A New World: Awakening (44 page)

“What do you think that was all about?
 
Do you think he could possibly have been a night runner?”
 
Lynn asks.

“I really don’t know but looking at the state of his clothes and lack of memory, I suppose it’s possible.
 
We’ll have to talk to him when we get back and see if he can remember anything.
 
If he can, that will give us an insight into the night runners,” I answer.

“You know that means you could have been right about Julie.
 
She could have been one as well like Drescoll mentioned,” Lynn says.

“Yeah, I know.
 
You get to ask her about it though,” I say.

“Fucking no way!”
 
She retorts.

“Okay, well perhaps Drescoll can again but he’s already done that and came up with nothing,” I say chuckling.

We continue our drive north talking about the ramifications.
 
Following the map, our little convoy makes several turns and we pull into a huge expanse of warehouse buildings.
 
I stop just inside the open gate awed by the size.
 
One extremely large warehouse sits across an equally sized paved lot.
 
Tractor trailers line a humongous loading dock in front of rolling warehouse doors which are all closed.
 
Many other semis are parked in the lot.
 
The immensity of the one building is almost overwhelming.
 
I just hope it’s not full of night runners and we don’t have to clear it.

We drive forward and pull to a stop near one end of the loading dock.
 
A steel security door is set into the wall near the first bay.
 
Setting up a perimeter with the teams, Lynn, Bannerman, and I walk to the door with Red Team.
 
There is a coded security panel next to it but pulling on it, it swings open.
 
With no power, the magnetic locks must have disengaged.
 
Red Team enters at the ready but it is for naught as nothing greets us but mountains of pallets stacked ceiling high.
 
The area in front of the sliding loading dock doors is clear with several fork lifts parked randomly.
 
The inside is almost as light as the outside as the roof, almost four stories high, and is filled with skylights.

“Holy shit,” Robert says softly at my side.

It doesn’t appear anyone has touched this place since everything went down.
 
The immensity of goods and supplies stocked within cannot be adequately described.
 
There are mountains of items stretching far into the distance.
 
Bannerman begins heading toward the stacks.
 
I reach out to grab his arm.

“Wait.
 
We still need to clear this place as I’m sure there are dark corners somewhere.
 
There may not be night runners in here but we have to make sure we are alone before we start looking around,” I say.
 
He nods stepping back.

“While we clear it out, think of a way to keep the doors secure when we leave,” I add.
 
“Lynn, bring Black and Blue Teams in to clear the area.
 
Red Team will keep an eye outside and be a response team if needed.”

“You got it,” Lynn says and calls outside to bring in the teams and organize the search.

It takes a couple of hours searching the entirety of the building, having to look between each and every stack, but we find it empty.
 
Bannerman, along with Blue Team, begins inventorying the stacks.
 
He even comes across a stack of blueberry flavored mini-wheats much to my delight.
 
It takes a large part of the day and we still don’t cover the entire building.
 
We check out the other buildings and find a tremendous amount of supplies.
 
One building is entirely devoted to medical supplies, both over the counter and prescription medications.
 
Another is a refrigerated warehouse that can no longer use the definition of being refrigerated.
 
It emits an odor that reminds me of the slaughter yard down south.
 
We close the door immediately knowing there is nothing inside that will do us any good.

“I think this will do us nicely,” Bannerman says as we prepare to depart.
 
“I’ll have some of the drivers head up this way and begin carting supplies south.
 
I think we can inventory all of this and leave a lot of it up here, replenishing as necessary.
 
We’ll also have to gather more shipping containers.
 
The only problem might be securing the place sufficiently.
 
We can lock the rolling doors no problem but the security doors will be the problem.
 
Anything we put on the outside can easily be cut.
 
I suppose we could restore the generators and search the office spaces for the security codes.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I say happy we won’t have to continue going into possible night runner lairs searching of supplies.

We’ve been fairly lucky to this point but we push the odds each time we have to go inside a building.
 
Plus, we can now clear out the area around our sanctuary without any fear of destroying supplies we need.
 
This has been a good find.
 
We load up and head back south.
 
Passing by the bases, I see the sign for Madigan.
 
The thought of our wall keeping the night runners in surfaces and I’m curious about the results.
 
We don’t have much daylight left but make a note to visit tomorrow.
 
Arriving back in the compound, I take Robert and Bri out for training before the sun begins to cast the last of its rays across our little space on earth.

Bannerman gives a basic rundown of our inventory at our meeting.
 
He describes a plan for organizing crews to gather additional shipping containers, a full inventory of supplies, and provide a list of items to keep stocked on hand.
 
He’ll take a couple of teams with him to provide security and to help search for the security codes.

“We’ll have plenty of supplies now so that just leaves the housing to work out.
 
The walls will be up soon.
 
When do you think we’ll be able to move into the housing?”
 
Bannerman asks finishing up with his brief.

“I was thinking of taking Red Team up and look at the walls around Madigan tomorrow.
 
With our supplies settled, I want to start clearing this area out and will take Craig, Robert, and Bri up to start getting them acquainted with the AC-130.
 
I’ll gather the manuals as well and start training on the weapon systems.
 
