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| ISBN-13: | 9781490752556 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Trafford Publishing |
| Publication date: | 12/11/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 340 |
| File size: | 632 KB |
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The End, As It Happens To Us
Book Two of the End Trilogy
By Randy Dolph
Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2015 Randy DolphAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-5238-9
CHAPTER 1
It seems I'm destined to continue this manuscript until I get old and grey, if I make it that long. I had hoped that things would become some resemblance of normal when our last troubles had ended but that is not the way of this world, I guess. Perchance, someday peace will rain in our lives.
Much has changed since I started my last writings. I put that last manuscript in a drawer in my desk in one of the offices I chose for myself in our underground compound. I had thought to be done with sitting atop these water tanks as that desk drawer closed on a time when things were hectic. People seemed to be more than I thought them to be. Yet here I sit again, looking out over the range of the Rocky Mountains, pen in hand, much on the horizon. I guess I will write on.
Jadee and I stood there in the Control Room looking back and forth from the screens to each other as the message stared at us with all of its potential. Neither of us knew what to say. My heart I will say ached more than it had before. It was amazing that we went from one huge problem solved to this question mark for our compound. Someone watching us could only mean so many things. As we looked at it, the screen on the wall went blank.
"It's been doing that every few minutes," Jadee told me. "We have no idea why."
"Maybe a satellite thing?" I asked.
"Maybe," Jadee said, shrugging her shoulders. "I've tried to pull up anything with where it could be coming from but I haven't been able to find something that will work."
I hope I am not leaving anything out for whoever may be reading this without knowing all that happened to us before. I am not sure where this writing will take us or where I will have time to sit and write but I will attempt to take some time to get all of the things that happen out of my head and onto paper. (I have been robbing all of the other offices around here of their blank paper so I hope it is worth something.) It helped keep me sane before. Maybe it can do so again. And sorry, there are no editors around so this may be a little jumbled.
So Jadee told me, as we looked at those sentences on the screen, that Kevin was also seeing these two sentences on their screen at the other compound. She said he was fumbling through that computer system too, trying to figure it out and that he had not gotten anywhere either.
"Any way of writing back and asking them what they are talking about?" I asked her.
"No, it's in a different part of these old computer systems that seems to be playing with my head," Jadee said. "I only got these messages a half an hour ago. I figured you would want to know right away even though I can't figure out what to do with it."
"Okay, I really appreciate that," I told her. "Let's concentrate on how they could be watching. It's too late to shut these things down and hide under the rug. If we can't find out who's talking to us let's see if we can find out what they are talking about. Maybe there is a clue on how someone could be watching."
"It's worth a try. I'll start looking into that. Kevin has been looking into the Kenya embassy thing."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," I said, turning to walk to the Med Center. "That Kenya thing really doesn't make any sense to me. I'm going to check on Sterling and Mary again. Have you told Davina about this?"
"No, you were the first," she said. "I'll call her now."
"I think she was going to try to figure out some stuff she was working on with those antennas in the Water Tanks. I bet she's in there." Jadee nodded her head and followed me out. I went straight, she went right.
I entered the Med Center and saw Shay as I passed her office. I poked my head in and said, "hi." She returned it with a smile.
"How's Sterling doing?" I asked her, coming into the room.
"Grouchy," she responded. "He doesn't really listen to me at all, kind of like some other patients that I've had." I pretended not to know what that meant.
"I think he is just tired of being in here. How much longer do you think?"
"Well his intestines took a pretty good hit," she started, leaning back from her medical book she had been studying. "I had to take a portion of it out. Any time you have to do that the recovery time is pretty slow. He is healing up nicely. I know it seems like a long time but really it's not."
"Well I'll talk to him about being a little more patient," I promised. "How's Mary healing up?"
"Ugh, she is another one that doesn't want to be here," Shay said, starting to get a little irritated. "I'm not the monster of the medical world here. If you get shot there is some recovery time needed."
"I'm almost certain it's not you," I said with a smile. She looked up quickly and saw I was joking. She returned the smile and leaned back into her med book. "Can you find some time later to make it to the Control Room? Looks like we got a message from the outside world on one of the screens. Wouldn't mind all the heads together that we could get. I'm on my way to see Sterling then I'll be back in there." My casual way of putting such information turned her head sideways and put a weird look on her face.
"Sure, I'll be there. Is it anything serious?"
"I think we will all have to decide on that," I told her. I started to leave the room. "And Shay, thanks for taking on this unappreciated work. We couldn't do it without you." She gave me that unmeaningful smile that I knew to say I hit a nerve. She went back to reading her book.
