Trackers 4: The Damned (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series)

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

  “You help us, and we will help you,” Colton said. He drew his Colt .45 and pointed it at Miles and added, “You lie to us, you die.”

  Miles swallowed. “This is where Fenix is,” he said, pointing.

  Raven looked down to the spot. “Lily Lake? That’s only a couple miles south of town.”

  “How many soldiers are up there?” Colton asked.

  Miles squinted in pain. “Only about thirty. But he did bring the big guns. M240s and some mortars we picked off a Chinese convoy.”

  “Jesus,” Colton said.

  Raven stood and scratched at the stubble on his face as he thought of the implications. Thompson and Fenix were preparing to launch a full-scale attack on Estes Park, and they were going to do it from two different directions.

  Miles slowly wagged his head. He sighed when Colton lowered his gun and motioned for Raven to meet him back at the door. When they got there, Colton aimed his pistol at Miles.

  “No!” the teenager shouted.

  The shot hit him in the center of the forehead, slamming his head back and painting the ceiling with blood and brains. Colton holstered his gun like nothing had happened, and stepped outside with Raven.

  “We have to get this message to Secretary Montgomery,” Colton said.

  Raven closed the door so he didn’t have to see the dead boy’s destroyed head.

  “There might not be time for that,” he said. “We have to stop Fenix on our own.”

  “No, we need to stay here and man our defenses.”

  Raven shook his head. “Chief, we do that and we die. He’s got fucking mortars. I’m going out there to stop him.”

  “You’re going to fight thirty men?”

  “I know someone that will help. You heard Miles‌—‌they have Sarah. Dale will get her back.”

  “I really need you both here,” Colton said, frowning. He gave Raven a side glance. “You’re right, but you two aren’t going alone.”

  Raven shook his head. “Let us go. You need everybody on the barriers. I’ll take one of the working radios and report back. It’s close enough you can deploy some militia if needed.”

  Colton thought on it, and then nodded. “I’ll keep trying to reach Secretary Montgomery with this new intel. In the meantime, you two go see if Miles was telling the truth. I’ll hold the fort down here.”

  Raven reached out with his fist, and Colton bumped it back.

  “Keep my family safe, Chief.”

  “Keep mine safe, too,” Colton replied.

  19

  THE FRONT DOOR to the Estes Park Medical Center opened, and a young woman with freckles and crystal blue eyes stepped inside the lobby, taking off her scarf and hat.

  “Who’s in charge here?” she asked.

  Sandra waved a hand. “You’re Rea?”

  “Yup.”

  She directed the young med student toward the doors to the hospital. She would join the other five already working inside.

  “Doctor Duffy will get you started. I’ll be right there to help,” Sandra said.

  Rea nodded, swallowed, and headed for the doors. Sandra couldn’t help but wonder if this was the first time the student had actually seen a patient. But right now, they needed all the help they could get.

  Sandra turned back to her family. Raven’s dark skin had regained some color, and he was walking unaided, but he still looked like death warmed over. Allie stood to his right, stroking Creek’s coat. She hadn’t said much at all since the attack, and it broke Sandra’s heart to see her daughter once again terrified. She brushed a strand of brown hair from her bruised face with a shaking hand.

  “I know you have to fight, Sam, but you need to rest at least another day,” Sandra said.

  “I’m almost back to normal,” Raven said, revealing his snow-white teeth in a half grin.

  “Bullshit. Those antibiotics may have kicked in, but you’re weak. You need‌—‌”

  “So give me something to make me strong,” he said. “You guys got new meds last night from the raid on Fort Collins, right? Let’s put ‘em to good use. Don’t you got some stimulants or something I can have?”

  Sandra sucked in a deep breath and looked out over the families sitting in the lobby. They were clustered in the small room like animals, the scent of sweat filling the stuffy space. Many of them were sobbing and clutching one another as they waited for word on their loved ones.

  “I have to get back in there, Sam,” she said.

