Dawn of Destruction

by Ronald Williams

  The old man laughed again, though not as hard as last time.

  “Kid, we’re living in times where hopeless optimism like that is gonna get ya killed,” he said.

  Those words pierced Robert’s heart. Perhaps it was only then that he truly realized the gravity of the situation they were in, and truly realized that there was a chance that things may never turn back to normal.

  * * *

  The four stood in the hallway of Randall’s apartment complex.

  The door to Randall’s condo was beaten down and they could already tell that the inside had been ransacked based on the trash that littered the floor.

  Randall cautiously led them in and they explored the inside of the condo. Randall’s worst fears had been realized.

  All of the food had been taken out of the refrigerator and the pantry, both of which were left with the doors hanging open.

  In the utility room, where Randall had kept his gun safe and his stockpile of food and water, everything was taken too. The fact that the food and water was gone was bad enough, but seeing his gun safe literally missing from where it was made Randall furious inside. He had a lot of money invested in the guns in that safe, and many more of the guns he had inherited and had strong sentimental value attached too.

  Even his clothes and blankets were missing from the closet. Trash and everything else not of value littered the floor.

  At least his MacBook Pro was still on his desk, largely untouched, but because of the EMP it was obviously useless.

  After Randall had taken in what had happened, the four of them assembled together in the living room. It was Alexandra who broke the silence.

  “So where’s the food and supplies?”

  “I’m sorry,” Randall responded after a moment of silence.

  “Sorry?! You promised us half of your stuff, and I’m not seeing shit! Are you saying we’ve come all this way for nothing?!”

  “There’s a few more places we can check, my brother’s place and my parents house.”

  “What makes you think they’ll be any different than this dump?”

  Robert interjected.

  “It’s not your fault, Rand,” he said. “You didn’t know everything was going to be gone. There was no way you could have known.”

  “I was the one who argued for this expedition, Robert,” said Randall. “This is my fault that we came here.”

  Alexandra stepped up to Randall.

  “We came with you because you promised us supplies,” she said. “And we are not leaving this damned city until we have what you promised. Fifty-fifty.”

  “Then we’ll check my parents place and my brothers place,” said Randall. “They had food and supplies too.”

  “And if there’s nothing there either?” Alexandra asked.

  Randall didn’t say anything to that.

  Duncan had stayed silent all up until that point, having not spoken a word. But now, he spoke to them for the first time.

  “If I may speak, this ain’t their fault, Alexandra,” he said. “They wouldn’t have come here on their own if they thought there was nothin’ here.”

  “Shut up, Duncan,” she snapped. “I’ll handle this.”

  Duncan took a few steps back with his head lowered. It was clear he wasn’t exactly the best at standing up for himself.

  “I am going to need reassurance that my people will have the supplies you promised,” Alexandra said as she turned back to Randall and Robert. “Or else if you fail to deliver…”

  “Or else what?” Robert interrupted.

  “Or else this story isn’t going to end well for the two of you or your stupid little sister back at our camp,” she responded.

  Suddenly, Robert lunged forward and flung Alexandra against the wall!

  Stunned, he had his hands gripped around her neck before she could recover and respond.

  “Robert!” Randall shouted.

  Through Robert’s hands were wrapped tightly around her throat, Alexandra managed to gurgle out: “You lose.”

  Robert looked down and saw that she had Randall’s 1911 .45 pointed directly at his gut. The hammer was cocked and the safety off, and her finger was on the trigger. Only one press as light as a feather and the powerful .45 slug would be sent point blank into Robert’s intestines

  “Let go of me, right now,” Alexandra managed to speak again.

  Slowly, Robert released his grip over her.

  “Now step back,” she ordered. “And both of you, hands in the air.”

  Robert did as he was told and raised his hands. Randall followed.

  “I’ll have that big revolver of yours now,” Alexandra said. “Pull it out slowly and with your non-dominant hand.”

  Slowly, Robert pulled out his big Ruger .357 from under his waistband.

  “Duncan,” Alexandra said.

  Duncan hesitated, not sure what to make of the recent turn of events.

  “Duncan!” Alexandra yelled again.

  Duncan reluctantly stepped forward and seized the .357 from Robert.

  “Now you,” Alexandra said to Randall. “I know you must have got another pistol under that jacket, or else you wouldn’t have so willingly given me this one. Pull it out and hand it over like he did.”

  Randall unzipped his jacket and slowly removed his Beretta 9mm from his shoulder holster and set it on the floor before kicking it over.

