EMP Survival Series (Book 2): Days of Chaos Read online

  “We need to elevate your arm. This isn’t going to be comfortable, but it’s going to prevent you from bleeding out until we can make it back to town. It’s getting dark and there’s no way we’re going to be able to see what the hell we are doing even with a flashlight. Jesse, take off her top.”

  He hesitated for a second and glanced at Maggie.

  “Come on. We’re all adults here.”

  Damon took out more of the bulky dressing and placed it against the wound. He placed Maggie’s hand over the top. “Just keep applying pressure to that. If that doesn’t work we might have to create a tourniquet.”

  “How do you know to treat this?”

  He continued to keep his hand on the bandages, then stopped for a second and with the other hand pulled up his sleeve to expose a wound to his upper right arm. “Back when I was sixteen, I was out hunting, miles from a hospital with my old man, I mean my foster parent. Anyway I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got clipped. My old man was in the military. I was freaking out thinking I was going to die, but he was calm and didn’t even bat an eye. I swear there was very little that rocked that man. Anyway, he patched me up. We made it back, they took it out, and the rest is history.”

  “Where are your parents?”

  “Mother is dead, father is in Keene still.”

  “You didn’t seem eager to get back to see him.”

  Damon nodded. “We never really saw eye to eye.”

  “When did you leave home?”

  “Eighteen. As soon as I was old enough to leave the system.”

  He pressed down on the arm and Maggie winced.

  “Where are your real parents?”

  “No idea.”

  “You didn’t want to know?”

  “Anyone who leaves me behind isn’t worth my time.”

  Jesse nodded and glanced out at the river. He looked around. They needed to cross the river, start a fire and get warm. A cold wind nipped at his skin and he shivered.

  “We are going to freeze to death, aren’t we?” Jesse asked.

  “We’ll be fine.”

  Jesse chuckled as he pulled his jacket tight. “Two weeks ago I would have never imagined I’d be stuck in some backwoods town of upstate New York on the run from a group of lunatics.”

  Damon checked the wound again. “There, that should do it. We’ll just keep changing out the bandage. Once we get back to town, we’ll get a vehicle and make our way back to Lake Placid to get you treated.”

  She nodded as he got up and observed the rushing water. They’d not had a lot of snow that January but with the temperature below freezing, it wouldn’t take them long to suffer from hypothermia. Damon knew Cole well enough to know that he wouldn’t wait around for him to show; he’d come after him. That was just his way. Even before the world went to shit he didn’t let things slide if they could be handled immediately. His biggest concern was once they crossed the river they’d have to start a fire to dry off their clothes and get warm. At night that fire was going to be visible. They might as well have shot a flare into the air as it was going to be that easy to find them. Damon looked up the river. It was stony, and he knew there were spots along the way that were easier to cross because it was shallow but in the dark it would be hard to see and they needed to go south.

  “Ready to do this?”

  Jesse nodded as he hauled Maggie to her feet. They began wading into the frigid waters. It was only deep enough to come up to their knees, but that wasn’t what bothered him. The bottom wasn’t flat, and he remembered his father slipping on the stones when they were fly-fishing in it. That was in the summer. In the winter it could mean a death sentence. He stumbled a little and braced himself against a rock, his hands reaching into the freezing cold water. Slivers of ice that hadn’t properly formed drifted downstream. It was a slow process, but they eventually made it to the other side. Damon pulled off his boots and emptied the water, then squeezed out his waterlogged socks while the others did the same. The only upside to the river separating the road from the wilderness was that it meant if Cole followed, he’d have to get wet too, unless of course he entered from the south end. Damon had to hope he had more sense than to pursue them at night.

  As the sun began to wane behind the trees and the last sliver of light vanished, the wilderness was blanketed by darkness. Damon switched the flashlight on and led the way, deeper into God’s country.

  Now they just had to survive the night.

  Chapter 11

  Richie Summers didn’t make it. The poor guy had taken a bullet to the head and was killed instantly. The only consolation was that he didn’t suffer and gave his life while trying to help an officer. That was more than some would get. As soon as Gary laid eyes on the suspects, he knew who they were — Mark Browning, Keith Wendell, Lee Warren and Debbie Mundal. They’d had several run-ins with the law over the past few years and had been charged with drug misdemeanors. After retrieving the Jeep, they carted away the sole survivor — Keith Wendell — to be medically treated.

  Elliot would have gladly finished him off instead of wasting precious resources on his sorry ass but Gary intervened. Ten minutes later they were on the road heading for the Adirondack Medical Center.

  “What is it?” Gary asked glancing at Elliot as he drove along the cluttered streets.

  “He kidnapped a police officer, his buddy killed Richie and you want to waste supplies keeping him alive?”

  “We’re not animals.”

  “No, but they are.”

  “Elliot, if we lower our standards because others do, where does that leave us?”

  He didn’t even have to think to answer that one. “Alive.”

  He snorted and glanced over his shoulder. He was riding shotgun while Laura, Keith, Officer Jackson and Kong were in the back.

