The Blackout Series (Book 2): Zero Hour Page 7

  Wren walked to the front of the crowd and began to pass the clipboard around. As it circulated, one of the uniformed men leaned into Wren and whispered in his ear. Colton shifted uneasily as he fixed his eyes on the three men. Alex picked up on his reaction to their attendance.

  “Dad, what’s wrong?”

  “I don’t like the looks of these guys,” he replied.

  Alex studied them further. Their uniforms didn’t match, but there might be an explanation for that under the circumstances. Then she looked at their shoes. They weren’t military-style leather boots. The men were wearing hunting boots like you buy at Walmart.

  Alex leaned into her father and whispered, “Daddy, their shoes.”

  Colton nodded. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re imposters,” said Colton. “Look at how they stand. Their demeanor is off somehow. There’s no discipline.”

  Wren began the meeting. “I’m pleased to let all of you know that our government is hard at work to fix this situation, and they have placed the National Guard on the streets of Nashville to ensure we are protected—which leads me to the introduction of these three gentlemen.”

  Wren explained the men were part of the National Guard contingent assigned to their area. They would be checking on missing neighbors and helping the sick get to hospitals. As he spoke, the clipboard made its way to Colton, and he immediately passed it on to a person behind him.

  “Aren’t you gonna sign it?” asked Alex.

  “Nope, none of their business,” he replied under his breath.

  Wren continued. “These men will spearhead the recovery effort in the Belle Meade area and keep us informed of newsworthy events and further emergency alerts.”

  As Wren spoke, Alex saw Jimmy Holder emerge from around the large shrubs at the corner of the HPA meeting house. He seemed disinterested in Wren’s presentation, opting instead to break off a piece of a boxwood and pick off its leaves.

  Alex took a deep breath and whispered to her dad, “Daddy, do you trust me?”

  “Of course, Allie-Cat.”

  “Okay,” she continued, leaning closer so she wouldn’t be overheard. “I’m gonna leave now, and I’ll meet you back at the house. I’ll be safe, I promise.”

  “But wait,” Colton replied, but Alex was off, casually working her way through the crowd while their attention was focused on the front porch. In less than a minute, she reached Jimmy’s side.

  “Hey, you,” she started, getting Jimmy’s attention. He managed a sheepish smile before returning to the task of de-leafing the boxwood branch.

  “Hey.”

  “Pretty boring, huh?” asked Alex.

  “Yeah. I don’t have to be here, but what else is there to do?”

  Alex thought for a moment. She was sure this boy was harmless. The plan she was about to embark upon could prove dangerous if he turned out to be a teen wolf in black sheep’s clothing.

  She gathered up her courage and spoke. “You wanna go somewhere? I mean, this is such a waste, right?”

  “For sure,” replied Jimmy. His attitude picked up. “Where do you wanna go?”

  “Not my house,” she replied. “My mom’s there, and it would be, well, you know, awkward.”

  “We could go over to my place, I guess,” said Jimmy. “We don’t have any video games or TV though. We could just hang out.”

  “That sounds good to me,” said Alex. “Lead the way.”

  Jimmy ducked around the corner of the house, and Alex took one more glance for her dad, but she couldn’t see him. There was no turning back now. Alex darted after Jimmy through the backyards, the rush of adrenaline providing an exhilaration she’d never felt before.

  She was an undercover operative!

  Chapter 14

  DAY THREE

  12:15 p.m., September 11

  Holder Residence

  Belle Meade, Tennessee

  Alex followed Jimmy through the open garage and directly inside. The garage was full of plastic storage bins. She tried her best to inventory the contents, but she didn’t want Jimmy to catch her snooping. The big prize was inside.

  “Sorry for the mess,” started Jimmy as he led her into the house. “My mom is the only one who cleans up around here, and she sucks at it. Our house is so messy they won’t even hire a cleaning service to come in. Look around. What’s the point?”

  “It’s not that bad,” Alex lied. The place was a pigsty. Empty pizza boxes and beer cans were strewn about. His stepdad, a smoker, must not have been interested in emptying his ashtrays. The stale air coupled with the stench of beer and cigarettes almost caused Alex to retch, but she contained herself.

  Jimmy showed Alex his room and revealed his Walking Dead comic book collection. He had a duplicate of issue 100 in which Negan killed Glenn, so he gave it to Alex as a gift. She thought that it was sweet and thanked him. She did plan to read it later. First things first.

  She engaged in some small talk with Jimmy but was very much aware of the time. After the HPA meeting broke up, his stepdad might come home. Her new friendship with Jimmy needed to be kept under wraps.

  Alex saw a slightly open door under the stairwell. It appeared to be the stairs that led into the basement. She nonchalantly bumped into the doorknob as she walked past, causing it to open further.

  “Ouch,” she exclaimed, pretending to get bruised by the collision. As the door swung open, she asked, “What’s down there?”

  “Oh, yeah,” started Jimmy as he reached down and picked up a battery-operated Coleman lantern. “You wanna see my stepdad’s gun vault?”

  “I guess,” she tried to appear aloof. “I’ve never seen a gun before.”

  “Never?”

