Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins

by R. A. Neely

  "A week ago I might have made a number of assumptions about you. But now? I'm more concerned about how I can use your skills to keep everyone safe. You obviously know how to handle yourself if you survived ten years in prison." Greg thought for a moment. "I don't know that I care about what you were. I care about who you are now."

  Jackson nodded. Greg nodded in turn and was just falling asleep when heard Carol up front. "Greg," she said. When he didn't respond right away, she turned down the radio and called again.

  "Yeah?" he said waking up.

  "Ashton is the next exit. Do we stop or keep going?"

  "Stop," he said stretching as far as the confines of the car would allow. "We need supplies."

  Carol nodded and took the exit ramp. Getting into town was slow going due to the cars that were all over the road. A few times, they had to get out and move cars out of the way. Greg realized that this would probably be a regular part of their day as long as they were on the main roads. He mentally added a map to their list of supplies. They could make better time if they didn't have to navigate around wrecks so much.

  Once they made it into town they pulled into the first subdivision they saw and looked for a likely house. It looked like the infection had hit hard here. In addition to the car wreckage which was becoming a common occurrence, there were bodies everywhere. As they got closer Greg could see that some sort of animal looked to be eating the bodies. As they got even closer, Greg saw that the animals were raccoons. They'd have to watch out for those then. Those things were known for carrying rabies and such if Greg recalled correctly.

  "Try a few blocks over," Greg instructed, "I don't want to be around all these dead bodies."

  "Oh those poor people," Shirley commented as Carol drove on.

  The next few blocks showed the same story, wreckage and dead bodies everywhere they could see. Greg was about to tell Carol to leave the subdivision when the last street they tried looked a whole lot better. There was still a good deal of wreckage but they didn't see any bodies in the streets.

  "This looks a lot better," Greg said. "Let's find a house to hole up."

  Carol nodded and drove down the street until they saw a house that looked relatively untouched. It was a two story home with an attached garage, perfect for their use. The group pulled into the driveway and exited the cars. After taking a few moments to stretch retrieved Shirley's pistol and handed it to Jackson.

  "We'll need to clear the house," Greg said.

  Jackson nodded as he received the weapon. "No problem...and thanks," he finished with a nod."

  "James, stay here with everyone else and we'll get the garage door open."

  James nodded and approached closer so he wouldn't be heard, Jackson was already heading for the front door to wait for Greg. "You trust him?"

  Greg nodded. "We had a good talk during the drive. I think I've got a pretty good read on him."

  "Alright. I'm still gonna keep an eye on him though. I trust your judgment but I'm still gonna keep an eye out."

  "I know you've got my back, James. Wouldn't expect anything less." Greg nodded then headed over to join Jackson at the front door. He didn't see any signs of damage so that was a good sign. That meant no one else had been to this house yet. It didn't mean they'd find anything inside but hopefully they wouldn't run into other survivors. "Can you do anything about that lock?"

  "You think because I spent time in prison I know how to pick locks?"

  Greg chuckled. "No-"

  "I'm just kidding. I don't know how to pick locks though. I figure we kick it open and then barricade with furniture or something once we're inside. I could probably get that bottom lock open with my knife but I wouldn't be able to do anything about that deadbolt."

  Greg looked the door over and saw that he was right. "Alright, let's do it quick then in case the noise draws infected. I'll let the others know what's happening first." Greg returned to the others to let them know about the plan and they got back into the cars so they could be ready to pull into the garage as soon as it was open.

  Greg nodded as he returned to Jackson's side and they took turns kicking the door. It took a few minutes but they eventually got it open. They entered the house cautiously, not sure if something would be waiting to greet them. They found themselves in a short hallway that opened up into a living room. It had a couch and an easy chair that faced a large screen t.v. Greg could see pictures of whoever owned the house on the walls but didn't go to take a closer look.

  The living room led to a dining area and the kitchen was off of that. The kitchen had the usual appliances as well as a door that led to backyard and one that led to what had to be the basement. There was also a door that probably led to the garage. They took the stairs in the dining room to the second floor and made sure that area was clear as well. There was a bathroom and three bedrooms that showed no sign of the owners having left in a hurry.

  "Think they were on vacation or something?" Jackson asked.

  Greg shrugged. "Or at least out for the day. Turns out to be our gain though. Let's go get that garage door open."

  Greg led the way downstairs and into the garage. He saw a tool rack with various tools like hammers, hedge trimmers, and so on. Greg hit the button to open the garage and shut it as soon as the cars were inside. "All clear," he announced as everyone exited the vehicles.

  "Great," Laura said, "I'll get some lunch started."

  "I'll give you a hand," Carol announced.

  "I'd help, but I'm terrible at cooking," Shirley added.

  Jackson laughed. "Go help anyway. You might learn something."

  Greg chuckled. "Why don't the three of us sit down and think about what supplies we want to look for?"

  At their nod, Greg led the way into the living room and took a seat in the easy chair, James and Jackson sat across from him on the couch. James held out his hand. "I'm James. Greg says he trusts you and I trust his judgment, so welcome to the group."

