Into the Darkness (Book 1): Vigilante

by Deane, Cliff

  “Fair enough,” said Scott who laid his weapons on the ground and following the directions of the man on the barricade made his way to the rear.

  The man on the right flank of the roadblock met Scott and patted him down before escorting him to the man in charge.

  Scott held out his hand and said, “My name is Staff Sergeant Scott Eldridge. I’d be honored if Y'all call me Scott.”

  Taking Scott’s hand, the man said, “Lucas McRay. You say you mean us no harm and can move and replace the roadblock. All ya’ want is a passage to Sunny Point. That about right?”

  “That’s it, Lucas. We are not looking for trouble. Oh, you did ask about the uniforms. We are the Security Force for Wilson County, working with the government there. These gray uniforms are government security contractor get-ups.”

  “That so? Well, tell me, what do you know about what the shit is goin’ on?”

  Scott told Lucas everything he knew about the world chaos.

  Lucas said, “Well, kiss my ass. You mean to tell me that we’re finally free of them thieves in DC? Hot damn. Hell, we doin’ fine here, well, once Wilmington cleared out. No more taxes, huh?

  Okay, we’ll let ya’ through, but you gotta’ stay with us until y’alls convoy clears the roadblock at the other end of town. Deal?”

  Scott held out his hand to seal the deal and said, “Deal, Lucas, is it okay to start right now?”

  Lucas agreed, and Scott walked with his escort back to the Corporal and explained that the convoy could pass through.

  The Corporal picked up Scott’s weapons and making sure he did not raise his hand walked back to the jeep.

  They brought the convoy up, and the dozer truck cleared a path allowing the other vehicles to pass through.

  After the convoy cleared the far side Roadblock and repaired the damage, Lucas said, “Scott, I wish you well, and Y'all come on back now, heah?”

  They shook hands as Scott climbed back into his truck and departed for Sunny Point.

  The driver looked at Scott and asked, “Hey, you okay boss? You look a little pale.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine now. That encounter had so many possibilities leading to disaster. I am just so relieved that nobody started shooting. There are enough dead folks now without killing anyone just trying to get by.”

  “I like your thinking Sarge. Say, are we coming back this same way?”

  “Oh hell no. We’ll go around…”

  Scott was thrilled to find the main gate still secured. He dismounted his truck and using the key unlocked the front gate. Once all of the convoy vehicles were safely through the gate, he relocked it and led the convoy to the dock.

  The trip, which would normally take under four hours took nearly seven. Everyone was exhausted when they parked the trucks.

  While the men from Troop A rested, SSgt Eldridge grabbed his megaphone and walked up to the Cortana; “Hello the ship. I am looking for Captain Aaron Reyes. I have a message from an old friend, Major. General Paul Chalmers.”

  After a few seconds, Captain Reyes exited the Bridge and came to the railing. “Hello the dock. I am Captain Reyes. What message have you from General Chalmers?”

  Scott asked permission to come aboard to show Captain Reyes the letter and identifying docs.

  “Permission granted,” and turning to his XO the Captain ordered him to lower the gangway to allow SSgt Eldridge to come aboard.

  As he arrived at the top of the gangway the Cortana’s XO offered his hand and welcomed him aboard as he turned to lead Scott to the Captain’s Ready Room where Captain Reyes awaited him.

  The galley sent coffee, which the XO poured. Once the pleasantries were formalized Scott handed the manila envelope holding the Chalmer’s documents to the ship’s Captain.

  Captain Reyes read the letter and looked at the enclosed documents before returning them to SSgt Eldridge.

  “I must say,” said Captain Reyes, “that I am greatly surprised to see my old friend’s ID card included here. I would feel much better had it not been here because it indicates that my friend is no longer among the living.”

  SSgt Eldridge looked to the Captain and said, “I have no knowledge of his current status, but upon reflection, I believe you may be correct.

  Sir, may I assume that you will turn over your cargo to me as is stated in the letter.”

