Shelter: Book 2, A Long Days Night

by Ira Tabankin

  Mayor de Blasio considered how to deal with the spread of diseases from the no man’s areas. He decided to set the area on fire, he was sure the fires would burn out the insects and the diseases, saving the rest of his city. He ordered the NYFD to turn natural gas trucks into large flame throwers. The NYFD started with five streets in Harlem. The fires soon took on a life of their own, burning out of control. The plan to burn four blocks turned into a major disaster when twelve blocks flamed out of control. The NYFD was pressed between setting fires and trying to put other fires out. Dense black clouds covered the city, residents felt like hell had erupted upon them. Panic consumed those trying to escape the city. With the tunnels and GW Bridge destroyed, hundreds of thousands tried to walk towards Connecticut. They quickly learned it was much further than any realized.

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  We slowly approached my house. The back door was open. I raised my hand to tell my group to pause and be quiet. We waited at the open door to listen for any sounds. We didn’t hear anything from inside my house. I forgot there was a camera mounted on my helmet which was broadcasting what I saw back to the monitors in the security room. I didn’t realize Lacy and Cheri were sitting in the security room watching the images from our mission. My heart felt like it was beating in my throat. I admit I was scared to take the next step across the threshold into my own house. Tony tapped me on my right shoulder, he bend close to my ear, “Jay, want me to go first?”

  “No, it’s OK, I’ll do it.”

  “Are you sure. I know it can be very stressful.”

  “I’m ready.”

  I take a deep breath, holding it in, I take the first step into my house for the first time in seven weeks. I debated turning the lights on, but I didn’t want to announce to those in our other homes we were here, so we kept the house in the dark. I turned my helmet light on and walked into our kitchen, standing to the right of the doorway I held it open for the rest of my team to join me. We scanned the kitchen with our helmet mounted lights and stood in shock. My kitchen has been destroyed. Even our stove has been pulled away from the wall, all of the sheetrock has been ripped open. The floor is covered with trash and waste. The walls of our refrigerator had been ripped open, Dutch must have been looking for money we’d hidden in the walls. If the rest of my house looks like this, I’m going to have to tear apart the entire inside of the house and rebuild it. I’m happy Lacy doesn’t see what they did.

  Lacy and Cheri sat in the security room in shock, they were viewing the images from my helmet camera. Lacy sat in silent shock before she started crying. Cheri tried to console her friend. “Lacy, everything can be replaced.”

  “How? There are no stores open anymore. How are we going to rebuild? It’s not like we can call in a contractor to handle everything. Oh, Cheri, we might as well burn the house down. I don’t know if I want to set foot in it again.”

  “Lacy, everyone will pitch in. We’ll be able to make it better than new.”

  “Cheri, just a few months ago it was new, it was my dream house, look what they did. Look at my kitchen, look at the fridge, look at the range, it’s in the middle of the kitchen.” Tears flow like waterfalls out of Lacy’s eyes, she’s uncontrollably shaking.

  “Lacy, why don’t we get a cup of coffee, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “I want to see what’s happening.”

  “Lacy, everything is being recorded, we can watch it when Jay and the others return, it will be easier for you to watch it with Jay, he’ll be able to give you the details of what you think you’re seeing.”

  “Cheri, I don’t think I see something, I know what I see. You might have a good idea to wait for Jay’s return.”

  While Cheri and Lacy are hugging each other, an alarm in the security room sounds. They look up to see the sensor marked “WEATHER” flashing red. Cheri says, “Lacy, what does that red flashing light mean?”

  “Cheri, I think it means a severe weather front like a tornado is headed towards us. Crap, the boys, are up top in our house, they don’t know about the weather front, we don’t have any way to contact them. They could get caught in the middle of the storm.”

  “Isn’t there some way we can talk to them?”

  “No, Jay said he didn’t want to risk the radio beeping if they were sneaking up on someone.”

  “What do we do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Chapter 15

  Four motorcycle clubs from Southern Minnesota and Chicago merged to form a large club that traveled town to town stripping them of everything of value. They studied a map book they found in the rubble of a Walmart. They traced their path realizing that there are many back roads shown in blue on the map. They decided to travel on the ‘blue roads’ to keep away from the Army and any black shirts. The new club swelled to 245 members who rode a variety of different bikes, they took whatever they wanted from the weak, they killed anyone who got in their way or opposed them. Small groups of armed citizens could do very little against 245 heavily armed violent people determined to kill and take what they wanted. The new club rested in the remains of the Fox Valley Shopping Mall, which had been used as a homeless shelter. The gang kicked all of the homeless out of the mall. They brought their bikes inside with them, where they could work on them. The club took over the kitchens which had been set up to feed the homeless and hungry in the southern section of Naperville, Illinois. The club’s leader, Frank Fox, looked around saying, “Everyone, all of this is ours. This mall is going to be our new base of operations. Our beds will be those in the furniture stores, we have food and water. There're tons of extra boots and clothing. We can easily capture our evening entertainment outside, all we have to do is offer the women food and water in exchange for their company. The club laughed while ripping open MREs, which had been destined for the people of Naperville.

