EMP Post-Apocalyptic Survival by Hunt, James (acx book reading .TXT) 📗

saw what was coming. Mark and his unit had taken them completely by surprise. The bombs had delivered a devastating blow to their numbers, and as his men advanced through the city, it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

But while Mark was in the fight, his mind was across the river. The Supreme Leader’s words echoed in his mind, and Mark feared to finally purge himself of what remained of his past.

One of the scouts ahead returned and gave Mark the report that the army was in full retreat. From a battle standpoint, the fight was a success, but Mark also needed to recover the piece of the nuclear device that had been taken. He was certain the military was in possession of it. He just had to find it.

Mark called for his best scouts to come with him. He told them about the device they needed to recover. He then handed command over to the next man in line, with only one order: no survivors.

Mark figured that the military would try to toss the nuclear device to a small unit to send out of the warzone. If that were the case, the most likely scenario was one or two guys moving discreetly away from the city. They wouldn’t want to go backward, and they couldn’t go forward, so the options were north or south. Mark chose north.

It was odd walking through the charred remains of the city he had grown up in as a kid. There were several stores he passed he remembered visiting with his parents and his brother. The memories were distorted and fuzzy, much like the physical places themselves. It was almost like those memories were nothing but a dream. A dream that he wasn’t even sure was his own anymore.

Mark moved with the same level of stealth and quiet as he did whenever he was hunting. He was so silent that even the birds pecking at bits of trash and dust didn’t notice and passed by within a few feet. It was a skill he had honed in the mountains outside of the city. And it was a skill that had served him well in war.

Eventually, Mark heard two sets of boots on the next street over hitting the pavement. Their frantic pace suggested they were in a hurry. And Mark hastened his own pace to catch up to get a good look at who was running.

Mark was certain that whoever it was did not belong to his own unit, which meant these were either deserters from the main army or the carriers of the device Mark sought.

It took a minute for Mark to find a cut through to get him onto the next street, and by the time that happened, the pair had darted down another side street to the north after their current path was blocked by a fallen building.

Mark double-timed it as he chased them. He wasn’t about to let them get away, and when he turned onto the next street, he had a good line of sight on them. But it wasn’t until Mark placed his eyes through the scope that he recognized one of the men on the run.

It was his brother, Ben.

22

Nancy never dropped her weapon as she guarded Mrs. Riker’s retreat to her portable. She found Sarah and the boys still inside, along with Ali and Marty’s two girls. The pair were now orphans, and Mrs. Riker had no intention of leaving them here.

“We need to pack, and we need to go, now.” Liz had already packed go-bags when they arrived here in case of just such an emergency. All they had to do was get everyone together. “Have you seen your father and aunt?”

Sarah started helping the boys get their packs on. “No, what’s going on?”

“The Percys have taken over,” Nancy answered.

“What?” Sarah asked, and then she noticed Abe for the first time. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“He’s coming with us, too,” Liz answered. “Assuming he doesn’t cause any trouble.” She looked at him with a very skeptical eye.

“No problem here, ma’am,” Abe said.

“Good.” Liz loaded a magazine into her pistol and then slung the rifle over her shoulder. “Everyone ready? Let’s go.”

Liz tasked Sarah with keeping the kids close, and the moment they stepped outside the portable, Liz heard the sound of dissent coming from the rest of the community. Jane had riled up everyone, and now they were out for blood.

They moved toward Cole and Rachel’s portable, not bothering to knock on the door before Liz entered. Thankfully, she found them fully clothed, though it didn’t look like they were going to stay that way for long.

“Liz!” Rachel said, climbing off of Cole’s lap. “What the hell are you doing?”

“We’re leaving,” Liz said. “Put on good walking shoes. Cole, get your rifle. Now!” she barked the order, and the pair snapped to attention.

“What’s going on out there?” Cole asked.

Liz could have shot him then and there for leaving his post. He was as unreliable as he’d always been, chasing tail instead of doing his job. “We’re covering up your mistake. Let’s go.”

By the time the pair left the portable, Liz saw the mob heading toward them. She quickly changed course and headed for the back gate, but that path was also blocked by Lester and Danny Percy. They were surrounded.

“Give him up, Liz!” Jane shouted. “We don’t want to hurt you or the kids. Just hand over the terrorist.”

Nancy was the first to step forward, gun up, and aimed. “Go to hell!”

Liz knew that the inflammatory remark wasn’t going to help, and while she appreciated Nancy’s fervor to defend an innocent man, Liz wasn’t about to put Abe’s life ahead of her children’s. But she knew how Jane Percy worked. You gave her an inch, and she’d run for the whole mile.

“We’re going to leave,” Liz said. “All of us.”

Liz noted that the crowd behind Jane was now mostly armed. Even Kurt and Tony. When she saw them, she didn’t