Those Who Remain: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Book 7)

by G. Michael Hopf

  Cruz thought.

  “I need you, Andrew. You’d be saving lives, think about that,” Gordon pleaded.

  “When do you need them?”

  “Tomorrow morning, my units will be in place. Call me when your people are wheels up.”

  “If I do this, you won’t ask any more of me?” Cruz asked.

  “Just that, destroy those hardened targets and our deal is complete.”

  “Consider it done,” Cruz said and hung up.

  A huge smile stretched across Gordon’s face. “He’s going to help out. He’s gonna do it.”

  “See, doesn’t hurt to try.”

  Gordon gave John a hug and shouted, “You’re fucking brilliant.”

  “Now we just need to pick up the pace,” John said.

  “We’ve got this,” Gordon said and poked his head in the Humvee. “Contact the forward elements. Tell them I’m heading up to rendezvous.”

  “Yes, sir,” Vaughn said and keyed the radio handset.

  “We’re leapfrogging ahead?” John asked.

  “I need to be there. I wouldn’t miss this show for the world.”

  Two miles east of Lake Fork, Idaho, Republic of Cascadia

  High winds, rain and a lack of visibility were crushing Luke’s chances of walking home. His gait had narrowed to mere inches, and his body was stiff from the cold, and now his wet clothes were compounding the problem.

  He had never had hypothermia before but had a strong feeling he was on the cusp. Off the mountain, the winds were more vicious, as the protection of the mountain and trees was gone.

  His head was pounding, no doubt a sign of dehydration, and his thoughts had started to become jumbled.

  Several times he stopped to get his bearings, but he just couldn’t find a distinguishing landmark.

  “A road, I need to find a road,” he mumbled. To his right, he caught sight of a metal gate. He headed for it directly. “A road, right there,” he panted. He slid through the wide slats of the gate, and when his foot came down, it slipped through a steel cattle guard. Not strong enough to hold himself up, his entire leg slipped through. He came off the gate hard but his ankle remained. The sound of his ankle snapping was reminiscent of dry kindling.

  “Argh!” he cried.

  He found the strength to pull his leg free and crawled to the road. He looked down at his ankle jutting out at a forty-five-degree angle. “Ah no, fuck!” he yelled.

  A feeling of dread overwhelmed him. He was going to die. This was it. He’d freeze to death just miles from home.

  He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly followed by two more. He heard Gordon’s voice in his head say, Don’t quit, never give up.

  “Don’t quit, never give up,” he said and again, “Don’t quit, never give up.” Over and over he said it until he found the strength to stand on his good leg. “Don’t quit, never give up.” He looked down the road. He wasn’t sure where it went, but he’d assuredly find a home, a house, something, someplace to take shelter.

  ***

  Samantha waved to Nelson to stop.

  Nelson slowed his snowmobile and came to a full stop. He lifted the visor on the helmet and asked, “What’s up?”

  She pulled up alongside him. “I’m not used to riding these things and I can’t see anything. Let’s slow down just a bit.”

  “Sure.”

  The rain was coming down sideways, battering their helmets and clothes.

  “Do you think he’s alive?” Samantha asked.

  “Don’t say such things. Let’s go. We’ll continue to cut back and forth along the direction he was heading. We’re sure to come across something,” Nelson said putting down his visor and hitting the throttle.

  All Samantha had was hope. If Luke were dead, she wasn’t sure how she’d recover from this loss. He wasn’t her biological son, but she had grown to love him so much and considered him a son as if she had given birth to him.

  As she closed her visor, she spotted a dark spot moving west along Potter Lane. She wiped her visor but the rain was coming down too hard. She keyed her radio and said, “North on Potter Lane, it looks like someone walking.”

  Nelson slowed to a stop and looked. “I don’t see anything.”

  “I do, it looks like someone walking. It could be Luke,” Samantha said, slammed her visor down and sped off north.

  “Sam, you don’t know for sure. You need to be careful. Wait up for me,” Nelson ordered.

