Zero Hour: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (The Blackout Series Book 2) (15 page)

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

This time, the bullets hit the back of the house, with one shattering the boarded-up window in the study. Alex shrieked.

They weren’t going to back down! This was life or death now. Colton pulled the slide on the shotgun and inserted another round into the chamber. He quickly rose up onto his knees and, using the retaining wall as cover, blindly fired the double-ought buck shell into the woods.

BOOM!

“UGGGGHHH!” Another hit.

Madison and Alex fired again until Colton heard the
click-click-click
of their emptied weapons. He racked another round and got ready. They were down to three shots left. He waited. He had to be accurate now.

“C’mon. Run. Everybody. RUN!” The shouts of retreat streamed from the dark woods. The alarms were tripped once again. Cracking twigs and screams of pain filled the air. Within thirty seconds, everything was quiet.
But is it over?

Chapter 25

DAY EIGHT

Noon, September 16

HPA Meeting House

Trimble Rd. & Lynnwood Blvd.

Belle Meade, Tennessee

Colton hadn’t slept. After the gunfight he ran upstairs to check on Madison and Alex. He positioned them on opposite sides of the house and warned them to stay still. He had been unsure whether the attack was over and vowed not to be surprised again.

 “Colton, did you not sleep?” asked Bill Young as he approached Colton on the sidewalk. He was carrying a suitcase, as was his wife. Colton was puzzled.

“Well, as you guys undoubtedly heard, it was a busy night,” replied Colton.

Diane spoke up. “Colton, we’re not cut out for this, and frankly, we’re amazed we made it this long. What happened last night was eye-opening for us.”

“I’m sorry, you guys,” said Colton. “There were at least five or six men coming to rob us or worse.”

“Hey, hey,” interrupted Bill, trying to reassure Colton. “This is not just about last night, although what happened was the impetus for our decision. We’re almost out of food and things to drink. We’ve been out of fresh water for days, and we’ve resorted to drinking sodas and fruit juices.”

“Our meals consist of canned peaches and the juice that it contains,” said Diane.

As if to drive the point home, Bill hitched up his pants to keep them from falling off him. He reached into his pocket and handed Colton his keys.

“What’s this?” asked Colton.

“We’re walking to the FEMA camp at 100 Oaks Mall,” replied Bill. “Vandy Hospital used to operate medical facilities there, and we think they can use people like us. We’re sure other refugees are having difficulty coping. Our thought is we could trade our psychologist services to the government in exchange for room and board.”

“Just until the power comes back on, of course,” added Diane.

Colton looked at the Youngs and realized they’d resigned their fate to FEMA. Bill and Diane always espoused the
cradle-to-grave
approach of the U.S. government. It appeared the Youngs were turning over the final stretch of their lives to the benefactor who, despite warnings, failed to prepare for this catastrophe.

“Colton, if you don’t mind, please watch over our home for us,” said Bill. “You’re welcome to anything we have that might be useful. Help yourself.”

“Yes, by all means,” added Diane. “There isn’t much food left, but Madison might be able to work with some of my other things.”

The Kaplans joined them on the sidewalk and chatted for a moment. They finally said their goodbyes, and the Youngs held hands as they wheeled their suitcases down the street toward the east. If it were an airport, they’d resemble a loving couple heading toward their departure gate for a vacation. Today, they were just
departing
.

Colton tried to steady his nerves as he entered the HPA meeting house. Because of the continuously shrinking crowds, Wren had moved the meeting back inside the sunroom. The combination of adrenaline, instant coffee, and anger put Colton on edge. Another confrontation was coming, and he was ready.

Wren and Holder took their customary positions at the front of the room. Colton, however, did not attempt to blend into the middle of the crowd this time. He stood front and center, immediately staring down the leaders of the HPA.

Wren made an opening statement about the FEMA camp at 100 Oaks and encouraged people to consider this option if their supplies were running out. Wren asked them to make a note of their decision to leave on today’s clipboard being circulated.
Naturally
, thought Colton.

