America Offline | Books 1 & 2 | The Day After Darkness

by Weber, William H.

  “No way!” Holly cried, bellowing out a laugh. Amy joined her. Soon tears of laughter were streaming down both their cheeks.

  “Aunt Amy, you’re crying,” Emmitt said.

  “What are the chances?” Amy exclaimed, dabbing at her eyes to protect the mascara that had faded away days ago.

  “Astronomical,” Holly said, unable to stop grinning. “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

  And for the first time, Holly began to worry about what might be in that letter she’d been asked to deliver. Somehow, her mind kept coming back to Johnny’s silly comment about evening a score or getting payback for some old, bygone grievance. Her mother had left Holly with the impression that a debt was owed and that she―Holly―had been tasked with following up on the repayment. But it had never been completely clear whether Holly was meant to repay a debt or collect one.

  In the brief time they’d known each other, Holly had come to realize what wonderful and kind people the Bauers were. What a shame it would be to ruin this new friendship with the settling of a petty disagreement, one between two sets of parents now both deceased.

  Go back, remove the letter from your suitcase and burn it.

  Holly was floating on a knife’s edge when another figure approached, standing over them. Looking up, Holly saw it was a young girl with dark, knotted hair. She waved. “Amy?”

  Amy nodded, suddenly worried, maybe even afraid. “Yes, can I help you?”

  “My name’s Dakota. Your husband Nate sent me.”

  Chapter 23

  His heart brimming with doubt and despair, Nate headed back to the truck. A block and a half from here, he had found the perfect spot nestled between two snow drifts. By shoveling snow onto the bed cover and roof, he had hoped the deception would fool any passerby that the Beast was just another wreck, claimed by the ravages of winter.

  A frigid wind howled between the towers of glass and steel looming above him. Otherwise, the city’s inner core―or the Loop, as it was affectionately known―was mostly quiet. One might even say peaceful, save for the occasional rattle of gunfire in the distance.

  During one of his passes through this part of town, his truck had cut a path through the deep snow. Between the sounds of faraway gun battles, Nate caught feet padding down the street toward him. He turned in time to see Shadow, who skidded to a stop and licked his lips. Unlike the family dog, Shadow’s tail never wagged, but there was something in his eyes that let you know he was happy to see you.

  “Hey, buddy, how the heck did you get out of the truck?” Nate asked the animal. He’d left him to watch over the vehicle.

  Arriving a moment later, Nate quickly got his answer. The dice he’d rolled on camouflaging the Beast had come up snake eyes. The driver’s side window had been smashed and the door stood ajar. Lying parallel to the vandalized truck was the body of a man in full snow gear. Nate’s pistol was out at once as he scanned the area for any other threats.

  The guy wasn’t wearing any gloves or scarf, which gave Nate a perfect view of the man’s throat and face, both of which looked like hamburger meat.

  “Was this you?” Nate asked the wolf, who only stared back at him. It was a silly question, of course. Clearly this gangbanger had come upon what he’d assumed was easy pickings. After breaking the window, he’d probably even slid into the driver’s seat, only to see a set of vicious eyes staring at him from the back seat.

  A quick search of the man’s body revealed he had nothing of value. Nate brushed the shards of tempered glass from the seat, then moved aside, allowing Shadow to jump in.

  Seconds later, they were off. Clearly this wasn’t going to be a safe place to kill time before Dakota’s plan could unfold. Thinking fast, Nate quickly deduced that Grant Park, less than half a mile from here, offered a good backup location where he could lie low. A sprawling urban landscape of over three hundred acres, Grant Park was also crisscrossed with a network of roads, which meant Nate could avoid the immediate danger of the downtown core without needing to leave the Beast behind. Popping the glove compartment, he found a pair of heavy-duty garbage bags and a roll of duct tape. It wouldn’t be pretty, but once he stopped, he would need to cover the window to block the frigid wind.

  But there was another problem. Judging by the abandoned cars clogging the road, his journey east on Grand and south on Michigan might prove challenging.