  The closer she got to the lone figure, the more her confidence boomed.

  “Sam, I need you to be careful. You don’t know who that is.”

  The figure raised his arm, waved and fell.

  “It’s him, it’s him!” Samantha cheered. She pressed the throttle down as far as it would go.

  Nelson thought to himself, Please be Luke and not one of those crazed murderers.

  Samantha pulled up alongside the person now splayed out on the frozen road. She couldn’t see his face. A memory of finding Holloway came to her and how that hope she’d found Gordon was dashed. She jumped off the snowmobile and turned the person over to find her intuition was proven once more. It was Luke.

  “Don’t quit, never give up. Don’t quit, never give up,” he mumbled.

  “Oh, baby, I’ve got you. You’re safe now,” Samantha cried, holding him.

  Nelson let out a sigh of relief. He pulled up next to them and got off. “Let’s load him on mine. I’ll carry him home.”

  “His ankle, it’s broken,” Samantha said.

  “Luke, are you hurt anywhere else?” Nelson asked.

  “Don’t quit, never give up,” he replied.

  “He’s delirious. He’s hypothermic and in shock,” Nelson said, urgently scooping him off the ground. He carried Luke to his sled, gently sat him in front of him and jumped on behind with his arm holding him. “Radio ahead, tell the hospital I’m coming their way. Have someone meet me along the way. We’ll transfer him to a vehicle.”

  “Okay,” Samantha said.

  Nelson sped off going west down Potter Lane.

  She changed the frequency on her radio and keyed it. “Gunny, this is Sam.”

  “Go for Gunny.”

  “We found him. We found Luke!”

  MARCH 13, 2016

  “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

  South of Joseph, Oregon, Republic of Cascadia

  “Carrie!” Lexi shouted as she woke covered in sweat. She blinked heavily but the shed was pitch black. The cool air wrapped around her glistening skin and sent goose bumps and chills through her. She drew the blanket over her and lay down.

  A wet nose touched her exposed hand.

  “Is that you, Beau?” she asked.

  Beau jumped on top of her.

  “Ugh,” she grunted.

  He spun around at the bottom of the cot and lay in between her legs.

  “This cot isn’t big enough for the two of us,” she said.

  Beau exhaled deeply.

  Lexi took that as him saying whatever.

  A muffled scream came from the house.

  Lexi shot up and listened for a second.

  Another scream.

  Sensing this was her moment, she jumped out of bed, slipped into her boots, grabbed her pistol and raced out of the shed.

  Beau and Frenchie were on her heels.

  “Conrad, just stop, enough!” Katie screamed.

  “You’ll do whatever I ask!” Conrad blasted back.

  Crashing came from what sounded like the master bedroom.

  “Leave me alone. I won’t do that again. I’m not sure what happened to you, but you’re not you anymore!” Katie screamed.

  “Come here now!” he barked.

  Lexi reached the back door but found it locked. She busted the small pane near the l
ock, reached in and unlocked the door.

  “What’s that? Oh, must be your friend!” Conrad yelled.

  The house was dark. Lexi had run out of the shed so fast she forgot to grab a flashlight.

  “Lexi, don’t come in here!” Katie ordered.

  Staying put in the small hallway, Lexi pressed against the wall and listened for any movement.

  “Come in, Lexi, I want a taste of that ass too!” Conrad blared.

  “You’re disgusting. What happened to you?” Katie asked.

  “Shut up. I’ll fuck you or anyone however I want,” Conrad yelled and slapped Katie.

  “Conrad, no!” Katie screamed.

  Lexi stepped out of the hallway into the kitchen and slid along the wall towards the main hallway.

  A light appeared in the main hall. It bounced from wall to wall.

  “You come with me,” Conrad said, dragging Katie by her hair with one hand while holding a flashlight with the other.

  “You’re hurting me,” Katie whimpered.

  Lexi heard the patter of feet behind her. She could tell by the sound it was Beau and Frenchie.

  Conrad stopped at the end of the main hall and called out, “I’ll break her neck. Put down whatever weapon you have if you want to save her.”

