Nuclear Survival: Western Strength (Book 1): Bear The Brunt

by Tate, Harley

  Bear rose up on his haunches, a low growl in his throat. Keith steeled himself. Someone was coming. He checked his watch. Only two minutes. Dammit. He made a motion to speed it up.

  Lainey tensed. “After the blast, you will have between twenty and sixty minutes to seek shelter, depending on how far away from ground zero you are located. Get inside, preferably somewhere with thick concrete or brick walls, limited windows, and the ability to be completely enclosed. An old bomb shelter, or a basement, or some other contained area.”

  The first fist sounded on the door. Bear barked. Lainey raised her voice. “The first seventy-two hours are critical if you are within eight miles of the blast. Any exposure to the air during that time will lead to terminal exposure to radiation. If you must be outside, cover your body from head-to-toe in clothing and wear a mask. As soon as you are inside, disrobe and shower. The radiation can be washed off.”

  The pounding on the door intensified. The handle shook. Shouts echoed down the hall, but the metal door blocked the worst of the noise. Keith twisted around and palmed the door. He came face-to-face with a man he’d never seen, beet red and screaming. Not a security guard.

  Keith exhaled. They could still finish the broadcast.

  The man slammed his fist on the window, right between Keith’s eyes. Keith didn’t budge.

  Lainey kept talking, relaying as much information as possible. “The radiation plume will extend past the blast site. It will take two weeks for the plume to dissipate and radiation to fall to safe levels. Wherever you are, take precautions now. Gather food and water and seek shelter. Be prepared to stay there for several weeks. Do not travel. Do not get on the roads. You are not safe in a car. I repeat, you are not safe in a car.”

  Keith held the door, legs and arms braced against it. The man on the other side kept trying, twisting the handle and using all his body weight to throw it open, but Keith was too strong. Until someone else joined in, he could keep it secure.

  Robbie leaned over. “Why are we learning about this now, Lainey?”

  “Because the government decided not to tell you. The government decided it would rather let the bombs deploy than incite mass panic. They took away our choice. They took away our ability to prepare.” She stumbled on the last word and cleared her throat. “A friend of mine is dead because he tried to learn the truth.”

  “Are you sure this is real? It’s not some sort of elaborate hoax?”

  “It’s real. I’ve seen the projections of casualties and time to rebuild with my own eyes. The bombs are here. They will detonate.”

  “When?”

  “I don’t have an exact time, but soon. It could be within the hour, the day, the week. I don’t know.”

  Sweat beaded across Keith’s brow and he wished he’d refused to change. The dress pants and button-down weren’t helping. As he sucked in a breath, another face loomed in the glass. The beefy security guard from downstairs.

  Keith cursed.

  The man held up his gun, motioned for Keith to move away from the door. Keith glanced down at Bear. “Here’s to bulletproof glass, buddy.” Keith shifted his weight, sliding over to brace the door so that his head was clear of a direct shot. He’d still be pelted with shards of glass, but he wouldn’t take a bullet between the eyes.

  Lainey kept talking, explaining the evidence about the bombs. Keith couldn’t concentrate on her and the door. The security guard outweighed him and as the guy lowered his shoulder and slammed into the metal, the entire wall shook. He wouldn’t be able to hold it.

  Another slam and the door bounced open a half an inch. Keith pressed harder, putting everything he could into keeping it shut. Another brutal impact and he failed, stumbling back as the metal door crashed against the wall.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  LAINEY

  KTLA

  Los Angeles, California

  Saturday, 12:59 p.m. PST

  Lainey stammered as the door flew open. “It-It is c-critical that you take a moment to assess your situation.” Her voice raised with every word as she tried in vain to talk over the commotion. “Don’t delay.”

  The security guard from the lobby rushed toward her, head lowered and shoulders bunched. His hand found the safety cover to his gun. He wouldn’t shoot her, would he?