  Undeterred, Nate pushed on, nudging the accelerator. The Beast’s engine roared as he plowed through a mishmash of soft powder and hard pack. Luckily the truck treated them all equally, tossing the remnants up and on either side of him. A quick glance in his rear view revealed a sight he hadn’t anticipated. A SUV cut across his path heading in the other direction before skidding to a halt and backing up.

  Could they be gangbangers? Friends of the guy who got his face chewed off?

  Any way you sliced it, this newest development wasn’t good. Nate made a sudden right, distinctly aware that if the folks in the SUV were intent on pursuing him, they had only to follow the trail he was leaving in the snow. A solitary glimmer of hope rested on a simple fact. While searching earlier for a spot to leave the truck, Nate had driven through a number of the nearby streets. If he could get back on a path already cleared, tailing him might not be so easy.

  “Hold onto something,” he told Shadow as they took another hard right. The Beast lurched to one side, groaning under the strain. The back tires did their best to dig into the slick roads. “You got this, girl,” he encouraged the truck, gripping the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white.

  After he took another sharp turn, he paused only long enough to see the SUV blow past in the other direction.

  With any luck, it would be several minutes before they discovered the deception.

  Chapter 24

  Holly listened as Dakota explained to the group who she was and how she knew Nate. Tears were streaming down Amy’s face as she listened intently. Even the kids were visibly shaken.

  “No one gets out of here without paying the piper,” Dakota was telling them. “We didn’t have enough to spring all of you, but we do have a plan.”

  “A plan?” Lauren asked, skeptically. It seemed now it was Dakota’s turn to listen. “Don’t you think it’s better to stay here, where it’s at least safe and we have something to eat?”

  Dakota didn’t seem convinced. “And what if the warden—because that’s what you are, prisoners—decides to start only feeding those who can pay? Or those willing to work or do any number of other disgusting things? What then?”

  “The Red Cross would never do anything like that,” Lauren countered.

  “I’m sorry to tell you, these guys aren’t the Red Cross,” Dakota said, growing frustrated at Lauren’s caution and reluctance to see the truth. “They’re using them as a front to wring all of you for as much as they can.”

  “What’s the plan then?” Amy asked.

  A guard was approaching, and Dakota quickly changed topics, yammering on about girly stuff.

  Hunter and Emmitt’s faces squished up.

  Grinning, Emmitt waited for the guard to pass before he said, “You did that so well you even had me convinced.”

  Dakota glanced over her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear. “Tomorrow at noon, we’re going to sneak out via the southbound tunnel over there and rendezvous with Nate at Washington Station. We’ll have to do it one at a time in intervals, to avoid drawing any attention.”

  “Intervals,” Holly said pensively. “Like The Great Escape.”

  Hunter and Emmitt were both lost. “Huh?”

  “An old movie,” Holly explained. “Well worth seeing if you ever get the chance.”

  “But sneak out during the day?” Amy wondered, uncertain. “I mean, wouldn’t it be better to do so in the middle of the night, when everyone’s asleep?”

  Dakota shook her head. “No way. We’ll make way too much noise.”

  “But what if a guard tries to stop us?” Hunter asked, trepidation in his
young voice. “They have guns.”

  Dakota’s gaze fell. “I know. The only way I could get in was to hand my weapons to Nate. Otherwise, they would have found it during the patdown for sure.”

  “We may not be completely out of luck,” Holly said, pulling open her jacket to reveal the pistol she was carrying.

  “Hey, where’d you get that?” Emmitt asked, excited.

  Lauren tapped the side of his head. “Keep your voice down, mister.”

  Holly ruffled his hair playfully. “Smuggled it in my suitcase.”

  “But why would you risk your life for us?” Amy asked. “We’ve only just met.”

  “Dillon and I left Seattle to escape a controlling bully who was threatening our lives. We didn’t come all this way to trade one abusive relationship for another.”

