Apocalypse in the Homeland: The Adventures of John Harris (4 page)

“I planned that all along. Bob asked me to have Scott check out several military bases and ammo dumps along the way and we will occupy them if needed until we can move the supplies to a safe area.”

“Thanks, you are a couple steps ahead of me as usual.”

“Thank your son. Bob keeps me on my toes and always has my back.”

Thanks for the compliment. Is he ready for a larger assignment? Being his father, I need an unbiased opinion.”

“Bob needs to be over all of your ground forces for a large region and eventually all ground forces.”

“Thanks, I agree.”

“Gus, one more bit of bad news. We just received intel from our satellites that indicate that Israel had several nuclear explosions this morning. We have lost contact with their military and our contacts in Israeli intelligence are tight lipped about what happened. They did confirm that the entire country is radioactive and all major cities were destroyed.”

“Damn, they were our eyes and ears in the Mid-East and one of our few allies. Please send our prayers and tell them that we will assist them in any way possible.”

“I already have and I got a curious reply. The senior officer said that we had already helped them more than they could ask for.”

“They don’t need more help?”

“That’s what he said.”

“Well, keep me informed and set up a meeting with your military contact. Don’t they still have a large group in training at our facility in New Mexico? I think they secretly moved some of the leadership’s families there after the shit hit the fan. I want to meet with them and retaliate ASAP.”

“Sorry, I failed to mention that several more nukes exploded in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. I think Israel has retaliated. I will seek out my contact in their military and see what we can do to help them. The whole Middle East is radioactive and they must have thousands of survivors that need medical assistance.”

***

“Jim, I have received permission from Gus to take a large group north to search for my Dad and his team.”

Jim cut Scott short and replied, “Hell yes, I want to go with you. I know that Imelda is alive and we haven’t done jack shit to find them. I’ll be ready in 30 minutes to go.”

“Yes, you are going with us to find them, but it’s a week out so we can put a team together. Lt. Pope will lead the Rangers and you will report to him. I will ask him to assign you to help me start a group to train civilians how to protect themselves and prepare them to join the ISA. This is a voluntary mission so get you about 10 volunteers to assist you.”

“Thanks for the confidence. I won’t let you down.”

Scott handed Jim a set of 2
nd
Lieutenant bars and said, “Here, these were mine. Wear them proudly; you’ve earned them.”

Maria, Sonny, Sam and Tony gladly volunteered to join the search party and there were over 30 families and another 50 volunteers from the Mobile area that wanted to move into the new addition to the country. In addition, a group with 20 families from Port Arthur that wanted to move back further north.

Jim recruited three Rangers, a doctor, two nurses, several mechanics and a couple of engineers to join his new team. They would meet Scott’s convoy in Dallas. General Mills' men would meet up with them in Albuquerque. They would then travel up Highway 25 to Colorado Springs and Denver. The plan was to base their search operations out of Denver.

✼✼✼✼✼✼

✼

Chapter 4

“Joe, I want you and Imelda to go to the edge of town and ask to meet with the leader of the town. Fill them in on the ISA and that we’d like them to join us. I’ll stay undercover and keep my M4 ready to cover your retreat if the shit hits the fan. Any questions?”

“Do we tell them about the crash and who you are?”

“No on my identity, but yes on the crash. I don’t think that they need to know that the President of the ISA is lost at this time. Make up a story about the crash where we were coming up here to help them fight off the gangs and ask them to join the ISA. Leave the rest for me after we know who we are dealing with.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now how do we introduce ourselves without starting a panic?”

“What about a white flag tied to the barrel of your M4?  Joe, shoulder your rifle and Imelda will wave the flag for attention. Walk to the edge of the city and wave a guard down. Tell him that you want to meet with him, but don’t go into the city until you wave for me to join you.”

“Should work. Imelda, find a handkerchief or some type of white cloth."