  The Captain looked down at the table before saying, “No, I have no intention of turning my entire cargo to you. However I will honor a portion his request and give you the solar kits, and something he did not know is a part of my cargo; razor wire. We are carrying five thousand coils of it. I will also include one functioning semi-truck to carry them. They are in a container ready for loading.

  I cannot turn over my entire cargo to you, as we must use the remainder as barter for fuel. You see, it is my plan to continue plying the trade routes trading operational vehicles for oil, to power the Cortana.”

  SSgt Eldridge asked him why the Cortana would not sail back to the Philippines and home.

  Captain Reyes told SSgt Eldridge that it was a simple matter of economics. In the Philippines, he and his crew would only be additional mouths to feed, whereby continuing to sail the world would both feed his crew, but also give them a purpose. “We are deep water sailors,” said the Captain, not coastal fishermen.”

  “Yes sir, but how long can you remain at sea?”

  “Until the Cortana takes us to Davey Jones Locker, you see the price of oil has dropped to zero, and there are billions of barrels of it in tanks just waiting to fill us up.

  Our plan is to trade our cargo for fuel and supplies. Anyway, that is our plan.”

  SSgt Eldridge said, “I see; may I ask what cargo you are carrying?”

  Reyes told him that the primary cargo was cars and trucks, semis to be precise; one hundred and seventy-five of them, and over four hundred cars. We also have various other cargo in one hundred shipping containers.

  You see, the Cortana is not actually a RORO (Roll on Roll off), but a ROLO, (Roll on Lift off). She is considered a twin decker with a tween deck for autos and containers on deck. We have sufficient cargo to keep us afloat for years and, of course, in time we will also pick up additional cargo at our ports of call.”

  “Interesting,” said SSgt Eldridge, “I like your plan, it seems most worthwhile.

  Oh, before I forget; I was told to ask if either you or your Chief Engineer would like to join our little village, which, thanks to you will soon have electricity. Should I assume that neither of you is interested in our offer?”

  “For me, no, but Chief Adan Ramos is ready to return to the land, though for the life of me I cannot begin to fathom why,” chuckled the Captain.

  Captain Reyes introduced SSgt Eldridge to his Chief Engineer/Machinist, Adan Ramos. He was most pleased with the offer and readily accepted.

  SSgt Eldridge then asked the Captain how he would handle the loss of such an important position.

  Reyes told Scott that Adan had been prepping his replacement for nearly a year.

  “Scott, please come with me. I have something to show you.” The Captain led Scott deep into the bowels of the ship until they came to a hatch that opened onto a very large room housing dozens of computer workstations and equipment that Scott could not even guess the function.

  “Wait, you are a spy ship?”

  Captain Reyes sighed and said, “We prefer the term intelligence gathering, and before you ask, yes we are Americans. The NSA personnel have all gone home since they no longer have a job.

  He handed Scott his ID card, which identified him as a U.S. Naval Captain. “Adan is a retired Lt Commander.

  We have served in this capacity for several years while functioning as a licensed cargo vessel. I must say that when we get back out to sea, we’ll dump all of this overboard.”

  Scott asked, “How is it that your trucks all run? Shouldn’t they be dead?”

  “We thought so too, but the containment area for vehicles is an enclosed wate
rtight compartment, our guess is that this created a giant Faraday Cage. It is the only thing we can come up with.

  At first, we could not figure out why the NSA cabin’s electronics all crashed, then Adan noticed there was a porthole in that compartment. Still, we aren’t certain.”

  Scott felt certain that in this new world, some people were lucky and some were not. The lucky survived while the unlucky died.

  Chief Ramos was sent back to Defiance in one of the jeeps. He was to relate what was coming.

  As Scott wandered through the rows of truck stored below decks, he came upon a staggering find. It was a flatbed small cab semi bound for Lowes; complete with a portable forklift.

  Over dinner that evening, Scott asked what the Captain would accept in trade for the Lowes truck. After much thought, Aron Reyes said, “Scott, you have been incredibly helpful to us, but more importantly you have offered a safe harbor for my old friend Adan. Therefore you may take the truck as my gift to you.”

