Chasing the Dark: The Demon Inside

by A. P. Texan

  “Again Mr. Adams I apologize for this but trust me when I say you will thank me later.”

  I jump out of the truck and reach into the bed again for the grinder. I immediately go to work on the tongue lock on the trailer, while Sandy goes to work on the chain running through the wheels with the bolt cutters.

  “Izzy find something to bust the windows in the door. Take the list of medications and start grabbing everything you can find. We will bring the truck up there in a minute” I say to my daughter who is currently just staring at the cop tied up in the bed of the truck. His angry eyes boring holes into me.

  In my entire life I never dreamed I would assault a cop let alone kidnap one. I have always had the highest regard for police officers showing them the utmost respect. And again, I begin to wonder if I am becoming a different person. Am I letting this new world taint my soul? No, if that was the case then I wouldn’t even be asking that question. My soul and conscience are intact. And I am truly doing this to protect the lives of my family and probably that of this police officer.

  As these thoughts are running through my head the tongue lock breaks free and I manage to move the trailer enough to get the ball under the hitch. In just a couple more minutes the trailer is hooked up and we are moving to the front of the feed store. Inside Isabella is pushing a shopping cart around putting different things into it. I see pill bottles, boxes, gloves, flashlights, batteries, a pink camouflage hat, and a couple pairs of what look like work boots.

  “Great, what have you found. I got a bunch of antibiotics on the list. I even found some in those glass bottles that you have to use needles for. And look, boxes of needles too! Like my new hat!” She places the pink camo hat on her head and strikes a little pose.

  “Looks beautiful”, Sandy pipes in. “Now please go put everything in the truck. But put the boxes of vials in the cab so they don’t break”

  “The what?”

  “The glass bottles sweetheart, those are called vials; now can you please do as your told before we have to kidnap another cop.” I retort a little annoyed

  By the time we leave the feed store we have 400 pounds of dog food, 500 pounds of Cattle Pellet’s, an assortment of antibiotics, and a bunch of crap. Oh, and did I mention there was four chickens, one rooster, and three hens, plus 10 small chicks. The fun part was chasing the chickens around their enclosure, but after a frustrating ten minutes and a few small scrapes we got them into carriers and loaded up in the truck. We have other places we need to hit up so we are headed to CVS and Walgreens with me driving, Sandy in the middle Izzy at the passenger door, and a very pissed off Keller Police Officer flailing around in the bed with four equally angry caged chickens.

  1200 12 September 2021

  Miami Florida

  Roger’s apartment sits on the west side of Miami near the headquarters building for the cruise line he is contracted to and this will make leaving the city easier as he is only five miles from the wildlife preserve. About a mile south of him is a Wal-Mart Supercenter and this will be his first stop on his quest to survive. As he is walking south along 87th Avenue, he notices the lack of cars along the roadway. Evidence that the attack happened in the early morning hours. He knows that this road is busy at almost all times except from around three am to 6 am. The few cars he does see are all abandoned most with hoods up and doors open the owners realizing that they won’t start again and just left them. The other thing he notices is the lack of people, which strikes him as odd.

  He thought more people would be out trying to gather much needed supplies. Then it dawns on him. This is hurricane country and the hurricane season just ended with barely a storm. We had one Hurricane, but it just barely brushed the coast and mostly from Fort Lauderdale north. This part of Florida was spared. Which means most homes will have a surplus of food and water on hand and many would have backup generators. He is in one of the most prepared areas in America and finds himself wholly unprepared.

  He reaches the Wal-Mart and to his surprise it appears to still be open. People are going in and out in an orderly fashion and those leaving are carrying their goods in the blue-grey plastic Wal-Mart bags. He steps through the doors and is astounded at what he sees. Rather than chaos it looks like a normal shopping day; if it wasn’t for the lack of artificial light, he would have thought nothing had happened. Just another sign that this part of America had planned ahead. Since most people here are always prepared, few people are needing the necessities and instead are just out looking for some luxury items to get them through till the power comes back on. Which they all assume it will. This is not good for him. He was planning on using the chaos to be able to get what he needs and just slip out.

  Roger walks through the store with a shopping cart and heads back to the camping and sporting good section. He pulls out a list of items he feels he needs and starts to fill up his shopping cart. Water Filters, Sleeping bag, Tent, Paracord, A few different ways of starting a fire (Magnesium, UCO Stormproof matches, small ferro rod), Mountain House freeze dried meals, A Gerber Mini Parang Machete, Buck 119 special hunting knife, a stainless-steel camping cook-wear set, a fishing pole and some tackle.

  His next stop is the drink aisle. He wants to get a couple of large bottles of water. He can drink the water in them and then use the water filters he found in the camping section.

  He didn’t even bother looking at the price of everything he just plans on dropping 200 dollars on the counter and walking out Shopping Cart and all. Moving back towards the front of the store he eyes an employee wearing a Yellow Wal-Mart vest and steers the cart towards them. As he approaches, he pulls two one-hundred dollar bills out of his wallet and starts to hand them to the employee.

