Pandemic: Quietus: A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Fiction Series (The Pandemic Series Book 4)

by Bobby Akart

  “Welcome back,” said Hunter.

  “Yeah, sorry,” said Captain Hoover. “I started calling out for Janie and pretty soon everyone’s name was Janie.”

  “Did you find my Janie?”

  “He sure did,” said Janie, who was wearing a pale pink cotton dress. Her look startled him somewhat.

  “Come here,” Hunter said and he reached his left arm out to hug her. Captain Hoover took the point while the two spoke. “Janie, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

  “No, thank goodness. Hunter, you have no idea what these bastards are doing here.”

  “Well, we’re putting an end to it, but we’ve had an unexpected hiccup.”

  Janie looked at the four dead bodies spilling blood at her bare feet. “Hunter, can we help the others too? They’re being raped.”

  “I figured as much,” he replied. “Yes, we’re gonna take everybody, but I need your help. Cappy, hand me the—”

  Hunter stopped talking when the power to the mine’s electricity system was cut off. The women shrieked and Captain Hoover cursed as he stumbled over the dead body just below Hunter.

  Hunter quickly raised his weapon to view the twin openings through his night scope. There was no activity, yet.

  “Here, sling this rifle over your shoulder,” said Hunter, handing her the dead man’s gun. “Also, get your shoes on.”

  “We don’t have any. They took everything and left us with these Amish-looking dresses.”

  He turned to Janie even though they couldn’t see one another in the darkness. “Janie, you have to keep them calm. Impress on them that if they come charging out of here, they’ll die as soon as they smell the fresh air of the compound. Can you do that?”

  “I think so, Hunter. The mayor’s twins are here—from Fairplay. I’ll get their help.”

  Hunter pointed his scope down the shaft to a point where the drop became more pronounced. He flipped on his red laser sight and pointed to the point.

  “Put on these goggles, Janie, and get used to them,” he instructed as he handed her the night-vision gear. She fumbled with the straps but eventually adjusted them to fit her head.

  “Okay, it’s all green, but I can see,” she muttered.

  “Now, look down the shaft and locate my red laser light. Do you see it next to those railroad tie supports?”

  Janie raised her chin up and down in an attempt to get her bearings. “Yes, yes. I see it.”

  “Good. Janie, bring them to that point but no farther. If we have to shoot our way out, I don’t want them to get caught by stray bullets. Okay?”

  “Okay! Thank you, Hunter,” she said as she cautiously walked down the mine toward the despondent women, who feared they’d been left behind.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Hunter mumbled as she got out of earshot.

  “What’s their next move?” asked Cappy as Hunter squatted next to him.

  Hunter tried to think like Snow. The man was vile and wicked, but the enslaved women represented a valuable commodity, an asset to a deranged man who would conceive of such a heinous crime. Snow wouldn’t risk the lives of his seed bearers.

  “I think he’ll wait us out,” replied Hunter. “He doesn’t know how many of us are down here, but must assume we’re acting alone since the compound hasn’t been attacked. I believe these are the only two points of entry to this shaft.”

  “We hope, anyway,” added Captain Hoover.

  “Yeah, but assuming that’s the case, he knows we’ll slaughter his men if they charge down either entrance. In his mind, eventually, we’ll have to give up.”

  Captain Hoover looked at his watch. “I’m guessing the colonel didn’t storm the gate because he couldn’t hear the gunfire down here. If we can just manage to hold them off for thirty minutes, then we can move the women out of here.”

  Suddenly, a bright flash and the sound of a rumble came from the top of the mine shaft where Hunter and Captain Hoover had entered almost an hour ago.

  A wooden barrel had been lit on fire and was crashing down the shaft towards them. It slowed as it began to crash over the concrete curbs used to control water into the mine. Every ten feet, it broke apart, spilling the oil and gasoline mix inside it. The fire spread down the shaft, creating a massive blaze and temporarily blinding the men.

  Gunfire echoed down the shaft as Snow’s people opened fire. Bullets zinged past their position as they used the second entrance to the mine as cover.

