After The Event (Book 4): Into The Dark

by T A Williams

  “A couple thousand. Some people left, most stayed. Things were good until the grocery stores ran out of food, then people started turning on each other. As you can imagine, a town this size doesn’t have a need for a large police force, and to be honest, a few weeks after the power went out there weren’t many of us acting like we were Police Officers. Most of us just started looking out for ourselves.” Whitford seemed to age right in front of him. “A lot of people were robbed of what little they had or ended up disappearing.”

  “No one was trained for something like that to happen.”

  Whitford nodded. “I finally stepped up, along with a few others and managed to maintain some semblance of peace. Thing is, instead of organizing and trying to provide for ourselves all I had us do was wait for help. Sit back on our asses and wait for Uncle Sam to swoop in and fix everything. You may remember how things were when we first met.”

  Alec did.

  “By the end of that first winter this town had lost hundreds.”

  That couldn’t have been possible. Alec thought back to when he had first visited with his father. He couldn’t remember seeing that many people, though there wasn’t exactly a good reason for everyone to be hanging about. He met Whitford’s eyes and that removed any doubt he might have had.

  “I learned after that you can’t save everybody. Not every choice you make is going to be the right one, but you have to try. If I had stepped up sooner, if I had been willing to take charge and hadn’t been so afraid to fail, then some of those people would still be alive.”

  It wasn’t that easy but Alec didn’t feel like arguing. “I’m not giving up.”

  “Damn straight you’re not.”

  A skinny man with bleach blond hair came running up and shook Whitford’s hand. “I don’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to come thank you. Thank you for letting us come here.”

  Whitford frowned at the man but returned the handshake. “Don’t go thanking me. It’s not like we could stop you from squatting here, too much of this town is deserted.”

  The skinny man looked to Alec and smiled sheepishly. “Again, sorry to interrupt, I just hadn’t had a chance to thank you.”

  Before anything else could be said the man had scurried off.

  Alec looked to Whitford. “Some new blood?”

  “Gotten around a dozen in the last week. Apparently Columbia is turning into a war zone.”

  Columbia was the nearest large city to them. While not large compared to St. Louis or Kansas City it still had a population of over a hundred thousand prior to the world turning dark.

  “What do you mean war zone?” Alec asked.

  “Apparently there are a bunch of groups fighting over control of the city. Don’t know what the hell there is to fight over, outside of land and empty buildings, but that’s what I’ve been told. A lot of people that had managed to survive there are leaving and we’re seeing a few of them.”

  “Well that’s…great.”

  “I’ve been thinking about trying to set up some trading with the places around us that are still populated.”

  Alec hadn’t been aware there were other places nearby. “Like where?”

  “There is a small town about twenty miles south between us and Columbia that still has a sizable farming community. To the west of us there is a town, Sturgeon, and I’ve been told people still live there.” Whitford scratched his head for a moment. “I think that’s it. You went to the town in the East didn’t you?”

  That was the first place Alec had went when he was searching for Ally. “Yeah, there isn’t anything there.”

  “Prior to last winter I sent a few people over there and that’s what they said. I just wasn’t sure how long it had been abandoned. So you willing to help me set up some trading partners?”

  It was smart, Alec couldn’t deny that, he just didn’t know how he felt reaching out to the outside world. His community and this town had managed to provide enough food for their people but there were still things they needed. It wouldn’t hurt to try. He told Whitford as much.

  The man patted him on the back and stared back out into the distance. “I guess you haven’t given up yet, have you?”

  “Not yet,” Alec glanced up at the sky. “Not yet.

  Ben

  “This should come in handy,” Zima said, looking over some thick gray gloves he managed to find in one of the closets.

  While the snow on the ground had disappeared leaving behind a muddy mess, the cold air still hung around making the day only bearable when in direct sunlight or when completely covered up. They had spent the better part of the day scouting and searching through the abandoned neighborhood. There was little sign of life in their area and even less in the way of useful supplies.