I was thinking about using Red Team for the crew.
 
Anyway, my point is that we’ll look at the walls around the hospital and see what’s going on before making plans to move into the housing up there,” I answer.

“We can make do with what we have for the time being but it’s growing a touch crowded in here.
 
It’s only a matter of time before that spills over into tempers,” Bannerman says.

“Okay, I’ll let you know what I find out.
 
What about the man at the gate today?
 
Did you manage to find out anything?”
 
I ask Drescoll.

“Nothing.
 
He doesn’t remember a thing.
 
Only vague recollections but nothing of significance,” Drescoll answers.
 
“I’ll keep talking with him but I don’t think we’ll get much.
 
Julie’s memories haven’t returned yet either.”

“Alright but keep an eye on him.
 
What turns once can turn back.
 
I almost want to quarantine him until we can be assured.
 
Julie seems to be okay, providing she was even one of them once.
 
I’m still not convinced that’s what happened but we need to be safe,” I say.

“I’ll make sure someone keeps an eye on him until we’re sure,” Lynn says.

“Okay, I guess that’s all unless anyone has something else,” I say.
 
No one does and we head to our small rooms for the night.

The next day I head north with Craig and Red Team.
 
We’ll check out the walls and then take the AC-130 up for a quick flight so everyone can get used to the small differences.
 
Most of the differences are in the back so we’ll pull the manuals and start studying.
 
I’m anxious to get started clearing the area around Cabela’s now that our supply situation has been satisfied.
 
I would just take bulldozers, copious amounts of C-4, or just use Bradley’s but I want to actually take out the night runners rather than just clearing possible hiding places for them.
 
The AC is ideally suited for that.

Pulling up to the large steel gate, I open up and cast outward.
 
I don’t sense anything within the immense facility but I can’t trust that.
 
I didn’t sense any when we were getting our chutes down south but they were definitely there.
 
I exit and, with the rest of Red Team, open up the gates.
 
Looking to the sides with the possibility of seeing night runners where they starved to death outside, my heart stops.
 
I mean literally stops before starting again with a heavy pound.

“You have to be fucking kidding me?”
 
I say.

“What the hell?”
 
Robert says at my side.
 
“Why would anyone do that?”
 
He says looking at a stack of chairs, tables, lamps, gurneys, pillows, and other miscellaneous stuff piled against one of the walls.

“Oh shit!”
 
He says as the realization of what happened filters in.

“Oh shit is right,” I say feeling the icy feeling of dread sink to my stomach.

Just when things seem to be going right and we actually seem to be becoming more secure and safe.
 
Staring at the piles of objects stacked against the wall, I now feel as if we were actually barely treading water and are now sinking.
 
I walk over to the area and notice the grass trampled flat to the point that most of the area is bare earth.
 
There is no doubt in my mind they scaled the wall and escaped.
 
The sheer number of night runners it took to trample the area flat like this must have been immense.
 
It almost makes me feel like giving up as we just can’t seem to get ahead.
 
The walls, which we’ve spent an eternity on and relied on to provide safety, are not exactly rendered moot but they aren’t as secure as we thought.

“Base, Jack here,” I say into the radio staring at the large pile of crap still not believing what I’m seeing.

“Go ahead, Jack,” I hear.

“Get Bannerman and Lynn but clear everyone else away from the radio,” I say.

“Will do, Jack.
 
Stand by.”

“Jack, what’s up?
 
Why clear everyone away from the radio?”
 
I hear Lynn ask.

“Can anyone else hear me?”
 
I ask.

“No, Jack.
 
You’re good.
 
What’s going on?”
 
Lynn says.
 
I tell them what we just found.

There is a pause on the other end.
 
“That’s all kinds of fucked up.
 
Are you sure that’s what happened?”
 
Lynn asks.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I answer.
 
“Is Bannerman there?”

“Yeah, I’m here, Jack,” I hear Bannerman say.

“Okay.
 
We need to divert the wall crews now.
 
We’re going to need an inside walled compound built with towers.
 
Lynn, if you can still hear me, gather the other team leaders.
 
I’m on my way back.
 
Think about how to tell the others as well,” I say.

“I’ll call the crews now and divert them.
 
Lynn says she’ll get the others.
 
See you when you get here,” Bannerman says.

“Okay, let’s turn this around,” I tell Red Team.

“Sir, what does this mean?”
 
McCafferty asks.

“It doesn’t mean we are exactly fucked right now but the doc is lubing up his gloved finger,” I answer.

“We’ve been through worse.
 
We’ll get through this as well, sir,” Gonzalez says.

“Damn straight.
 
We’re going to get the manuals right now and study them hard.
 
Then we’re going to turn the Spooky (AC-130) loose,” I say.

“Hooah, sir,” Gonzalez says.
 
I sincerely think she says that just to see me roll my eyes.

After dropping by the aircraft and picking up the manuals, we head back to Cabela’s to discuss this new development.
 
The fact that the night runners were able to get over the walls drastically changes our plans and our measure of feeling secure.
 
The knot that has formed in my stomach tightens even more with the thought that the night runners have the capability to penetrate the walls.