  Lainey pushed her chair back and stared directly into the camera. “Don’t let anyone stop you from protecting yourself and your family!”

  “Turn it off!” The guard bellowed, as he stepped in front of the camera, broad back covering the lens.

  Lainey stood and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Food! Water! Shelter!”

  Robbie stood as well, backing up, hands in the air. He wasn’t going to fight, that much was obvious. Owen still worked the controls in the production area and Jerry still stood behind the camera. Neither moved. They were still on. Lainey didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what she could say. With a security guard blocking the feed, was there even any point?

  She looked for Keith, bobbing left and right as the guard kept screaming to stop the broadcast. She found him at last, holding Bear by the collar as the dog barked and lunged in the guard’s direction. Bear was going to protect her. Lainey palmed her chest, a pang of regret at what might have been distracting her from reality. She couldn’t let Bear get hurt. Not for her.

  Another man burst into the studio, a walkie-talkie to his lips. From his dress slacks and oxford shirt, Lainey guessed he was management. He motioned toward Owen to cut the feed, shouting something in the production bay’s direction. Lainey couldn’t hear his commands over the shouts of the guard. She didn’t know where to look or what to do. They couldn’t escape, they couldn’t run. Was the feed still pumping out to everyone in Los Angeles?

  Owen spun his hand like a whirligig above his head. Yes! Still on! She shouted again. “See what they’re doing? They don’t want you to know the truth!” Lainey tugged the mic off her blouse and held it up to her mouth. “No one wants the truth to come out! In a few minutes someone will come on and tell you I’m crazy, that this was a hoax or some terrible prank. But it’s not. Believe me. This is real. Bombs are coming!”

  “Stop the broadcast or so help me God—” The security guard tugged his gun free. “I don’t want to shoot you lady, but—”

  As the guard’s arm swung up, Bear broke away from Keith. Time slowed. She watched in horror as the dog raced toward the guard, teeth bared in a snarl. Keith followed a step behind, no match for the dog’s speed and power.

  The guard spun, gun lagging a second behind. Bear leapt, all four paws landing square on the guard’s chest. The gun discharged, a single crack echoing through the studio.

  Robbie screamed and hit the floor. Owen ducked beneath the control panel.

  Lainey burst into action. She tossed the mic aside and raced around the news desk. “Bear! Bear!” The dog stood on top of the guard, snarling and growling in his face. Had the bullet gone wide? Had the guard missed?

  Keith dove for the gun, hands wrapping around the guard’s arm as he fought to gain control. Lainey couldn’t stand there and do nothing. She spun around. What could she use? What could help? There! She raced toward the boom mic and grabbed it by the stand without a second’s thought. Blood whooshed in her ears, her pulse thundering from adrenaline and fear.

  The guy from management shouted and waved his hands, but Lainey didn’t register his protest. She would protect Bear. He wasn’t going to take a bullet for her. She hauled the heavy mic across the studio, dragging the weighted base toward the scuffle on the ground.

  Keith squirmed and grunted, body slithering back and forth as he fought for the gun. Lainey took a deep breath and squatted down, grabbing the mic low on the stand. With a deep breath, she hoisted it up, closed her eyes, and swung.

  The mic’s weight carried her forward and the momentum threw her to the floor. She landed in a heap on top of the stand and almost immediately, Bear’s slobbery tongue found her cheek. He licked and licked and Lainey st
ruggled onto her hands and knees.

  The guard lay limp on the floor. Keith held the gun.

  “Did I kill him?” She panted out the words one at a time as she caught her breath.

  Keith placed a pair of fingers on the guard’s neck. “No. Just knocked him unconscious.”

  She exhaled in relief as she stood and turned toward the production booth. Owen stood inside, arms up as the man from management leaned over the controls. She held her hands up in question. Owen made a slash across his neck. They’d cut the feed.

  Lainey held the top of her head as she tried to slow her heart. At least she’d gotten on air. At least she’d told people the truth. Even if they didn’t escape the city, even if it created panic and chaos… People deserved to know.