  “Ready to head back and check on Mason?” Zima asked as he slipped the gloves on.

  “Might as well,” Ben said, throwing aside a pair of pants that had been torn beyond repair.

  They made their way down the deserted street making sure to be cautious and quiet. Ben did his best to stay alert while also watching Zima’s movements. The older man had spent most of his life as a soldier and it showed in the way he moved. Every movement was deliberate. His gun was aimed and at the ready while the barrel followed his gaze. Even when Ben’s body wasn’t in complete pain he felt like he was constantly tripping over himself or pointing his gun somewhere it shouldn’t. Zima was a trained predator while Ben felt like a housecat thrown outside for the first time.

  Zima went to the garage and knocked on it once loudly and then twice softly in quick succession. He paused for a moment then lifted it up so they could both make it inside. The first thing Ben felt was the warmth that came from the walls blocking out the cold wind, then his eyes adjusted and he saw Mason sitting up on a mattress on the far side of the garage.

  The man gave him a warm but fatigued smile. “Anything good?”

  “What do you think?” Zima said setting his gun against the wall.

  Mason’s right arm was in a sling and his shirt bulged due to the large bandage that was underneath it from to the nasty cut the man had sustained in the crash. Every time the man moved he would wince in pain, but he was alive.

  “Any idea where we’re at?” Mason asked.

  “Western part of Jersey City,” Zima said.

  Mason thought for a second. “I should be good to go by tomorrow, so-“

  “Shut it,” Zima said shooting him a look. “I saw your left ankle, you’re not going anywhere for a while.”

  Ben looked at Mason’s ankle before he was able to cover it up with a nearby blanket and realized it was twice its normal size.

  “We can’t sit around here. Supply-wise we have maybe two-three days’ worth of food and who knows if the guys you took out have some friends that will come looking for them.”

  “Yeah, I thought about that.” Zima nodded his head. “I searched them then covered up any evidence they were ever here. They had some food that should give you all about a week’s worth of food.”

  “You all?” Ben asked.

  “Yes, you all. I’m going to go ahead and find our operating base. We either have something here or just across the Hudson in Manhattan. I’ll grab some supplies, get some help if possible, and come back to get you two.”

  Mason’s face tightened but he didn’t say anything.

  “I can go with you.” Ben offered.

  “You could, but if it takes me longer than a week you all are going to need someone to go searching for food. Someone who can move faster than one limp an hour,” Zima said looking to Mason.

  Mason took in a deep breath and nodded his head. “When are you heading out?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  The sound of a faraway explosion filled the air and seconds later their house shook. Zima and Ben ran upstairs and looked out the window towards the sound of the explosion but all they could see was smoke slowly rising in the sky.

  “Looks like there is some fighting in Manhattan,”
Zima said softly. He looked up at the sky. “There is still probably three or four hours of daylight left.”

  They walked back downstairs.

  “Anything?” Mason asked.

  “Looks like it came from Manhattan.” Zima picked up his backpack. “I’m heading out now. I should be able to make a couple of miles before nightfall.”

  Mason’s face remained stoic but Ben had known him long enough to see he wasn’t happy. “Is a few miles today really going to make much of a difference?”

  “Only one way to find out.” Zima walked up to Mason and grabbed the man’s shoulder. “You watch your shit here, alright? I’ll be back.”

  Mason merely nodded.

  Zima came up to Ben and clasped his arm with his hand. “Listen to Mason and stay alert. Don’t let him do anything stupid.”

  “Be careful.” Ben said.

  “I always am.” Zima looked back to Mason and nodded. “See you all soon.” With that said he opened up the garage door and closed it behind him.

  Ben’s back began to ache so he leaned against the wall. Mason laid his head back on the wall next to his mattress. They were low on food, were bruised and battered, and were a long way from anything friendly.

  “We’ll be alright,” Mason said, reading Ben’s face.