  “Good,” said Hunter over the noise.

  “Really?” Captain Hoover chuckled.

  “Yeah, that gunfire is just as loud on that end as it is down here. I’d be willing to bet the colonel is less than ninety seconds away from blasting that front gate in.”

  Chapter 52

  Day Ninety-Two

  Noah’s Ark

  Boreas Pass at Red Mountain

  Hunter waited until he heard the explosions of the grenades being launched at the gates. When he heard the first Ma Deuce open up and the accompanying screams from the people in Snow’s compound, he knew it was time to move. Plus, he was afraid they’d follow up with another barrel of fire down their only exit option.

  “Cappy, make sure Janie has gathered up all the women and then send them up this shaft. I’m gonna make sure the exit stays clear of fire and debris. These girls may not have any shoes, which will make it impossible to escape.”

  “Got it,” said Cappy. He slowly backed into the mine, where Janie was keeping the women calm. Hunter heard his voice before he jogged up to the exit. “I’m Captain Hoover with the National Guard. We’re all getting out of here, but you have to follow my directions, okay?”

  The women began to thank him, but Hunter couldn’t take the time to listen. He was on his own and on a mission to keep their path clear. He kept his weapon pointed at the open sky in front of him, preparing to shoot at the first sign of movement.

  As he reached the opening, he heard the familiar sounds of war. Gunfire filled the air, barely drowning out the screams of agony as people were wounded within the compound.

  At the entrance, he immediately fell to the ground. Hunter slid on his stomach to look for any shooters around the mine. He knew most untrained assailants usually shot higher than their target. Very few would target an adversary skimming the ground on his belly.

  Hunter slithered out to the wet grass at the entrance and was both surprised and pleased to find it abandoned. Snow’s men must’ve determined the greater threat to be the three Humvees, which had now entered the compound.

  The gunners manning each Ma Deuce were relentless as they ripped up the turf in pursuit of Snow’s gunmen. The log cabins were no match for the powerful fifty-caliber rounds as they sailed through doors and windows and embedded into bodies inside.

  Sheriff Andrews and the colonel agreed, everyone within Snow’s compound was culpable in the abduction, imprisonment, and likely rape of these innocent women. As a result, for this mission, there was no such thing as rules of engagement and collateral damage. This was the apocalypse, which left no room for margin of error.

  After the gunners on the Humvees held their fire, screams like wild Indians filled the air as the posse formed by Breckenridge’s residents entered the compound. Personally, Hunter found this aspect of the operation unnecessary, but it wasn’t his call to make. Despite the apocalyptic world they lived in, there was a point in every battle where the enemy was clearly defeated and some semblance of mercy should be shown. Hunter doubted the townsfolk were showing restraint.

  “Cappy, it’s over!” shouted Hunter. “Come on out.”

  Hunter heard the silent footsteps of the innocent victims of Snow’s depravity coming up the mine shaft. A Humvee drove up through the grass and illuminated Hunter. He shielded his eyes from the headlights and waved to the truck.

  A door swung open and Colonel Clements strutted up the hill toward Hunter. Sheriff Andrews and Doc Cooley followed his lead.

  “Well done, Sergeant!” said the colonel, providing Hunter
a snappy salute. Hunter returned the salute just as the women, led by Janie and the Weigel twins, emerged from their prison.

  “Terri, Karen, it’s me, Doc Cooley. Are you young ladies okay?”

  The Weigel girls ran to his side.

  Doc addressed Hunter. “I’ve been their doctor since they were still in diapers.” He hugged them both.

  Janie held Hunter around the waist, and they stood out of the way to let everyone exit. A school bus ambled up a path to the top of the hill and several women from Breckenridge emptied out carrying blankets for the girls to stay warm.

  Hunter looked to Janie and smiled. “Mac would be proud of her Janie doll.”

  “I miss my friend,” added Janie.

  “Yeah, me too,” said Hunter. “Come on, let’s get you home. Barb and Tommy got roughed up by these thugs too.”

