AFTER THE DUST SETTLED (Countdown to Armageddon Book 2)

by Darrell Maloney

  Joyce said, “Zachary Harter! I always thought I was your girlfriend.”

  “I’m serious. It’s just not fair.”

  “Well, to answer your question, Zach, I don’t know. But if we decide to bring them here, you’d probably want to be careful not to fall for a girl who’s only going to be here for a few months.”

  Scott turned back to the others and asked, “Shall we put it to a vote?

  -39-

  “John in San Antonio, this is Scott. Are you listening in?”

  “Hey, Scott. How are you, buddy?”

  “I’m okay. Probably a lot better than you. I hope things are better there since the last time we talked.”

  “Not really. It’s an ugly world down here. Most of the people who aren’t already infected are staying indoors so they don’t catch it. I guess that’s a good thing, actually. But the people who are already sick are bearing the brunt of the burden, keeping the crops watered and such when they should be in hospitals.”

  “So the hospitals are still operating? How are they getting their supplies?”

  “Turned out FEMA had mass supplies of bandages and medication and stuff stored somewhere nearby. They won’t tell anybody where, but they have helicopters that fly in every couple of days with cases of saline solution and penicillin and other meds. I hope they don’t run out, because the deliveries are the only thing keeping a lot of people from dying.”

  “Any good news?”

  “Yeah, actually there is. Hannah and the girls are still healthy. Every night I fall on my knees and thank the good Lord for that. And you’re not the only one who had an idea of bringing in crops. Some of the farmers north and east of San Antonio got their old tractors started and have been dragging farm trailers full of produce into some of the neighborhoods over there. We’ve told them not to get too close to anybody, so what they’re doing is dropping their trailers and leaving them. Whenever they return with another full trailer, they’re taking back the empty one with them.”

  “Well, we’re ready to come tomorrow night. That is, unless you need more time to consider my proposal.”

  “Proposal? I’m sorry, Scott. I’m already married.”

  Scott laughed, and it occurred to him that it takes a very strong man to make jokes under such circumstances.

  “That’s good, John. I don’t think you’re my type anyway. I’ve talked it over with everyone here and explained the situation with the plague down there. I also explained what you said about you being worried about your wife and little girls. We want to help. If you and Hannah are willing, we can bring your family back with us until the plague blows over.”

  There was a full minute of silence on the other end. And when John came back, his voice was changed. It was obvious that he was moved by Scott’s offer.

  “I… I don’t know what to say. I would love to send them to a safe place. But… are you sure? I mean, you’ve never even met them, and you’d welcome them into your group?”

  Joyce had been standing behind Scott listening in. She tapped him on the shoulder and held out her hand for the microphone.

  “John, this is Joyce. I’m Scott’s girlfriend. I just wanted to tell you that Scott has kept us informed from the beginning about your ordeal. We’ve never met you or your family, but in a way we’ve come to know you from the things you’ve been telling Scott.

  “We’ve all wanted to help for a long time. But I’d be lying if I said we weren’t being a little bit selfish at the same time. Scott has said that Hannah is a midwife. We have a young pregnant girl in our group. It’ll be her first birth, and we can probably handle it if everything goes well. But if things go wrong, it sure would be nice to have an expert around to help. So Hannah would be helping us at least as much as we’d be helping her.”

  John lowered his voice, and was now barely above a whisper.

  “Can you guys still hear me?”

  Puzzled, Scott turned up the volume on the receiver.

  “Yes.”

  “Since we’re being honest, I have to tell you something that Hannah doesn’t even know. I’ve been light headed and dizzy the last couple of days. Enough of my fellow officers and the civilians I deal with have come down with the plague to make me familiar with the symptoms. It starts with light headedness and dizziness. Then a couple of days later the cough starts. Then the vomiting and nausea. Then dehydration and loss of consciousness.”

  Joyce covered her mouth and her eyes widened.

  Scott said, “Oh, my God…”

  “No. It’s okay. The survival rate is eighty percent or better if the sick make it to the hospital in time. And I will. I will probably be there for many days, or even weeks, while I recover. And once I recover I’ll be immune. I won’t have to worry about catching it again.”

  “And Hannah doesn’t know?”

  “I haven’t had the heart to tell her. And to be honest, I’ve been terrified that while I was in the hospital, they’d be defenseless without me here to protect them. Your offer is a godsend.”

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  “Yes. I’ll tell her before they leave. Our marriage is based on honesty and trust. She won’t be happy about leaving under these circumstances, but she’ll do it for the girls’ sake.”

  “Okay, it’s settled then.”

  “Scott?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “There’s one more thing. Like I said, the survival rate is eighty percent or better for those who recover in the hospital. And I’ve always been a lucky guy. So I don’t anticipate any problems. But if I run out of luck…”

  Joyce leaned over Scott’s shoulder and keyed the mike again.

  “You shouldn’t have such thoughts, John. But since you are, don’t even ask. Hannah and your daughters will have a home here as long as they want to stay. With or without you.”

  “Okay, thank you for that. When do you expect to arrive?”

  “We’re shooting for midnight tomorrow night. Can you have your wife and daughters there by then?”

