Countdown: The Wasteland Chronicles Book One Read online

  “Hey!” a voice called from the door.

  They whipped around with their guns ready to fire. Ash was standing just outside, staring at them with an odd look on his face.

  “Shit Ash, we almost killed you,” Lenny said then let out a chuckle.

  “Well, good thing you didn’t. We got it from here,” Ash said coldly.

  Lenny stared at him for a moment then tossed the papers down and walked off. “You got it boss, it’s your show.”

  “Yep, we got perimeter patrol for you stud,” Gene said sarcastically as he brushed past him.

  THE TURN

  “How long are they gonna take in there?” Sergeant Wilson groaned as he kicked his shoe into the rocks.

  “Doesn’t matter. They get what they need and we watch their backs, you know the drill,” Lenny said.

  Wilson nodded then turned and looked back into the darkness. They’d been out there for over an hour. The entire team was now on roaming patrol, ensuring no one came within a whiff of the base until the SD team finished their sweep.

  Lenny huffed and looked at Gene as they finished their fifteenth lap around the perimeter.

  “You gotta stop getting us these off-book missions. I don’t like it and I really don’t like this,” he groaned.

  “Oh come on, you have a bad feeling every time you pick up a rifle.”

  “That’s cause every time I pick up a rifle something bad happens.”

  “Yeah, for the other guy,” Gene laughed.

  “Yo Captain, all clear,” Nate’s voice crackled in his ear. “Bit of a problem though, having some issues with comms.”

  “Fucking amateur hour,” Lenny groaned. “Who the hell did they think they’d be calling down here in this crap?”

  Gene shook his head and spit into the dirt. “I’ll send our comms guy to you. What’s your location?” he said.

  “We’re on the way out. Have him meet us at the gate,” Nate replied.

  “Harris, get in there and help our lost sheep.”

  “Roger that,” Harris responded and took off at a trot.

  “Blackwell, you get up that hill and get command on the horn. I don’t wanna be here any longer than we need to,” Gene commanded.

  Lenny started to laugh. “No offense, but you send Blackwell up there and we’ll be waiting here for a week. Just give me the phone and I’ll do it.”

  Blackwell raised his middle finger then tossed him the phone. “Fine superman, enjoy your damn hike.”

  “Make it quick chief, some of us have things to do,” Gene jested.

  Lenny took his pack off and handed it to Hancock. “Hold that for me, I’ll be back.”

  With that, he turned and started heading up the hillside. He moved quickly, a little less than a jog which was the equivalent of sprinting on the uneven terrain. Branches stabbed and scraped him across the face as he barreled through them like a car with no brakes.

  Nearing the top Lenny powered on the phone to see if he could connect. He raised it over his head and held it towards the sky. A red light flashed and then a voice seeped through his earpiece.

  “Boss?” Harris called.

  “What’s up?” Gene replied.

  “No sign of your lost sheep sir. Here or anywhere else inside the compound.”

  “What?”

  Just then Lenny heard a faint buzzing sound moving above him. He immediately recognized the noise, but was certain he had to be mistaken. There was no way a drone would be flying this low across the border.

  “What the hell?” he mumbled.

  Something flashed in the sky and Lenny watched as it trailed off towards the Quds base. Even at night the signature of a Hellfire missile was unmistakable.

  It slammed into the compound and exploded like fireworks. A fire raged into the sky as dark smoke spiraled under the moonlight.

  Lenny crumpled to the ground. He yelled into the air, his voice crackling and breaking in pain.

  “No! Oh my God no!” Lenny roared.

  He ran down the hill at a full sprint, tumbling through the dense vegetation. His heart pounded like an earthquake, his hands trembling with fear of the unknown.

  He stopped short of the base and fell to the ground. “Gene…Harris!” Lenny yelled. He buried his face into his hands and started to cry.

  The base was gone, charred bodies littered the ground, flames still smoldering on the remains. Nothing was left, nothing more than destruction and ash.