Colton continued to stare a hole through Wren and Holder. Holder finally picked up on this and nudged Wren while whispering into his ear.

“Ryman, nice of you to join us,” started Wren sarcastically. “You got something on your mind?”

“Yeah, I do!” Colton said with a raised voice. “I wanna know who attacked my house last night!” The people in the room began to whisper among themselves, but Colton waited patiently for a reaction from Holder in particular. Holder returned the glare and stood stoic.

“How would we know, Ryman?” replied Wren. “But it should come as no surprise to anyone in this room. We asked you to contribute to the well-being of your neighborhood, and you refused. You are the type of hoarder the President has condemned, and you’re lucky it wasn’t the National Guard knocking on your door.”

“At least they’d come in the daylight and to our front door,” Colton shot back. He directed his attention at Holder now. “I mean, what kind of coward lurks through the woods to attack a man, his wife, and young daughter? The same type of coward who brings four or five men with him, firing guns at us.”

“If they did, Ryman, it was your own selfishness that brought this on,” said Wren. “You should’ve put the needs of everyone on an equal footing with your own.”

“Shut up!” screamed Colton. “You’re not going to blame me for someone trying to attack my family!”

The entire room was talking among themselves, and Colton saw Rusty Kaplan move to his side. Rusty whispered to Colton, attempting to diffuse the situation, but Colton was not interested.

He continued. “Where’s Gene Andrews today?” Colton was shouting. “Is he pullin’ shotgun pellets out of his cowardly—”

“You need to calm down, Ryman,” said Holder, the veins popping out of his red face and forehead. “Calm down or else—”

“Or else what, Holder?” asked Colton. “You gonna finish off the job? Where were you last night around one a.m.?”

Holder didn’t respond, but his body language said it all. He was now nervous because he was implicated. The crowd began to mumble louder.

“What about it, Holder?” questioned Colton. He took a step closer to Holder and placed his hand on his hip next to his nine millimeter. “Do me a favor, would ya? Repeat these words for me so everyone in this room can hear—let’s finish what we started.”

A hush came over the room as Holder broke eye contact and looked into the backyard. Was he eyeing an escape route?

“Say it, Holder,” shouted Colton. “Say the words—let’s finish what we started!”

Nobody spoke a word while Colton waited for his answer. He wasn’t going to let them off the hook.

Finally, Wren spoke first. “Listen, Ryman. Everybody here is sorry for what you went through. We’re all glad your family wasn’t hurt, and I’m sure it won’t happen again. This is a time for all of us to pull together, not make accusations that will tear us apart.”

Colton thought for a moment, but he wasn’t naïve. Wren’s hollow words weren’t going to deter him from the task at hand. He was going to blow this whole thing up.

“That’s a load of crap, Wren, and you know it!” yelled Colton. He turned to the rest of the homeowners, many of whom stepped back in fear.
Good
.

“By a show of hands, how many of you have received food from Wren and the HPA?”

Two people raised their hands out of forty.

“Again, by a show of hands, how many of your friends’ vacant homes have been broken into?”

A third of the room raised their hands this time. The attendees looked at one another and erupted into chatter.

“Ryman!” shouted Wren, attempting to regain control of the meeting. “That’s enough! Everybody, please, settle down.”

Colton ignored Wren and continued—this time louder. “All of you who raised your hands, did this happen before or after you notified the HPA that the homes were vacant?”

“After.”

“After.”

People began to look at each other. The response was repeated.

“After.”

“After.”

“After.”

“Definitely after.”

Colton nodded his head and smiled. Now his neighbors saw the pattern. He made his closing argument.

“You’ve been doing their job for them,” said Colton, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder toward Wren and Holder. “You tell them which homes are vacant and therefore safe to break into. They, or their friends the phony National Guardsmen who were here the other day, break in and steal valuables and food from the people they promised to protect.”

“Whadya mean
phony
?” asked Rusty.

“They’re not guardsmen,” replied Colton. “I suspected something the day they attended the meeting out front. Their uniforms were mismatched. Their boots were not military issue, and their demeanor was undisciplined. They’re opportunists posing as our military. Nobody would suspect them of looting.”