I was hoping Sterling would be well enough so that he would not have to be there anymore. He was wanting so bad to get out and be helping with the large amount of work that was needing done in the fast approaching fall. We never knew when severe weather was coming anymore. I moved on to his room and received a smile as I walked in.
"That doctor of yours is driving me crazy," he said, same as always, with some enthusiasm that I little believed. "She wants me here for another two days at least she said."
"I would bring you an apple if Vince was growing any," I told him. "You know, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away,' kind of thing?" I smiled as I shrugged.
"Yeah and I'd throw it at her." We both laughed.
"How are you feeling, really?" I asked him.
"I get a little queasy when I sit up but not real bad." He said it as through trying to convince me.
"And you're sure Shay is overreacting?" I asked him as I sat in a bedside chair. I did not get an answer or even a look.
"I still have a large pain in my gut. She tells me it's from the wound in my intestines. I think she just likes torturing people."
"You wouldn't be the first one to think that. Sounds like nothing some hunting wouldn't cure," I said, looking out the door, trying to change the subject. "We were thinking of going after some big game soon. Dan said they are in. We've had some good luck before in the long hills south of us. I think Eric is pissed about losing that bet to Chris with the whole goose thing. It is already starting to get cold. It could be a really early winter this year. The deer are perfect for a hunt."
"I want to be in on that hunt," he told me. "You have to make sure I'm out of here before you all go." I smiled non-committedly.
I stayed silent for a while and then turned serious. "I know those beds suck but Shay really has your best in mind."
"I know she does. She really is the best doctor I've ever seen." He changed the subject. "How's my sister and Belinda doing? Ever since my brother passed away his wife won't even let me out of her sight without worrying to death."
I had been confused at first by Sterling. He had told me I had saved his wife and sister when I took out Luke's killer but on talking to him further it seemed that was not the case. He had promised to take care of his brother's wife as his brother died in his arms, so it was his brother's wife I had saved. Sterling took on the responsibility and they had become very close but never in a romantic way. He actually really hated talking about it. He and his brother I guess were not even in the same hemisphere until the end. The war had brought them together it seemed just long enough for them to get close again.
"They are doing fine," I told him. "I didn't hear from them at all yesterday. I think they may have forgotten about you."
He scoffed at that. "Not likely. Dan did promise to look after them while I was laid up. I think him and Belinda are getting pretty close anyways though. I think they will end up together. And I could use the break." He smiled but in a fond way.
I told him I would bring him some books later and that seemed to cheer him up. I also promised to try to talk Shay into letting him go outside for some fresh air for dinner but only if it was safe for him to do so.
I went to meet with Davina and Jadee. I was so anxious to find out anything else about this message that a visit to Mary would have to wait. I figured correctly that they would be back in the Control Room and I saw them talking as I came in. Shay was beside them I saw as I rounded the large meeting table. I walked down to where they stood in front of the row of computers and they looked over at me as I came closer. Concern was etched in their faces.
"How's the work on the antenna going?" I asked my wife Davina.
"It's going good," she said. "I think I'm getting figured out what's going on up there."
"That's great," I told her. "It would be nice be able to use that stuff. And it looks like it may need to happen soon." I looked over at Jadee.
"Why do you think someone would want to tell us we are being watched?" Davina asked her.
"Someone obviously thinks we need to know that someone is out there," Jadee said. "I have no idea why that could be. It just brings up a lot of scary stuff to my imagination."
"That's what we want to avoid," I told her. "Let's just go at it systematically. All that other stuff won't help us a bit. And I don't even want to start to think about all that it could mean. Let's just get to work but also let's keep an eye on the surrounding area just to be on the safe side."
"Agreed," Jadee said. Davina furrowed her forehead and nodded in agreement.
"Can I ask you guys a favor?" I asked. "Will you guys bring Laura into the loop and show her what's going on with these systems. She's trying to figure out those computers down in the armory and she doesn't seem to be getting far. I think she wants some help but doesn't know how to ask."
"I will go call her up here right now," Davina said. "I think that's a great idea. And I have been working with her some but I'll bring her all the way in on this." She turned and I watched her walk to the Communication Room. I had not yet talked to my wife alone about her thoughts on the girl being engaged to her son. I thought of following her and bringing it up but thought better of it. I knew I would not get very far yet, though I was really interested in how she was feeling about it.
I walked out of the room asking Jadee to keep me posted and went to find Neil in the Generator Room. He was always my sounding board on things to do with the military, him being a long time in the Army a ways back. He was not much of a computer guy but he seemed to have a sense of what the workings of the different branches of the service were, along with a lot of other things. I know he really never told me all he really did in the Army or what position he held. I wondered about him as I found my way through the mix of hallways and passages. The Generator Room that Neil was in charge of was in the lower sections of the compound. I found him there looking over some odd mechanical part, as usual.