  Jackson clasped James's hand, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

  James nodded. "Alright, so what are we thinking for supplies? We definitely want to get some gas."

  "What do we need for that?" Greg asked.

  "I think you need a hose and a pump of some kind. You don't want to be trying to suck gas."

  "Alright, we'll make sure we get that done. Gas is one of our higher priorities. I'd like to find a map. I don't want to use the gps on my phone. Not sure how long we can use that before the power goes out."

  "Where are we headed anyway?" Jackson asked.

  "North, for now," James said. "We've got a cb radio and have been listening to see if anyone has set up a camp or something."

  "Ah."

  "What's wrong?" Greg asked.

  "Well, Shirley and I were in a shelter for a while and it didn't end well."

  "What happened?" James asked.

  "Well, the problem was that they had too many people and not enough space. That also meant they didn't have enough food to go around. Part of that was the extra people and part was they were expecting the government to come riding to the rescue." Jackson paused, remembering.

  "It got bad pretty quick. After a few days of too little food, people started getting angry. It got to a point where they confronted the people and one of them got knocked out for his trouble. I decided we had to leave the next time a fight broke out. We heard gunshots as we were leaving. I didn't see it, but I'm pretty sure the guards shot the people complaining."

  "That's something to think about," James said.

  Greg nodded. "Maybe we'll rethink that. Mostly, we were trying to get away from Emerald Falls."

  Jackson nodded. "I'm not saying this camp or whatever is a bad idea if it’s out there. Just wanted to give you a heads up about what could happen."

  "No, you're right," Greg replied. "I suppose on some level we were hoping to find someplace where things could get back to normal. But normal doesn't exist anymore, at least not the normal we were used to."

  "What are y
ou thinking?" James asked.

  "I'm thinking Jackson makes a good point. A camp could easily turn out to be just like Jackson experienced given the right pressures. Maybe we should look for something of our own. Maybe find a farm or something like that."

  "That doesn't sound too bad," James replied.

  Greg nodded. "Something to think about at least." Greg rubbed his chin. "What else should we look for while we're out?"

  "Gas, food," James said, "we need those for sure."

  "What about trade goods?" Jackson asked.

  "Trade goods?" Greg asked.

  "Yeah, stuff we can use to trade. Assuming of course we find people that don't want to shoot us first."

  Greg chuckled. "What sort of things should we look for?"

  Jackson shrugged. "Whatever we'd normally grab for ourselves I guess. Whatever people are gonna need."

  "That's not a bad idea," James said. "We've still got a bit of space in the van."

  "We can fit a few things in the suv also," Greg said. "Should we find another vehicle?"

  James shrugged. "We could carry more stuff that way but that's another tank to keep full of gas. Not sure if it's worth it the moment."

  Greg nodded. "Alright, so gas, food, and anything extra we can carry to trade with."

  "Sounds good," James replied.

  "Who should go?" Jackson asked. "Might be a good idea for one of us to stay around here."

  "That's true," James said, "I don't like the idea of the girls not having some muscle around."

  "You should take one of the girls along," Greg said. "If we're talking about trade goods, you'll need someone to help carry stuff."

  "Lunch is ready," Laura said stepping into the living room.

  "Thanks, babe," James replied. "We'll head out after lunch." The men headed into the dining room and sat down to a lunch of instant macaroni and cheese.

  "I know it's not much," Laura said.

  James shrugged. "Food is food. Not like we can be choosers right now."

  "There was some meat in the freezer," Carol said. "We can have something better for dinner later."

  "Maybe I can try my hand at that," Jackson said. He smiled when everyone looked at him. "I know my way around the kitchen a bit."

  "Sounds good to me," Laura said. "I could use a break."

  "Jackson is a great cook," Shirley said. "You're in for a treat."

  "No pressure," Carol said chuckling.

  After lunch, James and Jackson headed out to see what they could find. Greg took the time to see what he could do to fortify the house while they were there. He didn't want a repeat of last night's ordeal. He found a few pieces of plywood in the garage and took some time to cover the first floor windows. It wouldn't hold forever, but it would give them more time to escape if they got attacked again. He was just finishing up with the last window when he heard footsteps behind him.

  "Hi," Shirley said.

  "Hi, Shirley," Greg replied as he finished hammering the last nail in place.

  Shirley waited until he was done before continuing. "I just wanted to thank you for taking us in. I know you had little reason to trust us after last night."

  Greg shrugged. "I admit, it's hard to trust people you don't know right now. But, you did that broadcast. You didn't have to do that."

  Shirley shrugged. "I didn't feel right not getting some kind of warning out."

  Greg nodded. "And that's why I trusted you guys enough to bring you with us. Jackson and I also had a good talk during the drive so we're good."

  "So that's what you guys were whispering about."

  Greg smiled. "I don't know if he's mentioned it to you yet, but he was thinking about sticking around for a while."

  Shirley shook her head. "He hadn't said anything yet but I'd like that. Safety in numbers and all that right? So anything I should know?"

  "We don't have any special rules or anything. Just help out where you can and we'll be fine."

  Shirley nodded and turned to go. "Thanks again," she said with a smile.