Imelda cut a piece of parachute the right size for a flag and they gave John a half hour to set up his position before heading to the edge of town. They walked down the middle of the south end runway towards the motel that served as headquarters for the guards. There was an immediate commotion at the building and several guards came out and took up positions behind parked cars with guns pointed at them. They slowly walked up to within a short distance from the closest guard and told them what they wanted. He left and went into the building. A few minutes later, several more guards moved in around them on both sides. Then a man and two guards walked up to within ten feet of them.

“What do you want and why are you coming into our city armed to the teeth?”

Joe responded, “We are soldiers with ISA and are on a mission up here to help you fight off the gangs and to see if you want to join us. Have you heard of the ISA?”

“Yes, we’ve heard of the ISA, but I thought that you were only operating in the southeast.”

“We stretch from Georgia to Arizona and Kentucky in the north. We also provide naval and air support for the PSA. We plan to push north in stages over the next two years. The PSA claims all of the West Coast and the USA claims everything north of Kentucky. They have tried to invade this area from the Oregon coast, but we sank the UN ships carrying their troops. You would have had Cuban and African troops taking charge of your land.”

“So, why didn’t you land at our airport? Where are your leaders?”

“Our leaders are in Mobile busy keeping the USA, Iranians and drug cartels from destroying our country. The truth is that our plane crashed about 20 miles north of here and we have been tending to our wounds and killing a bunch of bad guys in the cities east of here. Do you want the help and do you want to join up? We have food, ammo and most of our major cities have running water and lights. The Navy has been a big help in getting Mobile, Port Arthur, Pensacola and half of Dallas back into operation.”

“I’ll have to meet with our town council, but I’m sure we need your help wiping out the local drug lords and gangs. Only the council can decide if we join your country.”

“Sounds fair enough. I’m going to wave for my other team member to join us.”

“I guessed that you had someone with a rifle trained on us. I would have done the same thing myself.”

Imelda waved at John’s position. There was no response for a minute and then she saw John walk from behind a building and walk towards them.

John introduced himself as Captain Harris and shook everyone’s hand.

The police chief said that he would tell the mayor and council about them and set up a meeting for the next morning. He invited them to stay in town at one of the hotels, but John preferred to stay at the hanger for the night. They all shook hands, then John and his team headed back to the airport.

***

The mayor and five council members listened to the police chief relate what Joe and Imelda had passed on about the offer to join the ISA. The discussion was rather heated.

“Greg, how do we even know that they are with the ISA? They could be thugs posing as ISA soldiers.”

“Joel, we have to take them at face value for now and be prepared for a fight if they are thugs probing us for weakness.”

“Did they mention if they had any hospitals and medical supplies,” asked Doc Stone.

“Yes, they have several hospitals in operation and have warehouses full of supplies. It appears that they control most of the government warehouses.”

The mayor spoke up, “We need to listen to them and keep an open mind. We are quickly digressing to the mid 1800’s in technology and hunting and trapping won’t feed the thousand or so people left in the area. However, I do agree that we stay vigilant and prepare for a surprise attack.”

***

The young girl had listened to the meeting at the edge of town and eves dropped on the police chief’s meeting with the mayor and town council. She knew that she had to get these soldiers to help her and her people.

***

John took first watch just as the sun was setting. He took a walk around the hanger and saw nothing that worried him. He stepped behind a stack of pallets to relieve himself and just as he zipped his pants up, he felt something stick him in the back. He turned and saw a young girl with a big gun in her hand.

“Hands up mister or you die. Slowly hand me your rifle and pistol.”

✼✼✼✼✼✼

✼

Chapter 5

The girl had used zip ties to secure John’s hands behind his back and then marched him to the north end of the airport. She commanded him to get into an ATV and she placed the seatbelt around him as he tried to make his hands comfortable without much success.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Shut up and don’t try anything or I’ll shoot you in your leg below the knee. We need you alive, but you don’t have to be able to walk.”

She started the ATV and took off through the snow on Highway 20 at a high rate of speed for such deep snow.

John yelled over the whine of the engine, “Aren’t you going too fast for this road?”

The words were barely out of his mouth when the vehicle lurched off the road, shot through the air and started cross-country. The girl was a speed demon and he just hoped that she wouldn’t get them both killed. He looked over at her and she had a big grin on her face as she yelled, “Hold on, it gets a bit bumpy for the rest of the trip.”

