Preppers: The Event (The Falling Book 1)

by P. D. Clover

  Chapter 27

  I heard the banging at about midnight, I woke with my adrenaline going full blast. I looked at my security cameras. A man was on my porch. I jumped out of bed and shook Dee, “What Henry? Is everything okay?” she asked trying to shake off the sleep.

  “No, someone is banging on our door,” I said calmly. She was wide awake now, I was dressed and strapping on my gun belt. “I am going to go out this top door and circle the house” I put my Tactical helmet on and hit the power button on my comms, suddenly every little sound was magnified. “I want you to bar the door behind me and get your AK.”

  “Okay” was all she said. She slipped into her pants with a grunt. She was now four months pregnant. I couldn’t allow my mind to wander. I slowed my breathing and calmed my mind. I focused on the task at hand.

  I hit the PTT button and said, “Matt, we have one person at the front door. Appears male.”

  I waited. He was usually up watching the painfully static filled broadcast of INFOWARS. “Copy that, one threat.”

  “I am rolling out my top door and snaking around the far side of the house.”

  “Copy that, you want me to call Ryan or Josh?”

  “No” I said readjusting the boom mic on my Comms.

  “We don’t know who this is or why they’re here, assume everyone is compromised.” As I said that I could hear Dee suck in a breath. I turned to her, “I love you. I will be right back.” I clicked on my NODs and heard the door bar go down behind me. I knew Dee was watching the cameras and could tell me if someone tried to get around me. I hoped she could anyway.

  I snaked around the far side of the house sinking to the shadows of the empty house of my neighbors, who still hadn’t returned yet and probably never would. Then, a voice in my headset…it was Matt, “Exiting the camper and coming round,” he said calmly.

  As I made it to the front of the house, I saw the man, still beating on my door. It was amazing my dog never woke up.

  “HEY MOTHERFUCKER! PUT YOUR HANDS UP OR DIE!”

  The stranger froze. He called out “I’m a friend of Henry’s. My name is…”

  “MARK? IS THAT YOU?”

  The man turned slowly to face me, “Henry, it’s me Mark!”

  I waited a moment, then responded to the radio, “All clear, he is alone.”

  I turned off my NODs and flipped on my weapon’s light. Mark looked like shit. He was wearing a jacket far too small for him. It was filthy. He had the beginnings of a beard, and his hair was greasy. As I got closer, I caught his scent. He smelled like he hadn’t bathed in a while.

  “Come off the porch. You’re going to wake my family,” I said.

  Mark scurried off my porch like a scared puppy. Something was wrong.

  I holstered my pistol and waited for Mark. Following a few feet behind Mark was Matt with his suppressed Stribog.

  “What’s going on Mark? Where are Laura and the girls?” I asked.

  Mark was about five feet away and froze. When Mark froze, Matt kept walking past him and stood beside me. “The man asked you a question Mark. Where is your family?”

  Mark began to weep and fell on his knees in the moss-covered earth that grew there because of the perpetual shade cast by the large trees in the yard.

  “Where are your girls Mark?” I said with enough heat to warm the frosty late November air that surrounded us.

  “I, I, I don’t know,” he said weakly.

  “Did you misplace them?” Matt asked. I could hear his rage.

  “Mark…” I got on my knees to look him in the face, “What happened?”

  When Mark looked up at me, his face was haunted and skeletal. “We were having thanksgiving dinner, and Laura wanted a fire in the fireplace. She loved that fireplace.” Mark began to weep again.

  “Mark, what happened?” I asked calmly.

  “I went out to get the firewood. You know, we kept it way over by the boat house. So, I had to go get the firewood… And…”

  “And what?”

  “When I was going back, I saw men in my house.” Mark went still. “There were four, maybe five. They went in through the door that I left open. I could hear Laura screaming for me, but I just had firewood, because she wanted firewood. I needed a gun … we needed a gun, but Laura didn’t like them...” Mark drifted out for a moment, then snapped back, “The twins, I can hear the twins screaming… I had firewood.”

  “You did nothing?” Matt spit out with acid in his tone.

  Mark just looked up at Matt with a blank expression, “I had Firewood.” As if, that explained everything.

  Matt kicked Mark in the face and then spit on him. He was in a rage.

  I just sat there waiting, thinking. “Why did you come here Mark?”

  Mark rolled over slowly, spitting out a couple of teeth, “I need help Henry. You are my friend. You tried to help me. I need your help now. Will you help me?” Mark begged.

  I took him in. I looked at the broken, half-crazy bastard. “Is that one of the girl’s jackets?” I asked.

  Mark just sobbed and reached up to stroke the cartoon unicorn on the jacket. Laura hated things like that, thought they were too “little girlish” for her young ladies. But Mark couldn’t help but to indulge his girls. He once told me, “If they want to be Daddy’s little girls for a few more years, what’s so bad about that?”

  I stood up, “Yeah Mark, I’ll help you.”

  Matt flipped out, “YOU ARE GONNA HELP THIS FUCKING COWARD? HE HAD ONE FUCKING JOB!!! AND HE DIDN’T EVEN TRY!!!”

  “He did fail, but I am a father and his last friend. That’s why he came here Matt. You wouldn’t understand.” I put my hand out, “I need to borrow that for a moment. May I?”

  Matt handed me his suppressed Stribog, “Thanks brother, hold the fort down for a minute would ya?” I asked.

  Matt just nodded. He understood now. Why this man had walked days in his daughter’s jacket to knock on my door, because he was weak and needed a friend who would understand his broken mind and shattered heart. He needed another father.

  “Come on Mark, let us go for walk down to the river. It’s nice down there.” I helped Mark to his feet. “You want anything to eat or drink Mark?” I asked, as friendly as I could muster.

  Mark spit some more blood on the ground. “Nah Henry, I’m kinda in a hurry,” he said with a bit of a laugh.

  “Okay then, let’s get going,” I said. I flipped down my NODs and started to walk.

  Suddenly Mark stopped and turned back to Matt, “It was good to see you again Matt. Take care and sorry I woke you,” Mark said with a bit of chipper tone. “Hey Henry, remember when we all went out on the boat before you and Dee had Paul?”

  “Yeah Mark, I do. That was a great day… Dee and I had an amazing time. Your girls were wonderful,” I said forcing a smile.

  “Yeah, they loved the water…” Mark said with a smile.

  Mark talked about every happy memory he could recall, that involved the girls and Laura. By the time we got to the water’s edge, we were both laughing hard. As we stood on the banks of the river, Mark took in a deep breath of the cool night air. He just stared at the cold water.

  At the edge of the cold water, a long moment of silence spread out before us. I took several breaths to steady my hand and calm my mind.

  “Thank you… Henry… you were always a true friend to us... To me… Take care of your family.” And with that, Mark gave a nod.

  I lifted the sub gun to my shoulder and put two rounds in the back of his head. He fell forward into the icy water. I just stood there for a moment, watching the water carry Mark away. I stood on the banks of the river, in silence for a moment more.

  “Goodbye Mark, I hope you find your family.” I said to the water.

  I hit my PTT button, “On my way back up.”

  Matt responded, “Both?”

  I depressed the button again and said, “I… am on my way back up.”

  “Copy that.”

  The END of book
one.