  “Yes. I’ve them start packing today. How much room will you have for suitcases?”

  “The truck we’re bringing has a full sleeper cab. It should be plenty big enough for them and for several suitcases.”

  “Okay, then. We’ll be ready. I’ll have her drive my patrol car, and I’ll get a ride with another officer. I’ll wear a surgical mask and sit in the back seat. I know my girls will get a kick out of seeing that. And seeing their mom drive a police car.”

  “Okay, then. See you tomorrow night.”

  -40-

  It was only ninety miles from the compound to the back of Scott’s old house in San Antonio. Almost a straight shot, following the high tension power lines.

  They could easily make it in three hours, if they didn’t encounter any problems. But they couldn’t count on that. So they planned to give themselves an extra hour, just in case.

  Just before sunset, Scott opened the gate to the compound and told the others to stand back. He spotted Tom as Tom slowly backed the big rig out of the compound and into the front yard.

  Then Tom stepped out of the rig and he and Scott said their goodbyes.

  The tension was heavy in the air. No one knew what or who was out there. There was a chance the road under the power lines had been blockaded by marauders. Or that somebody would see them coming in time to get a bead on them and shoot out their tires.

  Or to shoot them as they drove past.

  They had no idea when they planned their departure how much light there would be as they traveled. They looked up and saw a crescent moon, in its last quarter. And lots of clouds. They’d have no trouble seeing, with the night vision goggles they’d be wearing. Scott hoped that there was no one out there wanting to do them harm. But perhaps the lack of a full moon would make it easier to slip by unnoticed.

  The tractor was dark blue in color and would be running without lights. They’d already removed the fuses for all of the lights, including the brake lights. T
he electrical pig tail that would normally run between the tractor and the trailer was intentionally left unconnected.

  Scott wished the trailer wasn’t painted white. And that it didn’t have Walmart painted on each side. If there were marauders out here, and if it was light enough for them to read the Walmart logo, they’d likely see the truck as a gold mine.

  But in the end, it was what it was. There was nothing they could do about it. They would be as careful as they could, and hope for the best.

  Everyone other than Jordan assembled in the front yard to say goodbye. Jordan was at the security console, pulling his regular shift. He and Scott had already spent some time together earlier in the evening, and had said their goodbyes then.

  Outside, there was a heavy pall in the air. It was a feeling of sadness. Of the possibility that this could be a final goodbye.

  Joyce fought hard to keep from screaming, “Don’t go.”

  She looked at Linda, who was looking longingly at Tom. It occurred to her that Linda was probably thinking the same thing.

  Neither women wanted their men to leave on this mission. But they knew that it would be a big help to the people in San Antonio. And bringing back Hannah and the girls would strengthen their group. Having Hannah standing by when Sara gave birth could prevent a tragedy if there were complications.

  As the truck idled behind them, the group joined hands and said a brief prayer. Then there were final hugs and a couple of kisses, and Tom climbed back into the driver’s seat. Scott got into the passenger seat. Scott wanted and needed to learn how to drive the rig, in case something happened to Tom and he had to drive it back. They would swap out the first time they stopped for a restroom break. But by that time, they’d be on the relatively straight road beneath the towers. That would be the best place for a rookie driver to get some behind the wheel experience. Not on the tight twists and turns between the compound and the towers.

  Scott got on the walkie.

  “Jordan, any activity out there?”

  Jordan hadn’t taken his eyes off the monitors.

  “All clear, Dad.”

  Joyce hopped on the Bobcat and dragged the two mesquite trees blocking the end of the drive out of the way, and Tom eased the rig out of the driveway and onto the dirt road. And they never looked back.

  As Tom drove slowly toward the power lines, Joyce put the trees back in place, and the group somberly reassembled behind Jordan at the security console. On the monitors, they followed the truck’s progress. No one said a word.

  Finally, they watched the rig as it pulled onto the paved road beneath the towers and headed south. They followed it until it disappeared from view in the darkness.

  Scott called in.

  “Radio check. How do you read me, Jordan?”

  “Loud and clear, Dad.”

  “Good. Just a reminder, we’ll lose radio contact in a little while. On our way back, though, we’ll try to raise you every few minutes until we get back into range.”

  “10-4. And Dad…

  “Be careful. I love you.”

  “I love you too, son.”

  Linda had to turn away. She didn’t want Jordan to see the tears in her eyes.

  -41-

  The trip down the mountain was mostly silent. Tom and Scott made occasional small talk, or Tom explained some of the gauges on the control panel, or how the air brake system worked, or a few other things Scott would need to know once he took the wheel.

  But mostly they just watched for signs of trouble as the big rig cruised down the blacktop.

  The road was only twelve feet wide. If there was something blocking the road, there wasn’t room to go around it without leaving the pavement. But that shouldn’t be a problem, since there were twelve feet of gravel shoulder on each side.

  About an hour in, Tom asked Scott if he was ready to take the wheel.

  “I have to step out to take a leak, so this would be a good time to make the change.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’m ready.”

  Scott took his place in the driver’s seat while Tom urinated against the back wheels of the tractor.