  Ben tried to smile. He hoped Mason was right.

  Ally

  Silence hung like a fog in the air.

  Ally walked slowly through the house with the only light being the moonlight shining through the window. She didn’t know how she had gotten here and she couldn’t remember anything before. She walked from room to room but the sound of her footsteps never met her ears. Something was wrong. Ally turned to go back and saw a woman standing at the front door. The woman was so familiar but she couldn’t place where she had seen her. A smile appeared on the woman’s pale face then it twisted into a hellish scream as her neck split and blood poured from it.

  Ally screamed and sat up in bed. She felt hands trying to hold her down and she kicked out trying to struggle free. Ally tore away from unknown hands and got to her feet when the world tilted violently and she fell onto the hard ground. The world continued to teeter back and forth. As Ally crawled away from where the hands originated she saw Tiger. The dog stood there looking down at her with an obvious look of concern on its face.

  “Tiger?” she asked.

  The dog barked, ran over to her and then threatened to drown her in its saliva as he licked all over her face. Ally didn’t try to push him away, she had watched Tiger get stabbed, she had watched him limp away into the empty woods and was certain he was going to die all alone, but here he was. Tiger nuzzled his head in and Ally got sight of the large bandage on his side. Everything came flooding back to her. She remembered trying to escape from the man that kidnapped her, Ethan. She had hit her head but managed to shoot him with an arrow, killing him. She could remember walking outside into the bright sun and then everything started to go dark. Just before she had passed out she remembered seeing Tiger coming towards her and then felt hands picking her up.

  “Honey, we aren’t going to hurt you.” A female voice came from behind her.

  Ally turned and saw a man and a woman standing on the other side of the room. The woman was middle-aged, around her mother’s age. She had a gray faded wife-beater that was partially covered by a frayed jean jacket. Her blonde hair had once been tied in a ponytail but large clumps of it had come loose and were scattered about her dirty face. Ally looked at the woman’s eyes and saw they were kind and full of concern.

  “You don’t have to be scared. We found you and brought you in here.” She said as she bent down on her knees to get eye level with Ally.

  The other man with her reminded Ally of a banker, with his dark black hair and thick framed glasses. While his face reminded her of a banker the rest of him betrayed that. Ally had never seen a banker wearing a worn flannel shirt and jeans with holes torn all over them. He seemed slightly older than the lady. While the lady bent down to Ally’s level the man took a step back, as if he was unsure what to do. Yet just like the woman the man’s eyes were kind and full of concern.

  The woman looked back to the man and he shrugged his shoulders. As she turned back around Ally caught her rolling her eyes. “My name is Dena and this is…my husband, Adam.”

  “My name is Coby.” Said a small voice on the other side of the room.

  Ally turned and saw a young boy, just slightly taller than her, at the open doorway watching. When she looked to him he gave her a big smile and waved.

  The open doorway seemed familiar and a feeling of panic rose up in Ally. They were back in the house, the same house she had been held captive in. She looked around frantically and realized they were in one of the bedrooms and not the living room where her cage had been.

  “Honey, please calm down, I don’t want you to hurt yourself. We found you and brought you in here to take care of the cut on your head.” Dena said.

  Ally reached up and felt a bandage covering the side of her head. It still hurt to touch and the constant throbbing of pain was still ever-present. Tiger nuzzled into the side of her neck even harder. She placed her hand on his head and felt his soft fur. “You found Tiger.”

  For a second the woman looked confused then she smiled. “His name is Tiger?”

  “But he’s a dog.” The young boy said.

  The woman raised her hand in his direction to quiet him. “Yes, we found him when he was hurt and helped him get better. Just like we were trying to do for you. I promise we won’t hurt you.”

