Darker Days (As the Ash Fell Book 2)

by AJ Powers

  “I wasn’t trying to break in,” Clay said, but had to clear his throat before he continued. “A friend of mine—”

  “Vladimir or something, right?” the man interjected.

  “Yes, Vladimir told me about a man named Smith up this way who worked on guns.”

  “Well,” the man said as he picked a piece of gristle out of his teeth, “you found him.” Smith walked back over to Clay and crouched down in front of him. His pant legs hiked up just enough to reveal both prosthetics, something Clay couldn’t help but notice. His eyes eventually met with Smith’s. “So, tell me, uh…Sorry, didn’t catch your name.”

  “Clay.”

  “So, tell me, Clay, why should I help you? I’ve made it a habit to only work with people who have already helped me out in the past. I keep a tight circle of friends, and I don’t really care much for strangers.”

  “I’m a good friend to have,” Clay said, trying to sell his argument. “I can get you fresh produce, venison, hog…Heck, I can even get you some milk,” Clay said, trying to suppress his grin. As dangerous as the trip to Mesquite had been, he liked that he would have that ace up the sleeve to use from time to time. But the man’s response did not instill a lot of confidence in him.

  Smith faked a yawn and waved his hand toward his mouth. “Got plenty of people I can get all those things from. And just because I can’t walk very fast doesn’t mean I can’t go out and hunt. Come on, Clay, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

  “Well, I’ve got a few things in my pack that might—”

  “I’ve been through your pack already, nothing in there worth me making you a new firing pin. Unless you want to trade me that Arsenal.”

  Clay’s head spun from that response. He wasn’t sure whether he was angry that the man had gone through his things or confused with how he knew the firing pin needed to be replaced. “How did you know?” Clay asked before adding, “And no, the AK is not for sale.”

  Smith chuckled as he stood and walked back over to the table. He leaned against the sturdy wooden construction and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You had mentioned something about a broken rifle. I figured it was probably not the one you were carrying when I conked you on the head—sorry about that by the way, just how things go sometimes. So, I stripped that LaRue down and found the broken firing pin.”

  “So, you can fix it?” Clay asked, ignoring the fact that Smith didn’t seem interested in anything Clay had to offer.

  “I can fix just about anything, but like I said, you don’t have anything I want—not anything you’re willing to part with, anyway. And a job like that won’t come cheap.”

  Clay’s frustration became evident in his expression. “So, what kind of things do you want to cover a bill like that?”

  Smith let out a heavy sigh through his nose. He removed the ball cap he wore and scratched the top of his head before putting it back on. “I’ll tell you what, Clay. If you can pick something up for me and bring it back here, I’ll take care of it.”

  Clay’s rejoicing was cut short once his common sense kicked in. If this part was going to cost so much, then why would Smith allow a simple errand to satisfy the trade—unless there was nothing simple about this errand? “So what’s the catch?” Clay asked.

  “No catch, really,” Smith said as he placed both palms on the tabletop behind him and leaned back further. “I just need you to go to my old house and retrieve an envelope for me.”

  “An envelope? That’s it?” Clay questioned with a healthy dose of skepticism. “So, why haven’t your other friends been willing to go get this envelope for you if it’s so straight forward?”

  “Well, I ain’t gonna lie. It isn’t exactly the nicest part of town…” Smith said with a shrug. “Plus, my friends already have things that I want…You don’t,” he said, pointing a finger at Clay.

  Clay hated the idea of extending the trip any longer than he already had, but he didn’t have much choice in the matter. His AR-15 wasn’t just a luxury—a fun toy to take out to the range on the weekends—the battle rifle was a combat equalizer. It was what leveled the playing field for Clay when he was outnumbered. So, despite the not-so-reassuring description Smith gave the area, it was still worth the risk. Whatever was in that envelope carried a lot of value to Smith, and if Clay could deliver, perhaps Smith could become a long-term trading ally. Having access to a set of skills like his would come in handy.