  Unknown to Frank and his club members, the Naperville Son’s of Freedom and two platoons of Captain Black’s soldiers were making their way to the mall. They’ve been following the motorcycle club for eleven days. They’ve treated the survivors of the gang’s attacks. They followed the gang to the mall where they ran into the people the gang pushed out of the mall. They plan is to overcome any guards the club left at the mall entrances, they will then quietly enter the mall taking down every guard they locate before taking on the main body. Each shooter is equipped with a silencer attached to the barrel of their AR 15, M16 or M4. They planned to surprise the club in the middle of the night and kill all of them so a resemblance of peace returns to this quiet bedroom community west of Chicago.

  Frank drags two teenage girls with him to the back of Macy’s bedding department where he plans to make good use of the lines of mattresses. After taking what he wants, he and his members fall asleep at 1:00 AM. The Army and militia start their entrance into the mall at 3:30 AM. They quickly kill two guards who were caught sleeping at the south entrance. The gang chained the other mall doors closed so they didn’t have to waste people guarding the other doors. Lieutenant Apple smiles saying, “If there’s only one way in then there’s only one way out. They won’t be able to escape us. He leaves four members of the militia to guard the doors with instructions to shoot any gang member who tries to escape. At 4:00 AM the two Army platoons and the twenty militia members quickly and silently dispatch the motorcycle club, Frank was held for last. He’s dragged out of bed so he can see his dead friends. He’s kneeling in front of Lieutenant Apple, who’s smiling, “Well dipshit, what do you have to say for yourself?”

  “I want my lawyer.”

  Laughter breaks out among the soldiers of the militia and the Army. Lieutenant Apple laughs, “Does anyone here want to represent his scumbag?”

  One of the militia members steps forward, “LT, I used to be in the Naperville Police Department, I’ll try to defend this asshole.”

  Frank says, “Wait a minute, I don’t want a cop defending me.”

  “He’s your only choice, take him or leave him. I don’t care either way.�
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  “In that case, I’ll accept him as my lawyer. When is my trial going to be?”

  “In five minutes.”

  Frank, yells, “Wait, I need to work with my lawyer on my defense.”

  “Times up.” The first sergeant says, “Here’s the list of charges against the club, 400 counts of first-degree rape, over two thousand counts of breaking and entering. 150 counts of first-degree murder, shall I waste the courts time by reading the rest of the charges?”

  Lieutenant Apple smiles saying, “The court is satisfied with the charges, defense how do you plead?”

  “Your honor, my client, pleads guilty, he accepts full responsibility for his club’s crimes.”

  “Wait, your honor, Lieutenant, I didn’t plead guilty, I didn’t plead anything.”

  “I swear I heard your plea, I sentence you to death.” Picking up his M4, which was lying on the table next to him, Lieutenant Apple fired one round into Frank’s forehead.

  His first sergeant says, “LT, I think you were at least 5 mm off of center, you owe me $20.00.”

  “Damn it, someone please measure the hole. I swear I think I got him dead center.”

  A private measures Frank’s forehead announcing, “Sarge, Sorry, you lost, the LT is within 5 mm. You owe him $20.00.”

  The men laugh, they relax after cleaning out the garbage that had taken over the mall. Lieutenant Apple says, “Let’s get the place cleaned up before 0800 when we’ll reopen it for breakfast, there're a lot of hungry families looking for food. The Lieutenant hums the tune of the song, “Another one bites the dust.”

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  “Lacy looks at Cheri, we have to figure our how to warn Jay and the others a heavy storm is coming our way. Can you imagine them getting caught by a tornado?”

  “Lacy, can you read the instruments, how large of a storm could it be?”

  “There’s no telling yet. I think if all of the conditions line up, we could be looking at an EF4, which has winds over 200MPH. Such a storm would tear our homes apart. We’d have to rebuild everything ourselves.” Lacy smiled nervously, “None of the insurance companies are making payouts. Oh my God, can we tell if it’s coming in our direction?”

  Cheri looked at the laptop, “I think we’re connected to the weather satellites, they plot the path of all approaching storms.”

  “Hurry and do it, we have to make sure we’re not at risk.”

  Lacy and Cheri both check the maps and the laptop connected to the weather downloads. Lacy says, “Crap, we’re right in the middle of the storms path. Unless something happens, that storm front is going to hit us, the computer is projecting an 85% probability of a tornado formation.”

  Cheri starts shaking, “Lacy how do we notify the men up top?”

