The Day America Died! | Book 4 | The Final Ending
Page 8
She tucked her head under a pillow as I left the room to answer the door. The knocking continued. I yanked the door open, yelling,” Stop knocki ….”
Davi pushed me aside, her and Harry entered the living room. “Davi, what in the sam hell do you want this early in the morning?”
Harry chuckled. “It’s early evening, and Davi and I haven’t been to bed. Well, not to sleep, anyway. Here take a drink. We are a bit drunk but have sobered up a couple of times since we last saw you and Ally. Ally! Wake up!”
Davi caught Ally when Ally stormed around the corner. “Ally, I want to thank you for all your help. Now take a sip and listen.”
Ally took a large swig of the wine and glared at Davi.
Davi cleared her throat, took a drink, and filled in the gaps on what had transpired during the past two days. “Bassot was caught cheating on Aimee’s mother. Aimee’s mother had an affair with Gagnon to get even. Bassot found out about the affair, killed Aimee’s grandparents, and kept her mom locked in their house for years. He never found out Aimee wasn't his daughter. Aimee found out everything when Bassot killed her mom while she was away at school. Gagnon and her aunt told her everything. That covers Aimee’s motivation.”
“Harry, tell them why you hated Bassot.”
Harry stuttered and then took a deep breath. “Several years ago, I fell in love with the daughter of one of Bassot’s maids. She fell for me, and we were meeting secretly. Bassot had never seen her before, but one day she came to find her mom, and Bassot attacked her and raped her.”
Harry took another deep breath. “Her mom and I vowed to kill the SOB two years ago, but I talked her into waiting for the right time. When I found your group, I knew the time had arrived.”
The hamster wheel in my brain was turning at a furious pace. “Jade is the mother of your friend.”
Harry choked but then looked at Davi. “Yes, and Jade cut the SOB’s throat.”
The hamster kept the wheel busy. “What about the anarchists?”
“Jade, Gagnon, and Aimee took out their leaders, and Gagnon’s men are hunting the survivors as we speak. I provided modern weapons to the farmers, and they are busy cleaning house.”
Information overload set in quickly. “You mean we won the war, and none of us had to fight Bassot or the anarchists?”
Davi laughed. “Zack, we helped more than anyone. You jump-started their resistance movement. We infiltrated their groups and learned who their leaders were. The most significant thing we did was to give them confidence and support. They were fed up but didn’t have the courage to act.”
Ally asked, “Where is Aimee? Callie will want to hear from her.”
Harry said, “Aimee is off to St. Lucia to start their revolution and grow our new alliance and possible new nation.”
I frowned and gazed out the window. “Why didn’t she stay here long enough to enjoy our victory?”
Harry smiled at his new wife. “For the same reason, Davi, Paul, and my Special forces are going to Dominica. There’s a bad group that’s taken over the island and making life miserable for the locals.”
Ally jumped up. “Does Callie know Paul is going?”
Davi nodded. “Yes, and she tried to go with Paul, but I told her to stay home and prepare her nest.”
Ally’s face scrunched, and then her eyes flew open. “Is she pregnant?”
Davi hugged Ally. “Yes, but let her tell you.”
*
Chapter 12 – Back to Better than Normal
Fort de Ville
Ally and I swam in the clear ocean water. She was more playful than usual, and we behaved like newlyweds. The ocean wasn’t cool but much cooler than the hot assed air on the island. The sun hung low on the horizon, and the sky was red. I tried to remember that old saying about ‘Red sky in morning, sailor take warning, red at night, sailors delight,’ or something like that. Anyway, we had just had a delightful swim and were ready to grill some steaks.
Time had quickly passed since the coup that freed Martenvous. Three months was a short time for a country to go from a dictator to a free society. Aimee and Harry had no sympathy for the elites who’d backed Bassot. They disappeared by the dozens, and their land and wealth were shared by the islanders.
For the first time since the apocalypse, we were back to almost normal. Hell, it was better than normal. Ally, Susie, and I now lived in a lovely home close to the new governor, Aaron. Aaron and Sharon lived in a beautiful house, and he turned the governor’s mansion into a museum. Harry was now the Commander of our military, with Davi and Mort as his closest advisors.
Trade between Grenada and Martenvous had brought much-needed medical supplies and several doctors. Aaron opened up the food warehouses and allowed the farmers to keep their crops and trade or sell the products on the open market. The government only kept five percent to help feed the disabled and poor. The island's people felt free but hoped this wasn’t a ploy to gain their confidence and be betrayed again.
The anarchists were decimated, and the farmers were happier. I say happier because they liked the progress but still had doubts Aaron and Harry would follow through with the promises to install a Constitutional Republic form of government with Senators and House of Representatives elected by the people. Aaron appointed Mr. Gagnon, the farmers' leader, to the first senator position of the seven needed. Gagnon was allowed to appoint another senator and three House of Representatives of the thirty-three positions to be filled.
I had been pressed into being the Mayor of Fort de Ville and replaced the corrupt politician who never listened to his people. I now knew how difficult it was to please a large group of people. The first thing I did was dissolve the town’s council and hold an election to start fresh. The people loved this move, and we were on a roll fixing issues and ensuring fairness. I always hated favoritism and rooted it out anytime I found it.
Forrest and Joan were living in Grenada. He’d taken the position of liaison between the Governor of Grenada and Aaron. Forrest and Joan were married right after Bassot had been dealt with. Forrest is a part-time teacher at the high school, and Joan stays home taking care of Forrest’s children. She finally got her dream of being married to an important man and not having to work. Not having to kill thugs was a bonus. They will return to Martenvous after a year or two. I hoped for them a much more extended stay. Callie loved having her mother two days travel away from her and Paul. Joan was the busy body mother-in-law.