  The two of them walked through the grass despite Hunter’s offer to carry Janie to keep her feet warm and dry. She told him she didn’t care because it made her feel alive.

  Just as they were about to reach the Humvee, Janie looked ahead and saw two bodies in the grass, lit up by the rising sun. She broke away from Hunter and walked up to the dead boys.

  “Hunter, they’re the ones. They beat Derek and kidnapped me. Seth and Levi were their names. Rot in hell,” shouted Janie as she spit on them.

  Janie began to cry and Hunter defied her earlier request. He scooped her up to put her in the back of the Humvee. He whispered in her ear, “I wish I could’ve taken the shot that put them down.”

  “So do I,” said Janie. “Did they kill the prophet?”

  “Who? Oh, you mean Rulon—?” Hunter started to ask when a throaty scream surprised them from the woods in front of them.

  Snow raced out of the woods toward Hunter and Janie with a machete in his hand. He lunged at Hunter, who easily avoided the man’s attempt to slice him with the machete while deftly setting Janie down at the same time.

  As Snow stumbled past, Hunter punched his throat with his right hand, causing him to clothesline from the blow. Snow lay on the ground, gasping for air, eyes wide as they stared toward the sky.

  Janie calmly grabbed the machete and dropped to both knees beside him. She held the machete to his neck until it drew blood.

  “This is for Derek and all the women you raped,” she growled as she used surgeon-like precision to sever his carotid artery.

  Janie stood over his body gushing blood through his fingers and down his neck. She threw the machete on Snow’s chest. “We can go now, Hunter.”

  Chapter 53

  Day Ninety-Two

  Quandary Peak

  Hunter stood on the front steps of their home at Quandary Peak with Captain Hoover as they discussed the day’s events. Hunter assured him that an armed sentry was no longer necessary. He had coordinated a new guard rotation for their checkpoint at the bottom of the ridge, and after their efforts against Snow at Noah’s Ark, the residents of Breckenridge seemed anxious to pitch in to the security effort.

  “Hunter, I don’t think the President is gonna waver on his orders to use Breckenridge as a safe zone and, in a way, a sanctuary city for survivors,” said Captain Hoover. “I hope the sheriff and the other town leaders will understand. This is going to happen, so at least try to agree on terms most favorable to the town.”

  “Like what?” asked Hunter.

  Captain Hoover took Hunter by the arm and walked towards the side of the house where he couldn’t be overheard by his driver.

  “The colonel let me in on their points of weakness, which could help delay or slow the process,” started Captain Hoover. “Your people can insist upon a quarantine period of sixteen days. Colonel Clements will have to give on that. Naturally, the quarantine area would have to be restricted, nearby, and monitored twenty-four seven. The government is prepared to give on all these points.”

  “Eventually, they’ll be allowed in,” interrupted Hunter.

  “True, but it’ll take the military at least a week or more to identify an area to hold refugees, set up temporary housing for them, and assign a contingent. I know because it took Star Ranch a while to get up and running in a neighborhood full of homes with perimeter fencing already in place.”

  Hunter pulled down his sleeves as a gust of cool wind pushed down the southern face of Quandary Peak. The cold weather came quickly in the Rockies, he thought to himself as he glanced at the snowcapped peak.

  Captain Hoover continued. “At best, they’d be able to introduce five hundred, maybe a thousand at a time—every few weeks.”

  “A lot could happen in three or four weeks,” said Hunter, wondering when the President would be announcing the cure and a plan to inoculate the sick. This refugee proposal might go away before it was implemented.

  “I’m leaving two men and a Humvee behind for a couple of days while they make sure Snow’s people are all captured and jailed. They’ll be heading back to Star Ranch. Shall I instruct them to pick you up?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be ready to go. Janie is supposed to come with me to help Mac, but I’m not sure how she’ll feel about that now with Derek being injured. I’m about to discuss it with everyone.”

  Captain Hoover and Hunter clasped right hands and bumped their chests in a bro-hug. The two had become brothers after fighting side by side twice.

