged cries greeted this proclamation, and Jack grimaced. He knew it would be a difficult truth to swallow, but he felt it was important to set the groundwork now. Better than trying to change things later, when people were comfortable. He shouted to make himself heard over the cacophony.

  “Listen! With the destruction that has been visited upon our former nation, the infrastructure and services that made our way of life possible will cease. There will be no more electricity, there will be no more running water, there will be no more food delivered to grocery stores, and there will be no more government. Gas will go bad and car’s won’t run anymore because no one is making new gas. Winter will hit hard after all the nuclear warfare, but there will be no heat to keep warm.” he said, outlining the depths of the stark new reality.

  “So, I say that at least for now, there is no more America. There can’t be, not if we want to survive. There are no nationalities, nothing beyond the clan, the family. We are just humans, all of us trying to make it through, with only ourselves to rely on.”

  The outrage had faded when he cut them off, but a deathly pall had now replaced it. Many of the people gathered before him weren’t prepared for this world. Most of them hadn’t considered the logical consequences of th
e nights events, not fully. Confronting the all-too-likely picture that he conjured had stilled their anger.

  “Amidst these facts, there will be people. People struggling and failing to survive. They will be starving, freezing, fighting… but mostly just dying. People will KILL each other... for a morsel! No police to call, no laws to be upheld…. without these trappings of civilization, evil men and women will be free to perpetrate horrible degradations upon their fellow man. It will be like living in hell.” he said, shivering with the tragic truth of his own words.

  “Any who make it through will be true survivors. They’ll be hardened, prepared to do anything to live. I have brought you here to help you survive, but there are no guarantees past today, not without your help.”

  Jack swung his gaze about the room, endeavoring to impress the seriousness of the situation on each and every survivor gathered before him. Mostly, they bore the dejected countenance of people struck by a horrifying and incomprehensible truth. Some of them however, bore signs of hope and determination. Jack took strength from those faces.

  “The survival of this place will rely on all of our shoulders. We must all work hard, and we must work together if we are to make it more than a possibility. You will come to understand what I mean in the future, but right now, I need to ask you a question. You have all been welcomed here, and you always will be free to stay or to leave as you choose. What I need to ask is simple; Will you follow me?” Jack asked them, stunning some who had assumed he would simply demand their obedience. It was a risk, asking them, but he knew it was a necessary one.

  “I will not be a despot. I was not meant to lead you, but the man who was is now dead. If you will allow me, I will protect us in his stead, but only if you are willing, here and now, to accept my leadership. I won’t do this if it means constantly politicking, fighting and cajoling you to do what is necessary. You must be willing to do what we must, as I see fit. I recognize that this is a very un-american proposition, unfamiliar to most of you, but it is the price I demand. Your loyalty for my leadership. Will you accept?”