  Greg nodded. "No problem. I'm glad to have you guys around." Shirley left and Greg thought about what else they could do to fortify the house. They'd probably have to keep watch from upstairs if they wanted to be able to see anything. That was the downside with boarding up all the windows. Greg decided to take a break and entered one of the bedrooms.

  He sat down on the bed and thought about the conversation he'd had earlier with James and Jackson. He wondered if looking for some sort of refugee camp was still a good idea. If it turned out to be anything like Jackson's experience, going there could be a really bad idea. Besides, did he want to trust their fate to the government at this point? They hadn't seen or heard any sign of governmental authority all week. No helicopters flying overhead, no calvary to the rescue, and nothing but static on the radio. Maybe striking out on their own was for the best. Maybe they could find an isolated spot somewhere where they wouldn't see too much trouble. They hadn't really made a plan on where they were going aside from just getting out of the city. Greg shrugged as he lay down. He wasn't going to solve the problem right now but he'd keep thinking on it.

  11 Laramie, Illinois

  "Laramie next exit," Greg announced as he drove past the sign.

  "Think we'll find something here?" Shirley asked from the backseat.

  "Hope so," Greg replied.

  "Me too," Carol said, "it's been slim pickings."

  Greg nodded. The group was down to about three days of food. After Ashton they had had little luck scavenging. If they were lucky, they'd discover a can of soup or two, but for the most part they had to use the supplies they had on hand. It also didn't help that a trip that should have taken hours had taken days instead. The roads were horrible, they constantly had to maneuver around wreckage or worse, spend time moving it out the way. Greg was really hoping they could restock their supplies.

  Greg took the exit ramp and they found themselves entering Laramie. There was little sign of the infection here. The streets were clear of wreckage and the buildings seemed to be intact.

  "Looks pretty good here," Jackson announced.

  "You think the infection missed this place?" Carol asked.

  Greg shrugged. "It's good news for us regardless of how it happened. I'm thinking we should be able to restock here."

  Greg's optimism quickly wilted when he noticed an obstruction ahead. Greg saw that this is where all the wreckage had went. The road was blocked with a minivan and either side of the road was littered with wrecked cars. There was no way to get a car through that unless the car blocking the road was moved. Greg brought the suv to a stop so they could plan their next move.

  "What do you think?" Greg asked.

  "Well, they're not shooting at us so that's a good sign," Jackson said.

  "That's true," Carol said, "maybe they're friendly."

  "We haven't had the best luck with that so far," Greg said. "But you're right, they're not shooting so maybe it's okay. Have you guns ready just in case."

  Greg slowly drove forward and stopped when a figure approached from behind the barricade. As he drew closer Greg could see that he was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. There was a rifle slung across his back and knife holstered at his hip. The man walked with his hands spread out as if to indicate he didn't mean any arm. Greg exited the vehicle, making sure to keep his hands well clear of the weapons holstered at his side.

  The man nodded amicably as Greg met him halfway. "How are ya?" he asked. "I'm Hal Dow. I'm in charge of security around here."

  Greg nodded. "Greg Lyons. Nice to meet you."

  "How can I help you, Greg? You just passing through?"

  "Yeah,” Greg replied, "although I wouldn't mind trying to trade for some supplies." Greg sighed internally. So much for this place being the boon they'd hoped for. He had hoped they'd be able to get in, restock, and get out. He had no idea what they could expect to get if they had to trade as they had little to keep themselves going.

  "T
rade? Well, that's fantastic," Hal said with a smile. "I'm really glad to hear that. The last group that came through, well we had to send them on their way. Thought they'd take over or some such."

  Greg thought there was little chance of that happening. They seemed to be well organized. "You guys survived the outbreak pretty well then?"

  Hal nodded. "Laramie's a hunting town. Just about everyone has a gun of some sort. When those things showed up we sent 'em packing. We put the wall up right after that and haven't had too much trouble."

  "Wow," Greg replied, "that's impressive. We've been running place to place just trying to survive."

  "Well, if you're looking for a place to call home, this might be it for ya. We did well enough in the outbreak but a lot of people are gone. Most of them commute, you see. So we haven't seen any of them since the outbreak. They're either holed up somewhere or didn't make it."

  "Sorry to hear that," Greg replied.

  Hal shrugged. "It's the world we live in now." He motioned towards the roadblock and another figure came into view. "Let's get you inside. We can do some lunch and talk about that trade you mentioned."

  "Thanks," Greg replied. He returned to his vehicle and led the way past the barricade. He immediately saw why that other group had failed in their takeover. There were maybe a dozen men and women all armed with rifles of some sort. They all seemed to carry their weapons with an easy familiarity that probably meant they knew how to use them. One of the figures directed them to pull over to the side and Greg complied.

  Greg exited the vehicle again as Hal joined him. "We'll have to ask you to leave your firearms in your vehicles," he said. He shrugged apologetically. "You can keep you blades," he said as he noticed the machete on Greg's hip.

  Greg nodded. He wasn't thrilled about having to put the pistol away but he understood. He wouldn't want strangers walking around armed in his town either. He poked his head inside the suv to relay the message and then walked over to give James the news. With that done, Hal led them to a house near the road.