Hello,

Usagi here.

I am working on a new story - "Hitman."    It is a SHTF fiction.


Comments are welcome, as are suggestions and questions.[img='middle']http://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Originally Posted By Usagi: Hello, Usagi here. I am almost done with "Outline" - there are only a few more chapters and they are mostly written. That being said, I have another story brewing. No zombies this time, different SHTF fiction. However, as I don't get paid for this, the only joy I get from doing it is knowing that you all out there in Internet land are enjoying it. Here's the problem, I don't know how to make a poll on here, so respond to me by way of replies on this thread. 10 different people responding and I'll get the new story out to you! PS - if somebody figures out what "Usagi" means (there are two meanings I use - so pick either one), and I'll PM the secret of "Outline" before the story ends.

I have been following your first story and if you've got a second story I'd be willing to read that as well.

AKASL

LIVE FREE OR DIE

Fire Away.  Happy to read.

PM Sent.

Bring it on!!!

send it

By all means , put it up .

As for Usagi :  Used Some Alcohol , Got Intoxicted ?
because Rabbit Bodyguard is too easy

Most Definately.

Please post more.

bd

OK - I know there have not been 10 responses on here, but I've received some PM requests, too - so I guess I'll get that story on here later this week.

Definitely...post away.  I love reading all types of survival/prep fiction.  It takes a lot of balls to put your work out there for everyone to dissect.  

Chapter 1

Place: USA
Date: The near future
Time: Afternoon


The day was sunny and warm. Summer was always lie that in these parts. Matt sat on the porch at his apartment drinking his favorite beer. Looking down at his watch, he realized that his neighbor would be home soon – the man was so predictable! Matt looked down at his rifle – a top of the line AR-15 with a very nice scope. His neighbor would want to see it; especially the new bipod attachment.

In reality, the bipod was not new, but Matt was going to make Keith believe it was. Matt and Keith enjoyed a unique relationship. At the apartment complex, they were a bit older than most of the residents – who were typically college age or just out of school. Each man had experienced his own hardships and circumstances that had made such living arrangements perfectly fine for them.


*****

The Mind of Matt:

Or at least that’s what each man had told the other. Truth was sometimes rare among them. They both knew it, and they both propagated the tales. It was not done in a sense of one-upsmanship. No, the men both had their own skeletons in the closet. Perhaps that’s why they had become friends of a sort – they both had something to hide, and each could sympathize with the other for that reason.

‘Damn!’ Matt thought, ‘I’m starting to sound like a f****** woman thinking like this!’ A woman. That was a pleasant thought. Matt had never done so well with the ladies. Oh, he’d been married once – but as soon as she had learned of his real “occupation,” she was gone. Why did everybody have to be so judgmental?

The air was very still. The humidity choked the vitality out of the residents of the area. They nearly needed gills to breathe. The apartments lay on the gentle slope of a broad hill. Trees dotted the surroundings. Matt had often let his mind play with the surroundings, figuring the best tactical advantages of the landscape in given circumstances.

5:37 pm. Keith would be home any minute. He usually was here at this time, unless the interstate was clogged by a collision of drivers in too much of a rush to drive safely that day.

Safety. Why couldn’t more people be more safe in their daily lives? Matt gave himself over to the wanderings of his mind. People would engage in all manners of destructive and unsafe activities… and then curse at life or God when their own stupidity caused them pain or loss.

Pain and loss. Matt had seen plenty of it. He had caused it; from time to time. It was not something he liked – but it was a part of life. He accepted this. He embraced it.

Acceptance of the way things are. That is a concept many talk about and very few actually ever really get it. Matt was actually proud of the fact that not only could he accept things and people for what they were, but that his ability to understand that actually gave him the advantage in every situation. He always looked for the advantage – even if he had no need to use it. One could never be too careful.

“Well, time for another beer and time to say hi to Keith.” Matt told himself. His gaze came back to his immediate surroundings.


*****


Back in reality:

Matt got up and took his empty beer bottle inside. He retrieved another and popped the top. Just as he walked back out to the porch, he saw Keith walking up.

“Hey, neighbor.” Matt called out.

“Hey back. Anything new and exciting?” Keith called out.

“Just this,” Matt lifted the AR-15. Keith’s eyes widened. He loved to go shooting and the AR platform was one of his favorites. The fact that Matt was always getting the latest attachment or gear was refreshing for him. Keith had little money between the divorce and the girlfriends. Keith enjoyed the fact that someone out there could actually afford things he liked. It was an added advantage that it was his neighbor, who was also his friend of the last five years.

Keith took the weapon and admired the new attachment. He had held this weapon before. He had shot it before – something like 2000 rounds or so. He immediately felt the difference in weight. The bipod was not heavy – but Keith could notice the difference.

“You going to try it out this weekend at the range?” Keith asked.

“No time this weekend,” Matt lied. He had already tried out the bipod – on several occasions. “I’ve got to be out of town for several days, starting tomorrow.” That part was true.

“Maybe next time.” Keith stated. Keith liked going to the range, with or without Matt. Keith’s only problem was his collection – or lack thereof. He had a .44 magnum lever action rifle and a .44 magnum revolver. That was it. Whenever he accompanied Matt, he would bring ammo for Matt’s weapon if he was going to shoot it.

“I am going the next weekend. Let’s go then, if you aren’t going to be busy with one of your girlfriends!” Matt quipped. He had caught on long ago that Keith was a bit of a player.

Currently, Keith was seeing three ladies. None of them knew of the others. All of them knew Matt. He had the game down, now. The excuse was always the same – work had him away from home frequently. It was an easy excuse, because although Keith kept very regular hours, none of the ladies knew for sure – he never told them. Truth be told, Keith “borrowed” the excuse from Matt – at least it was true that work kept Matt out of town frequently.


*****


The mind of Keith:

He wished he could be like Matt, a bit. He liked the idea of being out of town on a regular basis. He wondered sometimes if Matt had girlfriends in different towns, and that was a convenient excuse.

Keith liked his friendship with Matt – if you could call it that. He knew Matt had some secrets, and that was fine with him. But the man was almost his own age – much closer, at least, than most of the other folks in the apartments. Matt at least gave the appearance he understood things. Some things he couldn’t understand – not yet. Matt had never been married, much less had kids. Keith had at one point been married and had kids.

The kids. The wife. Painful memories those were. Keith blocked his mind from going down this path. Suffice it to say he had become a big advocate of encouraging people to not drink and drive.

Driving was a topic he was familiar with – he often drove on the job, albeit around town – mostly to client’s offices and places of business. He liked the open road. Sometimes he wished he could be an over-the-road driver or something like that. At one point in his past, he had been a marketing rep; that job had really turned him on to the daily long-distance drive.


*****


“Hi, Keith, hi Matt.” Came a charmingly feminine voice.

“Hello, there, Amanda.” Matt replied. He knew each of Keith’s girlfriends by name. He always paid attention to details. It was his job, after all.

“Hey, baby.” Keith replied. “Come on in.” Matt opened the door to his apartment and the couple walked inside.

Matt finished his beverage and went into his own apartment. He put the AR away in the side bedroom. Any outside onlooker might have been curious as to why he was a bachelor with a two-bedroom apartment. Matt would have casually explained he had a lot of stuff. That was true, in part.

Matt retrieved a different AR-15, this one chambered in the 6.8 SPC round. The flat top sported a large scope that provided varying magnification from four to 16-power. The rifle had a 20 inch barrel and a top-of-the-line bipod, as well. Matt laid the rifle on his couch. Next, he gathered a ten-round magazine and four 25-round magazines. It took him a few minutes to load the magazines.

Methodically, Matt prepared. He was now at work. He was one of few who could say they worked from home. In truth, like many “work from home” jobs, he rarely did the actual work at home – most of it was done wherever his client needed Matt’s services. So Matt labored, putting his gear together. It was a unique blend of tactical and hunting gear.

Matt’s attire was black. Depending on his client’s needs, it might have otherwise been camouflage. His vest rig had compartments for his .45 caliber Sig magazines, as well as the AR-15 magazines. The vest also had a water pouch to the rear. Matt had a folding knife near his left shoulder and a small flashlight near his right shoulder.


*****


In Keith’s apartment, Keith relaxed on his sofa while the TV played. Amanda walked halfway in front of him. She had just come from playing tennis – she was on scholarship and in her junior year at the local state college.

“Mind if I make myself at home?” Amanda asked.

“Of course.” Keith responded.

Amanda bent over to remove her shoes. Keith noticed she was facing away from him. This was going to be a nice evening, indeed…


*****


Matt finished loading his car. All of his supplies and gear were in a pile in the back seat. He drove carefully to a nearby storage facility. At this point, he was in full work mode. He was doing things slow in his mind. He had practiced to the point where his slow had become smooth, and his smooth was now fast.

The door was opened. The truck removed. The car put inside. The gear transferred. The door to the storage unit closed and locked behind him. The American made navy blue truck was him. It was a full-size truck with a short bed, regular cab, and four-wheel drive.

The rifle went in the bed, stored in a watertight box that spanned the width of the truck bed. The vest with his magazines and his pistol were on the passenger side seat, under a dark blanket – but close at hand if needed. His truck was of Spartan appearance, much like his apartment. Matt preferred things that way.

Mile after mile, the road passed. Matt kept an eternal watch. If he was tired, it didn’t show. Six hours to his destination. It was imperative that he get there before midnight. The good news was that he had left before six pm, and he would cross into another time-zone, gaining an hour during the trip.

As always, the trip came and the trip went. Flawlessly. Matt arrived at his destination – a mid size Midwest town. He went directly to the point he had practiced the weekend before. Nothing was left to chance. The truck was parked in a concealed location half a mile from his final destination. He walked the rest of the way – gear in place and mind focused.


*****


Keith set the alarm on his clock. He would have to wake Amanda up just before 6 am so she could get to class on time. Then he would have to rush to put her things away. Kim was coming over tomorrow. He would have to figure out what excuse to use with Amanda on why she couldn’t come over tomorrow. That part could wait. He could do that at work. For now, some much needed sleep. He just couldn’t keep up with a girl over ten years younger than him without his rest!

Nice.

Chapter 2


Matt reached his “nest point” – that’s what he called his post. He set up methodically – again, slow was smooth, smooth was fast. His work was done quickly. His AR was in place, on its bipod and a small sandbag at the rear. His ten-round magazine in place, the first round chambered; weapon on safe. Normally, for a midnight operation, he would have used a night vision or thermal vision apparatus for target acquisition. Tonight he didn’t need to do so – his target would supply the light.


*****
Mind of Matt:

“Target.” That’s what he called the people he shot. He did not get wrapped up in exactly why they were more important dead than alive. He figured his clients paid him well enough to not ask why, and to not really care. Sure, it was somewhat without morality, but it paid well. He was closing in on thirty years of age, and at his current rate, he would retire by 32. Matt already had some ten million or so banked offshore. This job would add another $100,000 to that amount.

$100,000. That was a fair amount. He had worked for a fraction of that. He had worked for ten times that. His best job had been a mob family – he was hired by a rival mob family to wipe out six individuals. As usual, he had not known his targets – that might interfere with his ability to perform his job correctly.

This target was a doctor. Matt knew he had been an attending physician to the mob boss who’d previously hired him for the hit on the rival family. Matt also knew the doctor had been there when the mob boss’ son died. That was probably the reason for his job this evening.

One way or the other, it would not matter. Just after midnight, the doctor would return from his 12-hour shift at the hospital and go upstairs. Then, Matt would strike.


*****


Matt checked his watch. 12:16. It would be soon – four minutes to be exact. He went over final preparations. Scanning, he verified the distance – 375 yards.  It was a bit farther than he preferred, but necessary this time. He was in a well-to-do neighborhood. The spot he had picked was the only place secluded enough to allow him to fire without being discovered. There had been other locations, as always, but those had presented the obstacles of dogs, close proximity, and poor escape routing. This choice alone met all of the needed criteria.

Matt verified his sidearm had a round in the chamber. He positioned his small mirror  so that he could see directly to his rear without turning. He visually scanned the nearby houses. He was on top of a rise at one undeveloped end of the neighborhood. There were no occupied houses between him and the target, but there were some near the target. Those were all dark, except one. The house to the left of the target had one upstairs light on. He would have to watch that one.

Matt’s watch chimed the 60-second warning. He silenced it promptly. He was ready.