Paul had survived his work with Davi to free Dominica. Dominica had also decided to join our mutual defense alliance. He and Cassie had taken up farming on land close to her uncle Mike. Paul had made friends with Mr. Gagnon’s son and received help learning how to tend his new land. Paul had learned how to garden and raise bees at his mom's hand, but the thing that made him a big hit with the Gagnons was Paul’s beer-making skills. Ally had taught him well. Ally and Paul started a brewpub in Fort de Ville and shared her favorite ales with the islanders. I was happy because I would get free beer.
Grenada was doing much better than expected. Once the cartel had been wiped out, their previous leaders took charge and quickly took care of their people’s needs. They were a big help in restoring stability to Martenvous. They sent supplies, food, and doctors to assist in our rebuilding. They were pleased to become a part of the larger group and began lobbying the islands around them to join the new Commonwealth of the Lesser Antilles.
***
Callie couldn’t catch her breath as she dialed the old rotary phone. “Dad, there’s water pouring out on the floor from the hot water heater, and Paul is out in the field!”
I laid the wallpaper down and said, “Hold on! Ally, I have to help Callie! Callie, find the cold water line at the top of the heater. There should be a valve. Turn the water off.”
Callie put the phone down and returned a few minutes later. “Got it, but water is still flowing out of the bottom.”
“Callie, it’s a thirty-gallon tank. It will flow until it’s empty.”
>
Ally gave me a dirty look. “You are a good dad, but this paper won’t hang itself.”
Ally was busy decorating the baby’s room. Oh! I failed to mention we were pregnant. Ally was apprehensive about motherhood at her age, but we wanted a baby in our lives. Little Mike or little Sally would grow up with their niece or nephew. We’d finally felt safe enough to have children.
Ally yelled! “Get your butt in here. Hanging wallpaper is a two-person job.”
Yes, she was a bit irritable with all the hormones and stuff. “Yes, dear! I had to take a call from Aaron. The farmers want Mike and me too ….”
Ally huffed, “Do I look like I give a crap what anyone wants. Hold this while I align it.”
“Yes, dear.”
Hey! Happy wife, happy life. Ally was actually stressed out due to her brewpub startup while also redecorating our new home. I couldn’t slack off at work, so I decided to hire an assistant for the brewpub and a helper for the house. It was terrific to deal with common husband-wife issues and not kill people, snakes, and wolves to survive. I didn’t sweat the small stuff anymore. I just smiled and said, “Yes, dear. Yes, Callie, or screw you, Mike. I could get used to this part of the apocalypse.
We’d lived through the worst times the Earth had seen in over two thousand years and were now thriving. I prayed every night that the other larger countries would leave us alone. Of course, the signs posted all around the islands in our mutual defense group warning about our smallpox and ebola infections have scared everyone away so far.
The End
OF
The Final Ending
and The Day America Died! series.
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AJ Newman
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Thanks, AJ Newman
Books by AJ Newman
Old Man’s Apocalypse:
Old Man’s War (due fall 2021)
Prepper’s Apocalypse
Prepper’s Apocalypse
Prepper’s Apocalypse: Collapse
Prepper’s Apocalypse: Betrayal
John Logan Mysteries” The Human Syndrome
Extinction Level Event
Extinction
Immune: The Hunted
War Dogs
Heading Home
No One Left Behind
Amazon Warriors
EMP:
Perfect Storm
Chaos in the Storm
Cole’s Saga series:
Cole’s Saga
FEMA WARS
American Apocalypse:
American Survivor
Descent into Darkness
Reign of Darkness
Rising from the Apocalypse
After the Solar Flare:
Alone in the Apocalypse
Adventures in the Apocalypse
Alien Apocalypse:
The Virus
Surviving
A Family’s Apocalypse Series:
Cities on Fire
Family Survival
The Day America Died:
New Beginnings
Old Enemies
Frozen Apocalypse
The Final Ending
The Adventures of Jon Harris:
Surviving
Hell in the Homeland
Tyranny in the Homeland
Revenge in the Homeland
Apocalypse in the Homeland
Jon Returns
AJ Newman and Mack Norman
Rogue’s Apocalypse:
Rogues Origin
Rogues Rising
Rogues Journey
A Samantha Jones Murder Mystery:
Where the Girls Are Buried
Who Killed the Girls?
These books are available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/AJ-Newman/e/B00HT84V6U/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
To contact the Author, please leave comments @
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About the Author
AJ Newman is the author of 37 science fiction and mystery novels plus 12 audiobooks that have been published on Amazon and Audible. He was born and raised in a small town in the western part of Kentucky. His Dad taught him how to handle guns very early in life, and he and his best friend Mike spent summers shooting .22 rifles and fishing.
Reading is his passion, and he read every book he could get his hands on. He fell in love with science fiction. He graduated from USI with a degree in Chemistry. He made a career working in manufacturing and logistics, but he always fancied himself as an author.
AJ served six years in the Army National Guard in an armored unit and spent six years performing every function on M48 and M60 army tanks. This gave him great respect for our veterans who lay their lives on the line to protect our country and freedoms.
AJ currently resides in Henderson, Kentucky, with his wife Patsy and their four tiny Shih Tzu’s, Sammy, Cotton, Callie, and Benny. All except Benny are rescue dogs.