  “I know, and I have to get out there to make sure more people don’t end up here.”

  Sandra let out her breath in a sigh. She was doing everything possible to hold it together, but after the attack, she was a nervous wreck. They had several volunteers working in the operating area, including Doctor Meyers, who had helped save Creek at Storm Mountain, and Doctor Martha Kohler, who was nearly fully recovered from her own wounds. But even with Rea and the other med students that had shown up, it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.

  She looked back to her brother, and then Allie and Creek. Her heart longed to stay with them, but she knew her duty was to help here with the injured and dying. She also knew Allie would be safer at the designated shelter‌—‌and that Raven had to go out there to fight.

  “Sandra, you with me?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking.”

  “We’re alive, and that’s all that matters. But in order to make sure we stay alive, I need to fight. I think you know that.”

  “I don’t want you to fight anymore,” Allie said, speaking for the first time in hours.

  Creek let out a whine.

  “Uncle Raven has to fight,” Sandra said, crouching in front of Allie. “And you have to go to the shelter with Teddy and the other kids.”

  “No, Mom, I want to stay with you.”

  Sandra wiped a fleck of dried blood off Allie’s face that the tears hadn’t washed away.

  “I will join you when I can, sweetie. But for now, you have to go.”

  Allie looked up at Raven. “You’re taking me to the shelter?”

  “Yes, Agaliga.”

  Sandra almost smiled at the Cherokee word for “sunshine.” Even now, when all seemed lost, her brother’s love for Allie warmed her.

  “I love you, Sam. Please, please be careful out there,” she whispered.

  “I love you too, sis.” He put his hand on Allie’s head, ruffling her hair. Allie giggled at that.

  A flash of red and the clank of an ancient metal truck came from outside. Jake’s 1952 Chevy pickup pulled up in front of the doors with Lindsey behind the wheel. She had several families in the back that were heading to the shelter.

  “See, there’s Teddy and his parents,” Sandra said, pointing. A dog’s head poked up in the pickup bed.

  Allie smiled. “Hey, that’s Teddy’s dog!”

  “Yup, and that truck’s our ride, kiddo,” Raven said.

  Sandra gave him another hug, holding him an extra few seconds and praying this wasn’t the last time they would embrace. When they let go, she told him to wait for a minute. She hurried back into the hospital, the sounds of moaning patients and the scent of bleach overwhelming her. She forced her way past the overflowing beds. Some of the patients reached out for help.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said. “I promise.”

  She raided the pill cabinet, found the stimulants she was looking for, and then raced back out to the lobby. She handed the bottle to Raven.

  “If you get drowsy, take these. They will help with the pain and help keep you alert.”

  “Thanks,” Raven said. He turned to Allie. “Time to go, kiddo.”

  “I love you, Mom,” Allie said.

  “I love you too, baby,” Sandra said. Normally, she would have shed tears as she left her family. But today she didn’t have any tears left to shed.

  _____

  The sun was high in the sky by the time Charlize made her way to the tarmac. A V-22 Osprey was waiting in the shimmering heat
. Sergeant Fugate and his team were finishing their final gear checks and loading crates into the back of the tiltrotor military aircraft.

  She counted ten of the Green Berets. Thoreau and Sammie, the two men who had helped hold the stairwell in New York, had both been killed during the North Korean terror attack.

  “This better be worth the trip across the country,” Colonel Raymond said as they took seats in the Osprey. Albert sat next to Charlize and strapped in.

  “Colton is a good man,” she replied. “My brother trusted him, so I trust him.”

  “I’m not doubting that, ma’am. I’m just concerned about this standoff he’s reporting with the Sheriff of Fort Collins. We can’t get caught in conflicts between communities like this.” There was anger in his voice, the first time Charlize had heard him ever speak with anything but respect.

  “I understand that, Colonel, but if what he says is true‌—‌if this Sheriff Thompson has teamed up with Fenix‌—‌then I’m inclined to step in.”