  Scott could not believe this gesture of friendship and reminded Aron that he would also always have that same safe harbor should he ever tire of the sea.

  The following day was hectic with offloading and loading of the solar kits. Had the forklifts not been running, the job would have taken a week, with them it took only seven hours. Scott was truly happy that forklifts do not have any circuit boards.

  The last thing to be loaded on the trucks were four small forklifts onto the Lowes truck.

  *

  April 16th 0600

  Military Ocean Transport Command

  Sunny Point

  The morning dawned dark and rainy. Winds blew from the west bringing the promise of more rain to come.

  On the Bridge of the Cortana, Aron and Scott finished their last cup of coffee together. As Aron peered at the screen of his radar, Scott said, “Captain will you sail today as planned or wait for better weather?”

  Smiling, the Captain of the Cortana said, “We will sail this evening just prior to darkness to clear the port facilities. This rain will only last for perhaps another seven or so hours.”

  With the emotion of saying farewell to a friend, Scott said, “Captain, I hope you know how much the cargo you have given to us means to our little village.

  I will tell you, what Colonel Levins related to me; the return of electricity to Defiance will be the spark, which keeps the flame of civilization from being completely snuffed out. Now, I know exactly how he felt when he told this to me.

  I wish you good sailing and safe harbors. May God Bless you and the Cortana,” and he shook hands with the man who historians may say provided that spark.

  “And may you go with the blessings of God. Good bye my friend,” replied Captain Aron Reyes.

  *

  Staff Sergeant Eldridge held a short briefing before leaving Sunny point and heading for home.

  “Men, I know it looks nasty out there, but this front will only last for another six or seven hours, and for us that is truly a blessing. Bad guys tend to be fair weather crooks.

  We need to get every last piece of our cargo safely to Defiance, so stay sharp, maintain proper distance and let’s get home without losing anything, or anyone.

  All right, let’s make like the shepherd and get the flock out of here.”

  The rain did persist for seven hours and did not begin to clear until the convoy was only ten miles from home.

  *

  April 16th, 1700

  Briefing Tent

  Defiance

  On site for the briefing were; Colonel Levins, Major Ben Smith, Mayor Ralph Bassett, and First Sergeant Bradley Cobb. There were also two new additions to this core group; Mr. Adan Ramos, and Ms. Coleen Biddle, a historian. Her job was to write the story and history of Defiance.

  She was forty-eight, 5’2” tall with unruly mousy colored hair she tried to keep in a tight bun…complete with a protruding pencil. She was every bit the epitome of the stereotypical College Professor. Though her duty as Defiance Historian was important, the critical piece granting her admittance to Defiance was the simple fact that she had learned shorthand as a young woman and she accurately recorded, verbatim each meeting she attended.

  Staff Sergeant Eldridge gave an excellent briefing covering the entire trip, to include his encounter with Lucas in Leland, saying that all went well, but to be safe he chose a bit more roundabout path in returning to Defiance.

  ***

  Chapter 25

  White Supermen

  April 23rd, 1800 hrs

  Just outside of Roper, NC

  SSgt Eldridge and his ambush patrol set out via truck and were taken four miles from the outskirts of Roper, a small town known to have been overrun by a criminal gang.

  The patrol disembarked from their truck and watched as their transportation returned to Defiance. Each member of this patrol had experienced similar patrols in Berzerkistan. They took their assigned patrol positions and made their way to town.

  At approximately ½ a kilometer (klick) from the town limit, the patrol point man spotted a manned roadblock just ahead. SSgt Eldridge conferred with the patrol and sent Corporals Daniels and Gentry to flank the position. Should they need help in eliminating the sentries, Gentry would return to brief Eldridge.

  “Gentry, this can’t be right. The only sentries I see appear to be passed out. If you look, you can see that all three of them have a bottle beside their chair.”

  “Roger that, no experience here. We can do this without going back for help. Agreed?”

  “Yep, let’s slip right up to ‘em, take out the outside two and capture the dumbass in the center.