Headlights.

Right on time.

Matt settled the crosshairs on the bedroom window and allowed the rifle to rest in that position. He adjusted the sights for elevation and wind. After the last click, he checked to make sure there was nobody nearby.

All clear.

This one was past the critical phase – there was no return now.

If things went awry, he would have to fight his way out.

Only occasionally did things go awry. Few had ever lived to see the consequences when Matt was forced to fight instead of “hunt.” Cold precision didn’t describe it exactly…

The front door opened. Matt observed in his scope as the stairway light was turned on. Matt dialed up the magnification all the way to 16-power magnification. He waited.

The doctor was in no hurry tonight. That did not startle Matt. He remained patient. Good things come to those who wait. Matt took advantage of the extra time to check around himself once more. It just wouldn’t do to be ambushed. Not that he was expected. He never told his employers anything except “6 weeks – the job would be done in 6 weeks.” That gave him enough time to research the target, learn patterns and get familiar with the area.

Matt visually inspected his suppressor – it was in place. He moved his view to inside the scope. The doctor still was downstairs. Patience.

The doctor turned on his large flat-panel TV and was watching the sports - highlights. Matt watched them a while himself. He could make out most of the scores through the scope. That was one large TV the doctor had!

After some time, Matt realized that the doctor might not head to bed tonight. It made sense, the doctor did not have work tomorrow – Matt had made sure of that so the doctor wouldn’t be missed at work for a few days. The longer it was until a body was found, the harder it was to trace the assassin.

The doctor’s head started nodding. He was going to sleep on the couch. He was going to die on the couch, it seemed to Matt.

Crosshairs settled on the doctor’s ear. Matt disengaged the safety and put his finger on the highly modified trigger. It had a pull weight of just over one pound.

Matt double checked the wind. There was none to the side – just a slight wind in his face; two miles per hour, tops. He adjusted the crosshair slightly. Still locked onto the ear of the doctor, the rifle did not budge.

Inhale

Exhale mostly.

Depress.

The sound of an angry slap.

Matt kept watch on the target. Like most expert marksmen, he saw the bullet hit before the recoil of the weapon moved the scope off target. He reacquired his target with cold precision. Inside he did not even feel the remorse a normal hunter might have from taking a deer.

The last thing that went through the doctor’s mind was a .277 caliber soft-point bullet mushroomed to approximately .65 caliber. The result was a mess of blood and tissue all over the living room.

‘Such a waste of a perfectly useful sofa,’ Matt thought.

Matt scanned his surroundings. Nobody approached. The house with the light on did not stir. Nobody could have heard, unless they had an open window. Even then, the only sound they would have heard was breaking glass.

Matt noticed the TV was still playing. He noticed everything. The TV had to be turned off, it would attract attention through the window. The light it gave off illuminated the living room all too well.

Crosshairs settled onto the plug in the wall behind the TV.

Another angry slap sound.

The TV went silent. The house was dark – too dark to see into well, unless one went right up to the window. However, that was unlikely, the window was angled off to the side, away from most of the houses.

Matt returned his crosshairs to their normal zero and put the lens flaps down. He extracted a camera with a telescopic lens. It was a high-powered, high definition camera. He clicked the button and got the evidence he would need to collect the remainder of his payment. On a $100,000 contract, one third was paid up front and the rest was paid on completion.

Matt calculated the gasoline back. He would profit on this deal to the tune of over $98,000. He made sure to put in much training and preparation – that’s why he was considered one of the best at what he did.

With the mantra of slow is smooth and smooth is fast, Matt collected his gear and made quick time back to his truck. It was shortly after 1:30 am. He drove a mile or so, finding a dark spot to pull off the side of the road. He removed the phony out-of-state license plate and tossed it into the box with the AR-15 in the truck bed. Under that plate was another phony out of state license plate – only this time it was a completely different state.

An hour down the road, Matt found a small hotel with outdoor access. That was what he preferred. He checked in, using a fake ID and cash. This ID was one of his forty or so, and it had been four years since he used it. Matt really took no chances.

At the hotel, he got a room around back, where he used the concealment of the building to bring his weapons into the room. In the morning, he would take everything back out to the truck in a duffle bag. He would leave at about 8:30 – that was the calmest time of the morning – before most hotel cleaning crews started, and after most of the business people had left to work.


*****


Keith awoke two minutes before the alarm rang. He nudged the sleeping Amanda. She rolled over, at least until the blaring horn jarred her awake. She jumped up and hit the shower. Keith made a simple breakfast for them both. He knew he would have to wash the dishes before leaving so that there would be no evidence for Kim to find. Keith was really paranoid about getting discovered – mostly because he knew he had a good thing going.


*****


Matt was awake early. He would catch up on his rest later. Today he would collect. A quick phone call on a prepaid phone (purchased with cash in the town where the hit took place, of course) alerted his client that his task was finished. The phone was thoroughly smashed and the small pieces dropped along the highway through a small trap-door at the bottom air vent in the truck. The larger portions of the phone would be melted and disposed of in a shopping center garbage can in the next few weeks.

The rifle upper was already sold. Matt called the buyer to confirm he could stop by and drop off the freshly cleaned and lubricated weapon part. Normally, Matt sold the upper at different times and different places, but this time, he knew of an individual three hours from the town where the hit took place. That individual had been looking for a good deal on a 6.8 mm upper. Matt had offered a good deal - $350 for the part. He had sold an upper to this individual six years prior. That was enough time to keep the suspicion low.

Matt purchased uppers frequently, and in moderate quantities. That way, he could resell here and there privately and never get caught with the rifle that killed any of his targets. His main goal was to never have the ballistics exactly match from one job to another. He used .223, 6.8 SPC, 7.62x39, and .308 AR’s only. He only had five lower receivers, but dozens of uppers. His scope collection was more modest, but he had a main scope, a primary and secondary backup.

Matt had several other weapons, as well. Hunting rifles, pistols, even a few shotguns. Once, he had used a tactical 12-guage armed with a slug to take out a target. It was effective, but he did not trust the load at long ranges.

When it came time to do another job, he would take three range days – one to get the weapon set up correctly and sighted in; one day to train the specifics of the shot; and one day to cover contingency plans. He owned several hundred acres out in the country that had a small tactical range on one end. It was here he trained.

Training was always done after the first fact-finding mission. He always came back with the necessary information. That information was crucial. He had to get the layout, the angles, and other tactical information correct from the onset. Then he would travel back to the location and scope out the target, learning patterns and gathering more information.

When the time came for the actual hit, the training and preparation made things run smoothly for Matt. So smoothly, that he realized his biggest obstacle was complacency. He guarded fervently against the dreaded “C” word!


*****


Keith got Amanda off to class in time. He rushed to get ready, and nearly forgot to do the dishes. Rushing off to work, he began to plan on how to let the college-student know she couldn’t come over that evening. Once he figured it out, he would tell her; but he would wait until that afternoon.

Keith placed a quick call to Kim, who was glad to hear from him. He verified that she would be coming over that evening. Keith realized during the conversation that he was going to use the out of town meeting again. He hated using the same old excuse, but he had no others.


*****


Matt collected his payment in cash and headed back down the road. He was looking at a seven hour drive, but it would be worth it. He figured Keith would have another lady-friend over this evening. If he was fast, Mat could see which one. The thought brought a smile to his face. How long would it be until his friend got caught? Probably not long!

Good job.

Keep the Chapters coming!!!!

Chapter 3


Kim stormed out of Keith’s apartment. Matt watched on from his living room window – lights out and window cracked open so he could hear and see what was going on and yet not be seen himself.

“I don’t want to ever speak to you again. Don’t call me. Don’t email. Just leave me alone!” Kim was yelling at the top of her lungs.

Keith looked around to make sure the neighbors were not watching. They were.

“Kim, I can explain–“ Keith started.

“Explain what? That I am part of a harem? That you are a two-timing rat?” she fumed.

“You know you are really special to me. That other girl doesn’t count…” uh-oh. Bad wording, Keith thought.

“Doesn’t count? Doesn’t count!” Kim was incredulous. She was making her way to her car as fast as she could. Keith was on her heels, but she wasn’t going to be persuaded. Not after tonight…

“You’re right, that was a bad choice of words. I should have said…” Keith started to say.

“You should have said goodbye. Now it’s too late!” Kim’s hushed snarl was as loud as any yell – and had twice the impact.

With that, Kim had shut the door to her car and turned the ignition. Keith wisely moved well clear of the vehicle as Kim peeled out.

Dejected, Keith trudged back to his apartment. Matt was waiting outside the apartment with a beer.

“You OK, buddy?” Matt offered the drink.

“I’m fine. Just dejected,” Keith replied.

“What happened?”

“The short of it or the long of it?” Keith replied.

“She seemed pretty mad.”

“She saw Amanda’s sports-bra at the foot of the couch. I got so caught up yesterday cleaning up the rest of the place that I forgot to look where we… uh… started out.” Keith said tentatively.

“I was going to suggest that you say it was hers, but Amanda and Kim are not…” Matt thought a moment for the correct wording. “They are not the same size.”

“Yeah, nowhere close. That was the giveaway. And the fact that it was the wrong brand.”

Matt nodded as though he knew. In all fairness, it made sense, but he really didn’t care. He just wanted to be supportive.

“You shouldda said that it was your sister’s!” Matt laughed. Keith laughed at the joke, too.

“Yeah, maybe next time…” Keith started. Just then his cell phone buzzed. He looked down with a bit of skepticism. Certainly that wasn’t Kim!

Keith checked the screen: BRITNEY. This might be good.

“Hello.” Keith said.

Matt shook his head from side to side with a wide, knowing grin. In truth, he was a bit jealous, but he was glad to see a buddy “succeeding.”

“No, babe. I’m not busy – come on over.” Keith said.

“You should go to their place, too.” Matt whispered. Keith shoed him away, lest he say something too loud and get him busted a second time in one night.

“I’ll see you in a minute.” Keith said, then he closed the slide-phone.

“You dog!” Matt exclaimed. Keith had a silly grin on his face.

“Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do!” Keith said.

The men sat out on Matt’s porch, talking for a few minutes. The conversation ranged from the ladies to their favorite topic – firearms.

Moments passed. Then a feminine figure rounded the corner. Britney was wearing a revealing shirt and very short shorts. Keith greeted her and they went into his apartment.

“Oh well, even when he loses, he wins.” Matt said. He went into his own apartment. He had a rifle that needed assembly after that last job.


*****


Keith woke up – startled. He was not quite sure of his surroundings or why he had been awakened. He glanced about in the dark. A figure was moving down the hall toward him. He blinked his eyes clear to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The figure kept coming, he was close.

Keith moved to his drawer. His .44 magnum was in there. He was about to pull it and level the aim when he heard a familiar voice.

“Keith, it’s me!” Matt’s voice was hushed. Matt was trying not to alarm his neighbor.

“What the hell are you doing in here, man?” Keith asked.

“I’ve been knocking for 5 minutes. I figured you might not be able to hear me. So I let myself in.

“You broke my door down?” Keith asked.

“No, your secret key. Remember, you said I could use it if it were an emergency.”

“What is the emergency?” Keith asked. He glanced about. Britney lay in his bed, uncovered. Keith tried his best to cover her.

“We’ve got bigger problems than modesty right now… listen to this.” Matt said as he handed Keith a portable radio.

Keith donned the earpiece. It was a news announcer: “… again I repeat, forty major cities have been destroyed. The attacks, if that’s what they are, started at 2:45 am Eastern time. No word on the status of the President and the Congress. This just in, Omaha, Nebraska was just hit. We repeat, Oma…”

Keith ripped off the headset and jumped out of bed. He dressed in a hurry. Matt went about waking Britney. This was serious – she would forgive him for seeing anything she might rather him not see at the moment. As soon as Keith had his clothes on, he took over helping Britney get ready. He looked at the clock and did the math – it was now 3:17 am Eastern time.

“We have got to get out of here, now.” Matt said. There was no waver to his voice. “I have packed basic supplies and have enough room in my vehicle to transport the two of you, if you want to go with me.”

“I don’t know if we have a choice.” Keith stammered. “We are pretty certain that we are a target, too – this city, I mean.”

“I’ll bring you up to speed as we go to my apartment,” Matt said as he led the way. The group was in Matt’s apartment in no time, moving with the seed this situation would demand.