  She walked over to Keith. “We need to leave.”

  He nodded. “We’ll have to find a back way out. No way can we just walk out the front door now.”

  “I know a way.” Jerry hung his headphones on top of the camera before closing the distance between them. “If we’re careful, we can make it to the parking deck and not be spotted.”

  Keith shoved the gun into his waistband and reached for his backpack. “You need to stop anywhere on the way?”

  Jerry patted his pocket. “Got all I need right here.”

  Lainey grabbed her bag where it still rested by the door. “What about Robbie and Owen?” She scanned the room. Both men were gone.

  “Looks like they’ve already left.” Keith adjusted the straps of his bag and wrapped Bear’s leash around his hand. “Let’s go.”

  “What the—” The younger guard from the lobby stopped two feet inside the door. His head swiveled back and forth as he took in the scene. As soon as he spotted his coworker, his hand flew to his gun.

  Keith’s voice carried, calm and strong. “Don’t even think about it.” He held the other guard’s gun in his right hand and pointed it straight and true.

  Lainey tensed. He wouldn’t shoot, would he? They had lied to the police and broken into the British Consul General’s home not because they were seasoned criminals, but because they had no choice. Now they had broadcast without permission and probably broken a ton of state and federal laws in the process. She’d even assaulted the guard.

  But pointing a gun at someone? This was taking it to a level she hadn’t anticipated and wasn’t sure she could handle. “Keith.”

  He shook his head once. Bear growled low and deep in his chest.

  The younger guard stood frozen, hand still on his holster, but not moving.

  “I don’t want to shoot you. All I want to do is escort these people out of the building and away from here. All we need is a chance to get away.”

  The guard smacked his lips together, eyes still darting around the room. His fingers trembled on his free hand.

  Lainey took a chance. “Did you see the broadcast?”

  He shook his head. “N-No, ma’am. I was downstairs, then the call came in and Bill took off up here and I had to stay behind. Then someone from management called and said there was an emergency and I had to get up here.”

  “That was me.” The man with the walkie-talkie entered the room from the production bay. Lainey had missed him in all the commotion. Had he been hiding? She looked him over. No weapon, only a radio. “Arrest these people. They’ve trespassed, illegally used our equipment, and made terroristic threats on air to millions of people.”

  “That’s not true!” Lainey faltered. “At least not the last part!”

  The guard shifted his gaze back and forth between Lainey and the man presumably in charge.

  “I said arrest them!”

  “You might not have noticed, sir, but there’s a gun pointed at his chest.” Keith didn’t turn or move the gun. “If he so much as moves, he’ll be dead before he hits the ground.”

  “This is what we pay you people for!” The man stamped his foot. “I don’t care if Godzilla is about to rip your head off, do your job!” He enunciated each of the last words like he was talking to a child.

  The guard didn’t respond, but Lainey caught the tick in his jaw.

  “We aren’t terrorists. We’re trying to protect American citizens and save their lives.” She took a step toward the guard. “There are nuclear bombs in play. One is right here in Los Angeles. The blackout was only the first strike, intended to send the country into chaos so the bombs could be moved into position.”

  The guard’s brow knit. “That’s not possible.”

  She tried again. “It’s not only possible, but it’s already happened. They could detonate at any minute. We’re not safe here. Everyone needs to evacuate.”

  “Fat chance of that now,” snarled the man behind her. “It’s chaos out there, thanks to you.”

  Lainey clenched her fists. “Please don’t listen to him.” She took another step forward. “Do you have a family?”

  “A wife. A baby girl. She’s only six months old.” The guard pulled his hand away from his gun and ran it down his face. “Are you sure about the bomb?”

  “I wouldn’t have broken into the studio and forced my way on air if I wasn’t. A private investigator I hired was murdered to keep it quiet. It’s real.”