  “What makes you think this envelope will even be there still?” Clay asked.

  “I suppose it might not be or it could be ruined, but it was pretty well safeguarded—not really a place where anyone would think to look. And since all that was in there was mostly documents and maybe a little bit of cash, anyone who did stumble across it wouldn’t have much reason to take it.”

  Clay nodded. “Fair enough.” He pressed off the cold concrete floor and got to his feet. As soon as he stood up, he reached out and planted his hand onto the wall behind him to keep from falling. “So, where’s your place?” he asked.

  “Easy there, slugger. Don’t you hear that?” Smith asked as he pointed toward the ceiling. “That’s the sound of a heavy downpour. Probably not smart to leave during a typhoon.”

  That explains the air conditioning sound.

  “Besides, I hit you pretty good back there, so I doubt you’re in any shape to make good on your end of the deal at the moment. Crash here tonight and head out first thing in the morning.”

  Smith hadn’t given Clay any room for negotiation, nor would Clay have argued even if he could. “All right,” Clay said with a nod. “Thanks.” With Smith still leaning on the table just beneath the light, Clay could clearly see the ball cap he wore. A black cap with gold trim and the iconic logo. “You a Pittsburgh fan?”

  “Yup,” Smith said, still with a hint of pride. “Born and raised in the steel city. Never really left until I shipped out to Pendleton.”

  “I’m just glad you didn’t say you were a Philly fan or we might have had ourselves a thrown down,” Clay said to try and lighten the mood a little—an attempt to get to know Smith on a personal level. The same approach worked with Vlad and many other traders in the past; it was how Clay was able to learn who he could trust…and more importantly, who he couldn’t.

  “Is that so?” Smith said with a subtle smirk, indicating to Clay what the man thought of his intimidation.

  Clay laughed. “All right, so maybe you would have done the throwing part, but still…”

  The man laughed with Clay’s response, showing a true smile for the first time since they met. “Something tells me you’re a fan of the ‘Big D.’”

  “Yep. My dad had the game on every Sunday—I even saw them play live once. Whipped the tar out of the G-Men, though that was like your guys playing against Cleveland.”

  Smith laughed again. “Well, Dallas was the last ones to win the trophy before all this crap happened, so I guess that’s reason enough to dig ‘em.” Smith said. He had a content look on his face as he reminisced about fonder times.

  Their conversation was interrupted by a faint but rapid beeping sound. Clay looked over at Smith as he growled with frustration and pushed away from the table. Without a word, Smith walked out of the room.

  Clay trailed behind, following him through a few narrow corridors that were equally as drab as the room he woke up in. Smith hobbled down another hallway and on through a door into a room that was illuminated by several monitors displaying live feeds from around the entire campsite. Clay was in awe of the setup. No wonder Smith was able to ambush him—he knew Clay was coming from a mile away—literally.

  Smith sat down at the desk and tapped a few buttons on a keyboard that looked dated from even before the eruptions. After smacking the ENTER key, the center screen—the biggest of the six monitors—brought up a feed from just outside the gates where Clay first met Smith. The rain made it difficult to see much, so Smith typed away on the keyboard again and suddenly the screen went dark with the lette
rs IR at the top right corner of the display. Clay saw a few splotches of gray—with one bigger blob of white nearly centered.

  Smith shook his head and grunted. “That stupid thing is always tripping my sensors,” he said as he turned around and looked down at the little pooch that had followed them to the security room. “Chip, looks like you’re gettin’ fried pussycat for dinner tonight.”

  The dog’s tail spun up as his master spoke.

  As Smith left his chair, he grabbed his Faxon ARAK-21. Clay had been so enthralled with the functioning security screens that he had overlooked the sleek-looking rifle leaning up against the desk. He had never seen one in person before, certainly not one sporting a suppressor.