“All of the major cities in the US have been destroyed. All major military installations have been attacked, too. It is unsure the extent of the damage, as the news is still early, but I saw pictures of Los Angeles and Miami. Those cities were nuked. I am no expert, but the pictures they showed and the reports from the reporters lead me to believe a nuclear bomb of some sort.” Matt said.

“Oh, my gosh!” Britney exclaimed. They were packing several weapons and bags of ammo to those weapons.

“It gets worse, every ten to fifteen minutes, another group of cities is leveled. They are being attacked in order of population. I did some quick calculations, and this city will be hit the time after next. We have about 25 minutes, tops to get out of here.”

The reality of it hit Keith. Then his phone rang. AMANDA was the readout on the display.

“Hey, are you alright?” Keith asked.

Matt busied Britney by giving her a couple of rifles and as many magazines as she could carry to tote to the vehicle.

“Stay right there, I’ll be there to get you in six or seven minutes!” Keith said.

“What are you doing?” Matt exclaimed as Keith slid the phone closed.

“I can’t just leave her.” Keith said.

“What will you tell Britney? We can’t just leave her, either!” \Matt reasoned.

“I’ll get to that later. Right nw, I have to go get Amanda.”

“Fine. But I need your help. If we are going to be four, I need help putting the camper on this truck. DO you know where the ‘Jiffy Store-It’ storage place is?” Matt asked as he finished packing.

“Yeah, right off of Highway 96.” Keith said. “Amanda’s place is just down the road from there.”

“Good. You help me put the camper on. Then I will meet you at the rest area 15 miles outside of town. Speed to get there. We will have to be as far away as possible when the nuke hits… if it is a nuke.” Matt said. “I’ll take Britney with me. I won’t tell her your ‘secret’ here – that’s you’re job. I will keep her busy, teaching her how to load, unload, and fire these weapons. We will all need to know that in the days to come.”

“Gotcha. And I’ve got you’re cell number just in case.” Keith said. Keith rushed and grabbed his .44 rifle and pistol form his apartment and ran to his car. He didn’t know if he’d need the weapons, but with him, they could actually do some good.

The pair of vehicles arrived at the storage facility and were in and out in five minutes. The camper was not hard to put in place. Matt had a few other supply boxes to load, but they were in place to be easily loaded as Matt had in years past fashioned a ramp to load just these boxes into just this truck.

Keith was well on his way to Amanda’s place. He would get her in a rush. Meanwhile, on the highway, Matt was going over the basics of a Glock with Britney. In his head, Matt was not looking forward to the arguments he knew were going to be part of his life this morning.

Twenty six minutes after leaving their apartment complex, Matt and Keith met back up at the rest area outside of town. When Keith indicated he wanted to ride in the back of the truck, Britney and Amanda wanted to do the same. The women did not know each other, but they wanted to find out who the other was.

Keith had labored over the decision to have them both in the back of the truck with him. That would give Matt the peace he would need to drive fast to get out of Dodge! Keith had locked his vehicle – there was a chance it would still be useful at some point in the future – and then climbed into the back of the covered truck with the ladies. The minute he got in, he realized the girls had introduced themselves, and he had some explaining to do.

The blast was as bright as day. It hit when the dark colored truck was two miles away from the rest area. The three passengers looked at it, then realized they needed to turn their heads so as not to damage their eyes. Matt watched carefully from his mirrors. Miraculously, the truck did not go dead from an EMP. This puzzled Matt, but Keith and the ladies were not paying enough attention to be puzzled. Their minds were elsewhere – specifically, on matters of the heart.

Fantastic update and enjoyed the chapter.  I wondered how the story was going to develop into a survival story but now we know.

Keep the chapters coming. I wonder how the two women will get along

Sweet, a hitman, a player and two womens when SHTF.

Interesting.  I like so far.

Chapter 4


Matt drove on. It had been several hours on the road, and he just about needed a stretch break. Keith, Amanda, and Britney had sat the whole time, crammed into the back of the truck, and been talking.

At first, it was more yelling than talking. Then the yelling settled down. Then it stopped altogether. Then the talking eased up a lot. Then, a question here and a comment there. It seemed Keith had at least brought everybody to an understanding of sorts. Matt was curious what that was going to be – but he knew better than to ask.

Matt slid the back window open. “Ya’ll ready for a break?”

“Yes. And some food, if possible,” came Amanda’s response.

Matt closed the window. Stopping would be OK, but he had some concern about stopping in a heavily populated area. He had nearly a dozen weapons in the front seat; and that was bound to draw unwanted attention of some sort or another.

A few miles passed. They reached a small town. This one had several burger chains, and most of those served a breakfast. The sun was creeping over the horizon in a brilliant early morning dazzle.

Matt pulled into the parking lot and parked at the far corner so as not to let many people have the angle to look inside the truck. Quickly covering the weaponry with a blanket, Matt realized nobody would pay much attention to a shapeless nondescript mass in the front seat. Matt secured his Sig in its concealed holster… just in case.

Keith stepped from the rear of the vehicle. His face was a bit long and his eyes were raw. There had been some anger released and some tears shed in the exchanges over the past few hours. The ladies looked much the same – tired, spent, and hungry.

Breakfast was quick. Keith had some orange juice. He loved orange juice. It was a perfect food for him, as well as being a comfort food in this case. Britney munched a biscuit. Amanda drank coffee and ate some eggs. Matt was eating some biscuits and gravy. He knew high energy foods were going to soon be limited. He knew a lot of conveniences were soon to be all but extinct.

They were finishing up and heading toward the truck when a familiar glint of a store caught Matt’s eye. “Come on, we are going shopping,” he announced to the group.

“What for?” Britney asked . She looked and felt stunned.

“You girls need some proper clothes. The next few days will be rough. Your current attire will not be…” he searched for the right wording. Wording was his weakness. Dealing well with most people was not his forte in general. “… will not be suitable for what you will have to do.”

“And what exactly will we have to do?” Amanda asked demandingly.

“I don’t know exactly. But it won’t be easy.” Matt said. He wasn’t trying to be cryptic, but he didn’t want to alarm them, either.

“What’s going on?” Britney asked. They were halfway across the parking lot to the Mega-Mart. This one was open 24 hours. Nobody would be there this early in the morning.

“Look, I didn’t start all of this, I just heard it happening on the radio. With what I heard before we picked you up, Amanda, until just before we got out for breakfast a half hour ago, the world has changed. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” Matt regretted the words before they were all out of his mouth, but he didn’t know what else to say to let them know the gravity of what was going on without alarming the women too much.

“What has happened. What is the extent of it?” Keith asked.

“All I know is that as of right now, the largest 50 cities in America are leveled – destroyed. We don’t know who has attacked. Also, every major military installation has been hit with what some sources are calling biological attacks. The military cannot fight for us right now in any real capacity. When word of this gets around, it will not be good.” Matt recounted.

They entered the store. Matt made a beeline for the sporting goods section. “Keith, get three sets of good camouflage for yourself. Ladies, come with me.” Matt ordered.

Matt and the girls went to the section with the heavy-duty pants. He had them get several pairs each. Then they got some quality boots, for all of them. Several pairs of everything were in order. Halfway through, Amanda noticed Matt was not getting any supplies for himself. She said nothing, but made a mental note of it.

Matt got each of them a good quality folding knife, a couple of glow sticks, and a field hunting vest – camo for Keith and khaki for the ladies. More than once, Matt had to redirect questions about what they were buying and why.

“Matt, I don’t have the money to buy this.” Amanda protested as they finished gathering the things Matt said they needed.

“You don’t have to – I’m buying it.” Matt responded.

“Thank you, but I still don’t see why we need all of these things.” Amanda snapped.

“You will. Soon enough.” Matt was a bit curt on the reply.

They trudged along. The total came to just under $1000 with all of the clothes and supplies Matt had grabbed for them. His check card authorized the amount without a problem. Naturally, the other three did not understand why, but they went along with it. They were in shock about all of the events of the last four or five hours.

They weren’t the only ones. The employees of the Mega-Mart were glued to the TV’s that were strategically placed throughout the showroom. It took Matt fifteen minutes to flag down someone to ring them up.

Back on the interstate, the three crammed into the back. Somehow, they managed to get the new supplies crammed into the truck as well. Matt was not even ten miles down the road before the three in back were asleep. So much the better. They still had several hours before they would get to the target location. Then the real work would begin.


*****


FOUR HOURS LATER

Matt was going strong. He had managed to avoid major cities with the help of a few maps in his truck. Traffic was light. Matt figured that the traffic was light because so many had been killed in the explosions. The only people left were in the smaller cities. And those were under attack now. Ten more cities had suffered explosions in the past hour, according to the sources he could get on the radio.

The radio sources were shrinking in number. The last hour had seen all bet two stations go dead on him. They probably were destroyed in the blasts as well.

One question troubled Matt. Who had attacked? And why? Matt contemplated these things as he rounded a bend. Ahead in the distance, he saw a mass. The mass seemed to be moving. It was large – but so far away that he could not identify it. One way or another, this would not be good.

Matt checked his maps. No way around this one. He checked two of his rifles, while reducing his speed, as well. The mass was taking shape. It was a crowd of people. About a dozen of them. They were in the middle of the road. Matt stopped the truck. He still was a half mile off.

Matt re-checked the map. He was looking for a way to backtrack and go around. Not without going an hour or more out of the way. He opened the window to the back and awakened Keith, Britney, and Amanda; and filled them in on the situation as they regained their senses. He armed Keith, but neither of the women were comfortable with the weapons. He would definitely have to fix that.

The people in the back ducked behind the boxes. It was easy to hide back there. Keith kept just the top of his head and his rifle over the boxes, but hid under a pile of the new clothes they had just bought. He hoped it would not draw too much attention.

Matt slowed the vehicle as they approached the group. One of the men motioned for him to roll down his window. Matt complied hesitantly, as he noted that many of the people had armed themselves. Matt secured his own pistol, under the blankets, just in case.

“Hello there.” Said the man from the group. “Where are you headed?”

“Just passing through. I’ve got several more hours on the road yet.” Matt did not want to disclose exactly where he was going – and they had no need of that information.

“We will not allow you to stop here. We have had problems with looters and other riff-raff. I’m sure you can understand, friend,” the man replied.

“I understand and I don’t blame you. I am just passing through. I have enough for myself and have no need to stop.” Matt responded.

“Fine then. I will have one of the men follow you in his truck. You can understand why he will do this. You will also understand why he will have other men with him in the truck with guns at the ready.” The man was unwavering in his suggestion.

”No problem. I have nothing to hide. I’m just wanting to pass through here.” Matt understood this was not what he preferred, but since he had no business in this town, and he could understand their concern, he decided to follow by their rules.

The man motioned to two of his cohorts, who stepped into an older model truck. Two more men got in the back with rifles at the ready. The man motioned Matt along, and the group of people parted to allow the truck to pass.

Two and a half miles of slow riding, with armed escort following along was almost too much for Amanda in the back of the truck. She was still young, and easily rattled. Britney was taking things a little better. She was half a dozen years older than Amanda and had calmed a little with age.

Keith was a manager at work. He had faced very unsettling events from time to time, and this was just another. All three kept hidden in the back. They had heard Matt talk to the leader of this town, and Keith had pointed out that Matt spoke only of himself, so the rest of them were bound to keep with the ruse.

Before they knew it, they were back on open highway. An eerily empty highway. There were almost no cars. They had not seen a police officer all day – even in the small towns. There was some conversation in the back of the truck. Mostly the girls getting to know each other, or asking Keith a random question.

Earlier in the day, the girls had decided that neither really knew how she felt about being one of several girlfriends of Keith. Both had accepted the fact that Keith had never directly stated he was not dating another person at the time. In fact, Britney had assumed Keith was casually dating others. The only thing that had hurt Britney’s feelings was the fact that Keith and Amanda seemed somewhat close and had been seeing each other more frequently than she and Keith had.

The more Keith thought about the situation, the more he realized that to some extent, each woman was suppressing her actual feelings. Both had just experienced loss of family and friends, and they both knew that neither would be alive right now if they had not left town with Keith. Keith would never know how right he really was…


*****


The mind of Amanda:

‘I may be young, but I’m not stupid.’

That was Amanda’s motto.

No, it was more than a motto, it was a way of life for her.