  Sniffling, Lenny pulled himself to his feet and took a step towards the demolished compound. He knew there was no one left alive, but he had to check. He had to be certain, even if it was the smallest of chances.

  He walked through the burning wasteland, methodically looking for any sign of life. Nearly everything had been destroyed and reduced to rubble. The tents had burned to the ground and the metal frames were twisted and meshed together in warped pretzels.

  After thirty minutes of searching Lenny knew his entire time was lost. He took one last look at the base then walked off into the darkness.

  He wandered aimlessly for hours, his feet being pulled forward by a basic instinct. Lenny’s head was slumped, his eyes fixed on the dirt. He wasn’t sure how far he’d gone or in what direction, but as the sun rose it suddenly illuminated the familiar silhouette of Outpost Eagle Claw.

  ~~***~~

  10 years later…

  PREPPED

  December 7th, 2012, Friday 11:23 PM

  Somewhere in the Florida woods

  Smoke filled the dim, little shack from top to bottom. The rusted walls and tin roof did an adequate job of keeping in the swirling, acrid cloud. It had a sharp, pungent smell to it, like skunk mixed with lemon.

  Stephen sucked in a lungful, coughed then beat his chest and gagged. He handed the dwindling joint to Eddie and they both giggled.

  “It’s good shit huh?” Eddie professed proudly. “Best in Polk County, hell best in all of Florida.”

  “Who owns this place anyway?” Stephen asked as he gazed around the small structure.

  “Who cares,” Eddie laughed and took another hit.

  “Ken said he saw a UFO out here the other week.”

  “Ken and who?”

  “I don’t know, some chick he met.”

  Eddie waved his hand and shook his head. “Well Ken is a damn crack head. And who knows what him and some girl were doing out here.”

  “What the hell are we doing out here?”

  “We’re celebrating your birthday man,” Eddie said cheerfully.

  Stephen had just turned eighteen, Eddie, a few months before him. They’d been friends for years and were wrapping up their last month as seniors at Lakeland high school.

  Stephen had spent his years as a bit of a recluse. His head stuck in books, his eyes locked on a future at an Ivy League. He was the type that believed in sacrificing now for later.

  Eddie, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about his future. He made it through school by sheer luck, opting to spend his time getting high behind the bleachers. Parties were his lectures and books only provided rolling paper when he couldn’t find any.

  “One more?” Eddie asked and produced another joint from his back pocket.

  “This is our third!” Stephen replied in shock.

  “That’s the good thing about weed, you can’t overdose.”

  Stephen shook his head from side to side. He tossed the remnants of the last joint onto the ground and held his hands up in surrender. “No more for me dude. I just want to go to Taco Bell. It’s getting hella late.”

  Eddie grinned. “Come on, it’s your birthday and it’s not even midnight yet. Last one then we can pig out on burritos all you want.”

  Stephen sighed and ran his hand over his short, coarse black hair. “Fine, last one.”

  Eddie quickly lit up the skinny, white roll of paper and sucked in a mouthful. Holding his breath he looked at the joint incredulously then handed it to Stephen. He took a quick puff and leaned his head back.

&nbs
p; “Nice,” he mumbled.

  They giggled as they looked at each other with glossy eyes. Then there was a sudden crackling noise outside and Stephen jumped, dropping the lit paper onto the ground.

  “Bro, be careful!” Eddie exclaimed and dropped down on all fours.

  “What the hell was that?” Stephen asked with an alarmed guise on his face. He was standing in the middle of the shack with wild eyes. He whipped his head from side to side like a cat chasing a laser pointer.

  Eddie picked up the joint and looked up at Stephen. “What was what?”

  “Be quiet, just listen,” he shot back and spun around again.

  Eddie froze, focusing hard trying to hear whatever it was that Stephen had heard. Minutes passed then he shot Stephen a skeptical glance. “I still don’t hear anything. You’re paranoid dude,” he said and started to laugh. “Look at yourself. You’re like a…one of those leper or um lemur things.”