  With both eyes on the two of them and her .45 stilled aimed at Robert, Alexandra knelt down, picked it up, and jammed it in her belt.

  “Alright,” she said. “You say we’ve got two more homes to check out for supplies? We’re gonna pay them a visit. You will lead the way, but neither of you will speak unless I ask you a question and I don’t want to see any kind of non-verbal communication between the two of you. But if it’s the same story, if there’s nothing there at those homes, I hope you say your prayers quickly because I am not going to hesitate to shoot the two of you. Understand?”

  Randall and Robert nodded.

  “Alright, now lead the way,” Alexandra motioned to the door with the pistol.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hill Overlooking Priest Lake

  Gale was leading the scouting expedition to find the Parker family, with a total of two vehicles, Mitchum, and seven other armed men under his command.

  Parked on a hill overlooking Priest Lake, Gale was scanning the lake through high powered binoculars.

  “See anything?” Mitchum asked.

  “A few camps, RVs, and houses along the lake,” Gale responded. “Let’s check ‘em out.”

  “Wait, you can’t literally suggest that we go and talk to people,” another of the men said. “I thought your father said no contact was to be made.”

  Annoyed, Gale put down his binoculars and said, “I’m in command here. Is that understood? And in case you didn’t realize, we’re not going to find the Parkers just by running around and looking through a spying glass. Besides, how are we going to get more people to join our side if we don’t even engage with them?”

  Mitchum and the other men stayed silent.

  “Fire up the trucks,” Gale continued. “I see a tent with four people outside of it and we’re going to go talk to them. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Everyone was anxiously awaiting the return of Randall, Robert, and Jane at the Parker lake cabin.

  Jane was usually on watch but since she wasn’t there today, Claire, Marcus, and Bruce took shifts in patrolling the surrounding woods. Susan, Angela, and Christine were preparing food inside the cabin.

  Thomas was recovering quickly from his injuries, faster than anybody had anticipated. His hands and fingers were still bandaged, but he was on his feet and walking around outside to get some fresh air.

  He found his grandfather, Barry, outside conducting maintenance on the Ford RV that they had resting outside. The RV served as the sleeping quarters for those who couldn’t squeeze into the single story cabin.

  “What are ya doing, grandp
a?” Thomas asked.

  “Just a little routine maintenance,” Barry replied.

  The hood to the RV was open and Barry was tinkering around with the engine.

  “You do realize that’s not gonna run because of the EMP, right?” Thomas asked.

  “I know, I know, probably not,” Barry replied. “But it gives me something to do.”

  Thomas could tell that his grandfather was anxious.

  “They’ll be back,” Thomas said. “Randall said they would be back within twenty four hours. It’s only been like six so far.”

  “If you’re feeling well, maybe you should help out your father and uncle on patrol,” Barry said, still not looking up from the engine.

  “I would, if only…” Thomas said as he held up his hands.

  His dislocated fingers had been put back into place but he was still in a lot of pain and for the time being he couldn’t use them. It would take a good week at least before Thomas would be able to remove the bandages and attempt to use them again.

  “Yeah, yeah…” Barry’s voice trailed off.

  Thomas could tell that Barry wasn’t exactly in for a long conversation so he turned and walked out into the open area in front of the lake. He could see a few other houses and tents set up on the other side of the lake through the trees, but the Parker’s hadn’t bothered to engage with any of them as far as Thomas knew.

  Thomas ventured out to the beach and then strode out onto the dock. He sat down and at the edge of the dock just above the water, and waited his brother and two cousins return.

  * * *

  Gale, Mitchum, and the rest of their men stood in front of a family of four who were camped next to Priest Lake. They had a tent and some basic camping supplies, and as far as Gale could tell, they were unarmed too.

  “You know the Parkers?” Gale asked.

  “Yes,” said the father of the family. “Barry and Christine and their family.”

  The very fact that Gale had two working vehicles and eight men armed with rifles and shotguns was enough to intimidate the family into submission. The father was trying his best to act as unafraid as possible, while his wife stood behind them with their two small children, a boy and a girl.

  “And do you know where they live?” Gale asked.

  “Northern end of the lake, they’ve got a nice little cabin up there,” the father said. “But Barry and Christine are good people. Why do you have beef with them?”

  Gale turned to his men and then turned back to face the father.

  “They killed my brother,” Gale said sternly.

  “What?” the father asked, surprised.

  “That’s right,” Gale said. “He was out on patrol with a couple guys, and two of the Parkers got the jump on him and gunned him down in cold blood.”

