The Defiant: Grid Down

by John W. Vance

  “And we’ll do that, but I don’t want to be a pest about timing. We need to go. I really don’t want to be on the roads at night, and I need to drop off the Dodge.”

  “We’re getting rid of the car without having another?” Brent barked.

  “Brent, it’s taken care of. Bryn’s going to allow us to use hers until we can find cars for all of us,” Alex said.

  “This is such bullshit. That truck should be ours.”

  Bryn raised her middle finger at Brent.

  “Fuck you!” Brent fired back at her.

  “Shut up, Brent, and go help carry Matt’s body out to the Bronco,” Nicholas ordered.

  “I’m done helping. This entire day has been a failure. There were two things I needed, a car and that prescription.”

  Brent had a point; the day was partially a failure. They hadn’t found more vehicles and not one item was collected from the list.

  “Do you have any suggestions, besides bitching?” Alex asked.

  “Yes, we keep the Bronco.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Nicholas said.

  “C’mon, Brent, you can’t just complain. If you have something to add, please do; otherwise do what Nic said and shut up,” Alex said.

  “Fuck you.”

  Alex took a step towards Brent, who was so enraged he didn’t back away.

  “Look at you acting like a bully cop,” Brent scolded.

  “You are not winning any friends,” Alex said.

  Brent huffed and stormed off. A moment later they heard the front door open and close.

  “What a piece of work,” Alex said, shaking his head in astonishment at Brent’s behavior.

  “You’ve seen nothing. That’s him being nice,” Nicholas joked.

  Wrapping Matt in several white sheets, they slowly carried him from the examination room through the darkening clinic.

  “I can’t find the keys. Where are the keys?” Bryn asked. She was crawling on her hands and knees, looking on the floor.

  “The fucking Bronco is gone!” Alex cried out.

  “Brent took the Bronco, that motherfucker!” Nicholas yelled.

  “What do we do?” Proctor asked, referencing Matt’s body.

  “Put him in the trunk. I’ll have to drop off the Dodge later.”

  “Where do you think he went?” Bryn asked.

  “It doesn’t matter. He has to come home sometime, and when he does, we’ll be there waiting for him,” Nicolas said.

  Carlsbad, CA

  After dropping Proctor at home, he drove as fast as the car-riddled highway would allow him. He hated that he had to drive at night; it was like driving blind with no ability to spot an ambush or see danger. His luck held and he arrived safely, but that luck was about to run out.

  When Nicholas walked into the house, Becky cried out, “You’re safe, thank God.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. After her embrace she looked up and saw the others. “We have guests?”

  “Becky, this is Bryn and Sophie. We saved them earlier today. It’s a long story.”

  “Hi, I’m Alex.”

  “You look familiar,” Becky said, referring to Alex.

  “Where’s Abigail?” Nicholas asked.

  “In her room. Are you okay? Brent mentioned you were in a fight today.”

  “You’ve seen Brent?”

  “I saw him and Chandler not an hour ago. They stopped by and said you were running late and that there had been some trouble.”

  “No, things aren’t fine. I need to go visit our mutual friend and neighbor Brent.”

  “What’s going on?” Becky asked, concerned.

  “More trouble is coming, but this time to that asshole,” Nicholas said. His temper flared, and he was ready for a fight once and for all.

  He marched out of the house and into the darkness of the night.

  Bryn, Sophie and Alex followed him out.

  Nicholas could hear Brent talking with what sounded like a few people.

  When he began walking down his driveway, Brent called out, “Who is that?”

  “It’s Nicholas.”

  “You’re not welcome on my property. Leave now!” Brent ordered and put a large beam from his flashlight on him.

  Undeterred, Nicholas walked right up to Brent and punched him squarely in the face.

  Brent reeled back, lost his balance and fell hard to the ground.

  “Hold on. Stop,” Chandler barked, stepping in front of Nicholas.

  “Get out of my way, Chandler. This is between this asshole and me.”

  “No, no, it isn’t. What Brent did was for the community. He told me you found this truck and gave it away.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “You can’t give away what’s not yours,” Bryn interjected.

  “I don’t know who you are, but this doesn’t concern you either.”

  “Oh yes it does. He stole my truck.”

  “Chandler, you weren’t there today. You don’t know what’s going on,” Nicholas charged.

  “You’re right, I wasn’t, but is Brent lying?”

  The headlights of the Bronco were on, providing enough light for everyone to see each other.

  Brent scurried off the ground and stood. Blood ran from his nose down his face and across his lips. “Fuck you, Nicholas, you’re not getting this truck. This is the community’s now, not mine.”

  “It’s more than the truck, Brent, and you know it. You took it, leaving us to scramble and get home. You abandoned us.”

  Brent stepped towards Nicholas, but out of nowhere Bryn stepped forward and hit him with a punch to the side of the face.

  “Stop it now!” Chandler screamed.

  Brent was shocked by the hit and in his anger lost control and pulled the pistol Nicholas had given him earlier. “Get off my property, now!” he screamed, pointing the pistol at Nicholas.

  Bryn reacted by pulling hers and pointing it at Brent.