  “I don’t know. I think we need to check with your husband.”

  “Let’s find him ASAP, the storm is getting stronger as it heads in our direction. Lacy, I have another idea, you stay here and track the storm, I’ll go look for my husband.”

  “Okay with me, please hurry.”

  Cheri quickly returns with Fred, who says, “Lacy, let me see the computer.”

  Checking the maps and the images from the weather satellite, Fred says, “We have to send someone out to get our away team. They need to return to the shelter ASAP.”

  Lacy and Cheri look at each other, “Who are we going to send?”

  Fred thinks a moment before saying, “Franco. He built most of the shelter, he knows the area like the back of his hand. He’s good with a gun. We have to hurry, according to the alert, we don’t have much time.”

  Fred finds Franco having a cup of coffee in the mess hall. “Franco, I need you to come with me.”

  “Fred, is there a problem?”

  “Yes, we need you to exit the shelter, make your way to Jay’s house and bring the away team back here. There’s a massive storm bearing down on us, the computer projects a tornado forming close to us.”

  “Let’s go. Let me change into my boots, I’ll meet you by the door in five minutes.”

  Franco shows up with his sons, “If I run into trouble, I want to have people with me I trust.”

  “Good idea, I unlocked the armory, here are your rifles and extra magazines. Please hurry, you can hear the thunder.”

  “We’re ready. Fred, we’ll find them and bring them back.”

  “Please hurry.” Fred enters the codes which unlock the doors and turns off the bobby traps and gas. Franco and his sons exit the shelter into strong wind gusts and a thunderstorm. The lightening flashes lights up the black sky like large aerial explosions. Franco looks around, he and his sons start jogging towards Jay’s house as large drops of rain begin falling.

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  Captain Jefferson is angry after being pulled back from engaging the Chinese fleet by the scared President. He’s listening to the reports from the radar operator. “Captain, there’s no doubt they managed to launch DF-21s from their recently joined resupply ships. There are eight missiles inbound. Their targets are the carriers. Sir, we’re not a target.”

  “Keep me informed.”

  Captain Jefferson sits back down in his chair, he thinks, there’s nothing I can do but pray. Four of the carriers are sitting ducks, they can’t even move by themselves. The briefing I read said the SM 3 missile had a 65% chance of defeating the DF 21. I hope to God the Aegis ships fire everything they have at the damn Chinese missiles. The captain’s thoughts are interrupted by the radio, “Bridge, radar, Cowpens, Shoup, Mason, and Chafee have fired SM 3s at the incoming DF-21s. Each ship has fired four missiles.”

  “Radar, Captain, what’s the time to intercept?”

  “Sir, two minutes, they are closing at a combined Mach 8.”

  “Keep reporting.”

  The four carriers targeted by the Chinese missiles are rushing to launch every plane they can get into the air and off of the carrier’s decks before the missiles arrive. While the planes are being launched into the air, the large carriers are firing chaff mortars into the air trying to confuse the seeker in the DF-21’s nose. Since the carriers only received five minutes notice, they’re only able to launch their alert five planes. The fighters sitting manned on deck fueled and armed ready to launch within five minutes. Each of the four ships is able to launch 5 planes and four helicopters. Their captains watch as F/A18s are catapulted from their decks, they see the gray smoke of surface to air missiles leaping into the sky to intercept the incoming carrier killers. The captains are praying, “Go, babies, go, find those Chinese bastards. Stop them from reaching us.”

  The sky over the carriers lights up in flashes. “Captain, radar.”

  “Radar, Captain, what’s the update?”

  “Sir, the SM3s got two of the four DF21s, they are firing again, plus the Washington is firing RAMs. Sir, wait one.”

  “OK.”

  “Sir, one more down, one's going to get through, it hit, a huge explosion on the horizon.”

  “Which carrier got hit?”

  “Sir, I think it was the Washington.”

  “Damn, that’s Admiral Long’s flagship.”

  Captain Jefferson clicks the IMC, “Sparks, see if you can reach the Washington. I want to know if the Admiral needs to shift his flag, we have a flag plot and space and protection for him and his staff.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Officer of the deck, make new course for the Washington, best possible speed.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  The USS Missouri turns to the port, she starts to speed up heading to provide whatever help she can to Admiral Long and the crew of the Washington. “Engineering, Captain, can you push the engines a little more?”

  “Captain, engineering we’re running at 100%, the old girl is making 34 knots, I might be able to push her for another knot or two.”

  “Do it.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Captain, radio, sir, we’ve got the Washington on line one secure.”

  “Washington, Missouri ac
tual, how do you read?”

  “Missouri, Washington actual, read you five by five. We took one missile mid deck, it exploded inside the ship. Damage control is fighting the fires, we have 40KIA and 120WIA.”

  “Washington, we are 12 mikes and closing.”