  Raymond still wasn’t backing down. “But do you have to go there personally? This could end up being a disaster if we don’t catch Fenix.”

  “We will catch him this time.”

  “I’m certainly going to do everything to ensure that happens, ma’am. I’ve already got several military assets on their way.”

  “What assets?” she asked.

  “A Black Hawk out of Denver, plus a Marine fire-team that’s been guarding a Chinese crew,” he replied. “Chinese and American air support is also standing by.”

  “Good, but I don’t want a single weapon fired until we’re positive it’s Fenix.”

  “Understood.”

  “We got your back, Secretary Montgomery,” Fugate said from his seat.

  “I know you do, Sergeant. Thank you.”

  The ring of her satellite phone sounded, and she fished it from her pack as the lift gate of the Osprey began to close.

  “This is Charlize Montgomery,” she said.

  “Secretary Montgomery, this is Captain Harris. How are you?”

  “I’m good. How are things in Charlotte?”

  “Good, ma’am. We’re setting up shop at the SC again, and then I’m moving out with the convoy to the next location. I wanted to let you know that things have improved greatly since you were here last, thanks to our Chinese counterparts.”

  “Excellent news, Captain.”

  “There is some bad news, though.”

  Her heart fluttered. The overhead and bulkheads hummed as the pilots flipped on the engines of the Osprey.

  “I’m getting word of several white supremacy groups popping up on the east coast, attacking the Chinese and American convoys. They are killing workers, too. Apparently they are being told to rise up by a man they call The General.”

  Charlize cursed under her breath. If that was true, then Fenix was extending his reach beyond Colorado. She wasn’t sure how that was possible, but she couldn’t let his racist tendrils spread through the platform he was using to convey his message of hate.

  “Don’t worry about that, Captain Harris. You just keep doing your job, and I’ll take care of this General,” she said.

  “Roger that, ma’am. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  The Osprey pilots took off vertically from the small tarmac, and pulled the bird into the air as she hung up the phone. She patted Albert on his forearm and then looked over at Colonel Raymond.

  “Hope you’re ready for this, because I’m not coming home without Fenix this time,” she said.

  _____

  Colton had done everything he could to prepare for battle, including reaching out to the Secretary of Defense. But while her people had promised to check out the location Miles had given, she hadn’t agreed to send any support to Estes Park to fight Sheriff Thompson. He guessed the federal government didn’t want to get involved in skirmishes like this.

  He took a slug of water and tried to focus through the exhaustion. He hadn’t been this tired since the time he and Jake had spent thirty-six hours on patrol in Afghanistan‌—‌the same night Colton shot and killed his first Taliban soldier.

  I wish you were here with me, buddy, Colton thought. He stood on the cliffs above Highway 34 with Lindsey. Like Jake would have done, she was standing by his side, ready to fight anyone that would threaten Estes Park or the United States of America.

  The war in Afghanistan no longer seemed much different than the one they were fighting now. In both cases, innocent people were going to die at the hands of evil men, and good people would die defending them. All Colton could do was keep fighting and hoping the bloodshed would end soon. He centered his binoculars on the road to watch the refugees fleeing the canyon below.

  “Why haven’t they attacked yet?” Lindsey asked.

  “Waiting for night is my guess.”

  The mountains were preparing to swallow the sun, and when the light was gone, Colton had a feeling Thompson would make his move. It was a fatal error on the Sheriff’s part, giving Colton time to prepare. Everyone living along the highway had been evacuated over the course of the day, and with night falling, Colton was preparing for the first part of the battle for his city.

  “That’s the last of them,” Lindsey said.

  Colton moved his scopes to the south, where a caravan of armed civilians conscripted into soldiers were heading down Highway 36 to man the new barriers at the intersection with Mall Road. That’s where he would be going next.

  He pivoted to look over the town. His family and most of the other civilians were holed up at the high school, where Detective Ryburn had organized over one hundred fighters to protect the building at all costs. To the south, another two hundred people were set up along various places along Highway 7.

