Dystopia (Book 4): The Dark Days

by Cooper, DJ

  Any hope that they would give up and be taken into custody was long gone and the mine was chaos. Some shots rang out from the sides, taking out those firing at them. As Dez and the others watched the scene from the top of the hill she shook her head. “They look like ants when you kick the ant hill. There is nothing but chaos here, how can we possibly tell who needs help from those who need a lesson?” As she spoke rage erupted in her eyes. Reaching out to Jeremy she said, “Rifle… Now!”

  Dropping to one knee she rested her arm on her other bringing her eye close into the scope. Ryan saw what she was aiming at and reached for her but Jeremy grabbed his hand and shook his head no. The sound echoed as the bullet exploded from the barrel, its trajectory making way to the target she loathed. Blood spewed from the back of the body as the round struck the chest and rocked her before she crumbled to the ground. She pulled back the bolt ejecting the spent casing, replacing it with a new round. She jammed the bolt forward as she lined up the next shot. Too fast she pulled the trigger and the round caught his upper arm, spinning him. He looked for where the shots were coming from and could see them on the hill. Turning he ran into the cave just before a large cloud of dust came out.

  Startled by the sound of the cave in and the shaking on the ground the ants below began to take cover. Ryan looked at Dez and Jeremy. “They’re digging in, this is gonna be a fight.” The military were using drones to spot for the mortars that they kept firing on and bringing down. Below, however, there was a large radio tower. Dez watched through the scope as a man was yelling into a phone. Or at least it looked like a phone. Handing the gun to Ryan so he could see, he shook his head that he didn’t know. Calling Roger on the radio they told him to check it out.

  Roger radioed that they had a military radio. “Watch your six people they may have back-up.”

  As he said that a helicopter appeared and began firing on those on the rim of the pit. Three fell before they could run for cover, falling forward over the edge to the rocks below. Watching this Dez bolted the way they’d come. Jeremy called after her, “mom, wait up. What’s up?”

  Screaming behind her, “George, if they have reinforcements they might go for the back door.” Pleading with them, “They’re just kids! He can’t be allowed to escape.”

  Racing down the hill they could see that he’d already killed one of them and had Aaron on his knees. Dez didn’t bother to stop, she ran straight at him. Jeremy and Ryan began firing at the others just as Dez plowed into George. She had her knife out and plunged it into his side as they rolled down the hill. He got up and drew his knife. “Bitch, now you die.”

  Lunging forward at him she plunged the knife into the top of his leg nearly to the groin before rolling away. George dropped his knife and grabbed at the injury. Blood squirted out like a fountain between his fingers. Dez approached him slowly the knife in her hand. “Oh, now look at that, might I have caught that femoral artery?”

  George was raging, screaming obscenities at her and calling for help from the men that were all dead or taken. Dez was rabid at this point, she wanted his blood. Lunging at him again the knife sunk deep into his forearm as he swatted her away. Brushing off the leaves she rose for another attack.

  Ryan caught her before she landed on him and she flailed to be released. Looking at him with disgust he said to her. “Destiny look at me.” Rage was in her eyes the tears streaming down her cheeks and knife embedded in her palm. “Let me do this.” She said through gritted teeth.

  “Look at him, he’s done.”

  “I need to be sure.”

  “I’m sure, he is bleeding out and there is nothing he can do to stop it. Leave this worthless coward to die in his own shit as his body shuts down. There is no mercy for him.” Looking at her. “No mercy.”

  Dropping the knife, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to weep. A few moments passed, and her emotions were under control.

  George was still alive but only barely. She stood over him, looking down at this pathetic man and spit on him before she turned and walked back to the others. The choppers were still firing but some of the artillery from their own military back up had begun to take them out.

  Climbing to where Astrid sat, blood on her leg, watching the chaos below. The gang was boxed in with no where to go and the fighters were just out of range. All they had to do was wait them out.

  Until...

  A loud swooshing sound blasted past overhead raining fire on the main entrance. Ryan stood taking in the scene. Looking at the others and asking no one specific. “What the hell?”

  “Where did that come from?” Jeremy asked.

  “I thought all the heavy stuff was sent west to fight at the bunker of the old administration.”

  “Shit man, we gotta get our people outta there.”

  Ryan began to key the radio but all that came over was static. “Not this again.”

  “What?”

  “We’ve been getting periodic radio interruptions across all bands and frequencies. Arthur figures someone has hacked a satellite or created a jamming device.”

  “Keep trying before they come back. What the hell guy, this shit only happens on the internet.”

  “Nothing, it’s all static.”

  Dez began to wave her shirt to the fighters below trying to warn them to run, but they were scrambling to help the burned. They could hear the jet in the distance. Her waving became more frantic as Ryan continued to key the walkie.