  “Nope,” she replied, twisting a strand of her long blonde hair. “Do you mind showing me?”

  Jimmy shrugged and turned on the light. The two reached the bottom of the stairs, which opened to a large unfinished basement. Once downstairs, he turned on three other Coleman lanterns, revealing a series of workbenches and pegboards. There were several gun safes, but two of them were open. Several dozen green military-issue ammo cans were stacked neatly under the benches.

  Alex was genuinely amazed. “Wow,” she uttered. “He’s ready for a war.”

  “I guess,” said Jimmy. “He’s always going to gun shows. He buys and sells, then brags about the great deals he made. I’ve been with him when he buys guns from online sellers.”

  Alex walked through the room and nonchalantly picked up some of the weapons. This was a gold mine!

  “I didn’t know you could buy guns on the Internet,” said Alex, appearing to be interested while she took a mental inventory. She didn’t know what these guns were called, but she knew how to count. There were two dozen pistols, more than a dozen rifles, and several that looked like machine guns.

  “He went on these two websites several times a day looking for new listings,” said Jimmy. “One is called Armslist and the other is called Tennessee Gun Owners. He was obsessed with buying and selling. But as you can see, he mostly bought.”

  “Do you know how to shoot?” asked Alex.

  “Of course.”

  “Would you teach me?” Alex was going to appear weak and vulnerable in order to appeal to Jimmy’s man-as-protector side if he was old enough to have one. “Because, well, I’m kinda afraid of everything. Do you know what I mean?”

  “Sure,” he replied.

  Alex glanced back at him and noticed that he was studying her long legs. He was just fourteen years old, but he was still a boy. She’d have to keep an eye on him. For the moment, he aimed to please, and she intended to take advantage.

  That was when she saw it. A real Taurus PT111 like the replica her mother had purchased at Phillips Toy Mart. It was stuck in a holster that would slide into the waistband of her jean shorts. She debated whether to take it or ask Jimmy for it. She decided to ask.

  Alex picked up the gun and held it in her hands. She walked toward Jimmy and got close enough to him so he would f
eel slightly uncomfortable.

  “This one,” she said. “I think this one would be perfect for me, don’t you agree, Jimmy?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he replied nervously. “That’s a great choice. You can have it. My stepdad won’t, um, know. Here’s a box of ammo too.”

  Jimmy handed her a box of nine-millimeter ammunition. She took the box, and the weight pulled her arm down.

  “Whoa.” She laughed. “That’s heavy.”

  “There’s fifty rounds in each box. We can start training tomorrow.”

  Suddenly, their attention was drawn to the stairs. A noise was coming from outside the house. A voice. Alex immediately became nervous and looked around. With Jimmy preoccupied, she slid the paddle holster into her waistband and snatched another box of ammo off the bench.

  Jimmy sprinted up the stairs and she followed him. She ran after him, almost tripping over an empty liquor bottle on the floor. As he opened the front door, the sound became clear.

  Down the street, a green military Humvee was driving slowly. A soldier stood outside the turret, resting his arms on a fifty-caliber machine gun. The passenger repeated the message.

  “This is an alert. All residents are advised to shelter in place. I repeat. Stay in your homes. The National Weather Service has advised us of another solar storm, which will take place in the next twelve hours. This storm will contain a high radiation index. You are advised to remain in your homes for the next twelve hours.”

  Alex watched the Humvee disappear down the street as the message was read again. She tucked the two boxes of ammo against her left side and held the gun against her right. She leaned down and gave Jimmy a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you, Jimmy,” she said. “This was fun. Can I come over tomorrow at noon?”

  A smitten Jimmy Holder touched his cheek and nodded—having no idea he’d just been played.

  Chapter 15

  DAY FOUR

  Morning, September 12

  Ryman Residence

  Nashville, Tennessee

  Madison and Colton had become like two ships passing in the night. By the fourth day, their sleeping routines were established. Colton’s body gradually adjusted to staying awake until dawn, and Madison reset her internal clock to wake up early enough to fix them something to eat. Breakfast gave them some quiet time together before she took over the security patrols while Colton slept. It was time for the morning debrief, and the first item on the agenda was Alex’s new friend.

  “Maddie, I understand your concern,” started Colton. “While I stood watch last night, I considered all of the ramifications of Alex’s actions. First, I’m glad we’ve got a great relationship with her so she wouldn’t hide what she did. Second, I trust her judgment. It was a risky, apparently unplanned move.”

  “Impulsive is more like it,” interrupted Madison, who sat back in the dining chair and folded her arms. Madison’s body language delivered her opinion of Alex’s acquisition of the gun loud and clear.

  “Maybe, but I like quick-thinking better. Even when the kids heard the military vehicle driving through the neighborhood and the boy bolted outside ahead of her, Alex had the presence of mind to grab another box of bullets. You can’t teach that cleverness in school, Maddie. It’s ingrained in her DNA.”

  “Oh, of course, she’s a full-blooded Ryman without a doubt,” said Madison.

  “Don’t forget, Mrs. Ryman,” Colton said sarcastically. “As part of her ruse, she used her power of feminine persuasion over the boy. I seem to remember a young woman who exerted a similar influence over the master negotiator in this family many years ago.”