  Ally heard a door open downstairs and footsteps coming their way. Panic started to rise but faded when she noticed both Dena and Adam seemed to be expecting someone else. Sure enough a few moments later another man entered the room. This man was younger, probably around the age of Dena, and while Adam seemed out of place in anything but a bank this man seemed right at home. The man had a black t-shirt on with splotches of dust on it. The t-shirt was snug to his body showing off his fit physique. His black hair was stylishly unruly. He reminded Ally of the models in the ads in the newspapers. He walked into the room and looked at her, his eyes cold.

  “Are there others?” It took Ally a second to realize the question was directed to her. “The man downstairs and the man in the shed, are there any others?”

  Ally started to shake her head but thought better of it. “No, just them.”

  “What about your people? Where are they?” he asked hastily.

  “Spence, man, she just woke up,” Adam said from the corner.

  Spence turned his cold gaze on Adam for a second. “I need to know if we need to expect more company.”

  “Just me,” Ally said interrupting them.

  Dena tilted her head just slightly. “What do you mean, just you? Your parents?”

  “Just me,” Ally said again.

  There was an uncomfortable silence.

  “What happened to the men?” Spence asked walking past her and standing next to Dena.

  Ally sat up more and closed her eyes briefly to allow the shifting world to stabilize. “They fought. The man downstairs was killed by the one in the shed, his name was Ethan.”

  Spence nodded his head. “And who killed the man in the shed.”

  Ally lifted her head and looked directly at the man. “I did.”

  Dena and Adam shared a shocked look while Spence regarded her coolly.

  “You?” he asked.

  “With my bow and arrow. He was trying to hurt me.”

  Dena took a few steps toward her and stopped. She reached her arms out to Ally and then pulled them back to her sides. “Oh honey. Can I, can I help you back in bed?”

  Ally shook her head no. “I’m fine here. I can get up on my own.” Outside of Spence they seemed nice, but so had Ethan.

  Spence spoke directly to Dena. “We need to head out of here.”

  “What do you mean? It’s going to be dark soon and we need a place to sleep,” Adam said.

>   Spence ignored him. “People obviously know about this place and I don’t want to get trapped here.”

  Dena looked to him and then to Ally. “Spence, she needs to heal, she needs…time.”

  Spence gave Ally an annoyed look and walked back to the door. “I’ll scout the area and find something to eat. If you hear something yell for me.” He walked out the door without waiting for confirmation.

  Adam pushed his glasses further back on his nose and shook his head. The kid, Colby, ran up to Dena and hugged her waist. He stared down at Ally like she was a long lost friend recently found.

  “What’s your name, honey?” Dena asked.

  “Ally. My real name is Alya but I like Ally.”

  The woman smiled. “Ally, that’s a beautiful name. And how old are you Ally?”

  Ally didn’t know. For some reason a feeling of embarrassment washed over her. How could she not remember how old she was?

  Dena must have picked up on it because a look of pity flashed across her face and disappeared. “How old were you before the power went out?”

  “Six.”

  “There have been three winters since then,” Dena said thinking out loud. “So you should be around nine, maybe ten years old?”

  Ally didn’t know what to say. She remembered loving her birthdays. For her six birthday her mother had been sick but she had still made her a big cake with pink frosting, and she had gotten a new soccer ball. She remembered she wasn’t supposed to kick the ball in the house, but her mother had let her since it was her birthday, and Ben got mad saying it wasn’t fair. She had accidently kicked the ball too hard and it hit Joseph in the head making him cry so her mother made her stop. Joseph apologized to her later for getting her in trouble. She pushed those painful memories down. They didn’t matter anymore.

  A single tear ran down Dena’s face as if Ally’s sadness had somehow radiated off and touched her. Dena wiped it away quickly. “This is my-our son Coby. He just turned nine about a month ago.”

  Coby waved at her again frantically. Ally just stared, still trying to claw her way back into the present.

  “I know you have no reason to trust us, honey. And I know that you’ve probably been on your own for a long while and that has probably worked out well for you, but please just give us a chance to get you back on your feet.”