  A weird sound came over the airwaves, they could hear it below. The fighting had stopped when the jet flew over. It was like tuning an AM dial.

  Then a computer-generated voice said… “Enough!”

  Looking at one another they wondered who’d said it. Below the others were looking around as well.

  Again, the voice boomed across all radio waves. “You cannot be trusted to correct the problem. Like the others before us… We are anonymous… And you… Are no longer in control.”

  The radio went dead.

  Epilogue

  “I’m telling you ma, these guys are some serious hackers. They’d been testing their reach this whole time.”

  Turning to look at him she sighed, “Ok Jeremy… It was hackers. They EMP’d the whole world and now you need to help dig the potatoes or else you’re gonna go hungry this winter.”

  “I know, I’m just trying to work it all out. Arthur agrees with me. He thinks that they may have been planning this all along. Remember the internet videos where they would say stuff and have masks on? They said back then that it wasn’t a person but a whole network of people… hackers.”

  “I know son, but none of it matters now. George is dead and so is Morgan. I suppose Matt is too after that cave in. The raids are less and less as Sam and the others find and deal with the gangs. The clans are trading, and we have our first big barter day at Blackridge in two days and you haven’t built a single thing to barter. Get your head out of the clouds and get to work.”

  # # #

  The debris was heavy on his legs, the dust in the mine choking his breathing. He had no idea that the battle was over, but he did know he was trapped. He’d made it to the middle room before the mine collapsed. It was only about fifty feet or so up the tunnel. He knew that making it to the rear entrance was his only hope. Matt clawed his way through the debris pulling rocks from the pile and tossing them aside.

  He did this till he was tired and then he would eat the food that was stored in that area. He had some lanterns for light, so it wasn’t too bad. The fans weren’t working on the last vent pipe but when he stood close to it he could smell the fresh air outside.

  Digging he found beneath the pile emerged the hood of a car, it was covered in rocks, but he’d hoped. Clearing the rocks from the car he soon saw the steering wheel and then a dim light out the back-window area. Crawling into the burned-out heap he emerged through the rear window to the light of a full moon hanging high in the silent night.

  Climbing to the top of the hill overlooking the mi
ne, there was nothing left, only silence. He turned and left for the woods he’d emerged from leaving the sight of the war. “How long was I stuck in there? Couldn’t have been too long there wasn’t that much food, few weeks maybe.”

  The woods were dark, stumbling over a rock he tripped, falling into a gooey pile of something. Pulling out his lighter he lit it to see where he’d fallen. Staring in horror he recognized the partially decomposed and partially eaten face of George. The animals had been at the body of the man that Dez and the others had left to die in the woods.

  Matt ran through the woods without direction crashing into branches until he fell into the small stream at the bottom of the holler. He splashed water on himself and tore his shirt off trying to wash away the remains of George. “Where can I go now?” he sobbed. A time passed as he sat without hope or home. There on the edge of the stream staring at the glimmer of the moon as the water trickled by. As an epiphany dawned on him he looked up.

  “North, I’ll go home.” He stood and began to walk away.

  Note from the Author

  Many of the inventions or the ways that the persons in this book choose to improvise are derived from various sources and things learned over the years. In an effort to share some of these things with my readers, I have compiled some resources to assist in the application of these techniques. While I do not personally endorse untrained persons in attempting certain things they are not trained to do. I always encourage others to learn so you, and your families, can be prepared in the event of any unforeseen “dystopian” moments.

  Preparedness is an age-old means by which people for generations have made it through tough times. Many prepare for eventualities such as described in this book, some just to get through the next season. Being prepared is a mindset. It is sometimes as simple as keeping a month’s worth of cash in the bank for something as small as time off work. Those in hurricane prone areas might keep water stored or wood on hand to board windows. Persons in Tornado prone areas might have a storm shelter. But the greatest preparedness tool you can have is Knowledge.

  Many of us have had, “one of those days.” You wake up late to find the pipes are frozen and you can’t take a shower. You fluff yourself up enough to not look like you’re a wrinkled mess that just rolled out of bed. To find that the car won’t start and when it does, and you finally get there, someone dumps a cup of coffee all over you. The day continues this way until you finally fall into bed completely spent.

  These days happen… In this book this day happens, but on a larger scale. How many of us keep a spare shirt at work in case of coffee? Or have a battery pack to jump the car? This is an example of being prepared. Some have the view of a person who tries to keep these bad days from being much more than an inconvenience that is possibly not positive. The connotations of the media and other places sets people with an eye on the horizon and the forethought to consider the inevitable as some kind of disturbed human.