  Lexi flinched. What if I get her killed? she thought.

  “Drop it and leave. This is my home and you’re no longer welcome in my house or on my property,” Conrad said.

  Do I go around and just pop him in the face? Lexi wondered.

  “Lexi, leave, please. He’ll hurt you too,” Katie pleaded.

  A thought came to Lexi. “Conrad, where were you held? Hmm? Did you get trapped in a camp with a guy by the name of Rahab?”

  “How do you know that name?”

  Lexi’s gamble was correct. Conrad had been held and probably raped like she was. However, he was suffering from that experience.

  “I was held there too. I know your pain. I know you’re suffering, but you don’t have to. We can talk this out.”

  “How do you know?” Conrad asked, a worried look on his face.

  “He killed my sister and I barely escaped. Please, let’s talk through this. Whatever reaction you’re having to your captivity, me and Katie can help with it.”

  “They’d take me to a room,” Conrad mumbled.

  “Let Katie go and we can talk,” Lexi said.

  “The things they’d do, it was horrible, so horrible,” Conrad groaned.

  “I know, they did those things to me too, but I’ve been able to work through it. I can help you,” Lexi urged. Her heart was racing. Is this working?

  “They took me and they, they, they put things inside me,” Conrad said, shaking his head.

  “Conrad, please let Katie go,” Lexi said, her tone softer now.

  Conrad stopped talking. He only stood and stared.

  “Honey, can you let me go?” Katie asked.

  He didn’t reply.

  Lexi took a step, her foot hit a dining chair.

  He shook his head violently and barked, “Stay back. Don’t come in here.”

  “I won’t come in there, but can you please let Katie go?” Lexi pleaded.

  “Oh, Katie, they hurt me, they hurt me real bad. I can’t let them get you too. They’re horrible people.”

  “Conrad, let her go.”

  “I won’t, I won’t let them get you too. You’re too precious, too sweet, it will destroy you,” Conrad said, pulling Katie in closer and wrapping an arm around her neck.

  “Conrad, no,” Katie gagged.

  “Katie…Conrad, what are you doing?” Lexi asked. She couldn’t see anything from her vantage point.

  “They won’t get you, never. I’ll save you from them.” Conrad applied massive pressure, took his other hand and spun her neck.

  Lexi heard a snap.

  “Katie! Are you there? Katie?” Lexi called out.

  “She’s safe now,” Conrad said and let her dead body fall to the ground.

  Lexi heard the loud thump. She knew what it was. Anger swelled up in her. She stepped from her covered position and into the living room. Several feet from her at the head of the main hall, Conrad stood, his arms held high.

  On the floor, Katie lay crumpled like a discarded scrap of paper.

  “You fucking killed her!” Lexi yelled.

  “I set her free,” Conrad replied.

  Lexi was done with talking, she lifted the pistol and shot him twice in the face.

  His head exploded. His dead body dropped heavily like a sack of bricks.

  Lexi ran to Katie and pulled her free of Conrad’s dead weight. “Katie, oh no, no,” Lexi cried.

  Beau and Frenchie came in the room and sat next to Lexi.

  Shaking from grief, Lexi rocked Katie’s body. She was powerless once more to stop someone she cared for from being killed.

  “Why, why?” she cried.

  One mile north of Sagle, Idaho, Republic of Cascadia

  From on top of a hillside, Gordon was taking great joy as each of the surface-to-ground missiles struck their targets.

  The orange flash and black smoke from each blast was better than any Fourth of July fireworks display he’d ever watched.

  Cruz had come through and he was eternally grateful. Removing the defensive positions was a major step towards conquering Jacques.

  Like anytime he’d fought, there was always an unforeseen obstacle and two were present for the post bombing campaign. One, the bulk of his main army was still eighteen hours out, and two, the main bridge that spanned Lake Pend Oreille was gone. Not by his hands, Jacques’ men had blown it. This would force his army sixteen miles west so they could cross a smaller bridge in Priest River, that was if that bridge was still there.