  “Okay, you can skip first gear and start out in second. When we drop the trailer and head back, you can start out in third. It works more or less like any other vehicle, until you get to the higher gears. But we’ll stay off of those for now. You ready?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay. Pull out the yellow knob to release your air brake and let’s go.”

  They’d planned for the worst and hoped for the best. Tom held an AR-15 rifle, locked and loaded, at the ready in case there was any sign of trouble. Occasionally he looked over and gave Scott a tip, or made a comment on his driving. But so far Scott was doing quite well. The only problem he seemed to have was skipping an occasional gear. The shifter had a very tight shift pattern, and it was easy to do, even for experienced truckers. And it was minor. He never killed the truck, only made it chug a couple of times while it worked its way back up to speed.

  They made it down the mountain and into San Antonio without incident. They’d seen a couple of dead bodies along the way. The smell sucked in by the truck’s air vents made it obvious that they’d been decomposing for awhile. Scott wondered how they’d been killed so far away from town.

  It was as though Tom read his mind.

  “Maybe it was hunters, coming back with game, who got shot and robbed of their kill. Or maybe they were just trying to find a better place and collapsed from hunger or exhaustion.”

  “Yes, I suppose.”

  “In any event, their concerns are over. May God have mercy on their souls.”

  As they neared Scott’s old neighborhood, Scott asked Tom if he had the time. Tom had tried to reset the clock on the tractor’s console, but it was forever frozen at 11:47. A casualty of the EMP that hit at that exact time of morning several months before.

  “Eleven twenty. How far away are we?”

  “Maybe ten minutes. I’m going to slow my speed a bit so we don’t get there too early.”

  Twenty minutes later, Scott slowly left the paved road and turned east, into a large field of wild grass and scrub bushes.

  “This thing won’t get stuck, will it?”

  “As long as the ground is dry and relatively flat, it’ll be fine. If there’s any big ditches along the way, let me know now.”

  “No, it’s flat the rest of the way. And I don’t trust myself to try to back this thing to the fence. Would you mind?”

  Tom smiled.

  “Not at all. You’ll have to get out of the truck and spot me, though.”

  “That’s a deal.”

  When they came to Scott’s neighborhood, he recognized his back fence from the shape of the houses. He aimed the truck at his fence, then swung it around in a huge arc.

  Then he put it in neutral, applied the air brake, took a deep breath and stepped outside.

  Tom walked around the truck and climbed back into the driver’s seat.

  “Okay, stay on this side of the truck, but far enough back to where you can see both sides of the back end. Use hand signals only. Don’t yell. And keep looking at my mirror. You’ll have to move back and forth, side to side, to keep my face in the mirror. If you can’t see my face, then I can’t see you.”

  “Got it.”

  Tom nailed the backing on the first try, and stopped about six feet from the fence.

  He stepped out of the rig, took the other AR-15 rifle, and joined Scott at the back of the truck. Each of them took a post, watching in opposite directions, for signs of trouble.

  And they waited.

  -42-

  John was nothing if not prompt. At just before midnight, Scott heard the patio door on the back of the house slide open. He heard John’s voice, and some others as well.

  John asked in a loud whisper, “Scott, are you there?”

  “We’re here, John.”

  Scott heard John talking to someone else in his back yard.

  “Okay, you guys
stand over there. Don’t get close. I’m going to take this section of fence off and put it to the side. Then I’ll stand back and I want you guys to go through the fence to my friends on the other side, okay?”

  It broke Scott’s heart when he heard a little girl’s voice ask, “I’m going to miss you, Daddy. Can I give you just one hug before we go?”

  “I’m sorry, honey. We can’t take that risk. How about if you blow me lots of kisses and we’ll save the hugs for when you come back someday.”

  “I love you, Daddy.”

  “I love you too, Sugar.”

  John slid open the sliding bolts that held the section of fence into place. Then he dragged it aside and backed up until he was in the middle of the yard.

  Scott took off his night vision goggles so he didn’t frighten the girls. Tom kept his on and maintained watch.

  A striking woman came through the fence, carrying a suitcase in each hand. She stopped in front of Scott. He couldn’t see in the darkness, but her face was wet from tears.

  “Hi. I’m Hannah.”

  “Hi, Hannah. I’m Scott. This is my good friend Tom.”

  Hannah looked at Tom and he nodded.

  “How many more bags do you have?”

  “Only three more. I’ll get them. It’s probably better if you stay as far away as possible from John.”

  Scott took the first two bags and carried them to the door of the sleeper cab. He shoved them inside, and then crawled into the sleeper so he could stack them out of the way.

  He turned around to see Hannah, lifting the other bags into the doorway for him.

  Scott stacked all five of the bags on the end of the bunk and climbed back outside.

  “The accommodations aren’t that great, but it’s only for a couple of hours.”

  Scott took over watch from Tom, and Tom disconnected the air hose from the trailer and cranked down its legs. Then he pulled the pin to disconnect the tractor from the trailer.

  Scott returned to the rear of the trailer, where for the first time he saw two girls, one fourteen and one eleven. They were standing next to Hannah looking forlornly at their father, on the other side of the fence about twenty feet away.