  Keith spoke up. “Even if it isn’t, are you willing to take the chance? Is this job worth the life of your wife and daughter?”

  The guard snorted. “I make fifteen dollars an hour.” He jerked his head at the man from the studio. “They won’t even pay benefits.”

  “We have tremendous overhead!”

  Everyone ignored the man with the radio.

  Lainey clasped her hands in front of her. “Please, go home to your family. Get food and water and find somewhere safe to ride this out. Concrete or brick walls, no doors or windows. Can you do that?”

  The guard thought it over. “My dad’s got a basement, built way back. Pretty sure it would work.”

  “Go there. Now. Don’t wait for anything. Get your family down there and stay put for two weeks.”

  “That long?”

  Lainey nodded. “It’ll ensure you don’t get radiation poisoning.”

  The guard’s Adam’s apple bobbed and he stepped back. “Best of luck to you.” Without another word, he turned and ran.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  KEITH

  KTLA

  Los Angeles, California

  Saturday, 1:15 p.m. PST

  Keith twisted in his spot and pointed the gun at the man with the radio. “I suggest you follow his lead.”

  The man pursed his lips, thumb hovering above the button to speak.

  “You push that button and all they’ll hear is a boom followed by me kicking you to confirm you’re dead.” Keith cocked his head and closed one eye to aim.

  The man dropped the radio to the ground. “You can have it!”

  “I want you to run.”

  He did as commanded, practically galloping out of the studio before anyone could say another word. Keith exhaled. About time that idiot got the hint. He shoved the gun back in his waistband and gave Bear a pat on the head.

  “Y-You weren’t really going to—” Lainey trailed off.

  “Shoot him?” Keith shook his head. “Safety’s still on. I wasn’t going to shoot anyone.”

  She exhaled in relief and turned to Jerry. “About that way out?”

  Jerry nodded. “We’ll have to cross the newsroom, but my guess is no one will notice.”

  Keith glanced at Bear. “Not even a dog?”’

  “Nope. Just watch.” Jerry stepped into the hall and motioned them forward, directing them right, then left through a maze of cubicles and up a flight of stairs. As he opened the door, a cacophony of noise burst into the stairwell. “See?”

  He stepped into the newsroom and Keith ushered Lainey forward. Reporters were running and shouting and waving pieces of paper all over. One woman ran past them, two bags slung over her shoulder and a coffee mug in each hand. Chaos was an understatement.

  Jerry navigated through
shouting reporters and cursing desk workers, people shoving all their belonging into backpacks and laptop bags, and even a guy breathing into a paper bag. Lainey kept close on the older man’s heels and Keith and Bear followed. It took a few minutes, but they made it without a single person stopping them or questioning their access to the floor. Jerry pointed toward the stairs. “Parking deck is one flight down.”

  Keith hesitated. “Is there a basement here? Somewhere we could hole up for a while?’

  “No.” Jerry shook his head. “Deck is open-air with those fancy grate things to let heat escape. Place is built on a concrete slab. I don’t even think we have a secure storage area.”

  Keith bit back a curse. “We’ll have to drive, then. Try and find somewhere to camp out.”

  “What about your apartment building?”

  “Not secure enough. Deck open on the one side and the exterior walls are traditional wood build.”

  Lainey chewed on her lip. “We need food and water first.”

  Jerry interrupted. “There’s a gas station on almost every corner around here.”

  “Then that’s where we go first.” Keith led the way with Bear still by his side down the stairs and into the parking deck. As he neared the KSBF van, a figure came into view.

  Owen. He grinned. “Figured I’d find you all down here. Didn’t think it’d take that long, though.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Thought you might need some help.” He held up a tablet with a view of the city. Red and yellow lines snaked through the streets. “I can navigate through the traffic.”

  Keith nodded in appreciation. “Everyone ready?” He looked around at their makeshift little group. Lainey and Bear and a pair of guys who’d made the impossible happen. Not bad, all things considered.