  It was hard to break Gordon’s spirit. The news had come from McCall that Luke was safe and recovering. This was the best thing he’d heard in a long time.

  “Bam!” John whooped.

  “That’s the last tango. Over,” a voice said over the radio.

  “Can you believe it?” Gordon asked John.

  “Let’s not start dancing in the end zone. We don’t know if he’s blown the bridge at Priest River or if there are positions there we aren’t aware of.”

  “You’re right, you’re right,” Gordon said.

  John had deployed two recon teams to Priest River but hadn’t received any word back yet.

  Gordon’s phone rang. “Must be Gunny or something.” He answered it to a voice he wasn’t expecting to hear.

  “They’re fleeing north, a convoy of them,” Cruz said.

  “How many vehicles?” Gordon asked.

  “It’s his army. There are dozens,” Cruz said.

  “How do you know they’re not civilians?” Gordon asked.

  “I trust our pilots.”

  “Damn it, we’ll never reach them in time,” Gordon said. He held the phone away for a second and said to John, “Jacques is in full retreat. They’re hauling ass north along Highway 95.”

  “You there, Gordon?” Cruz asked.

  “Yes, yes, I’m here.”

  “I’m only doing this because I like you, but we have some extra ordnance. I’m going to order them to drop it,” Cruz said.

  “Thank you, now I owe you,” Gordon said.

  “We’ll talk soon,” Cruz said and hung up.

  Gordon secured the phone and said, “It’s like fucking Christmas. Holy shit. This can’t be coming together this perfectly.”

  “Sometimes things do,” John said.

  “Get a bird in here. I want to go to that house,” Gordon ordered.

  “Ah, no,” John said.

  “Ah, yes,” Gordon fired back.

  “Listen, Gordo, Mr. President, I promised everyone, including your wife and you if I recall, not to do something stupid like what you’re about to do.”

  “What are you going to do, restrain me? Order the fucking bird,” Gordon said and walked away.

  “You know you’re goi
ng to be the death of me and you one day,” John called out.

  “We all gotta die sometime,” Gordon said peering back through the binoculars.

  “Oh, and that head you had me bring, are we gonna use it for something? I hear it’s stinking up the vehicle I stored it in.”

  Gordon chuckled. He looked down on the town and smiled. “Toss it. We don’t need it anymore.”

  Sandpoint, Idaho, Republic of Cascadia

  “Right there, put it down right there,” Gordon said, pointing to a large log home along Lake Pend Oreille.

  The CH-53 Super Stallion circled the property once.

  “There’s no place to safely land,” the pilot said.

  “Bring it down close. We’ll fast rope in,” Gordon said.

  John rolled his eyes. “What’s fast roping?”

  “Just watch and learn and, oh, wear a pair of gloves,” Gordon said.

  The pilot positioned the chopper over a tennis court on the property and hovered.

  The crew chief opened a large hatch in the floor of the chopper, fixed the line and tossed it out.

  The detachment of Marines that accompanied them went first. One by one, they slid down the rope and onto the tennis court. They fanned out and created a secure landing zone.

  Gordon stepped up to the rope.

  John was behind him and said, “I officially hate you.”

  “Oh, c’mon, this is the fun shit,” Gordon joked.

  The crew chief looked through the hell hole and, seeing it was clear, gave Gordon a thumbs-up.

  Gordon grabbed the thick rope, held on and stepped out. With the edge of each boot’s sole on either side, he loosened his grip and slid down the line. He hit the deck harder than he remembered but stabilized himself. He grabbed his rifle slung on his front and came up alongside the first lieutenant of the squad. “When Steele touches down, let’s go.”

  “Roger,” the lieutenant said.

  John came down hard and fell onto his butt. He grunted his disapproval, got up and ran over to Gordon. “I seriously hate you.”

  “I thought you liked shit like that,” Gordon said.

  “I really hate you.”

  “Go,” the lieutenant said.

  The squad stacked up and away they went. Outside the tennis courts they moved along a sidewalk to the first door they found.