  Realistically the things in this book could happen and have, possibly not to some of us. But world over many things happen that will carry us from our comfort zone. If we are spent at the end of, “One of those” days, where will we stand on, “One of THOSE days?”

  This book is without a doubt an idealized view of how things could go, they are already located in a rural area. There are preparations ahead of time and knowledge between the characters. Ideally, we could all live a life free from the constraints and needs of the big cities, but often this is not the case. Our group in this book and the others in the series is a community, not just a small band of preppers holing up. They try to not just survive, but to thrive, drawing on the knowledge of others and sharing… Utopia? Who knows, but in these books we find a story of survival and determination…

  Following are a few websites, books and videos I have enjoyed while writing this book. I hope you do too

  DJ Cooper

  Resources

  More from DJ Cooper

  www.djcooperwrites.com

  www.prepperpodcast.com/surviving-dystopia

  www.survivingdystopia.net

  http://survivalblog.com/planning_for_extra_mouths_to_f/

  Composting

  Composting is the art of recycling organic matter into excellent fertilizer and garden material. Adding compost to your garden can enhance the nutrients plants need.

  Basics of composting:

  http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html

  http://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/

  Rain Water

  Collection of rain water has been a viable source of water for many in the Midwestern states and continues to be used today. Please check local ordinances and laws in your area as some areas regulate rainwater catchment systems.

  A basic article about catching and storing your own rainwater

  http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rainwater-Collection-System

  I love mother earth news, there is always tons of information for the homesteader in this magazine

  http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/rainwater-harvesting-system-zmaz03aszgoe.aspx

  This one is good because it also touches on the grey water usage

  http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06702.html

  Solar Hot Water

  The sun shines on us a tremendous amount of energy. This energy can be harnessed in many ways.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DKJ4AkxJr0

  This site has lots of good information

  http://rimstar.org/renewnrg/diy_pex_solar_hot_water_thermal_dn.htm

  Wood Fired Hot Water

  Those who burn wood for heat could easily heat their water using some of these techniques.

  http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/wood-stove-water-heater-zmaz76ndztak.aspx

  Solar Panels

  http://www.mdpub.com/SolarPanel/

  http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Solar-Panel/

  Batteries

  The use of batteries can make a solar, wind or hydroelectric system provide them with enough stored energy to run an entire home.

  http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Solar-Setup/

  http://www.altenergymag.com/emagazine/2010/12/the-diy-guide-to-off-grid-solar-electricity/1650

  Solar Window Heaters

  http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/diy-solar-heating-zmaz77sozgoe.aspx

  http://www.thediyworld.com/DIY-Passive-Solar-Heating-Projects.php

  http://stonehavenlife.com/7-diy-pop-can-solar-heaters/

  Morse Code

  Noun: an alphabet or code in which letters are represented by combination of long and short signals of light or sound.

  www.learnmorsecode.com

  www.morsecode.io

  Bug out bags aka the BOB

  www.survivingdystopia.com/how-to-build-your-ultimate-bug-out-bag-aka-the-bob

  Book: Bug out Bag by Roger Clark

  www.Survivalsullivan.com/154-bug-out-bag-essentials-open-list was fairly comprehensive an in list form

  A.N.T.S

  Americans Networking to Survive…I highly recommend you check out this site as an excellent resource for finding like-minded individuals and excellent educational resource.

  www.americansnetworkingtosurvive.org

  Cache

  A cache or survival cache is a small established hidden supply location. Like with your computer cache, this can be temporary and should be emptied and restocked often. Some good sites for this info can be found below.

  www.survivalcache.com

  www.survivalistprepper.net/a-preppers-survival-cache-from-building-to-burying

  Canning and preserving

  Canning is the process of saving food for later by processing into jars. There is a specific method for doing this to ensure the food safety. My go to book for is the Ball Blue Book of Preserving published by Alltrista Consumer Products.

  www.freshpreserving.com

  www.homecanning.com

  Dakota pit or fire hole

  The Dakota Pit is a means to build a fire
for heat or cooking with limited light and smoke signature. A means to remain stealthy from prying eyes in situations when you may wish to remain hidden

  www.graywolfsurvival.com/2430/how-to-make-a-dataoka-fire

  Ham Radios

  The ham radio is an excellent means of communication worldwide. There are specific rules and regulations for Ham operators and licensure to operate.

  www.wireless.fcc.gov will explain the regulations

  www.arrl.org this site is full of great information for Hams

  Lye Soap

  Possibly one of my favorite smells is that of lye soap. The good old fashioned kind that gramma would make. Find this old time recipe here.

  https://frugallysustainable.com/how-to-make-lye-soap/