  Unreal, Clay thought to himself. He was still staring at the rifle. Smith pushed him aside to exit the closet-sized security room and made his way down the hall. Clay followed, and Chip, with as much hatred for the cat as Smith, tagged along.

  They arrived at a set of elevator doors and Smith rapidly pressed a button just off to the side. Clay’s eyes widened when he saw the button illuminate. “How are you getting all this power?” he asked in shock.

  The doors opened almost immediately and Smith walked inside. Clay noticed the buttons: SB2, B1, 1 and 2. Smith pressed the 2 button and the doors slid shut moments before the elevator jolted into motion.

  “The military loaded this place up with some new type of batteries and some crazy-efficient solar arrays. They were testing them out while I was stationed in Syria, but I never got to see it in action. Somehow, the panels are able to take even the smallest amount of sunlight and convert it into energy.” A red light at the top of the elevator flicked on and a flat, distorted tone rang out as the ascending room reached the second floor; the doors separated. “Some fancy sci-fi type of crap, ain’t it?” Smith said as he stormed out.

  The second floor was one giant room with windows on all sides—an observation post of sorts. Desks, computers and other communication equipment were still in place, sitting beneath a quarter inch of grime. Because the entire campsite was relatively flat, on a sunlit day, Clay would have been able to see every acre from where he stood.

  Smith headed straight for an outer door and walked out onto a covered catwalk that bordered the entire building. There was an agitation in Smith’s demeanor that made Clay nervous, but it all seemed to be directed toward the cat snooping around the gate. Clay stood back and watched as Smith leaned to and fro, trying to get a visual on the target.

  “There you are,” Smith said as he raised his rifle. He looked through his low zoom optics and had to reacquire his target. “Got you,” he whispered before squeezing the trigger.

  A cracking sound spewed out from the end of the suppressor, and Clay heard the cat scream, but could tell from Smith’s body language that the bullet had merely scared the feline, nothing more. The rifle’s blast was much louder than Clay expected—it was nothing like the movies made it out to be—but despite being just a few feet away, he realized that his ears weren’t even ringing; a little further out and it probably wouldn’t have even sounded like a gunshot. Much further out and it wouldn’t have even been audible.

  Smith grumbled with frustration and walked back to the door. Clay, who had been standing in the doorway, stepped aside to allow enough room for Smith to walk through. He didn’t say anything; he just headed straight for the elevator. Chip came over and sniffed around Smith’s feet.

  “Sorry boy. We’ll get that stupid thing someday,” he said as he bent over to scoop up the little terrier.

  Clay thought it was amusing to see such a big man carrying around a tiny lapdog. Clay used to hate smaller dogs, but now, he was envious of such a creature comfort.

  Clay and Smith returned to the elevator and descended back to the basement. Due to the late afternoon hour, they decided to kill some time by playing cards. It didn’t take long before they got settled into a game of poker—five card draw, deuces wild. Ammunition was the currency. Clay had his bag of bullets he always brought with him, as well as three full magazines for his AR-15. He wasn’t willing to gamble any of the 7.62x39 away, not when the AK was his only functioning rifle.

  “So…” Clay said with hesitation in his voice, “What happened to your, uhm…?”

  Smith looked up from his cards and gave Clay a brief glare. He laid two of his cards down and took two more from the deck. “Same story, different Marine,” he said, almost nonchalantly. “IED.”

  Clay lowered his head and stared blankly at his cards. “That sucks, man. Sorry,” he said as he discarded two of his own for a fresh pair.

  “Just how it goes sometimes. Some people leave their wallets at fancy restaurants, others leave their limbs in a part of the world that were no worse off than before the apocalypse came,” Smith said.

  Clay felt awkward for asking the question, but his approach was working. Smith was talking and Clay listened. In the event Clay was unsuccessful in finding Smith’s envelope, he needed a backup plan—an alternative way into Smith’s little circle of friends.