"Hey buddy how's life top side?" he asked on seeing me walk in.
"It's good. Big game hunt coming up soon. I'm thinking some deer, which shouldn't be too hard to find. The geese are still flying in droves though so you may have a chance at hitting something," I told him with a smile. He ignored the attempt.
"Ugh, no more goose casseroles for me for at least six months. I've had my fill," he told me.
"I think we all agree, no matter how many ways your wife cooks them," I told him, rubbing my stomach.
"Yeah, I think even Marla agrees that goose meat doesn't go in a burrito." We both laughed at that. "So what's up, ready for a game of chess?" I shook my head and he stopped cleaning the metal part in his hand. "What is it?" he asked with some concern.
"We got a message on one of the screens. Even Kevin at the other compound is getting it," I told him.
"What kind of a message?" he asked, now feeling my stress.
"Some message from Africa that keeps flickering on and off saying someone is watching us. Any idea why or how that could be?" He looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully but with the same shrug of the shoulders that we all had. "The message is saying that it's coming from an embassy in Kenya."
"Wow, now that has to mean something," he said with some air of understanding. I was extremely disappointed when he continued, "I have no idea what that could be though. Since this all has happened everything has been turned around. I don't even think that a government could exist in this kind of world. It would have to be some group pretending to be legit. But an embassy....." He trailed off in thought.
"I'm sure all of the embassies fell during the war, right?" I asked him. "They probably went first."
"I agree," he told me, still in thought.
I became a little annoyed with my long time friend. I tried to turn that off. "Well let's meet in the Control Room in half an hour to see what we all can come up with. I'll have Kevin and the other group ready then at the other compound." Neil agreed and went back to cleaning his part as if I had never been there. I was sure he would spend the rest of his days down there with a smile on his face and grease under every fingernail.
It did not take much to get everyone into the Control Room seated around the meeting table. They had gotten used to the call over the last few months with one bomb shell of information after another. I was not looking forward to dropping on them yet one more. When we had all taken a seat, though I saw that Olivia and Vanessa were not there, I looked over at Jadee who turned on the screen that had been showing us the warning. Nothing came on at first and everyone just looked at each other, wondering if the other person saw something. It only took a few seconds though for it to come to life. There were gasps all around.
Everyone started at once with the questions that were the most obvious. Jadee was becoming overwhelmed with a string of concerns so I jumped in to rescue her.
"We need to put some thought into this and come up with a plan of action," I told everyone. "Right now we can't figure out what it means. And with no way yet of being able to respond back we can only guess. Let's not get carried away with the 'what ifs'. We can look at every option before we start getting worried."
"Yeah, I guess it could just be some guy with a computer in his basement," Vince said. I thought about that for a second. That sure would be nice.
"What options do we have, Kevin is asking," April said from the Com Room, bringing everyone back out of their own heads.
"Has he been getting anywhere on figuring out how to respond back to the sender?" Jadee asked. April asked the mic. She looked up and shook her head.
"You said it was coming through a system that you were not familiar with. Which one?" I asked Jadee.
"That's just it," she said. "I can't find which system exactly. It's several different ones acting together, not one in particular."
"We are still working on figuring out which cable goes to which system in the Water Tanks," Davina said.
We talked on then with little help to ourselves as a group. The truth was there just was not much we could do. We all suggested becoming a little to a lot more secure outside. The other compound seemed extremely worried and was thinking of drawing up a battle plan. As we spoke another message came on the screen.
We all read it to ourselves.
WE KNOW THEY ARE COMING FOR US-NOT SURE HOW MUCH TIME WE HAVE LEFT-HOPE YOU ARE GETTING THIS-YOU HELP US WE WILL HELP YOU-YOU SHOULD BLOCK YOUR SIGNALS.
We did not say anything for a few moments. I don't think we could believe it really. The screen flashed off. It seemed to pull everyone back to the reality of the situation.
"I thought we did block our signals?" I asked Jadee.
"Kevin said that he had," she replied. "He showed us how to do it and it was pretty easy with this old stuff. I didn't even know we were giving off one until he told me."
"Kevin is asking if we unblocked our signals that he had covered up," April said from the Com Room. "Sounds like they are getting the same new message."
We all looked at Jadee. She looked a little hurt as she said matter of factly, "no I have not unblocked the signal."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The End, As It Happens To Us by Randy Dolph. Copyright © 2015 Randy Dolph. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
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