  Stephen opened his mouth to respond, but then the sound crackled again right outside of the door. It sounded like someone stepping on dry, dead leaves.

  Eddie stopped laughing and straightened up. He leaned towards the door and strained his ears. “Somebody’s out there,” he whispered. “Go check it out.”

  “You go check it out,” Stephen retorted.

  Eddie twisted his face and reached for the doorknob. He turned it slowly and pulled the rickety door towards him. As it swung inwards a noise sounded just on the other side.

  Eddie released the handle and scuttled backwards. “No way…no way,” he mumbled.

  Stephen stepped in front of him and opened the door. “Move!” he shouted.

  He marched outside and stopped a few feet from the door. He was in the middle of a dense forest. Tall oak trees soared up towards the starlit sky. A narrow trail twisted ahead of him leading to a chain-link fence that they had jumped to get in.

  “Hello?” Stephen said cautiously.

  “What is it? What do you see?” Eddie called from inside of the shack.

  “I need a flashlight,” Stephen responded.

  A branch cracked to the side of him and he turned around in alarm. His eyes were wide and beaming like dinner plates. His mouth hung open in surprise as he let out a feeble yelp.

  “What is it? Stephen, you okay?”

  Stephen didn’t answer, he didn’t make a sound. Eddie listened hard, but there was nothing except a long, dead silence that chilled his spine.

  Reluctantly, he moved forward and slowly poked his head out of the door. Something rushed towards him and he jumped back and fell onto the ground.

  “It was a raccoon!” Stephen exclaimed as he came stumbling to the shack.

  “You scared the shit out of me,” Eddie said and brushed off his pants. “Get back in here. Let’s finish this last joint and go get some food.”

  Stephen grinned and took a step just as something wrapped around his ankle. He stopped and stared down at his leg. The darkness hid whatever it was, but its grasp was like a hungry anaconda.

  “Eddie!” Stephen yelled and tried to pull his leg away.

  “What is it?”

  Stephen looked up at him with a glare in his eyes between trepidation and complete fear. He reached his hand out for Eddie and then he was ripped off of his feet.

  “Help me!” he screamed.

  Eddie lunged towards him, both arms extended and landed flat on the ground. His hand clasped onto Stephen’s and he held on for dear life. Something on the other end yanked at Stephen fiercely like a deadly game of tug-of-war.

  “I got you,” Eddie said confidently.

  Stephen grimaced in agony and then his hand was ripped away. Like a ragdoll he was dragged off into the night, screaming as he was pulled further and further.

  Eddie scrambled to his feet and rushed out of the door after him. He sprinted down the narrow dirt trail following Stephen’s screams.

  A pair of glowing red lights hovered ahead of him. They moved unnaturally fast and quickly vanished into the thicket.

  “Stephen! Stephen!” Eddie yelled.

  December 8th, Saturday 3:15 AM

  “Now explain it to me again Eddie,” the heavy set officer demanded.

  Eddie was sitting at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in a crammed, interview room with dingy white walls. He was shivering behind a small metal desk, rubbing his hands together anxiously. His face was pale, his eyes blank and glaring into nothing.

  The officer cleared his throat and tapped onto the table. Eddie jumped and looked at him sheepishly.

  “I told you, he’s gone. Why the hell are we still sitting here? We need to go find him. We need a search party or something.”

  The officer rubbed his chin and raised his eyebrow. He sighed and looked to the female officer that was standing against the wall in front of him. She flipped her long, black hair and stepped towards Eddie. Placing her hand on his back, she leaned in and spoke softly.

  “What were you guys doing out there tonight Eddie?” she asked.

  Eddie shuddered. “Nothing, we were just um, hanging out.”

  “You know that’s private property, don’t you?”

  “I…I don’t get it. Listen to me. Something took Stephen. It dragged him into the Goddamn forest. Why are you just sitting here? Why aren’t you doing something?”

  “Look Eddie,” the male officer chimed in. “You’re high as a fucking kite. Now I don’t feel like writing this all up and from the looks of your record you don’t need this either. So why don’t you head on home and we’ll pretend like this never happened. I’m sure your friend is probably already there with his face in a bag of Cheetos.”