She took pride in her smart decisions at a young age. Smart decisions to advance herself and her way of life. She had earned full athletic and academic scholarship to college. She had worked summer internships that would help her get a good solid job once she graduated. She had fallen in love with an older, settled man…

Falling in love. That had been her mistake. Not the love part – everyone was entitled to find that special person and she firmly believed that. No, the mistake was with *whom* she had fallen in love. She had thought Keith to be an older, stable man. She had also believed him to be firmly committed to her. Obviously, that had been wrong.

Her heart had been broken when she heard Britney state she was also in love with Keith. Then that broken heart was stepped on when Keith had admitted there had been another woman, as well. But as soon as she had been down, Keith brought hope back into her heart by saying that she, Amanda, was a source of youthful rejuvenation for him. Before the momentum could build, Keith had also complimented Britney in a similar fashion.

Amanda could clearly see that Keith was leaving both doors open – in case either woman would still have him. She really couldn’t blame him. He stood to lose everything. And they had all lost so much today already.

Amanda admitted to herself that she was open to getting back together with Keith. There was a part of her – the part that craved competition – that wanted to fight for Keith, literally, if it came to that. More specifically, she was a competitor. One does not receive athletic scholarships to major universities without having that competitive drive. Amanda specifically wanted to compete for Keith’s affections. She knew she could win that battle.

Winning. ‘The exertion of an advantage over an opponent in a decisive and conclusive manner.’ Her high school coach had used those words. All she had to do was determine or create her advantage, then push that to the point where the opponent quits. The key was to also not have a weakness of your own exploited at the same time.

Amanda figured she was even in looks. Britney was a little heavier on top, but Amanda was proud of her lower half. Waist down she was very toned from athletic training. That was also why she lacked in other areas, she thought.

In age, she had an advantage for being youthful. However, that angle was not a good one as she needed. The youthful angle could also be exploited in Britney’s favor – she was several years older, more mature, and more experienced. She could just hear that now. Perhaps that was her perceived weakness? If that turned out to be the angle Britney used, Amanda would play dirty and call the experience just what it was – many other men.

In intelligence, Amanda did not really have a good perception. She could tell Britney was keeping something in reserve, but whether that was born of intellect or experience in this situation sometime in the past was the question.

The only angle Amanda could see to work was that of loyalty. Britney had so much as admitted she figured Keith was seeing other people. This meant she, too was likely to be seeing others casually. Amanda would pursue this to the end, then. Or at least until another option presented itself – and they always did!


*****


The mind of Britney:

Things were happening so fast. She had come over to Keith’s place to have one more night of fun then break things off with him in the morning. Keith was fun enough to be around, but she had been seeing Brett on the side and was really falling for him. Planning on using the “I just don’t think things are going anywhere between us” line, Britney was going to free herself up to see Brett.

Brett. Poor Brett. He lived in the middle of downtown. Surely he was dead now. She had kept the tears private for a while, but she knew she couldn’t do that forever. If anybody asked, she was weeping for family. That’s how she would play it off.

Still, she had feelings for Keith. Some, not much. He was still fun, but the appeal had worn off. She knew he was a ‘playa’ from day one. She just thought it would be fun to try to win him over. It didn’t work, but she had always had fun, and that was the point.

Amanda. That girl was pretty smart. And driven. Britney could tell she wanted Keith for herself. That was fine but Britney – but there was a catch. Britney was not one to just roll over. The torture of Amanda would be fun. Britney figured she would really make Amanda work at winning over Keith. Even if it meant debauching herself in the process just to spite Amanda. Who would care – it wasn’t like she hadn’t done that with Keith already.

Spite Amanda. That would be fun. Britney had nothing personal against the girl. But she had something against that type. She had been ridiculed by the jock-type back in high school a bit too much. She still held that grudge. Poor Amanda would bear the brunt of her revenge. No, Amanda hadn’t hurt Britney directly, but this would be one for the girl Amanda had to have hurt when she was in high school. Britney was certain Amanda had hurt someone the same way herself at one point in time.

Yes, this would be a good game. Just remember – it is a game. Britney would make sure to remember that it was just a game. No reason to go too far. She might have to live with these people for a long time. And that part was not entirely bad.

Matt. Now he was interesting. Perhaps that would be her target – who knew? She could see herself getting to know him better. Where had he been all this time? Keith said right across the way… and Britney had seen him and learned his name. She had even taken notice of him. But the way he took charge today. That stirred something on a very primal level within her. That was the kind of man she had always been attracted to.


*****


Keith had noted that Amanda, then Britney, had fallen asleep. It was early afternoon now. Matt had filled up the tank an hour before, paid the attendant in cash. Keith wondered how he got the money. Other than his weapons, Matt never seemed to spend any money. Maybe that’s how he had so much!

Matt was slowing the vehicle. Keith looked around – careful not to disturb the ladies sleeping against either shoulder. They were pulling off onto a dirt road. They drove forever on the dirt road. In reality only about ten minutes, but it was so bumpy and uncomfortable that both ladies were stirred awake.

On they drove. The road winded around a rise. They were obviously in the Midwest now, from the geography of the region – very flat, few trees, many crops and cattle to be seen here and there. Another turn on another dirt road. This one went a long way, as well. Up a rise, down into a ravine of sorts, and around a bend. As they rounded the bend, Keith realized they were in fact not on a narrow gravel road – but a driveway.

At the end of this driveway was a large farm house. It was complete with two bars and a shed. There was a silo off to the east a few yards from the house, between the two barns. Keith noted the house was on a rise and had good visibility in all directions. The bend and sheer distance had hidden the house from the main road.

Keep it coming

Ok now i'm starting to get hooked.

More chapters this week and weekend!

Chapter 5


The farm house was certainly one to behold. Unremarkable on the outside, save for its larger than normal size, its true value was what was on the inside. A better observation might be what was NOT on the inside: that remained to be seen. The inside was fully furnished, and was stocked with all of the needed tools for living. A full library of books and an entertainment center full of movies completed the livability – the only thing this place had lacked was people to live in it!

In the barn, in a well sheltered area, was a HAM radio. Matt knew the basics of operating one. Also stored in the barn was a full range of tools and equipment that would be needed for a farm – including the large machines like a tractor. Naturally, there were large tanks out back of diesel fuel for the machinery.

The silo had the majority of the food stores. It held enough non-perishable food to last the four of them for several years without additional need. There were multi-vitamins, medicines, and other supplies there. There was a secret underground passageway between the house, barn, and silo – concrete reinforced and with two rooms for hiding, if necessary.

Outside, on the roof of the house and the barn, as well as along the sides of the silo, were a series of solar panels. The panels were wired to a capacitor located in a sealed area under a section of the floor of the barn. Matt explained that there were multiple windmills on the property that were also wired in. These would be able to provide an ongoing supply of electricity.

Matt’s weaponry was all they had, but the farm house had hundreds of thousands of rounds stored. Also, there were many accessories – to the point of looking like a gun shop. There were many changes of clothes for Matt, and it became immediately apparent why he had the others purchase some clothes. In fact, they planned on going out and getting more for Keith, Amanda, and Britney.

The farm house was supplied water by an underground well that could be primed electrically or manually. A small shed outside the back of the house was the shelter for this well and housed the switch and manual hand pump.

Keith noticed that the house was in the middle of a rise. They had excellent vision in all directions. This would be a tactical advantage. The “yard” was very large – over 100 acres. Matt explained to Keith that one of the first orders of business was to establish some places of cover from all directions that could be used by Matt and crew.

The property itself was “several thousand” acres, according to Matt. He was never direct about it. On the property were several fields – growing corn, beans, wheat, hay, and housing cattle on several large fields. Matt explained that he rented out different parts of it to different people – hence the variety on a single farm.

“So our first order of business is to find out exactly what is going on out there. Then we find our new neighbors, let them know who I am, and see who is likely to help, who we can help, and who is likely to be trouble. There will be folks in all three categories. Beyond that, all will depend on what we learn.” Matt advised the group.

“How will we find out what is going on?” Britney asked.

“I am going to show you all how to use the Ham radio.” Matt said. “Then, we will go to the neighbors’ houses, one after the other. Also, we will go to the houses of the people who rent the land from me. All of them will want to know I’m here.”

“What time frame do you have for these things?” Keith asked.

“I’ll show you all how to use the Ham tonight. I have devices set up to scan the channels like a police scanner. I have a recording device to record any transmissions. It is really top of the line, so all we need to do is check it periodically to make sure there are no new updates.” Matt replied.

“How will we know when the transmissions took place? I mean, it might be important to know when things happen – especially if there are warnings sent out with time frames.” Amanda said.

“Good question. The recording device has a time and date stamp for each recording. It has its own separate battery, so even if the power goes out, it will remember.” Matt remarked to himself how accurate Amanda’s concern was. Not just anybody would have been able to see that potential disadvantage that quickly – in fact, it had taken Matt three weeks after purchasing the radio and the equipment to figure that part out.

With that, Matt headed to the barn and let them all crowd around him as he instructed them in how to use the radio. Most of it was self-operating. Matt had spared no expense in getting this setup in place.


*****


The Mind of Matt:

Things ar going as planned. Of course, he never planned to actually have to use his retreat location, and certainly not share it with three outsiders. But that was his lot. Besides, he figured, ultimately, he would have needed or wanted help from others, and these three provided just that. With a little training and motivation, he would have his own little world if it was needed.

Was it needed? Probably. Bombs didn’t just go off in major cities for no reasons. Biological weapons were not released against military bases by accident. This was probably the invasion of all invasions. But how could they invade? The USA has (or had) the best military in the world! They had no known weaknesses – except the Congress that tried to command them.

Matt wondered just how serious this was. Was this the beginning of the end? Was this the Biblical rapture? Was it a fight – an unexpected one that the US simply wasn’t ready for?

One thing was for sure, he was no army, but anyone that wanted to come here and fight had another thing coming to him. Matt had prepared well. His job alone was 90% of what he needed. The rest was just the details. Survival. He would survive. He knew how. And if he had to improvise, then that was just fine with him, too.

One advantage he hadn’t planned on was unfolding. He had always wondered about having a significant other in this sort of situation. Britney was very obviously gawking at him as he showed them the place. He was no expert in this, but he could tell a special interest when he noticed one. His ability to notice changes was one of his greatest advantages in his job – and it might just prove useful in “regular” life, as well.


*****


“Matt, I think you’d better hear this.” Britney said.

In his pondering moment, Matt had wandered out of the barn and into the lawn toward the front of the house. He kept his AR15 slung over his shoulder. Surprisingly, none of his “guests” had questioned it. None had even seemed shocked.

Matt neared the radio. He could make out the transmission.

“…military bases inoperative and unresponsive to communications efforts. Civilian police are now limited mostly to county sheriffs from all accounts. Word has it now that illness is spreading in certain areas. There is little information on the actual illness, but symptoms are consistent with the flu. Listeners are advised to seek appropriate medical attention if they become ill. Those who do not need to venture out should not.

“Again, to repeat the information to all listeners, this is the Survival Commando broadcasting from parts undisclosed in the USA. I am compiling all data I can and getting it out over the CB, Ham radio, and a local station where I live. My call letters will be KSRV. I will broadcast on station 100.7 FM tonight at 9 pm Eastern, 8 Central, 7 Mountain, and 6 pm Pacific. I have received verified information from major news corporations, trusted friends and informants nationwide, as well as personal monitoring of numerous broadcast outlets.

“Satellite TV is still on, and a few channels are broadcasting from undisclosed locations. It is imperative that these locations remain anonymous, as our attackers would most certainly try to take them out, given the chance. Sources report and I have verified most of the reports that the top 125 cities in the USA by population have been completely destroyed. Unverified reports of the next 25 cities having met the same fate. It is likely that all cities over 50,000 in population can reasonably expect the same treatment.

“Biological warfare has been waged against the US armed forces. As of 5 pm Eastern time today, no major military branch could be reached in any form by any means of communication. We have reason to believe that an extensive attack has all but wiped out the US armed forces domestically. No word on overseas military. Media, civilians, and off duty military have all tried, but they have found most, if not all  military bases inoperative and unresponsive to communications efforts.

“This just in, it has been confirmed by Terrorist networks in the middle east that several terror groups, working together, have claimed responsibility for the bombing, biological attacks, and spreading a deadly strain of the flu on American soil. All of you listening out there – either seek shelter that would be impermeable to germs, or get access to flu medication. And doing both seems a good idea right now! I repeat…”

Matt suddenly turned off the radio. “Everybody, grab a weapon. We are going to town to the doctor’s office. I will get us some flu medication. Make sure you are in your tactical attire first. From now on, we will wear that attire at all times. I’ll fill you in on the details as we can. So right now – go get changed and grab a rifle. Meet here to leave in ten minutes. Go!”