“Where are we going and who are you?”

“You’ll find out when we get there. We have about an hour more to travel since I can’t take the main road.”

“My hands are going numb. Can you tie them up in front of me?”

She brought the ATV to a stop and said, “I’ll redo your hands in a minute. Don’t try anything.”

She walked around to his side and thumbed the hammer back on the Ruger Blackhawk and put it against his temple. She pulled a hunting knife out and told John to lean over in the seat. He felt her cut the plastic tie and slowly moved his hands in front of him. She gave him a pair of gloves and made him put them on and then zip tied one hand to a grab rail and another to his belt.

As she crossed in front of the headlights he finally got a good look at her and saw that she was a blonde, blue eyed girl about 20-25 years old and was dressed in men’s clothes with a hunting knife and a hog leg strapped to her hip. She was clean and the vehicle was neat and orderly. She was not with some trashy biker gang.

“That should be more comfortable. Let’s go.”

Before John could speak, she fired the buggy up and took off like a Baja racer. The girl obviously knew what she was doing and handled the ATV as though she had been racing it for years. They drove east for another hour or so when the vehicle lurched into the air and flipped over on its side.

***

Imelda woke and instantly felt that something was wrong. She crawled over to Joe and gently woke him.

"Joe, the sun is up and John didn’t wake me for guard duty.”

“Me neither.”

“Let’s find John and see what’s going on.

They walked around the hanger following his tracks until Imelda said, “Look there is another set of tracks following him. They are smaller and maybe a woman or child’s footprints.”

They followed the trail until it went behind the stack of pallets and found the prints joined together behind the pallets.

Joe looked down, picked something up and said, “It looks like someone slipped up behind John and kidnapped him. He dropped his flashlight.”

“Joe, there’s a large zip tie on the ground. The person must have dropped it when they tied John’s hands.”

“We need to see if we can find their tracks and rescue John.”

They followed John’s tracks until they ended at the north end of the airport. They saw the ATV tracks and followed them until they headed out east on Highway 14.

“Damn, we need to cancel the meeting with the mayor and find John.”

They walked into town and asked a guard to find the police chief. It only took the guards a few minutes to bring him to them.

Joe filled him in on the situation and he replied, “I understand and we’ll set up the meeting for later in the week. Just get back to me when you can. Oh, by the way, were the tracks on the small side?”

“Yes, they were. How did you know?”

“We’ve had someone watching us and stealing food from time to time. The footprints have always been much smaller than most men’s prints.”

“Thanks for the heads up. We are heading back to our camp and after we find Capt Harris, we will return with Steve Jones, one of our leaders, to discuss ya’ll joining our country.”

***

He woke up with a throbbing headache and blood in his left eye. His wrists hurt and were scraped and bruised. He looked around and saw someone trying to lift an ATV and turn it back right side up. The person was too small to move the ATV more than a foot or so and cursed after each effort. She was a small blonde haired beauty and he wondered what was under the bulky snowsuit. He felt guilty looking at her for some reason.

“Wait a minute and I’ll help you.”

The person was startled and quickly turned around with a gun in her hand. She was a beautiful young woman. He did not recognize her and saw that she was battered and bruised. He joined her in lifting the ATV and with a mighty grunt; they righted it in one surge.

They both fell to the ground exhausted; he looked at her and said, “I’m sorry young lady, but I can’t remember anything. Who am I and where the fuck are we? I don’t believe I know your name.”

She was startled and replied, “Jim, don’t kid me. I know that you were hit in the head, but we’ve been together for over a year now. I’m Kristen.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t even remember how I got here or where we came from. Why are we out in the snow on such a gloomy day?”

“Why Jim, I believe that hit on the head has addled your brains. You wanted to get away from the camp to spend some time alone with me. It’s so crowded and hard to be alone.”

“What camp? Hell, I can’t even remember where my home is or my last name.”

“Are you serious? Your name is Jim Jones and you are from somewhere down south. You drifted into the area a year ago and saved me from a biker gang. They were about to rape me and you shot them all and I took you to our camp.”