  Hold one while I do an infrared survey to see if another has wandered off to take a dump.”

  “Roger, let’s not get in too big of a hurry, go ahead.”

  As they climbed to the top of the barricade, they immediately discovered the bodies of three naked teenage girls who lay in a ragdoll pile. Closer examination showed that all three had bullet holes in their brains. It was obvious the girls had been savagely beaten and raped before being murdered.

  Finding no sign of anyone else providing over-watch to the sleeping guards the two moved to the passed out guards, cut their throats, and took the third man prisoner.

  Gentry returned to SSgt Eldridge to inform him the position was now in their hands.

  Upon crossing the roadblock barrier, Eldridge said, “Good work, now let’s see what this silly bastard has to say. Check for gang tats, maybe we can figure out who we are dealing with.”

  “Sarge, look at this, all three have W S and swastika tats, and a teardrop. So, we’ve got elements of the White Supermen who have all killed someone in prison.

  “Oh, shit, how many of them do you think there are Sarge?

  “Last I heard this bunch of skinheads had over 500 members, so yeah…oh, shit.”

  SSgt Eldridge was briefed and also said, “Oh, shit.” He then said, “Okay, listen up; I want the three of you to ride their bikes back to HQ. Report to the Old Man what we’ve got here, and ask him to send out the RF to pick up me and Tiny here.

  I’ll bring Tiny along with me and meet the Reaction Force on the way. I imagine that I’ll be slow draggin’ this tub of lard.”

  Sergeant Goldberg said, “Roger Sarge, I don’t like the idea of leaving you here alone, but okay, we’re on the way. All right men, grab a bike and let’s go.”

  One of the privates yelled out to SSgt Eldridge, “Hey, Sergeant E, these ain’t old bikes, they’re almost brand new. How’s that possible?”

  “Yeah, okay, Sergeant Goldberg, don’t forget to include that little tidbit in your brief to the Old Man.”

  “Roger that,” and shaking hands, he turned to grab the one remaining bike and waved as they took off for Defiance HQ.

  Scott used zip ties on the skinhead and then threw a cup of water onto his face.

  Choking and blubbering he awoke with a start and tried to wipe his face. It took several seconds for him to realize that his hands
were cuffed behind his back.

  “What the fuck?” asked the now furious biker as he looked around and saw both of his buddies covered in their own blood with slashed throats.

  Scott looked down at his captive and said, “Hi Tiny, top of the evenin’ to ya’.”

  Confused, still a bit lightheaded and in the massive throes of a killer hangover he muttered, “What, top of what? Who the hell are you…oh, my aching fucking head. Gimme a drink.”

  Then without warning, he threw a kick toward SSgt Eldridge who suspicioned Tiny would try something like that and effortlessly deflected the assault.

  “Oh my, Tiny that was surely not your best move, now stand up…NOW, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”

  Tiny, with some difficulty, rose to his feet and as he stood there shaking Scott stepped around behind this giant and punched him in the kidney. This sent him to his knees and put tears to his eyes.

  “Now you just listen up Tiny; that was just a gentle prod. It would be best if you did not force me to take action that is way more painful.

  Through his glassy eyes, he asked, “Why you keep callin’ me Tiny. Can’t you read the nametag on my vest? It’s Bones.”

  SSgt E then walked to his side and said, “Gee we already have a Doctor we sometimes call Bones, so from now on your name is Tiny Needle Dick, but for the most part we’ll just call you Tiny.”

  Tiny looked up at Scott and said, “I am gonna’ rip your head off, you little prick.”

  Without warning, Scott kicked Tiny in the nose knocking him backward onto the ground.

  Tiny was screaming, but in pain rather than rage. Blood spewed from his nose and into his mouth causing him to choke and roll over onto his side.

  Scott said as he reached for Tiny’s nose, “Aw man, your nose is flat against your cheek. I just know that’s gotta’ hurt, here, let me help you with that,” and swiftly grabbed the bent nose and sharply straightened it.”