“Where will we get the rifles?” Britney asked.

“They will be beside the door when you get back downstairs. Now, go!” Matt snapped.

Keith, Britney, and Amanda rushed into the house and did as they were told. Under other circumstances, some of them might have put up a bit of a fight with Matt on whether to simply obey him. However, this whole time, he had remained calm – now there was a sense of urgency in his voice that warranted no argument.

Matt was a blur of motion assembling his weapons. He made them all AR15’s, chambered in 5.56 mm. All had flat tops with top of the line holographic sights. Each one had a flashlight which Matt double checked as he assembled the weapons. All had padded slings for comfortable carry. At the end, Matt put a loaded magazine in each, and brought three ammo bags. Each ammo bag had five magazines in it.

Matt had the CB speaker in hand, checking his Sig and adjusting it in the holster on his hip as Britney came down the stairs. She was the first down, and she knew it. She had watched Keith go into Amanda’s room to change. They would take the full ten minutes. Britney observed Matt talking on the CB radio.

“…alright, doc. Ten it is. I’ll be there in half an hour. Thanks.” Matt concluded.

“Flu shots?” Britney asked.

“Yeah.” Matt said. He was doing the last of the preparations.

“Ten bucks each, huh?” she said.

“Heh. Yeah. Ten bucks each.” Matt said with a little chuckle.

“You always go for the best deal, don’t you.” It was more of a statement than a question. “I do want to know: where did you get this place, these weapons, all of it?”

“I bought it.” Came the curt reply.

“You bought it? Are you rich?” she asked.

“Compared to some. Of course, some folks overseas earn less than a hundred bucks a year. Compared to them, everybody is rich.” Matt said. It was more of an explanation than Britney expected.

“That’s no answer. Come on,” she pleaded.

“You don’t want to know, and I am not going to say. For now, just understand that I worked very hard to earn the money it took to buy this place. As for the weapons; let’s just say that some folks have different hobbies than others. It is a coincidence that my hobby has now come in handy.” Matt said.

Britney was about to fire something back, but Amanda and Keith were heading down the stairs and she decided to wait until later. The way those two were hanging on each other, she would get plenty of alone time with Matt – and that was just fine by her. A part of Britney was a bit jealous that Amanda had “won over” Keith. But she kept reminding herself that she had been over to break up with him, and she had as much as told him so, as well as verbally backing out on purpose so as not to interfere. That still didn’t change the fact that she did have some lingering feelings for Keith.

They climbed in the truck. The 20 minute trip seemed to take no time at all. Britney could not help but notice Matt was a bit on edge. She wondered what he was thinking about, but she did not ask. Something inside her told her not to ask.

Keith and Amanda rode with Britney in the back of the truck. On the way over, Keith taught the ladies how to charge their weapons and change magazines. He had turned on all of the sights on the weapons – he figured that was no waste of the batteries as the ladies would not know how to do it if the situation got out of hand.

They arrived within the 30-minute timeframe that Matt had given the doctor. Sure enough, the doctor had stayed after hours to meet them. Britney thought that to be odd, especially with Matt having negotiated a great deal on the price. Britney wondered to herself if the deal included anything else she hadn’t overheard.

Matt had the others wait near the vehicle as he went into the doctor’s office with Britney. As soon as the doctor produced the vial full of flu vaccine, Matt reached for his pocket to get the payment. Britney looked on silently in shock as Matt counted out $10,000 in cash for the doctor.

“You know, doc, this cash won’t do you any good in a few months. You sure you don’t want to trade for something more real?” Matt asked. Britney realized every word was true. She wondered if Matt was always that caring. He certainly did not have to point that out to the doctor.

“Your money is good here. Maybe in the future we might have to trade like that, but I’ll hold on to whatever hope we have left until then.” The doctor replied as he handed Matt several unused syringes.

“Have it your way. Thank you for doing business with me. We will stay in touch.” Matt said. He and Britney made their way out of the office. The doctor stayed behind to finish putting things away.

“That was weird.” Britney said.

“Yeah.” Was all Matt offered. He never really had much to say around ladies he found attractive – and Britney certainly filled that description. Matt felt especially uncomfortable since he could tell she was at least somewhat interested in him.

“You should open up more,” Britney started, as if she could read Matt’s mind. “I’m sure you won’t say anything too goofy.”

“That’s not it,” Matt said. In all reality, he did not want to talk about his past, his job, and the other things he hid for obvious reasons. Good folks would be frightened of that. And Britney should have no reason to be frightened of him – Matt meant her absolutely no harm. In fact, here he was, protecting her.

But would Britney realize that Matt was there to protect her, despite his past? Matt knew that was unsure, at best. As they walked outside into the dusk, Matt contemplated how he might parlay the fact that he was there to work with Britney, Keith, and Amanda and not harm them? Then he saw it…

Honed by years of training and execution, Matt noticed the weapons and the people holding them immediately. Keith and Amanda were their hostages. The abductors were of Latin decent – possibly Central American, maybe Mexican – he could not be exactly sure.

Matt figured he could determine their ethnicity later. Right now he had to act! And act he did. In a smooth motion, Matt had un-shouldered his AR15 and brought it up to aim.

“Get back in the building!” he yelled to Britney. She stumbled, but got back behind the brick wall.

“Drop the gun or we kill them!” one of the armed men said. He had Keith in his grip. His words had a distinct Spanish accent to them.

Matt aimed at the other man – the one holding Amanda hostage. He put the holographic red dot on the man’s head, leaving several inches away from Amanda, who was doing her best to bend out of the way.

“Drop it!” The first abductor said, followed by a slew of profanities.

BANG.

Red explosion.

Blood and brains everywhere.

Amanda hit the ground, unharmed.

BANG.

Another red explosion.

No more profanities.

Keith hit the ground unharmed.

Britney peeked around the corner to see Matt kneeling, rifle pointed at the dead Hispanic men. Matt’s head was sweeping back and forth, he was looking for more enemies.

Keith rushed to Amanda’s aid. She was fine physically, but obviously emotionally shaken. Britney came out and tended to them both. Matt checked the downed men to make sure there would be no more trouble. The whole thing had taken two seconds.

Slowly, surely, Matt ushered them all into the truck. The trip home was quiet. None of the others had ever seen anyone move as decidedly as Matt had. It was obvious to them all that Matt had some kind of training. They were too shaken from the events to ask about his training, and Matt was fine with that. But, he knew the questions would come, sooner or later…

AWESOME

Originally Posted By Gary_P: AWESOME

+1

HOLY SHIT

Keep it coming it's getting good

Damn this is a good story, more please!

Chapter 6


Ahmed looked at his advisors. “You have all performed as expected. Soon, we will wipe the Infidels from the face of the Earth. With America out of the way, we have paved the path for the attack on Israel. Soon, all of our enemies will bow before us, or be destroyed!”

All had gone to plan. The plan had been one with many moving parts, and that had always worried Ahmed, but the plan had come together beautifully. Allah would surely reserve a wonderful spot for him in the afterlife!

It had been so simple, really. America was there for the taking. Allowing the years of virtually unchecked illegal immigration, the American people had grown lax about their own security. A nice deal with Mexican gang members got his people and the weapons across the border without so much as a single hitch!

The weapons had also been east to come by. With Iran’s testing of nuclear weapons as a distraction, Ahmed and other terrorist leaders had consulted North Korea and purchased the weapons. The price had been terribly steep, but the money was well worth it.

The money had come strictly from oil profits. That was the best part of the whole equation. The Americans had paid for their own destruction. Had they drilled their own oil, then the terrorist run middle-eastern countries would never have made the profits they had from jacking the cost of gasoline up over $4 per gallon. Muslim extremists worldwide could thank the American liberals – and the press they controlled – for all of it.

The liberals had prevented the drilling of oil on American soil – so America had to purchase it from the middle east.

The liberals had protested the thought of bringing Iran to justice – so America just barked that way and never prevented the real threats from rising.

The liberals had forced their media outlets to take their focus off of North Korea. This helped the weapons transfer.

The liberals had protested the thought of “illegal immigrants.” Instead, they were “undocumented workers.” By making Americans forget about the aliens’ first crime against America, they permitted the illegals to commit their next crimes against America. And the next, and the next. Up to the point where weapons of mass destruction could be smuggled across the border and terrorist cells could be manned by Ahmed’s troops.

Allah be praised. Liberal Americans be thanked – then crushed.

But really, it wasn’t just the liberals. It was the rest of America, too. The ones who knew all this was wrong did nothing. They did not prevent these things. They were just as responsible. And, in Ahmed’s point of view, they got what they had been asking for!

Now for phase two!

Phase one was easy – cripple America.

Phase two would take just a little longer – take over America. Ahmed’s troops – reinforced by the armies from several middle-eastern countries, and the North Koreans would go town to town and destroy every last Infidel. They would take some as slaves, too. Those American Infidels would have to give up their weapons.

“So, now we come to Phase two. Any last concerns or notes from our preparations?” Ahmed asked. Ahmed did not expect a response.

However, a response came.

“Sir,” Mohammed Otola, the General that would command the attacks in the Southeast of the US said. “I feel we must make the troops ready for guerilla warfare, much as we provided against the Americans in Iraq. Surely, the Americans will engage us in this way.”

“Mohammed, you disappoint me. What few Americans are left will be easy to crush. Besides, what would you have us do to counteract the possibility of guerilla tactics?” Ahmed said.

“Concentrate troops. We will be too spread out. They will be able to shoot us down like sitting ducks.”

“With what?” Ahmed said. His voice was slightly raised.

“There is an old Japanese saying – from World War II – about there being a rifle behind every blade of gra…” Mohammed was cut off.

“Enough with your old wives tales! You will demoralize our troops. Strike! Strike now! Take no prisoners! Glory be to Allah!” Ahmed yelled, working the other commanders into a fevered pitch. That was his talent – motivating those around him.

Except for Mohammed.

Mohammed was not cheering. In fact, he looked downright concerned.

Ahmed took note and the cheering continued.


*****


Matt had an audience. It had been three days since the ordeal at the doctor’s office. All of them had taken ¼ of the flu vaccine. Nevertheless, they were getting sick. But, from al accounts, they were not as bad off as many across the US. There had been reports of thousands of deaths. And all were afraid there might be more.

Matt’s audience was due to the happenings at the doctor’s office. Silence had been broken the day before by Britney who, in a fit of curiosity, could not stand any more not to know. The thought of such a skilled and dangerous man was unsettling to her – in a good way. She was very intrigued by that fact, so she had asked where he learned how to fight like that.

Matt had seen no point in lying. There were too many things that would not have added up and he couldn’t cover everything – the wealth, the skills, the weapons. So Matt had laid things out for them. He told them what his “occupation” had been. On the whole, they had taken it well.

“I guess if you wanted to harm us, you would have done that already.” Amanda pointed out.

“I never intended harm to any of you. I know you’ll never understand this, but I only ever brought harm to those my clients paid me to harm. It was never personal.” Matt explained.

“I can live with that. What I can’t live with is the dishonesty from you for all the time I’ve known you – or thought I knew you.” Keith said.

“That’s fair. I deserve that. I can never hope to regain your trust. I will point out that I came to your place, in the middle of the night, woke you up, even helped you bring your girlfriend here. I invited you all three here to my place, out in the country without so much as a single complaint. Hell, I invited you all – I wanted you to come.” Matt said. “You would have been killed in the blast. I did bring you here.

“I drove all of the way out here and let you three work out your… situation. Also, I have trusted you with my life every night as I have slept. I risked my life to get us all medicine. I risked my life again to save you two,” Matt motioned at Amanda and Keith, who nodded in return. “I have armed you. I have asked nothing of you.

“I have opened up my stores of supplies to the three of you, without anything requested in return. If I had been selfish and untrustworthy, I would have kept to myself when I heard about the bombings. I would have supplies for nearly ten years without outside help. I would also be lonely. But, it appear I am untrustworthy to you all. Therefore, I guess I will be lonely anyways.” Matt looked at his feet with the last statement.

“If you want us to leave, I will understand,” Britney said solemnly. “I won’t like it, but I will understand.”