  “You’re not seeing the bigger picture here,” Gary said glancing out the window. “We’ve got to work together to build this community back to where it was before. That means keeping law and order in place. We wouldn’t have killed him in cold blood before and we’re not going to do that now.”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Well don’t. You’re not the one in charge.”

  “Neither are you,” Elliot spat back.

  “Unless things get worse, I’m still an officer bound to my duties.”

  “Oh cut the bullshit, Gary. Look around you, man. Things have already got worse. There are dead bodies in the streets, homes on fire, stores have been looted, people are killing and kidnapping, and we haven’t even seen the half of what’s going on behind doors as you’re too busy trying to protect the little you have.”

  “Is that any different from what you’re trying to do? You speak the big game, Elliot, but the fact is you are just as worried as these people. Now, sure the odds are against us and things are bad but if we work—”

  “If you say work together one more time, you can get out and walk back to the department.”

  He chuckled. “Actually, this Jeep belongs to the police department.”

  Elliot shook his head. He was splitting hairs now.

  When they arrived at the Emergency Center off Church Street, Gary had already radioed ahead to have an officer stationed there. The low-slung brick structure was surrounded by trees and rolling hills. Before the lights went out, they offered emergency services between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Beyond that residents had to go to Saranac Lake. Though now they were operating around the clock on a skeleton crew that consisted of two doctors and four nurses. To say they were overworked would have been an understatement. The number of attacks on people had increased and with it, the need for medical attention.

  Jackson had suffered a mild concussion where they’d beaten him over the head. He had little idea of what had taken place only that he remembered driving up to the Olympic Center and getting out.

  “Get him out,” Elliot said to Gary as they waited in the Jeep.

  Gary hopped out and went through the process of handing him ove
r to a nurse. He updated the officer and three volunteers offering security and told them that he was to be kept updated on Keith’s progress. Once he was fit to leave, he’d be placed in the local jail, which wasn’t exactly a smart move as it was already filled to capacity. A volunteer helped the nurse place him in a wheelchair.

  As they began to roll him away, Elliot brought his window down. “Hold up a minute.”

  Gary looked over wondering what he wanted.

  “Who put you up to this?” Elliot asked.

  The guy clutched his leg and refused to look at Elliot, so he got out of the truck.

  “This is not the time, Elliot,” Gary said stepping between them.

  “You heard them yourself.” He pushed past him and stopped the nurse from heading in. “What were you going to get for doing this?”

  “Look, man, I don’t know what the hell you are on about,” Keith said.

  Elliot reached down and gripped his leg, pushing a thumb into his wound causing him to scream in agony. “A good man died back there because of you!”

  The nurse tried to stop him as did Gary who lunged forward and knocked Elliot back.

  “You want to play games?” Elliot yelled as Gary hauled him away. The nurse rolled Keith into the safety of the medical center while Gary kept a firm grip on Elliot’s ballistic vest.

  “What is your problem, man?”

  “Someone put them up to this.”

  “Yeah, no doubt it was one of their dealers. We have bigger things to deal with right now.”

  “Like helping people like that asshole?”

  “Just get in the Jeep, Elliot,” Gary said as he made his way around to the passenger side. Elliot understood what Gary was trying to do. He wanted to remain professional and keep up appearances. He wanted to reassure the people of Lake Placid that even though the country had come under attack, order and safety was still their top priority but what he wasn’t willing to admit was their control was slowly slipping.

  * * *

  Cole sat composed while Tyron ranted about never trusting Damon. “I told you about him, didn’t I?” he said to Magnus then tossed Cole a dirty look. “I said you couldn’t trust him and I was right.”

  “Sit down, Tyron, you’re making my blood pressure go up.”

  Magnus and Tyron were feeding off each other and only making the situation worse. Sure it was bad, but he’d figured Damon wouldn’t have gone along with the plan, so he’d planned on having Tyron go with him to Lake Placid. But now that was all screwed up!

  The sound of a vehicle caught Tyron’s attention, and he hurried over to the window.

  “Sawyer’s back.”

  “Well let’s at least hope he brought Pete with him as I’m starving,” Cole said.

  “How can you think of food at a time like this?” Magnus said.

  “Sit down and relax. It’s all going to work out,” Cole said gazing into the fire while smoking a cigarette. He was lying but he couldn’t let them see weakness. That’s how mutiny happened. As soon as a crew saw a weak link, they would be all over that like a cat on a fish. No, he had to maintain a strong front even if he was floundering. The truth was he thought it would be easier than this, but he was beginning to think that sticking a gun in someone’s face might be the only option he had. It wasn’t like he was against it, but in running his business he only once had to resort to violence to send a clear message. He looked at the others, they were like wild penned-in animals just waiting to be released. If they didn’t have something to sink their teeth into soon, he’d lose their trust and right now that was all he had.

  “I’m telling you, he knows who killed my cousins. That’s why he bolted. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if it was him,” Magnus said.

  “It’s possible,” Tyron replied, only inciting Magnus even more.

  Sawyer entered the tavern and the first thing he did was head over to the bar and pour a drink.

  “Where’s Pete?” Devin asked.