  “We’ve done all we can,” Lindsey said.

  “If Miles was telling the truth, it won’t matter,” Colton replied. He lowered the binoculars to look at the captain. “Do you know what mortar fire and an M240 will do to our defenses? What it does to a human body?”

  “John Palmer,” Lindsey said quietly.

  Colton dipped his head. “Let’s hope Raven and Dale find Fenix before they can do any damage.”

  Lindsey looked to the south, where Raven and Dale were heading out on horseback. She didn’t say a word, but Colton could tell she was worried. Over the past two months, she and Raven had become close‌—‌close enough that Colton wondered if they might have developed into something more than friends under different circumstances.

  “Raven can look out for himself,” Colton said.

  “Yeah, but he’s still not one hundred percent better. He was just on his death bed a few days ago.”

  “He’s been near death before.”

  “Yeah, but...”

  A flare suddenly streaked to the east over Big Thompson River. Colton followed it into the sky. The flare bloomed over Storm Mountain.

  “It’s begun,” he whispered.

  Colton brought the walkie-talkie up to his lips and counted silently. In his mind’s eye, he could picture Thompson’s vehicles racing up Highway 34 along the river. They were about to get one hell of a greeting.

  He centered the binos back on the canyon. John Kirkus and his men were camped out on Storm Mountain, hoping that Thompson’s attack would pass them by, but if that didn’t happen, they would escape out the back route and meet up with Colton’s forces along Mall Road.

  Headlights confirmed the enemy vehicles had indeed passed by Storm Mountain. Thompson’s eyes were on the prize‌—‌Estes Park. Colton centered his binos on the first of the vehicles, a truck with metal plates soldered over the windows and the back bed to protect the soldiers. Another three trucks were moving up the canyon behind the lead vehicle.

  “Matthews, blow the dam,” Colton ordered into the radio.

  He lowered his binos and hunched down with Lindsey. They both looked over at the Estes Park Lake, where hundreds of millions of gallons of water were about to come gushing into the canyon.

  On
e by one, the blocks of explosives went off across the dam wall, moving left to right until they reached the center. Water gushed out of the gaping holes. Spider-web cracks raced across the concrete wall as more water burst through gaps. In a minute, the entire wall collapsed, letting out the frigid water.

  Colton stood and watched in awe as the flood raced down the road, churning toward the convoy of vehicles. The trucks had all stopped on the road while the drivers tried to figure out what was going on. The lead truck attempted to turn around, but it was too late. The wall of water slammed into the side with such force it knocked the entire convoy away like toys.

  “Hell yes!” Lindsey shouted.

  Colton simply watched and waited, knowing this was just the beginning. He wanted to believe Thompson had been in one of the first vehicles, but he knew the man was smarter than that. This was just the first wave. Colton knew, because it’s what he would have done.

  “Come on, Captain, let’s get into position,” he said.

  _____

  The explosions had startled the horses. Both of them paced on the narrow path, snorting the cold air.

  “Easy, girl, easy,” Raven said to Willow.

  Dale looked over from his mount, Rhino. “Was that the dam?”

  Raven pulled out his radio. “Hawk 1, this is Akita 1. Do you copy? Over.”

  “Roger, Akita 1, this is Hawk 1. We just blew the dam. What’s your status?”

  “On our way to the coordinates. Will report in shortly.”

  “Good luck, Akita 1.”

  Raven gave Willow a gentle kick to the ribs and gripped the reins tighter, urging her down the windy path carved through the thick forest. Branches reached out across the path, scratching at his coat and the ballistic vest stuffed with extra magazines. They were about a mile away from Lily Lake, and a soft snow was fluttering from the dark sky.

  It was the first time Raven had been outside since the mountain lion attack, and he had finally accepted his body wasn’t ready for this. His head pounded, and his back burned. For the past hour, he had held off on taking any of the pills, but as they neared the potential location of Fenix and his men, Raven decided to take one.