“That’s just the thing,” Matt started. “I don’t want any of you to leave. It’s refreshing having you around. My life… my past was filled with boredom and loneliness. For the first time, these last few days have not been lonely. I enjoy having you all here. Just the normal interaction with other human beings that don’t specifically want certain… things… from me is refreshing. And now, I’ve gone and ruined that, as well.”

“You knew the lifestyle you were getting in when you did it.” Amanda said without sounding demeaning, but realistic.

“True. And I understand if the three of you don’t want anything to do with me. Out of my own personal honor – whatever that may or may not mean to you – I invite you all to continue to stay here as long as you want. I will not interfere with your daily affairs. I will keep clear. I will go about making sure I can secure long-term security by making alliances with nearby farmers, doctors, and others of useful skills.” Matt was still looking at the floor.

“Will you disarm yourself in doing all this?” Keith asked.

“No,” came Matt’s immediate reply. “You are all my guests and you are welcome here. I will not disarm. My livelihood moving forward is my ability to fend for myself. Nobody has any right to take away the tools I will use to keep on living, and any attempt to disarm me will provoke me to take dramatic actions.”

“Oh, so you would harm us?” Amanda implied.

“Never, unless one of you would be foolish enough to try to kill me first. I would, however, demand that you leave if ever you implied my disarmament. I will put my foot down on that account. I would pull the trump card of this being my property and I will be allowed to do as I please here in that instance alone.” Matt said. His words came, not as a threat, but as a statement of personal conviction, and they all knew it.

“That’s fair.” Keith said. “You don’t insist we leave – which would certainly bring about our deaths…”

“And we don’t ask you to disarm – which is about the only thing right now that could bring about your death,” Britney finished.

“That’s the way I see it. Although I would have one request.” Matt said respectfully.

“And that is?” Britney requested.

“At least try to give me a chance. I’m sure you can all understand the need for my personal… discretion… in whom I did or did not allow to know about my former profession. Please understand that if my job and very life did not depend on that deception, I would never have been dishonest. I know this might be hard to believe, but I am not a dishonest person. I do not like those who are.” Matt answered.

“So you will kill, just not lie?” Britney asked rather sharply.

“Britney!” Keith scolded.

“No – she’s right. I have killed. Many times. I have killed for money. I have killed in defense of those for whom I care. There is a difference, and I am all too familiar with that. Know that my conscience will never be clear – I am flawed to be sure – but it was the profession I chose of my own free will. It is that profession that allows us all to be here and dissect every angle of it tonight,” Matt started to wrap it up. “without that profession, I would have none of this and not one of us would be here. That is a fact. It does not justify all I’ve done, but that, plus all the other facts are overwhelming evidence I mean none of you guy any harm and I do mean harm to any person who would conspire against you.”

Britney was eyeing Matt up; both physically and mentally. She felt in tune to his mentality on the subject. She was sold, although it might be a while before she let Matt in on that secret. She thought of ways to allow him to “earn” his way into her heart. She wouldn’t tell him that as far as she was concerned, he was already there.

Amanda was more skeptical. On one hand, she understood the argument that he had brought them to safety and had even saved them from attack. She had an inner conflict; brought to life by being reared in a very liberal-minded family; and brought to bear by all of the newfound need for self-reliance. And guns. She had hated guns before. Now she viewed them as a necessary evil at worst; and slightly alluring at best. The feel of the steel in her hands before those men had taken her hostage had been empowering. Now she wanted to learn how to use the weapon, and she almost hated herself for it.

Keith was beside himself. He thought he had known this man. He had been lied to in a very crafty way. He did not like having been taken; but he did like being alive and taken care of. And although he couldn’t have both women any more, he was glad they were both all right. He had grieved for Kim. It was not to the same extent he had for his family previously, but it was real nonetheless. He knew the grief would soon pass. And he really looked forward to helping Amanda learn how to shoot. She had seemed excited about that.


*****



Morning broke over the gentle rises and lows of the farmland around Matt’s farm. He was on a high spot, behind a circular roll of baled hay over six feet high. It was his concealment as he hunted. Fresh meat was always best, and deer were plentiful here. His AR15 was loaded with some 77-grain soft point ammunition; good for taking deer. He figured to have an effective range of no more than 300 yards. And really, he didn’t want to have to go much farther than that if needed. Patience would help him.

Matt thought of the past events. It was well over a week since “the talk.” This hay had been baled about that time. It was early fall. Back home, temperatures would still reach over 90 degrees during the day. Not here. They were in the upper Midwest now. Daytime highs rarely reached 80 degrees, if that.

The corn was ready to be harvested – and that had already started from the looks of it. The field to his right was a third done. That was what Fred Smith had been renting from him. Matt figured that Fred must have been partly done yesterday when the rain hit and he was forced to stop for the day. The rain had been a good solid downpour for nearly twelve hours straight. Matt figured it to be the remnants of the tropical storm he’d heard was brewing before all of the crap hit the fan.

The soybeans looked ready, too. They were changing from yellow to orange and Matt could see another half-harvested field – this one off to his left. Dalton Branham had rented that plot. No, wait – the field was completely harvested, it was the one beyond that which still needed attention. Funny he didn’t see a single harvester out today. Those machines would be hard to spot. Maybe it was too early yet; after all, the sun had yet to rise.

Britney was thirty yards to Matt’s left, and she was climbing to the top of the hay bale just as Matt had taught her. There were not many trees here, so the height advantage was hard to find. Deer rarely looked at the top of a bale of hay; so if one kept still up there, one could possibly have a deer walk right up to oneself. Both Matt and Britney were wearing full camouflage. Matt figured since society had all but fallen, that law enforcement would have better things to do than chase poachers. If any LEO’s were still alive, that was.

Matt had heard that many had died from the flu outbreak. All four of them had been sick; but only slightly so. Matt had made sure they each took ¼ of the vial. That would normally be too much, but these were desperate times. In addition, Matt had insisted everyone do a full week’s dose of some strong over-the-counter flu medicines.

None of the major media outlets were broadcasting. There were still occasional updates from the same person on the Ham radio, but that was not yielding much information; just a bit here and a piece there. Some unconfirmed rumors of Muslim terrorists landing on American soil had many on the radio in a bit of a panic.

Movement caught Matt’s well-trained eye. It was a deer. Make that several deer. Matt dialed the scope up to 24-power. They were a good 700 yards off. A shot from this range was ill-advised, but he wanted to follow them and get a good look. The lead deer was a buck – a ten pointer. He was walking almost due west; which was close to being perpendicular to Matt.

The deer milled around. Matt glanced over at Britney, and realized she had spotted them, too. He signaled for her to keep a look out for others, particularly to their flank. On the deer strolled, tantalizing Matt by angling toward him, then turning away after a moment. Matt followed them, but began to realize they would not head his way.

Matt’s mind raced; should he get a rifle with better long-range ballistics? He had a .308 that certainly could make that shot. He had made that shot on a man before – a head shot, no less. That had been with the .308. He could have kicked himself for not bringing the larger caliber rifle!

Matt was watching the deer, and had made up his mind to get the .308 caliber AR, when it happened. He saw a glint. The deer had wandered to the edge of his field of view – about to be obscured by a rise in the land between him and the deer. The glint had some green on it; not vegetation green, this was a bright metallic green. Below the green was a patch of yellow. The colors met with a sharp line. He knew that color pattern. Then he realized it, he was looking at a corner of a John Deere machine.

It was Fred Smith’s harvester! And there, just beyond his range of clear vision, in the seat was what looked like a lump of person. Matt had seen that posture on many before. Heck, he had caused many a person to look like the edge of what he saw. He could only see a sliver of it, though, because of the obscuring rise between them. It was clear, though, through his 24-power scope.

Matt jumped down and made his way toward the stopped machine – even though he couldn’t really make it out with the naked eye at this range.

good stuff man, keep it up

Fantastic Updates.  I can't wait to read more.

Nice development!

Really digging the story so far.

Thanks for sharing!!!!

Michael

Good read keep it comimg!!!!!

This is great...
Nothing like keeping us a little off balance!

Chapter 7


Fred Smith was dead. From the looks of it, he had been out here three or four days. Matt examined every inch of the harvester. From what he could tell, the death was likely natural causes or the flu. Fred had been sick, but Matt was not well versed in diagnosis – not enough to determine if the flu had indeed done the farmer in.

It took some time, but Matt made his way back to his own place and got his truck. He would take it into the field, retrieve Fred’s body, and take it to Fred’s house. Mrs. Smith would want to know. From there, they could call the police and or the medical examiner.

‘…No, wait. Scratch that idea,’ Matt thought. If he moved Fred, then there could be those who might accuse him of taking Fred’s life. Although that idea was out of the question, it was possible. Whether inspired by his nerves, or by common sense, Matt determined he would go to Fred’s house to see Mrs. Smith. They would figure out what to do from there.

Britney rode along silently. She marveled at the way Matt thought. Everything about him was intriguing to her. He was cute enough, in a very masculine sort of way; no ‘metrosexual’ was Matt. No, he was most certainly an ‘ubersexual;’ obsessed with perfection in masculine endeavors.

Likewise, Matt’s thoughts were on Britney. She was very easy on his eyes. And she seemed OK with his background – which was by far her most attractive feature to Matt at this moment. Matt let these thoughts pass his mind as he drove down the rough gravel road to the Smith residence. However, as the thoughts were about done, he realized he’d made a tactical error: Britney had just locked eyes with him as he realized he had been staring at the deep plunge in the shirt she wore. Now she knew he thought she was a looker.

Relief! The Smith house came into view. Matt realized how odd it was that he was more comfortable informing a new widow of that fact than he was confronting the fact that he was looking at a girl. No, she was no girl – she was definitely a woman… no doubts there, he thought.

The walk to the door took no time, though to Matt it took forever, as he was still embarrassed for having been caught looking at Britney. His thoughts raced around that circumstance. He rang the doorbell, looking about at the high pillars that were fairly unusual on houses in this part of the country. The Smith’s had a bit of eclectic taste. He rang the doorbell again after a moment. Still nothing. Now Matt was starting to worry.

“Let’s go around back. Maybe she is outside in the garden, or something,” Britney suggested.

“Good thinking,” was all Matt could say. His thoughts were still mixed.

The sight was repulsive. Mrs. Smith was dead. Not just dead, though. Her body had been ravaged by the buzzards and other scavengers. Britney stopped just long enough to vomit.

“Go get back in the truck!” Matt commanded. Britney struggled to her feet and obeyed. She was in shock and could not think clearly. Matt on the other hand, had seen death in its many forms, and while this did not repulse him to the same extent it might to other people, it was certainly a bit unnerving.

Matt followed Britney closely, making sure she did not stumble or faint. He would catch her. He was there for her. She needed no more than him. They both knew it in this horrid moment.

Silently they entered the truck.

“Where will we go?” She asked.

“To town. We need to get the sheriff now,” Matt concluded.

“What can he do?” Britney wondered aloud.

“Prove we didn’t do it. It’s sad they are gone. But we don’t need to be under investigation for something we didn’t do.” Matt said. They were on the road now, traveling fairly fast down the dirt road.

“Why would they think that?”

“Police always accuse the person who finds the body. It’s standard procedure. What we have to do is make sure they see we didn’t do it – both people obviously died from illness. After that, we have to figure out how to harvest the crops.” Matt’s mind was racing.

“What are you talking about?” Britney asked.

“Those crops will simply rot and waste if not harvested. I own the land and I will use the fact that I cannot receive future rents to warrant the seizure of the crops. We can use the food. It will be so much more than we could ever eat before it spoils, that we will have to give most of it away. This will make us heroes in the eyes of those still alive. It will also keep us alive longer.” Matt responded.

“I see. How do you think of these things so fast? I can barely get my mind off the sight of that poor dead lady.” Britney exclaimed.

“That’s how. I’ve seen death before. It is part of life. It is horrible, yes. But when you see horrible things… some of them by your own hand; it brings things into perspective and desensitizes you.”

They were on the paved road now. Ten minutes to town. Matt decided he would pick up as much ammo as possible in town. He had plenty already, but there were two reasons to pick up more. First, he thought, one can never have too much ammo. Second, it would keep the ammo out of the hands of people that might want to do him harm in the future.