  “I stopped them,” he said knocking back his drink and pouring another. Cole got up and crossed the room.

  “What?”

  “I shot one of them. The girl, and took out a tire, and I must have hit the gas tank as it was leaking and they pulled off near Upper Jay. Two of them headed into the forest.”

  “That’s my boy!” Magnus said slapping him on the back. “At least one of us is thinking straight,” he said before looking at Cole.

  “And Damon?”

  “Had to turn back, he was firing at me. The Scout is pretty shot up but still working.”

  “And Sara?”

  “I didn’t see her get out.”

  Cole ran a hand over his face and walked back to the fireplace. He leaned against the stone wall and pulled out a cigarette. Just a little bit of nicotine, something to ease his nerves. It wasn’t meant to be like this. He figured Damon would return, they’d hash out their differences over the drug bust and go on with business as though nothing had ever happened. They had a history. It was stronger than eight months in jail, wasn’t it? He lit the cigarette between his lips and was questioning if he’d been too pushy when Magnus walked over and stood in front him.

  “We’re going after him, aren’t we?” Magnus asked.

  Cole jabbed the air with his cigarette. “Let’s put a pin in that right now.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “I’m just saying, let’s not be hasty.”

  “Hasty? You heard him. She’s hurt and they don’t have wheels. We’ve got them. I say we head out now before they try to work their way back to town.”

  “It’s dark out, we’ll go at first light.”

  “No, we’ll go now.”

  Magnus was pushing for a response. Cole could have lashed out and made him understand through brute force, but he figured helping him see how illogical it was would suffice.

  “And how do you expect to find them? It’s dark, and even darker in Sentinel.”

  “It’s also nineteen degrees outside. They’re going to need to stay warm. Which means we just need to follow the smoke, find the fire and we’ve got them. He’ll expect us to come in the morning. If we go now, we have the advantage.”

  “Jesus, Magnus. You don’t even know if he’s responsible for Trent’s death. You’re reaching and quite frankly, it’s fucking annoying,” Cole said walking away from him and heading into the kitchen to see what he could drum up for dinner. Magnus followed him; he wasn’t going to let it go.

  “You know, Cole, I do everything you say. All of us do. We’ve risked our necks countless times for you over the years. Hell, that could have been me that day Damon took the fall. Now all I’m asking for is one damn thing. I want answers and he damn well has them, and if he doesn’t maybe the other two do. So if you want to stay here be my guest but I’m taking Sawyer and Devin and Tyron with me to hunt down this prick.”

  Cole entered a large walk-in freezer

  “That prick was our friend.”

  “No he wasn’t. He was yours. We just put up with him.” He paused as Cole came out of the freezer and tossed a few steaks on the counter then headed over to the pantry. “He never wanted to be in the drug business, and I told you countless times that one day it would come back and bite us in the ass and sure enough it has.”

  “For you, not for me.”

  Magnus picked up an unopened bottle of wine off the kitchen counter and tossed it across the room. It smashed against the wall with wine dripping down to the floor. “I’m tired of this shit. I’m leaving now.”

  As he headed back into the restaurant Cole followed him out.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  Magnus turned. “Yeah?”

  “On one condition. No one harms him.”

  “I can’t promise that.”

  “We need him.”

  “No we don’t. We are done pussyfooting around. I’m taking what I want, when I want and how I want and if anyone attempts to stop me.” He pulled his firearm. “I hope they’ve made peace with
their maker.” He turned and headed toward the door. “Sawyer, Devin, Tyron, let’s go.”

  Magnus swung the door open and headed out into the snowy night.

  The others looked at Cole and shrugged. He had a feeling this would eventually happen. If it wasn’t Magnus, it would have been someone else. He stood there for a few seconds before balling his fist and following after them. He had no choice. He didn’t want Damon dead any more than he wanted to face this new existence but shit happened and he had to roll with it.

  * * *

  Tongues of fire cut into the darkness. Stones close to the fire had their socks draped over them so they could dry. Damon had led them to a small clearing in the woods that was close to a pond and yet far enough away from the river and highway. Maggie’s thighs ached from trudging through the forest but it wasn’t as bad as the pain in her shoulder. It was excruciating. Like anyone else she’d seen people get shot in the movies and on TV but she could never imagine it hurt this bad. It felt like someone was jabbing a searing hot poker in her shoulder. Damon had her position her arm upright, and he’d even wrapped a bandage so it held her arm in place. She was laying back against a tree and all three of them were laying on a tarp to keep the snow away from their bodies. Damon checked the socks. He collected hers and took a few minutes to put them back on her feet. The warmth felt good. They weren’t completely dry but at least they weren’t soaking wet.

  “Thanks,” she muttered.

  Damon gave a thin smile before returning to put on his own socks.

  “Can’t you remove the bullet and cauterize it like they used to do in the old days?” Jesse asked.

  “I could if she wants to get an infection. No, the bandages should do for now. It hasn’t hit an artery otherwise she’d be dead by now. It’s not heavy, but she needs it looked at. There’s no telling what damage has been done to the bone.”