  “Everyone, stop. Put the guns down!” Chandler screamed.

  Nicholas raised his hands, showing he was holding a gun and said, “Are you going to shoot me, Brent? Is that what you’re going to do?”

  “I should. You came on my property, hit me, and then your new girlfriend hit me. That’s assault, and I’m within my right to defend myself!”

  “Just know that if you pull that trigger, that’ll be your death sentence. I’ll shoot you and take my truck back,” Bryn warned him.

  Chandler still stood in between everyone, his arms raised as he attempted to get the situation under control.

  Alex had taken a step to the right and was assessing how he could also diffuse the volatile scene.

  Sophie was holding back. She too had stepped to the side and was ready to pounce on Brent.

  “Give Bryn back the truck. She’s offered to allow us to use it as long as we need. She and her sister will be staying with me until we find another.”

  “No,” Brent snapped.

  “As the elected leader of this community, here is what I propose. The truck belongs to Bryn, but since she’s willing to let us use it, we’ll keep it parked here. We will give it back to you once we have found other cars. This is my compromise,” Chandler said.

  Nicholas thought about it, and it seemed fair. He looked to Bryn, who still held the pistol out. “It’s reasonable.”

  “I want to shoot. Can I please shoot him?” Bryn said.

  “Bryn, don’t do it. They saved us today. It’s a decent deal.”

  She lowered the pistol.

  Brent followed suit and lowered his.

  “Give me my pistol back now,” Nicholas ordered Brent.

  Brent hesitated.

  “Give Nic back his gun,” Chandler demanded.

  “Here,” Brent said, holding it out.

  Nicholas snatched it and tucked it in his waistband.

  “Now can everyone go back to their respective homes? We’ll start again tomorrow looking for a car, okay?” Chandler said.


  Nicholas, Bryn and Sophie disengaged and walked back to his home.

  Watching them walk into the night, Brent grinned. He felt like he won more out of this feud. He caressed the Bronco keys with his thumb and with a chuckle pocketed them.

  Chapter Four

  “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is forged.” – Anonymous

  Carlsbad, CA

  Nicholas found it impossible to sleep. The events of yesterday kept replaying in his mind. Had he done the right thing? He thought he had. Becky didn’t openly challenge him, but she asked him several questions that led him to believe she thought he might have miscalculated. She also made mention of her parents. This was a topic he was aware of, but he put it in the back of his mind. Frank had made his decision not to come there, and for now he needed the car. It was also prominent in his mind that leaving them alone was dangerous, so he’d have to find time to check on them today.

  Sick of tossing and turning, he got out of bed. He thought a stroll through his house might make him feel better.

  “Where are you going?” Becky asked.

  “Oh, hi, I hope I didn’t wake you,” he replied.

  “I haven’t been able to sleep. I’m assuming you’re the same way.”

  “Yes.”

  “Honey, I’ve been thinking. I want to leave right away, tomorrow if possible. After what I saw and that horrible fight you experienced, I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

  These words were music to his ears, but just how was he going to leave without a vehicle. “I agree, but we still need a car.”

  “So I was thinking. How about asking those girls to come?”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hold on,” he said and flicked the switch on the lantern to low. “I want to see your face, make sure you’re not making a face.”

  “I’m serious. I’m scared, and I just want to go somewhere there are not many people. So that got me thinking too. I think we should head to Montana instead of Palm Desert.”

  “You want to go to Uncle Jim’s ranch? That’s a hell of a drive.”

  “His place is huge, and he has like two hundred acres. I think we can be safe there.”

  Nicholas sat in silence, thinking about what she had just proposed. He wasn’t against the idea; it just had some parts that he couldn’t guarantee would work.

  “What about your parents?”

  “I can’t worry about them. I think we should drop the car off first, of course, tell them where we’re going, give him a map even, and let it go at that. I can’t risk Abigail by staying in the city.”

  “Okay, let me talk to Bryn and Sophie in the morning,” he said and began to head to the door.

  “Where ya going?” she asked.

  “I still want to pace around and think.”

  She tossed back the sheets and said, “I’ve got something else that will make you forget about the crappy day you had yesterday.”

  “Hmm, serious?”

  “Absolutely, get back in bed now,” she purred.

  Not asking a second time, he jumped back in bed.

  Yesterday was a glimpse of what would soon be a widespread problem, and the longer they stayed, scavengers would end up in his neighborhood looking for what they could find. It was only a matter of when not if.

  After his confrontation with Brent, he had also lost any desire to work with Chandler or any of his neighbors, so when Becky brought forward her thoughts, Nicholas embraced it. He just needed to see how far his partnership went with Bryn and Sophie, so he sat them down the moment the sun rose and presented it.

  “I know we just met not twenty-four hours ago, but I can see you’re a good guy, nice family and you have things we’ll need. I would say I’m surprised you’re asking me, though; I don’t offer anything but a vehicle, and I only have it because you’re letting me have it. I think this deal is better for me than you,” Bryn said.

  “I don’t know, Bryn, we still need to see how Mom’s doing,” Sophie added.

  “We don’t have time to check on Mom.”

  “Wait. You have a parent close by? Of course we need to check on them. Why wouldn’t you?” Nicholas commented.