  Chapter 25

  Nate was rolling down Michigan Avenue, Grant Park rapidly approaching on his left-hand side, when he spotted a pile of snow, at least three times the height of his truck, blocking the road. Warning signs in his head were all flashing with bright red neon letters.

  Ambush!

  He slammed the brakes, sending Shadow crashing into the back of his seat. The Beast skidded to a stop as Nate punched the truck into reverse. Figures in white improvised camo popped up on every side. Some appeared atop the mound, another group rose up from behind vehicles parked along the side of the road. A final group were behind him, pushing the shell of a burned-out bus into the street to block his exit.

  This wasn’t just bad, it was terrible, and quite possibly the end of him. Shots rang out, causing the snow around him to explode in beautiful puffs of white powder. Then came the metallic ding as rounds struck the vehicle. Shadow whined. Nate grit his teeth as he backed up at high speed. A few of his assailants rushed out at the vehicle right as Nate spun the wheel to whip it around, striking them with the Beast’s front wedge. The impact made a wet, crunching sound as their bodies were shattered from the impact and flung into a heap of snow. The truck came to a stop and Nate drew his SIG, aiming it out the broken driver’s side window at the thugs closing in on his left.

  Two incoming rounds pierced the front windshield and thudded into the passenger seat. Nate raised an arm to protect his face from spraying shards.

  The realization quickly dawned on him that if he stayed put, he’d be torn to shreds. Grabbing his G36, he laid down some suppressing fire before bailing out. Shadow followed a second later, sprinting out of sight.

  Nate ran along the side of the truck, heading for the remnants of the burned-out bus. At least that might provide him some cover. Cutting the corner on the left, he took down two guys scooting along the road toward him.

  A second later, he turned to see what looked like a teenager raise a silver pistol at him. Nate drew his own and fired first, striking the kid twice in the chest before he dropped.

  The sound of an approaching vehicle knocked the wind from Nate’s sails. Seeing the SUV that had been following him before barrel around the corner only made things worse. Unfortunately, he was too busy fending off the mounting pressure closing in from both sides to worry about whoever was swooping in.

  A quick magazine change later and Nate shuffled to the right side of the bus, pausing only briefly to fire as he went.

  The SUV skidded sideways, drawing even with the bus stretched across at least half the road. The doors away from the gunfire popped open and four men in white spilled out. Nate was about to swing his rifle around to engage them when the tallest of the squad threw him an okay sign. For a moment, he watched them go to work, covering each other with suppressing fire as their comrades charged forward. They repeated this maneuver, sweeping everyone before them. Nate followed up on the right, pushing back on the remaining thugs as he cut along a trench line in the snow.

  Within minutes, the enemy broke off and ran. A member of the SUV team scaled the blockade of snow with a scoped rifle, picking them off as they fled.

  When it was clear the enemy had lost the thirst for battle, all five men met near Nate’s bruised pickup.

  “You gave us the slip back there,” the tall one with the slight bend in the tip of his nose said, He introduced himself as Colt.

  “I guess I did,” Nate replied. “Maybe next time wave a white flag so I know you come in peace.”

  This was met with raucous laughter from an older black guy. “What’d I tell you?” He bumped fists with a Marine type carrying the scoped rifle and a wiry guy with dark curly hair and a wide grin.

  “This is Walker,” Colt said, pointing to the black guy. “The one with the scowl is Ash. And the guy most likely to make a joke about your mother is Brooks.”

  They all nodded.

  “Brooks, I dare you to make a joke about Walker’s mom,” Ash said, flashing a straight set of whites.

  Brooks scoffed. “Do I look suicidal to you?”

  “We’ve been trying to make contact since you left Grand Station,” Colt said. “Your vehicle, is it still functional?”

  Nate looked her over. “I think so.”

  “Good. Then follow us.”

  Although grateful for the help, Nate was starting to wonder if the wolf had run off for good this time.

  They backtracked, heading toward the Loop, when Nate spotted a gangbanger lying face down in the snow, a wolf standing over him. He pulled to a stop and leaned over to pop the passenger door. Shadow got in.