Britney was curled into a ball. She did not face adversity well. She had to hide herself from the horrible reality. Sure, she was willing to shoot a deer only moments before – but that was different. A person would be totally different to see dead. She was not comfortable with seeing that sight ever again.

Matt was calculating and anticipating. He had plans just in case the local law enforcement officers had even the thought that he’d done this. After seeing the proof, if they refused to accept the truth, they would have to be eliminated. It would be the only defendable position in that speculation. With two officers out of commission, it would take forever for any others to find out where the bodies were and who had done it. By that time, Matt would be ready.

Matt quickly shook that thought from his mind. Now it was settled, there was no use lingering on it. The other option was harvesting the crops. He figured it best to harvest the crops without mention to law enforcement or anybody else. Nobody would figure where the crops were, and if they were on his property, that wouldn’t matter because that was where they were grown!

With his mind clear and focused, Matt pulled into the local hometown sheriff’s office. “Go in with me.” He said to Britney. Boy, would he regret that request.

They entered to what was essentially a replay of what they had just left – death everywhere. All the officers were dead. The only thing missing was the carnage that the scavengers had done to Mrs. Smith. These bodies were undisturbed. It was obvious they had died from internal problems – likely an illness.

“What is going on here? Why is everyone dead? What is happening?” Britney was in hysterics.

“People are dead. It looks like illness. I don’t know why we aren’t sick, but that may still happen. We’ve got to go see the doctor. He might know. I have my guess, but I need proof.” Matt responded. He could well have had ice-water in his veins with the coldness of the response. He was all business, and there was no mistaking it. That in itself was comforting to Britney.

“What do you think it is?”

“Remember when we risked our lives to get the flu inoculations? I think these people died of some virus we were protected against. None of us suffered more than a little under the weather. But that is speculation.” He responded with conviction.

They ran over to the doctor’s office, which was only a couple of blocks away. Matt did stop off for his rifle. It wouldn’t do to take a long gun into a sheriff’s office, but that was no longer a concern. The doctor would understand. He’d have to.

They stepped into the doctor’s office with trepidation. Expectations were low – in all reality both of the two expected to find the doctor’s corpse.

“I see you have survived. That’s good.” The doctor’s voice came from behind the corner and took Britney by surprise. Matt barely moved. It was if he knew the doctor was there. In all truth, he did know, as he’d heard the man breathing rather raspily.

The doctor stepped out, looking somewhat ill. “Are you OK?” Matt asked.

“Fine. You must have taken the whole vial, but I only took twice the normal dose. I should be fine in a few days.” The doctor replied.

“That’s good. So it is a flu going around.” Matt confirmed.

“Not going around. Released… by the terrorists.” The doctor said.

“I see. You have confirmed it?” Matt asked.

“Through colleagues in other locations, yes. It is the only possibility and makes perfect sense if you look at the facts as a whole.”

“What do you think their next attack will be?” Matt asked. He knew what he’d do, but an outside opinion would be welcome at this time.

“They’ve got us down. Why not just invade and take over?” the doctor said.

“”That’s what I thought you’d say. That’s what I would do. That makes perfect sense. What will you do when that happens?” Matt responded.

“I have prepared similar to you,” the doctor nodded to the AR-15 on Matt’s shoulder. “I hope it never comes to that, but I will do what I have to in order to protect myself, my family, and my country.”

“You sound determined. That is what we will do. If it comes to that, it would be better if we were organized.” Matt suggested.

“That’s true. For now, I think it’s better if we wait. They monitor airwaves. At least I would if I were them. If we are all in one place, we will be much easier to sneak up on, surround, and defeat.” The doctor had a point.

“Yes, that’s true, but I anticipate there will be many that need to train.” Matt stopped and realized his tactical error here.

“Are you the one to train them?”

“Probably not. You are right. I look forward to fighting along side you in the future. I hope we don’t have to, but I am afraid we will.” Matt said.

“Very well then. Here is my Ham radio ID and channel. Call me when it’s time, if you are still alive.” The doctor said.

“If we are, we will.” Matt said. The men shook hands, and Matt and Britney left. The talked in somewhat hushed tones, though they knew not exactly why, as they walked back to the truck.

“Matt, what will we do if attacked?” Britney asked.

“Fight back. But we will have to do it strategically, not force on force. They will have superior numbers, no doubt. And if we defeat them, more will come. We will have to fight again and again. It will get bloody. It will get messy. That’s why it is not something I want.” Matt said.

“You sound confident we could fight them off.”

“We can. I only need me. Having the three of you would only sway things in my favor.” Matt said. Britney could see the truth in his eyes. It was a truth that could not be faked, as it was a tactical truth coming out of him.

“How many could you hold off?” she asked, more wondering of his opinion of himself. She wanted to see if he was arrogant, truly confident, or putting her on.

“That’s not the right question. I would not fight a fair fight. I would fight from my advantage – from afar, picking and choosing my targets. Taking them out one by one from a safe position. I can keep shooting as long as I have ammo. And I have a lot of ammo.” Matt said.

The reply caught Britney off guard. He was certain he could eliminate foes in mass quantities that way. She naturally wondered if he could keep it up long enough to make a difference. She also wondered how he would handle things when they changed. And things would change.

“Our first priority will be the food. We will harvest the crops we can. Anything we harvest will help us. We will be eating a lot of corn this winter!” Matt laughed.

“What will we do?” She asked.

“I’ll show you each how to operate the harvester. We will work together and pile up as much food in my silo as possible. Also, we will check on the fields that have the cattle. That will be a long-term solution as we can use the cattle for milk and meat for a very long time, presuming their owners have died, too. We will verify whether that’s the case on the way home.” Matt said.

Sure enough, the other farmers who had rented Matt’s land had succumbed to illness as well. That afternoon, Matt spent his time gathering the dead. There were several families of dead – older folks, younger folks, kids, families. Matt organized them into a large pit and held a large funeral pyre. If there had been time and manpower, regular burials would have been in order. However, with situations as they were, this was the best course of action in his mind.

The next week was spent harvesting. Much was harvested. Mistakes were made. But in the end, they filed the silo with corn and a nearby one with beans. Matt figured to use the surplus to feed the cattle over winter. They had hay for that, too – but Matt was too much of a humanitarian to give the poor cows only one food. Besides, the corn would make them taste better!

There was so much more hay than could have been moved into Matt’s barn. He used extra bales out in his “yard” (which was several hundred square acres). They would prove tactically important.

Likewise, there was way too much corn and beans for them to use. Matt left several fields un-harvested, to attract the deer and possibly to feed the cattle. He made sure to keep aside a good portion of seeds for planting next year.

Matt’s plan was coming together.

Things were also going well with Britney.

Keith and Amanda were not only pulling their load, but getting along together very well.

All was good.

Or so they thought.

man you got me pumped, i cant wait for you to add more


***it pays to be 13 hours ahead of most you guys
i get to read the updates first..

Originally Posted By rubin: man you got me pumped, i cant wait for you to add more

+1

Nice twist !!!!! Great job.

Excellent story!

When can we expect more?  I'M DYING FOR MORE!!  

Great job, keep it up!

Outstanding story line, you've got me hooked already.

Originally Posted By rubin: man you got me pumped, i cant wait for you to add more ***it pays to be 13 hours ahead of most you guys i get to read the updates first..

Not if youre a night owl! I usually read the update a few minutes after its posted!


That being said, keep em coming, this story has me hooked.

Chapter 8


Keith watched and worked. His focus was on Amanda. Her athletic build was coming in handy just now as they were preparing some corn; grinding it into meal for use later in tortillas and for making cornbread. Keith was shucking the corn, then removing the kernels as Amanda was grinding it down.

It had been five weeks on the farm now. News reports – the ones that still came in – announced the deaths of millions more Americans to the flu-like virus attacks. What pockets of people remained were very worried about an invasion from overseas. In farming country the fear was magnified because after all the attacks, American money was no good, leaving only one major commodity to be envied: crops. It was no secret that the American Midwest could produce several times the food necessary to feed the whole world every year.

Had American politicians ever possessed the guts to do so, the export of crops could have been the leverage point to get worldwide cooperation. Instead, they had yielded. Now it was too late. If any of those politicians were still alive, they would likely find themselves under attack any day now. The only question was exactly where and when the attacks would start.

The air had a bit of nip to it. By Keith’s count, it was well into October now. He had found a pumpkin at a nearby farm and carved it, just to keep the old traditions going. Keith did not care if the world was falling down around him. If he was the last American standing, he would keep the traditions going all by himself!

Amanda kept herself busy. She had been dealing with a lot of pain at the sudden loss of loved ones and lifestyle. She enjoyed the simple life, but she deeply missed her family and friends. When she got to thinking about that, she missed the things, too. When that happened, she would drift downward into a depressed state of mind.

While Amanda kept busy, however, she kept a good outlook. So she made sure to keep busy. She was learning fast how to aim and shoot. Matt had been teaching them some basic tactical drills: how to slice off corners , how to clear mis-feeds and misfires, how to advance and retreat while firing. Amanda had found some DVD’s and watched them. The videos were instructional and covered all of these drills and more. Amanda wanted to move on to covering rooms as a team and things of that sort, but she realized that Britney might not be ready, yet.

Britney was off in a field, hunting. She had taken two deer so far, and she was going to take another. Her aim from a point of rest was good. However, she lamented the fact that it was obvious that her tactical skill was dead last in the group. Nonetheless, her boyfriend was Matt, and his was by far the best technique. He would protect her. He had so far.

Britney had climbed to the top of a bale of hay. She liked the relative perch it provided. There were not many trees from which to hunt, so she had taken Matt’s advice and started using the hay. Of late, she would use the strategically placed bales of hay to sneak up on deer in order to get a closer shot. The last time, she had successfully used the cover to creep up within fifty yards of the deer she took. She liked using the angles behind the large bales to keep the deer blind to her presence and then sneak around a corner to take the shot.

Today was no different. She was using her perch to look out for the herd so she could move in and take a close shot. It would be perfect. Then she would radio in to Matt to help her dress the deer and haul it back home.

Matt was on the other side of the county. He was looking for crops that differed, so that they could all have some variety in the diet that did not depend on his stores of food. He realized that personal gardens were the secret to this. He would find a house and knock on the door to see if anybody was still alive at the place. If they were, he would introduce himself and offer to be friendly and trade essentials, if the homeowner needed to. If nobody was still alive – and that was usually the case – Matt would help himself to the fresh vegetables in the garden.

When he made visits like this, Matt often “borrowed” the cars of farmers and townsfolk who would never again use them. His way he saved his own stash of gasoline. He would also rummage through the houses for anything of value: salt, ammo, medicine, clothing, tools, etc. He was getting good at looking for videos, too. His Solar electrical setup was good for 5-6 hours a day of good electrical supply, and they all liked to use some of that for movie time. It was a good way to relax.

Today, Matt had found a typical garden. This one had okra, tomato, and bell peppers. He had also found a copy of the movie “Happy Gilmore” in the house, which was one of his old favorites. They would watch that one tonight… unless Britney had something else in mind.

Matt had finished loading up the supplies and food. He was noting the address of the house – this one had two vehicles and they each had over half a tank of gas. That might be important. Just as Matt finished jotting down the information, he heard a familiar sound.

Angry insect buzzing by.

Only he knew this was no insect. This was a projectile that had been fired at him. With honed instinct he hit the ground. He focused his eyes and used his mind to determine what general direction the bullet must have come from. It had come from behind the car, relative to his position. Then he heard a second sound; a metallic clank.

This bullet had struck the car he was using as cover. Time to move. Whoever was out there was shooting at him, there was no mistake or accidental shot. Matt crawled, using the car, then the other car as cover. He made his way to the garage. It had an open window and he knew he could use that to his advantage. As he moved, several more shots hit the first car. Matt was convinced the shooter did not know he had moved. Matt would use this to his advantage, too.

Matt’s AR15 was complete with a military style holographic red dot optic. This one also had the flip-in scope to magnify things to three-power. This was a setup that allowed him a degree of long range accuracy coupled with a good tactical build. His barrel was only sixteen inches, but that would still be plenty accurate to hit what he wanted to hit.

Since he would be shooting at a human target today, Matt secretly wished he had the 6.8mm with him so he could have a little more pop, but that was not the case. One must play the cards dealt to them, he thought. He flipped the scope into place and verified the dot was on. The reports of the shots fired at him had verified the location of the shooter. Matt would have to look carefully from the garage to get a bead on him.