"I’m sorry, but why are you living in a camp?”

“Jim, we live together in a camp. You are my husband. I’m Kristen Jones, I love you and you love me. Well, we aren’t actually married, but it’s the same these days since the world fell apart.”

He went to the side of the ATV and looked in the mirror. He saw a man with graying dark hair with rugged features dressed in BDUs. He had never seen that face before.

“I don’t want to argue with such a beautiful young girl, but I must be 30 years older than you and ten times as ugly. Why would you hook up with an older guy like me? Wait a minute. What do you mean by the world fell apart?”

“OMG, you really don’t remember. The USA and Europe were nuked by the Iranians and were helped by some rogue US officials. Some say the President was leading the group. Anyway, you saved my life and there are two women for every man thanks to the thugs and biker gangs. They kill all of the men that they don’t need as slaves and keep all of the good looking women as sex slaves. I thought you could protect me and you are great in bed, so we have been together ever since.”

“You’re kidding. I hate progressive liberals, but even that scum bag wouldn’t nuke his own country. Wait a minute....we're sleeping together? I think I’d remember that.”

She walked over to him and gave him a long wet kiss and said, “Do you remember now?”

“That was fantastic, but I still can’t remember who I am much less who you are. I could get used to this though.”

“Well anyway, we got nuked and it shut the whole country down. No electricity, no running water, no TV and no video games and even cars don’t run! Man, we’re back in the Stone Age."

“Then how does the ATV run?”

“One of the brains at the camp said that our ATVs were stored in metal shipping containers and that protected them from the MP blasts.”

“That’s EMP for electromagnetic pulse and it would destroy electronics and our power grid.”

“Jim, we need to get back to camp before we're caught out in the open. The thugs and gangs don’t get out in the snow much, but we can’t take a chance. They are armed to the teeth and we only have a few old rifles and shotguns.”

“Then why do I have an M4, Berretta and a Kel-Tek?”

“We were out scrounging for food, weapons and medical supplies and you found them in a ransacked police station."

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but in his gut, he just didn’t trust this beautiful young lady.               John Harris had forgotten everything about his past and was now trying to figure out who Jim Jones is.

***

“Now Beth, we don’t know John has been harmed; we just know that he has been kidnapped. We’ll send a search party out immediately after the storm lets up.”

“Look, I know that John is a big boy and can take care of himself, but I just have a terrible feeling about this. The snow will obliterate the tracks and all we know is that they headed out east coming towards us. They could be anywhere. That ATV can fly across this snow; they don’t need roads.”

The late spring blizzard lasted for several days and dumped six inches of snow onto the existing 18 inches. The three two-man search parties came back empty handed. They did find several other survivors that would be glad to join them, but no trace of John Harris.

Steve, Imelda and Joe travelled back to Cody to meet with the town officials and enlist their help in finding John. While they had very constructive dialog, the town folk were not interested in joining a search party during the worst winter in the history of the territory.

“Steve, I’m sorry, but your man is long gone and probably dead by now. If this was a normal winter, I’d deliver up 50 men to help search, but these storms just keep rolling in on us every week or so. It would be certain death for anyone caught out in the open.”

“Mayor, I understand and we will keep our teams searching. Now do ya’ll have any short wave radios or any way to contact the ISA or PSA?”

“I’m sorry, but we only have handheld walkie-talkies that work and a few short range CBs without any way to power them. Can’t you just call your government? What kind of country sends soldiers out without communications?”

Steve told them most of the story about the plane crash and how they arrived in Wyoming. He kept John’s real identity secret.

“The ISA is planning on sending troops and support into this area, but the original plan was to begin early summer next year. I think they will speed this up to search for us.”

“You don’t feel that they will think that you are dead?”

“No, this team has been through tougher battles than this and I strongly feel that they will soon be sending a small army up this way.”

“I know that you are high up in their government, but you really think that they will expend that much of their resources looking for six people when they are in a fight with the Cartel and the USA?

“I know they will.”

✼✼✼✼✼✼