  “Okay.” Madison laughed and wiped a couple of tears off her face. Colton reached across the table and held her hand. In the candlelight of the early dawn of the apocalypse, she was more beautiful than ever.

  “Here’s the other thing,” said Colton. “Over the years, I’ve learned that before I enter any negotiation session, I like to clarify my goals and gather information about the other side before I sit at the table. Alex gleaned some important information yesterday. We have a neighbor who’s armed to the hilt.”

  “And he’s got a screw loose,” interjected Madison. “What if he finds out about this?”

  “It’s risky, but our goal shouldn’t be to clean out his basement, only to get what we really need. Remember, his son offered the gun and ammo to Alex as a gift. I’m only suggesting that she ask for one or two more weapons for her parents.”

  “Fair enough,” said Madison. “But if we only need a couple more guns, why don’t we just trade him some food. Jimmy told Alex they don’t have any food, right?”

  “I thought about that, but here’s my concern. If Holder thinks we have extra, expendable food, with his arsenal, he might just take it from us. It’s better to keep him out of the loop and keep our food storage to ourselves.”

  “So what’s the plan?” asked Madison.

  “I’ll talk with her on the way to the meeting today,” replied Colton. “Two more guns. Another handgun similar to the one she obtained yesterday and one of those machine-gun-type rifles she told us about. Common sense tells me the high-capacity magazines would help repel anyone trying to attack us in our home.”

  Madison relented. “Alex is very levelheaded and won’t take a chance if the risk is too great. She plans on going over there at noon today. Maybe you can stall Holder if the meeting breaks up early? You know, give her more time.”

  Colton scooped up the paper plates and forks from breakfast and placed them into the garbage bag. Monday was usually garbage pickup day, except not anymore. He needed to talk to Madison about scavenging. Colton was aware the topic would concern Madison because it involved taking Alex with him, after dark, into the homes of strangers.

  With each passing day, Madison seemed to accept the reality of this catastrophic event. Her lingering denial was passing, and fear seemed to be on her mind the most. Without putting her on edge, Colton had to find the words to explain why he was using her only child as an undercover operative by day and now a cat burglar by night. Both activities had inherent risks, but in a post-apocalyptic world, children learned to grow up fast.

  “Can we talk about one more thing before I get some sleep?” he asked.

  “Yes, but you need to get your rest. The evil sun is rising for another day, just like always.”

  Colton sat back down and fiddled nervously with the salt and pepper mills on the kitchen table. He was convinced this collapsed-grid situation was going to be prolonged and have a severe impact on the entire country for weeks or months. While he was relieved to have the additional food and supplies stacked around their dining room, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to last them.

  “You guys did great the other day, Maddie,” started Colton. “You risked your lives for our family—our survival.”

  “Aw shucks, ’tweren’t nuthin’.” Madison chuckled as she subconsciously touched her cheek, which was finally returning to its normal color.

  “It was a lot,” said Colton. “But it may not be enough. As our food and supplies dwindle, or if something happens, God forbid, and everything gets destroyed or stolen, we might run out. I think we need to get more.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “I don’t believe the government has enough food and supplies to go around. Even if they do, how will they be rationed and for how long? We have to look at alternative resources.”

  “Looting,” said Madison.

  “I prefer the term scavenging.”

  “Stealing,” Madison shot back, once again assuming a defiant position. “Are we supposed to throw His Ten Commandments out with the garbage today?”

  “Maddie, please hear me out,” pleaded Colton. Before he broached the subject, Colton was most concerned about Madison’s reaction to his use of Alex as a partner in crime. Now, the bigger obstacle appeared to be the moral issue.

  Madison continued. “I understood taking the scrap lumber from the home under construction. Even the
sandbags can be returned when this whole thing is over. The stuff from the O’Malleys’, well, that’s a little different.”

  Colton didn’t want to argue, especially under these stressful circumstances. He didn’t want to do things behind Madison’s back either. He’d tell her how he felt, and they’d decide together.

  “There’s a big difference between scavenging and looting,” started Colton. “Searching for food or salvaging supplies from abandoned homes is much different than taking something by force.”

  “Word games.”

  “Maybe, but my point is there can be extenuating circumstances that allow an exception to the rule of thou shalt not steal. Many of these homes are abandoned. It’s just a matter of time before our neighbors or outsiders break into them. If we wait until we’re almost out of food, there won’t be any opportunities to scavenge left.”

  Madison stared at him for a moment. “What if the people come back? These are our neighbors we’re talkin’ about.”

  “Then we will gladly reimburse them somehow for the supplies we used,” he replied. “Listen, we’re in a survival situation. I’m not advocating loading up on mink coats, stereos, or valuable family heirlooms. In my opinion, anything that does not fulfill our basic human needs—water, food, shelter, security, and energy—stays behind. Otherwise, it would be looting.”

  “The law of necessity.”

  “That’s a good way of looking at it,” said Colton. “Taking the highest social morality may not always be achieved by adherence to the laws of God or man. There is no greater goal than the survival of our family. In doing so, if I technically violate those laws, including the Eighth Commandment, then I will be judged at some point. But my family will be alive.”