  The female officer chuckled. Eddie glared at her and then ground his teeth.

  “I…I, this ain’t right,” Eddie fumed. He banged his fists onto the table and stood up. “Am I free to leave?”

  “Sure thing Cheech,” the male officer laughed.

  Eddie stormed out of the door and into the lobby. He glared back at the two officers then charged out of the front door.

  It was still dark outside and the light chirping of crickets echoed in the night. Eddie stared at his dented Honda Accord and groaned. He had no clue of what to do now, but was certain of what he always suspected, the police were useless.

  “Hey!” a voice called from behind him.

  Eddie turned around and lifted his head. An officer was speed walking towards him. He was in his sixties with silver-white hair and thick eyebrows. A pair of glasses hung from his nose and he had an awkward gate to his walk, like one leg was shorter than the other.

  “What’s up?” Eddie asked.

  “Heard you in there with Rich.”

  “Who?”

  “Fat guy, bald head.”

  “Oh, yeah…that guy,” Eddie sighed.

  “My name’s McDonald…Harris McDonald,” the man said and extended his arm.

  Eddie hesitantly shook his hand and scanned the empty parking lot. The man had a strange grin on his face and Eddie wasn’t taking any chances. He took a few steps back and tilted his head. “What do you need Officer McDonald?” Eddie asked in his most polite voice.

  “Ya lost somebody right?”

  Eddie didn’t answer. He gave Harris an odd look and bit his lower lip. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach like when you go over a big dip.

  “Your friend, he went missing tonight? Answer me boy I ain’t got time to waste,” he said sharply.

  Eddie nodded. “My friend Stephen.

  “Rich is right you know, you definitely are high as hell. I’ll never understand you kids with your joints and bongs. Aint ya got better things to do with your time?”

  “You came all the way out here to tell me I’m high. You people are freaking ridiculous,” Eddie said then turned around and began to walk off.

  “Just a minute now,” Harris said and shuffled after him. “Rich aint never gon admit it, but we’ve had other missing persons round here in the last few weeks.”

  Eddie s
topped walking.

  “Folks just gone, no rhyme or reason just gone.”

  “So what the hell are they doing about it?” Eddie asked angrily.

  “Not a damn thing. Small town like this can’t have that type of thing getting out. Not to mention it’s always some little druggie that disappears. Most are just happy to see em go, good riddance.”

  Eddie looked at him in shock. His mouth fell open as his head spun in confusion. He wasn’t sure if it was the effects of the weed or the shock from the last five hours.

  “Head on home and sober up. If your friend don’t show up by tomorrow, come and see me,” Harris instructed.

  Eddie considered him momentarily. Harris hardly looked like a real police officer, but he was the only person that paid any attention to Eddie’s story. “Yeah, I’ll…I’ll do that.”

  Harris held his hand out with a card. “Give me a call. If it’s really something to it I’ll do what I can to help.”

  Eddie took the card and nodded. He walked to his car and opened the door. “Thanks,” he said and stepped into the driver’s seat.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Harris replied.

  Eddie cranked up the aging sedan and revved the engine. With Harris looking on he pulled out of the lot and squealed down the street.

  The road leaving the Sheriff’s Office was long and dark. On either side there was nothing, except cow pastures and empty fields. Eddie had been driving for fifteen minutes when he heard a loud pop and his car suddenly pulled to the left.

  Eddie swerved across the road, struggling to get the car under control. He slammed on the brakes and came to a stop next to a barbed-wire fence.

  Cursing under his breath he stepped out of the car. The front tire was completely flat; the rubber had exploded like it'd been shot out.

  “Damn it!” Eddie moaned. He looked down the dark empty road and cursed the night. He knew there wouldn’t be another car coming for hours out in the sticks.

  Fuming, Eddie opened the trunk of his car and pulled out the spare. Just as he reached for the jack, he heard a faint voice call his name.