Matt moved to the far side of the garage. He knew that being right next to the window is a great way to get spotted. If he could get a good clean line of sight from the far wall inside, he would be much less likely to be noticed.

Matt scanned for what seemed like an eternity. The shooter had stopped firing, so Matt made sure to keep a look out for anyone approaching. He would have approached cautiously in this situation, also. Finally, he saw a movement off to the side. The angle was a bit extreme from the window, so Matt moved to the edge of the open garage door.

Sure enough, a person dressed in camouflage was making his way behind the first level of brush cover toward the house in a circular fashion dictated by the foliage. This individual held an AK-47 with a mounted side scope. That explained the lack of accuracy at that range. Matt did some quick figuring and looked to where the gunman had likely been set up. Sure enough, there were at least two others there, as well. Both had guns with scopes trained in his general direction.

Matt had some time. It would take the one closing the distance another five minutes or so to get there while staying “concealed.” Matt mused that the man really wasn’t concealed anymore since Matt knew where he was. Good, Matt would need that advantage, he was outnumbered at least three to one.

Matt scanned for another sixty seconds, but found no additional assailants. He used that time mentally to figure his next move.

He could run. The advantage was that he could create more space and draw them to a place of his choosing. The disadvantage was that this would only be useful if there were no others hunting him right now.

He could take out the nest of two, then the final one. The advantage was that he would not have to worry as much about being picked off by an accomplice; if there were only three of them there. The disadvantage was that the first one might be within range now and be able to openly engage him.

He could take the one, then the two. The advantage would be he could shoot better than the enemy and he would eliminate the open threat of direct engagement. The disadvantage would be the danger of giving away his position, then getting picked off.

An idea.

Matt turned it over in his mind, quickly. This one was good. Plus, the downside was less risky than any of the others. That would make it more likely that he could survive longer, and in war, survival is everything.

Matt zeroed in on one of the two snipers in the nest. The one he picked looked a little more comfortable aiming, so Matt figured him in the instant to be the better of the two. Matt squeezed the trigger and hear his rifle report very loud in the garage. He almost immediately reacquired shot sight and verified that target was eliminated. In fact, that target was partially covering the other in the nest at this moment, and that had the second sniper concerned. A concerned warrior was no longer a dangerous warrior.

Matt whipped around and started moving toward the man who was moving in toward him. The other man was scanning, trying to find Matt. He found Matt, alright, just a split second before a 5.56 mm projectile penetrated his chest from about 45 yards away.

Some in history have called the 5.56 mm an underpowered weapon. Matt knew better. Just like everything else, placement was the key. Matt was the king of placement. This particular projectile had been fired just over the bottom ridge of the assailant’s ribcage. It penetrated between the ribs and headed on its merry way toward the bad guy’s heart.

Just one thing. The 5.56 mm round has a nasty little tendency when it his flesh at under 200 yards. It almost always begins to pith and yaw, finally flipping all of the way around and disintegrating inside the target. This bullet did just that. Two large fragments broke off and hundreds of smaller ones shredded their way to a halt near the back of the man’s ribcage. The large fragment that had once been the nose of the bullet hit the man’s left ventricle broadside. The small fragment that had been the tail of the bullet smashed its way through the left atrium.

The result was almost instant. The man dropped on the spot. He would fight no more.

Matt looked carefully for the last sniper and simultaneously took cover behind the truck. The sniper was still trying to get his friend’s blood off of himself. Matt raised his weapon. A loud bang removed the need for the sniper to clean himself off, for he now had his own blood mixed in with that of his friends. And he was rather dead, too – completely eliminating the need to clean up.

Matt paused and scanned. He expected gunfire. He moved quickly to the garage area, listening the whole way. Watching. Expecting.

Nothing.

Matt waited a few moments, then went to examine his attackers. He was on high alert, ready for another attack. The first man, the one who had tried to move in on him, was indeed carrying the AK-47 Matt had seen from the distance. Matt slung his AR and picked up the AK. He liked the Kalashnikov design. Also, it was a free source of ammo at the time. He only had six magazines of thirty rounds. He had no clue how easy or hard it might be to get back home. And he had to get there fast, but first he had to find out who he was fighting.

The man was clearly of Arabic origins. Matt hiked up to the others. They were, too. One of the snipers had a radio on him. He would not need that anymore, Matt thought. Matt also looked for any other signs of organization. Aside from the matching weapons and uniforms, there were not any such signs. All three men had been Arabic. This was too much to be a coincidence and Matt knew then he had to get home quick!


*****


The Mind of Britney:

Britney was atop the bale of hay, still. She was sitting upright, as there had not been a deer all day. That being the case, chances were there wouldn’t be one until later in the afternoon. Matt would be back later.

The thought of Matt brought flutters to Britney’s insides. She was falling in love with him. And she knew he was falling in love, too. This was so much more than she had ever felt for anyone. She was happy that Keith was not making a big deal about it. But then, he had his eye on someone, too.

Britney had always had an independent streak. However, having a dominant male around who really was in charge, and could provide for them all had set off an instinctual attraction in her for him. This was someone that was protecting. This was a provider – not only for her, but for any potential family. And it didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

Britney’s mind had been focused on Matt all day, and this was no different than any other day.

Today would be different.

The last thing that went through Britney’s mind was a 7.62 mm bullet.

Very good chapter, I'm very excited.

Originally Posted By Usagi: Chapter 8 The last thing that went through Britney’s mind was a 7.62 mm bullet.

Good Chapter

Great chapter!

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!
MORE!!!

Ask and you shall receive!

Chapter 9


Two armored vehicles, followed by several trucks of differing variety were moving slowly down the road. Matt could not pass them. From time to time, they would stop and raid a farm. Most of these farms had been given the once over by Matt himself. But he realized these people were not looking for supplies. They were armed and looking to take over.

Matt kept a safe distance. More than once, he contemplated taking a spot and picking off some of the men. There was no question they were of the same group that had attacked him earlier. He kept hoping they would take a side road as they went along. He was a good twenty miles form home, but he had to get there before they did. He only hoped they had not sent a sniper unit ahead in that direction, too.

After some time, Matt came to the realization that they were not going to turn. They were going to find his farm in a matter of hours. So he began to formulate strategy to get past them. He knew of one farm ahead – the Chadwick’s – that was occupied. He hated playing god with them, but he would have to use that moment of distraction to get past. He would then have nine miles to home.

Ditching his vehicle might have to be done, if the attackers pursued him. He would get within two miles of home to do it, though. Perhaps even pass his house and double back. Yes, that was it; he would pass his farm and double back. That would not be a likely scenario for them to predict.

Matt’s stomach turned into knots. The Chadwick’s were good people. He hated to not do anything about their imminent assault. They would likely be killed within moments. However, even with Matt’s help, that probably couldn’t be prevented unless he was at their house right now with full knowledge of what was happening, and that was not going to happen.

It was decided. As soon as the convoy stopped at the Chadwick’s and opened fire, Matt would speed past them and on home. If pursued, he would pass his farm and then ditch the vehicle. If possible, he would avoid confrontation of any sort until he got home.


*****


Keith and Amanda were in the fight of their life. The sniper had them pinned down in the house. Amanda had heard the weapon that had killed Britney. She and Keith had run as fast as they could for the house and armed themselves with black rifles. Actually, Amanda’s had pink furniture – but that would not likely matter here. It was tactics and skill that would make the difference.

Keith was very angry. Angry at himself, angry at these attackers, even angry at Matt for being gone. He needed help in the worst possible way.

Amanda was frightened. However, her competitive spirit found her full of adrenaline; an excellent thing for a competitive person.

For some reason, the snipers had not moved position nor split up. Keith had seen two of them. Immediately, he had sent Amanda upstairs to take a different angle. They would each switch windows from time to time to keep the attackers guessing as to their exact location in the house. Then Keith saw why the two men did not abandon their position. There was a third making his way to the house.

“Amanda, do you see that third bogey coming in?” Keith said into his headset.

“I do. I have a clear shot at him, but I want him to get closer.” She replied.

“Are you OK with that?”

“I do not have much choice. It’s him or us.” Came the reply over the crackly headset.

Keith nodded to himself. He was glad she saw the gravity of the situation for what it was. “If you get a clear shot, take it. Then we will deal with the other two. Make sure to hide immediately after you shoot. Then switch rooms.” He said.

“Got it. Shot coming.” She said.

Keith had not counted to five before there was a loud report from the AR upstairs. He looked and saw the attacker on the ground. The attacker was either in death throes, or was gravely wounded and in severe pain. Two more seconds confirmed the death throes. Keith looked at the other two men. They were trying to line up a shot at upstairs.

Keith heard the light footfalls moving. Amanda was in a different room. She was not even 110 pounds, so he had to really concentrate to hear her. His thoughts became increasingly focused on her 110 pounds and where it was proportioned. Then Keith shook himself back to the present.

Amanda had moved over to her room. She took a moment to put on her tactical vest and fill the pockets with loaded magazines. She replaced her shoes with tactical boots. Her hair was tied back and she covered it with a cap. Keith had always noted how he thought she was a “cap girl.” He would definitely like this outfit.

Keith steadied his rifle. He had a flat top and a scope that would dial up to 24-power. This would be good in this situation. He reached for a range-finder. He cursed at himself for not being able to gauge the distance without it. Had he been away from the house, he’d have been up a proverbial creek. The assassins were 350 yards out. He adjusted his aim to halfway between the 300 yard point and the 400 yard point. Keith put the point of aim right between the eyes of the bad guy.

Trigger.

Bang.

Red mist.

The other bad guy was angry, looking around. But strangely, he did not seek cover. Keith started the process again, looking to end this here and now.

Bang. That wasn’t his rifle.

Red mist. That was his target!

Hoot from a joyous Amanda above.

Two vehicles racing down the gravel road.


*****


Matt was in a fight for his life. He really did not like this; not because he was fighting. Matt had fought plenty. Not because he would have to kill. Matt had killed more than most ever would. No, Matt did not like this situation because it was not of his choosing, and that gave his opponents the advantage. At the least, they were on even footing, reacting to the moment by moment changes.

Matt had executed his plan to perfection, speeding past the convoy as they stopped at the Chadwick’s house. Two guards in a truck had given chase almost immediately. The passenger shot randomly out the window, but the first round had yet to hit Matt’s vehicle.

Then it happened in a sudden motion. The invaders performed a rolling pick just like on had seen on American TV. It worked just about right, spinning Matt’s vehicle out and into a ditch. Matt was out of the vehicle in an instant, AR in hand.

The two foreign men concealed themselves with the car as they made their egress.

Matt saw the men hiding. One was at a bad angle, but the other was…

Three shots in quick succession, aimed at the vehicle. All three penetrated the thin skin of the vehicle and carried on into their intended target – human flesh. There was a loud scream as the man was hit. He popped up to his feet and that was the last mistake he made in his life. Matt shot twice to his chest and once to his head in less than a second.

To the other attacker, Matt’s quick shots sounded as though they were being fired from a fully automatic weapon, or at least one with a three shot burst. Neither assumption was correct. Matt’s weapon was semi automatic. His years of precision training and familiarity with this weapon made his movements smooth. As smooth as could be found now. And that smoothness of motion made him fast. Lightning fast.

The other assailant switched his weapon, an AK-47, to its fully automatic setting. He set his resolve, then jumped up and started spraying and praying. Little did he know his god was not the right one to be praying to.

Allah would not be with him this day.

His ammo was depleted in three short seconds, and Matt dodged just enough to not be hit by any of the rounds. Matt moved in. The attacker fumbled as he ejected the spent magazine. Matt closed. The new magazine slipped to the ground. Matt was on him, in punching range.

Bang-bang-bang.

The Lord Almighty was certainly with Matt at that moment.

The three shots at pointblank range had hit perfectly – double tap to the chest and one to the head.

Matt wondered casually if the seventy virgins were really worth it. No, he decided, that was not likely to be true. Even if it were, who would really want to have to deal with seventy wives? That sounded more like Hell to Matt than Heaven!

With that finished, Matt hustled to his farm house. He covered the hundreds of yards in mere minutes. As he crossed the last rise, his heart fell as he saw Amanda and Keith, weeping and standing over the body. He knew immediately what had happened.

Outstanding storyline! Thanks for taking the time to entertain us here at arfcom.

OH MY F'in G

This gets better and better by the post