  “Here sir, this is two hundred dollars and should cover the cost of everything I have in the cart here. I’m in a big hurry I have to walk to North Texas from here and need to get going.”

  “I’m sorry sir, but you're going to have to go through the line like everyone else. We are all needing to go somewhere in these times.” The employee responds

  “Okay I understand, I'm sorry. I’ll go get in line, thank you.” Roger turns around and heads towards the long line of dead cash registers. But instead of getting in line he turns and heads back towards the back of the store.

  Reaching the back of the store he goes through the doors that lead to the back-dock area and slips through. Back here there aren’t as many skylights and the area is significantly darker. He moves towards an area where he can see light coming from around a door.

  FIRE EXIT ONLY the sign on the door reads. But someone has propped it open with a piece of 2x4 lumber.

  He pushes the door open and is greeted to the back-parking lot area of the store. As great as this is, he now has to get the shopping cart down the short set of steps and then onto freedom.

  He is about halfway down when he hears a familiar voice behind him.” I thought I told you to go through the line like everyone else”, as a hand grabs his shoulder and tries to pull him back.

  Roger let’s go of the shopping cart and jumps backwards as hard as he can into the person behind him. The cart tumbles the rest of the way down the stairs and falls on its side, only spilling a few items. Roger however flies back into the man trying to stop him throwing them both off balance and onto the floor of the dock area.

  Roger has never been a fighter, but what he does have is deceiving strength and agility; he quickly turns and pins the employee to the ground and places his right forearm across the man’s throat and begins to press down on the Adams apple cutting off the man’s ability to breathe.

  Leaning down into the man’s face he lowers his voice to a mean sinister growl.” I told you I am in a hurry; I have got to get to my family in Texas. I have a long walk and I am going to get started now. I offered to pay for my goods, and you sent me away telling me to get in line. Here is the deal I don’t have enough cash to pay face value on these items so I tried to pay you as much as I could. Now I’m going to get up go out that
door get my stuff and leave. If you try to stop me, I will hurt you do we have an understanding.”

  The man on the ground pinned under Roger’s 250-pound frame only nods in understanding, unable to speak since his larynx is being crushed by Roger’s large forearm.

  Roger takes his arm off the man who immediately grabs his throat and starts gasping for the precious oxygen now being allowed back into his body. Roger then stands up turns and walks for the door. His anger slowly fading into the background. He walks out squinting his eyes against the harshness of the Florida sun, picks up his cart and the items that spilled and starts walking back towards his apartment to sort everything and start his trek home.

  1530 12 September 2021

  Keller, Texas

  Cynthia, Robert, and Laura climb into the Kubota UTV. Robert is wearing his Glock and Cynthia has her 9mm Beretta 92. Laura who has never really shown an interest in shooting is armed with nothing but her brains and wit. The Texas Health Hospital is about 5 miles straight down Hwy 1709 or as it is locally known Golden Triangle Blvd. It sits close to the intersection of 1709 and I35W. The drive takes no more than 10 Minutes and they pull up into a mostly empty Parking lot. The EMP hit early in the morning so the hospital was on a skeleton night crew and no visitors were there. Coming from somewhere behind the building the rumble of a diesel generator can be heard.

  “That’s what I was afraid of, the backup generators are still going. And if the hospital was up to emergency code, they should have enough fuel for another day and a half.” Cynthia says to her passengers.

  “That’s bad?”, asks Laura

  Robert speaks up from the back seat,” If they still have power then they will most likely still have doctors and nurses, and they will probably be tired and grumpy because my guess is, they have been here for the last 48 hours or so.”

  As they’re talking Cynthia wheels the UTV and trailer into a parking space.

  “Here is the plan.”’ Cynthia turns in the seat to address the other two, “I’ll go in find the nurse’s locker room and snag some hospital scrubs. I’ll bring them back out and you two can change into them out here. I’ve got my Hospital credentials and if anybody asks, I will tell them I live down the street and came to see if I could help out.”

  “Sounds like as good a plan as any.” Robert acknowledges from the back seat.

  Cynthia takes her hospital credentials out of her bag and clips them to the collar of her shirt and heads to the emergency entrance.

  Inside it is like any other hospital. Tile floors and antiseptic white walls. The building is definitely working on emergency power as only every other light is working giving everything a subdued shadowy feeling. A nurse is sitting at the ER Reception Desk and Cynthia can tell she has been at work for a while. The messy hair Wrinkled scrubs and bags on her eyes a dead giveaway that this woman is running on reserves. She looks up from her desk as Cynthia walks in the door.

  “Hello, can I help you miss.” The nurse asks with absolutely zero emotion in her voice.

  “Well, I hope we can help each other. My name is Cynthia, and I am a RRP. I normally work out of Southwestern in Dallas, but it doesn’t look like I am going to make it in today. I thought I would see if I could help you guys out since I live right down the street. I was wondering though if you could point me to the locker room so I could change?” Cynthia holds up her bag indicating she has scrubs in her bag.