  “Nic, there’s too much to go into with this topic.”

  “Every time I bring Mom up, you freak out, you say this or that. What the hell is wrong with you?” Sophie said, slamming her fist down.

  Bryn sat and stewed on what Sophie just said.

  “Nic, thanks, but we’ll be checking on her before we leave.”

  “Fine, let’s add her address…”

  “She let Edward touch me,” Bryn said just above a whisper.

  “What?” Sophie asked.

  Nicholas thought he heard but kept quiet.

  Becky was also in the room with Abigail. “Come on, Abby.”

  “Mom, I want to stay and be a part of this conversation. I have a say, and Dad hasn’t checked on my friends.”

  “Be quiet, everyone,” Nicholas said.

  Sophie moved closer to Bryn and touched her hand. “Did I hear you correctly?”

  “Mom knew he was coming into my room. I told her, but she did nothing. I threatened to tell someone else, but he turned the tables on me. I caught him going into your room; you were so young, so little. I stopped him. He told me the only way to prevent him from hurting you was if I kept quiet and allowed him to do what he wanted to me,” Bryn said, her voice cracking as she spoke. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Oh, Bryn, I never knew. I swear, had I known…” Sophie said and began to tear up too.

  “I’ll just step out,” Nicholas said and stood.

  “No, stay. I want everyone here to know. I’ve kept this a secret too long, and if we’re partners in whatever we’re doing, you need to know me.”

  Nicholas was blown away by what she just said. Her ability to expose something so private and raw hit home for him. He sat back down on the love seat and let her continue.

  Sophie cradled Bryn and held her tightly. “Oh, sweetie, I never knew. I’m so so sorry.”

  Bryn openly cried and held Sophie.

  Nicholas watched in amazement this display of love and sisterhood. He looked over at Becky and nodded.

  Becky and Abigail were also crying now.

  The tears became contagious as a few tears streamed down Nicholas’ face.

  He didn’t know how much time had gone by, but it felt like an eternity. However, he couldn’t stop this moment; this was something special. It needed to end when Bryn wanted it to.

  Wiping the tears away, Bryn sat up and said, “Now you know why I hate Mom and why I don’t want anything to do with her.”

  “I hate her too. I can’t believe she allowed that to happen to you. I’m so sorry.”

  “Is it safe to say checking on your mother is off the list?” Nicholas joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

  “Off the list,” Bryn confirmed.

  Vista, CA

  Vincent had never used crutches before, but he was getting the hang of them quickly. He paced back and forth in his room; it was close to breakfast and he was looking forward to seeing Stephanie.

  Right on time, he heard the typical knock and then the door opened slightly. Her gentle face peered in to see him standing there with a slight smile.

  “Is now a good time?” she asked.

  “Absolutely, come on in. I’m so hungry I could eat a bear. Oh my it smells so good,” Vincent replied hopping over to the bed with glee.

  She quickly walked in, placed the tray next to him, and turned to leave without an answer or comment.

  “Don’t leave so quickly,” he pleaded.

  “I have things to do.”

  “Just ten minutes, please. I’m lonely and the books you gave me, well, I'm not much of a reader.”

  She hesitated a bit but relented with a smile.

  “Here, sit down,” Vincent said, pointing to the chair in the corner.

  She hadn’t sat down for a second
before Vincent started peppering her with questions.

  “Did your father tell you anything we discussed?”

  “Yes, he did,” she calmly responded.

  Vincent was looking for more of an emotional response, something to indicate they were concerned about the war that had broken out.

  “And?” he asked.

  “And what?”

  “You’re not alarmed?”

  “I don’t get alarmed; my father has a plan for everything. He always has. I trust in him.”

  “What about your mother?”

  “She died a few years back. It’s just me and my siblings.”

  Vincent was struck by her steady calmness. He liked it but also hadn’t seen someone act so cool especially when it pertained to the possible end of the world as they knew it.

  “You mentioned your father has a plan. What’s that?”

  “I don’t think I should be discussing those matters. I, um, don’t feel comfortable openly telling you.”

  Finally he saw a crack in her cool demeanor.

  “Are you leaving?”

  “Enjoy your breakfast. I’ll come back shortly to get the tray,” she said and quickly stood.

  “Don’t leave yet, please,” he begged. “Please stay. I’m sorry, truly, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hammered you with a thousand questions, but surely you must see from my vantage point. I’m injured and I’m stuck here. I don’t know who you are or what’s going on. I haven’t had contact with my unit.”

  “I’ll let my father know you have more questions, but I have things to do.” She briskly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

  Vincent was curious as to what was going on. He didn’t suspect his life was in danger, he just needed to find a way to contact his unit and move on. He opened the door and entered the brightly sunbathed hall and walked toward a large room. On the walls hung portraits and framed family photos. Each step he took, he felt more like a teenager sneaking out of his room; the thought flashed and he dismissed it as stupid. The room was large, fully furnished, and looked like a heavily utilized room. A sectional took up most of the space, a large eighty inch TV was mounted on the opposite wall, and a series of baskets and shelves contained games and children's toys.