  Hunter stood outside the house for a moment and thought of Mac. He walked through the front yard and circle drive, hands in his pockets and kicking loose gravel. The safest course of action weighed heavily on his mind. In the past, he’d charge in to any crisis and become the catalyst to sway a decision one way or the other. Now, he was looked up to by Mac’s parents and Janie. They would defer to his experience for guidance. He turned his face to the sky and said, “Mac, I really need you right now.”

  He finally wandered inside and found the Hagans laughing with Janie as she retold the story of cutting Snow’s throat. This disturbed Hunter and caused him concern for Janie’s sanity. To his knowledge, this was her first kill. Joking about the manner of the kill, which was extremely personal, did not feel right, especially for someone of Janie’s gentle, jovial character.

  “Everybody doing okay in here?” he said, announcing his presence, which had been ignored when he walked in. “Janie, how about you?”

  “Hey, I’m fine. We were just rehashing your daring rescue and the final coup de grace! He was an animal and I put him down!” She and Tommy exchanged high-fives.

  Hunter had flashbacks to his days in the small barracks constructed as part of the many forward operating bases he’d worked out of while deployed in the Middle Eastern theater. After a good day on the battlefield, especially when a team had taken out a high-value target, the comradery and celebrating was over the top. It helped ease the tension from a warrior’s body after risking his life for the mission. Janie was not unlike any other warrior who had succeeded in battle. If this were Game of Thrones, there would be ale and a turkey leg for all.

  “Hunter, is the military pulling out?” asked Tommy.

  “Sort of. They left a couple of men behind to make sure there are no stragglers from the Snow flock roaming the woods, seeking revenge. They’ll head back to Colorado Springs but will stop by here to pick us up. The original plan was for us to receive a new home at Star Ranch.”

  Barb hobbled to the kitchen to retrieve the bottle of chardonnay on the kitchen island. “Hunter, would you like a glass?”

  “No, thanks. I’m gonna hit the sack after we talk about our options.”

  Tommy took the lead on the conversation. “Hunter, you’ve told us a lot about Star Ranch. It sounds nice, but it isn’t permanent in our minds. We live there at the whim of the government, which might displace us at any time and without notice. We know how this president operates. He may have offered this to induce Mac to come on board, only to snatch it away when he’s done using her.”

  “What Tommy’s beating around the bush to say is we’re gonna stay here,” interrupted Barb. “This is our hom
e, and despite recent events, we feel safe here.”

  “Barb’s right,” added Tommy. “We got too comfortable and let our guard down. What those two teens did to us was unconscionable, but we’ve learned from it and we’ll adjust our lives accordingly.”

  “Janie, you’ve been through a lot, so nobody would expect you to make a decision right now,” said Hunter. “Besides, we don’t have to leave for a couple of days.”

  Janie pulled her knees up to her chest and curled into a ball on the sofa. Her demeanor had changed once she wasn’t leading the conversation about the death of Rulon Snow. It was if she was uncomfortable talking about the realities of life.

  “I know Mac probably needs me, and I definitely want to talk with her about it. But I’m worried about Derek and I’d like to go into town to see him if you think it’s okay.”

  “I’ll drive you myself,” said Hunter, who planned on closely observing Janie for PTSD. “There is no need to rush into a decision.”

  “How about this, for purposes of reaching a decision,” said Janie. “If I ride into the city with you, would they be able to bring me back after I talk with Mac?”

  “I’ll insist upon it,” replied Hunter. “For now, let’s call it a day and tomorrow we’ll start fresh. Deal?”

  “Stamp it,” said Tommy, slamming his fist on the fireplace hearth.

  Chapter 54

  Day Ninety-Three

  Cheyenne Mountain

  The President and his Chief of Staff had just received another report of a terrorist attack against a military installation. This time the target was the Letterkenny Army Depot in South Central Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, the state capital. The facilities at Letterkenny were used to store and decommission tactical missiles and ammunition. Unlike Fort Drum and Star Ranch, the terrorists did not target a highly populated base. Letterkenny was being protected by a company of ninety soldiers, whose primary focus was the prevention of civilians breaking into the facility and looting.