  “Look at you, cutting off the retreat,” Nate said, laughing.

  They resumed their trek, pulling into what had once been the glassed-in lobby to an upscale residential building. The marble floor was slick with slush, but Nate could see where the broken glass had been swept aside with a push broom. He let Shadow out and closed the door.

  “Who needs a parking lot when you can make your own, right?” he said to Colt as he approached.

  Colt agreed. “One of the few upsides to a crappy situation, I suppose.”

  The leader of this small unit led them down a set of stairs and into the building’s common area. A library with expensive-looking bound books had been transformed into a command post.

  The four men from the SUV sank into seats around an oval table. “Please,” Colt said, pointing to an empty chair.

  Shadow poked his head in, sniffed at the air and then left.

  Brooks jabbed a finger at the doorway. “Uh, that don’t look like no labradoodle.”

  “Brooks, you’re a real moron, you know that,” Ash spat, flinging a crumpled piece of paper at Brooks’ head.

  “No, but seriously. Where’d you find him? I want one.”

  Nate grinned. “I wish I could tell you, but the truth is he found us.” He shifted his attention to Colt. “Given that you seem to be the one leading this motley group, you wanna explain what this is all about?”

  “Reciprocity,” Colt said enigmatically. “We saw you enter the shelter and drop someone off, but our sources suggested you caused quite a scene down there.”

  “Maybe I did. I’d like to think a man can pick up members of his family without paying for the privilege.”

  “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Walker said, his voice deep and soothing.

  A light formed in Nate’s eyes. “Wait a minute, what did you mean by sources? You guys were following me minutes after I left.” But the words were barely out of his mouth before the pieces clicked into place. “Ah, I get it. You’re monitoring their radio chatter, aren’t you? Which one of you speaks Russian?”

  “Zdravstvuyte,” Ash said, greeting him in the foreign dialect, before pushing back in his seat and flicking a hand through his tightly cropped hair.

  Colt folded his hands over the walnut table. “Like you, we arrived in Chicago to locate and extricate family members trapped in the city. After a bit of searching, we discovered two such members were in the Grand Station shelter, being held captive by members of a Russian crime syndicate. Al Capone can’t hold a candle to Sergei Ivanov. The Soviets were notoriously harsh on organized crime. The weak a
nd stupid were captured or killed, leaving only the tough and ruthless behind. The most efficient psycho factory in the world, you might say.”

  Ash grinned. “He’s got a trademark on that, by the way, so be sure to give credit.”

  Colt tapped the table, struggling to tell the next part. “When my wife and daughter tried to leave, they were captured and killed.” He paused, his hands now balled into fists. “For gangsters, the blackout’s just one more opportunity to do what they do best. Slavery, extortion, prostitution, you name it. I want payback. First and foremost, I want to see Sergei and every last one of his sadistic henchmen dead. But they have numbers on their side. All I could get my hands on were these guys.”

  The three others glanced at one another, insulted.

  “I resent that,” Brooks said.

  “Where are you all from?” Nate asked. “Remnants of the US military?”

  Walker’s famous laugh filled the room. “Nope. Just me.”

  The color was back in Colt’s cheeks. “We live in a place we call the Citadel. Been around for a little over nine years, formed shortly after the financial crisis. It’s no Fort Knox, but it is a group of like-minded individuals working toward a common set of ideals.”

  “Ideals?” Nate said, handling the word as though it were an expensive heirloom. “You’ll have to forgive me, but it’s been a while since I’ve heard anyone speak like that.”

  “I know. It’s because chivalry’s dead, man,” Brooks said.

  Nate felt his hand move involuntarily to the pendant of St. Christopher around his neck, the one Sanchez had given him. “Maybe not everywhere,” he said, remembering how his friend had made the ultimate sacrifice to save a girl he didn’t know.

  “Then you understand?” Colt replied warmly, a twinkle in his eye.

  Nate nodded. “I’m starting to.” He let the room get quiet for a moment before asking, “So, what now?”