  Smith tossed out fifteen cartridges in the middle of the table. Clay looked down at his hand, then up at Smith’s face. The same stone-cold expression was present as when Clay first saw the man. He was impossible to read, but Clay had a full house, so he had this one in the bag. Clay put a full magazine down. “I see your fifteen and raise ya fifteen more.”

  “Hmmm,” Smith grunted. After contemplating for a moment, he dropped another fifteen rounds. “Call.”

  Clay laid his hand down on the table, a satisfied grin pasted across his face. “Full house.”

  “Good hand,” Smith agreed. “It’s been a while since I’ve played, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this hand is better,” he said as he laid out a royal flush. “Thanks for the extra magazine, Cowboy.”

  Clay’s sigh gave way to a guttural growl—not just for the thirty rounds lost but that Smith took his magazine, too. A complimentary prize that Clay had not intended to part with, but decided not to argue over. He had already decided that even if he lost all the ammo he brought, it was a good investment to get on Smith’s good side. And as the evening wore on, Clay’s strategy paid off. It wasn’t long before Smith brought out some food and homebrew to share. Clay nearly gagged after the first shot, but managed to swallow the homemade alcohol and keep his “man card.”

  “Got any family?” Smith asked, starting to warm up to Clay.

  “Just me and my older sister.” Clay said, purposefully leaving Kelsey and his kids out of the picture. He was fine sharing a little bit about himself with Smith, but he wasn’t about to put it all out there. “You?” Clay asked.

  “Nope. None,” the man said as his body visibly tensed.

  “So, what’d you do after being discharged?” Clay asked.

  Smith knocked back another shot and then began dealing out the next hand. “I opened up a gun shop. Took two years to get all the paperwork approved, but it finally came through,” he said with a sharp solitary laugh while he shook his head.

  “I imagine business wasn’t nearly as good once all you could sell were hunting rifles and ‘smart guns’, huh?” Clay asked.

  Smith’s expression shifted to a wry smile, “Oh, business was booming, just not the kind of business I listed on my tax forms.” Smith laughed and filled his shot glass.

  Clay’s confusion was written on his face. “What do you mean?”

  Smith’s laugh faded as he realized that chapter of his life was over ten years ago. The man in front of him would have just been a boy at the time, meaning his subtle comment of his illicit firearm business went right over his head. “Let’s just say that Uncle Sam told me I wasn’t allowed to sell certain guns,” he said before leaning across the table to whisper. “But Clay, do I look like the type of guy who likes being told what he can and can’t do?”

  Clay was visibly uncomfortable, but managed to shake his head and say, “No.”

  “That’s right,” Smith said as he sat back in his chair
, his laugh transitioned to a cough. “How do you think I ended up with a rifle like this?” he asked as he gestured to the ARAK-21. “I conducted legitimate business, sure. I sold the same crappy, sissy guns that they wanted me to sell and I repaired just about anything that came through my door. But there was never a shortage of people looking for the classics—the type of rifles that didn’t require Wi-Fi. If they had the money, I got them what they were looking for.”

  Clay nodded along as the man proudly shared his story of Federal defiance.

  “All right,” Smith said as he leaned back in his chair and stretched. “It’s getting late and you should head out first thing in the morning if you want to make it to the house before nightfall.” Smith got out of his chair and picked up his rifle. “Allow me to show you to your accommodations for the night.”

  Clay got up and followed Smith to the elevator where he pressed the button next to the text SB2. Clay’s optimism bolted as the elevator doors split apart. The dimly lit hallways and moldy walls made the floor above feel like a beach resort by comparison. And the smell…it was all Clay could do to keep from throwing up on Smith’s shoes.

  Smith led Clay to a holding cell at the end of the hall and gestured inside. The tiny room had a wafer-thin cot mattress, an overflowing toilet-sink combination, and a small metal tray table mounted to the wall.

  Clay looked over at Smith. “You’re kidding, right?” he asked, trying not to gag over the smell.