“How do you know for sure?” asked a man in the rear of the room.

“I saw them leaving a house down the street from me—in broad daylight,” replied Colton. “Their old pickup truck was full of clothing, furniture, and paintings. Wren, Andrews, and Holder gave them the perfect cover. They probably meet up here at night and divide up the stolen property. They hoard the food and medicine for themselves while all of you suffer!”

Colton saw it in their faces. They were with him now. He swung around to confront Wren and Holder, but he didn’t have to. The shouts from the room were full of hostility.

“Whaddya have to say for yourselves?”

“How could you do this to us?”

“We trusted you!”

“Did you really attack this man and his family in the middle of the night?”

Colton and the others were now silent, as all eyes were on Wren and Holder.

Holder reacted first. He threw his arms up in the air and pushed his way through the crowd toward the screen door leading to the backyard. “I don’t need this. I’m outta here!”

“Wait! Answer the man’s questions!” A couple of people reached for his arm as he pushed open the door, but Holder evaded their grasp and stormed off. All the attention turned to Wren.

“What about this, Shane?” asked a woman from the back of the room. “Are you a part of this?”

Wren held his hands up and attempted to provide a response. Wren was being bombarded with questions, and he tried to lie his way through it or avoid answering altogether. He was squirming and there was no way out.

Colton had enough, and he was tired. He gradually slid backward through the crowd. As he did, a few people patted him on the back and thanked him. They wished his family well. All Colton could do was smile and nod. His work was done here—for today.

Chapter 26

DAY NINE

Noon, September 17

Holder Residence

Belle Meade, Tennessee

“Colton, are you sure this is a good idea?” asked Madison. She tucked her handgun into her waistband. Alex realized for the first time that her entire family was armed as they started their day. “Not only did you knock down the proverbial hornet’s nest, but you also kicked it several times as well.”

“Now more than ever,” replied Colton. “We’ve got to keep a finger on the pulse of the community. We’ve got to appear unfazed by yesterday’s events. Not being shy of another fight is the best way to exude strength and confidence.”

“What do you think will happen?” asked Alex.

“I don’t know for sure, honey,” replied Colton. “Our biggest priority is protecting ourselves and our home. Keeping apprised of the neighbors’ attitudes will allow us to make adjustments when it comes to our security. If the situation is hostile, we may have to consider our alternatives to staying here.”

“Leave?” asked Madison. “But I thought, well, I just thought we could make it work here.”

Alex instantly became concerned as well. “Daddy, where would we go?”

“I’m not saying we have to go anywhere. I really don’t know. But we have to consider the possibility, especially with the change in demeanor of our neighbors. Desperation has reached a fever pitch. Families are showing signs of dehydration. Some have dysentery, which expedites the dehydration process.”

Madison interrupted. “Yesterday, I stopped a man and his wife from coming on our property. They asked if we had a pool because they needed water and wanted to take a bath. They didn’t beg for food. They wanted to go swimming.”

“Daddy, how would we survive on the road? I mean, isn’t it dangerous out there?”

Colton gave Alex a hug. “Yes, it is. But it’s become increasingly unsafe here. Even though the numbers are dropping, we’re still in one of the twenty-five largest cities in America. That’s a lot of people who are potential threats. At least in the country, the population is much smaller.”

Alex gave him a kiss on the cheek as he pulled away and headed toward the kitchen door. Madison joined him and gave Alex instructions. “Honey, we want you to stay here today.”

“But, Mom, Jimmy is expecting me to come over. I want to try to—”

“Alex, please. Listen to your mother,” interrupted Colton. “It’s too risky now. People could be watching the house, waiting for us to leave. Plus, Holder is really pissed at me. I don’t know what he’s capable of and I don’t want you in his home.”

Alex’s body slumped into dejection. She wanted to help, and she was being tied down. Her mom returned and gave her a kiss, then whispered, “Okay?”

Alex nodded.