  “OH My God, we could so use some help. I have been here for well over 48 hours as have most of the Doctors and other nurses. We are trying to sleep when we can in the on-call rooms but since we are already on a skeleton crew, we just don’t have enough people! The locker room is just down this hall. Take the first right and about halfway down that hall on the left. I’ll print you a temporary Employee Badge.”

  “Your computers and Printers are working?” Cynthia asks.

  “Oh yes whatever happened seems to not have affected anything inside the hospital. We have no internet, but all of our internal systems are still up and running.”

  “Okay, oh crap I left something I’ll be back!”

  Cynthia Rushes for the ER doors bewildered and confused.

  Back at the side by side she relays what she has found out.

  “The hospital is a bust. All their internal systems are still up and running, which means all their meds will be locked up and need an electronic order to get to them. We might have to come back in a few days after the power goes out”

  “Well, that sucks, don’t know how Chase is going to like coming back.”

  “Uncle Chase will understand, he knows we need the meds for grandma and grandpa.” Laurel says from her seat in the Side by Side.

  “Let’s go find him and help hit the pharmacies and Stores”, Robert suggests.

  Cynthia climbs back into the Kubota UTV; better yet let’s hit Sam’s and Wal-Mart they are on the way back into town anyways. We will either run into them there or on the road I’m sure.”

  With that she starts the UTV up and heads back out onto Golden Triangle and heads for the Wal-Mart.

  1900 12 September 2021

  Keller Texas

  Over the course of the next three hours or so we manage to loot CVS Pharmacy, Kroger and Tom Thumb Grocery stores and their pharmacies. We are leaving the Tom Thumb with the intention of heading to Sam’s when we see A side by side coming up the street. It is getting dark out so all I can really make out is the headlights coming towards us. I dial up the magnification on my rifle optic to its highest setting which is 4 power and bring it up to my shoulder. With the increased magnification I can make out my oldest sister's blonde hair blowing around the open cab of the little vehicle.

  “Hey sis”, I say as she pulls up to us “How did the hospital go?”

  “It was a bust, all their internal systems were still up, and they still had a pretty good size staff present. I wouldn’t have been able to access any meds or supplies without doctors' orders in an electronic format.”

  “What I’m thinking is that the structure of the hospital was built hardened against this sort of thing. It is a newer hospital and the developers actually paid attention to the reports coming out of Washington about hardening our infrastructure.” Robert explains.

  “What we did do was hit Sam’s Club and Wally World for you. We got winter clothes for everyone. All their Diapers and formula and everything in the pharmacies we could. We also grabbed all their ammo for our guns.” Cynthia adds

  BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG

  A loud banging came from the back of the truck.

  “Crap in a handbasket. I need to figure out what to do with him.” I say as I walk towards the bed of the old Ford.

  “What are you going to do with Who?” Robert jogs over to my side

  “A cop, He got the drop on me at the gun store. But Sandy got the drop on him with a taser. He is trussed up in the bed of the truck.” We walk over to where Officer Adams is in the truck pure hate in his eyes. “Officer Adams I am going to take the tape off your mouth and get you some water. Then we are going to my family’s home and we can talk about what is going on. However, if you decide to scream or cuss or anything else, I will put the tape back on your mouth. Nod if you understand.”

  He nods in understanding and I remove the tape from his mouth and put a water bottle to his mouth for him.

  “You could have given me water like an hour ago, asshole!”

  “Told you I will put the tape back. Are you going to behave?”

  He nods his understanding, and we all saddle up to head back to the house.

  1930 12 September 2021

  Keller Texas

  When we get there, we notice a red Chevy pickup appearing to be mid to late 1960s on the street it is loaded down with gear and has the Airstream hooked to the bumper. Pulled up on the yard is the Kawasaki UTV also loaded down with gear the trailer stacked high with tie down ropes crisscrossing the load.

  “Good, They’re back. We can soon get out of here.” I say out
loud to no one in particular.

  We pull up and Charles comes out to meet us. “Alright Dad we are all packed up and ready to go. I think with the addition of the Chevy mom found; we should be able to sit everyone.”

  I start to count people and seats,” Kubota seats 4, Kawasaki 2, That’s 6. The 2 trucks hold three each for another 6 that’s 12. Sandy, Mom, Dad, Rusty, you”, I point to Charles “The Girls, your mom, Robert, Natalie can hold the baby, Cynthia and her girls, and Christine. Did I forget anyone?”

  “Yeah, yourself goofball.” Sandy pipes in.

  “Well, that’s 15 with me. Means 3 people will have to ride in the airstream. But yeah, we can make it work. I climb out of the old ford and head around to the back. I flip open my Ka-bar Mule and point at Adams. “You and I are going to have a talk; I’m going to cut your arms free and take the cuffs off so you can get a bite to eat and something to drink. Charles do we have any tea left?”

  “Yeah, I’ll go get some. Dad you want a glass as well?”