  Gale was lying through his teeth and he knew it. His hatred for Parkers burned and seethed in his breath.

  “What was your brother’s name?” the father asked.

  “Gerald,” replied Gale. “His name was Gerald.”

  “Gerald,” the father said the name out loud, taking a moment before speaking again. “So what are you going to do?”

  “We’re going to do what needs to be done,” Gale replied. “Bring justice to the Parkers. This is a dangerous world and with people like them out there right next to us, it’s a threat to our families and our children…including yours.”

  Gale gestured to the father’s wife and children behind him.

  “You’re not suggesting going after them and getting in a fight, are you?” the father asked.

  “They attacked us first,” Gale said. “They launched a surprise attack on the Compound at night for no reason. One man is dead and two are in critical condition. They all have wives and children.”

  The father’s wife put her hand over her mouth.

  “But here’s the good news: we can protect you,” Gale continued. “We can protect you and the other innocent people here. But we’re gonna need your help.”

  “Absolutely,” said the father. “We know a few other families here, we can help spread the word for you.”

  “Thank you, that’s much appreciated,” Gale said, quite pleased. “What’s your name?”

  “Phillip,” said the father. “Phil is what I go by, though.”

  He extended his arm and shook Gale’s hand.

  “Can you fight for us too, Phil?” Gale asked. “We’ll need every man we can get.”

  “I don’t know, I gotta family to provide for,” Phil lifted his baseball cap and ran his hand through his curly hair.

  “The Compound is willing to give food, medicine, and supplies to anyone who joins our cause,” Gale promptly replied. “In addition to shelter and protection for your families. We even have a couple of spare houses available. I’m assuming you and your family would rather have that then the old and faded tent I see you’re living in now.”

  That information immediately perked Phil’s interest.

  “A whole house?” he asked.

  “You may have to share it with another family or two we bring in, but yes,” Gale folded his arms. “But you have to fight for us. Do you have guns?”

  “All I got is an old thirty-eight and a couple of boxes of ammo,” Phil said. “I’m not exactly much of a shooter, it’s been a couple years since I even fired the darn thing.”

  “That’s just fine,” assured Gale. “We got plenty of guys and gals at the Compound who can fight, but we still need to make sure we have an advantage. That’s why we’re looking to further increase our numbers.”

  “I’ll talk around and see who can help,” said Phil. “Man, it’s been nearly a month since we had to evacuate. Been living in his tent the whole time…I can only imagine what’d it be like to have a house again.”

  Phil glanced back at his smiling wife and kids, who couldn’t contain their excitement. Their fortunes had completely changed within minutes.

  “We’ll be back tonight or tomorrow,” Gale extended his arm to shake Phil’s hand again. “Thank you for all your help. We appreciate it. And I’ll definitely reserve that house for you.”

  * * *

  Randall, Robert, Alexandra, and Duncan finally arrived at Randall’s parents’ neighborhood after a good hour of walking.

  Alexandra and Duncan kept their handguns hidden as they walked. Per Alexandra’s orders, Randall and Robert never said a word to one another, and they all walked in single file line with Randall at the front and Robert behind him.

  Randall was relieved to see that the neighborhood was in much better shape then the rest of town. There was still plenty of trash lying around and stray dogs and cats, but the houses were still in great condition mostly. Some windows were boarded up, but Randall didn’t see any doors beaten down or anything of that nature.

  The four finally arrived to the front of Marcus and Susan’s house.

  “You have the key, right?” Alexandra asked.

  “Yes,” replied Randall.

  “Alright, no funny business,” Alexandra said, putting her hand over the .45 jammed in her belt and starting to pull it out.

  They stepped up to the front door and Randall unlocked it. By this point, the .45 was in Alexandra’s hands and pointed at Robert’s back. She tapped Duncan on the foot and he drew the .357.

  After the four had stepped into the house, Duncan shut the door behind them.

  To Randall’s utter amazement, the entire inside of the house was completely untouched. How could this be when all of the other residences they had seen had been vandalized and stripped clean?

  “Alright, now where is it?” Alexandra snapped. “Where’s the food and supplies?”

  “A few different places,” Randall said. “There will be some in the garage, some downstairs, and some more in the pantry.”

  “Lead the way,” Alexandra said. “But let’s try the pantry first.”

  Since the house opened up to a split staircase when you walked in through the front door, they immediately had to step
up the staircase.

  Randall’s heart was pounding. He knew that Alexandra was not going to keep Robert and he alive once they found the supplies. Marcus had always kept a revolver for home defense in the upstairs closet. If only he could get to it…