They walked down the steps with Jillian in the lead and Jesse bringing up the rear. He kept his hand on the butt if his pistol at all times, ready for trouble. His other hand gently held the rope wrapped around Jillian’s wrists. They quickly and quietly walked passed the group of Russians, who were still enthralled in casting lots for the stolen belongings. Luckily, they were able to pass by unnoticed.
The couple was about to round the corner of a building and vanish from sight, when Jillian glanced back, wanting one last glimpse of the apartment that she and Jesse had called home for so long. Her timing couldn’t have been worse.
Just before she turned to look back, one of the Russian soldiers glanced up and noticed Jesse and Jillian. He was watching them walk away and about to return his attention to the pile of stolen belongings, when Jillian looked back. Their eyes met for a split second, before Jesse guided Jillian into a dark alley and out of sight. Jillian felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that the soldier had seemed more than just mildly curious.
Jesse stopped walking and quickly began to un-tie the rope around Jillian’s wrist. He re-coiled the rope and deposited it back into the duffle bag. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“No,” agreed Jillian, wondering if she should tell him about the soldier that saw her? “I think one of the soldiers saw me,” she added, deciding that if Jesse was going to have any chance of protecting them, he’d need to know when and where danger might exist.
“Really?” he asked, his brow furrowed in doubt. “Did he follow us?”
“I don’t know, I don’t think so.”
“There’s only one way to be sure,” said Jesse. “Come on!” He quickly guided Jillian towards the end of the alley and gently pushed her behind a large dumpster. “Wait here,” he whispered. “I’ll be right back.”
Before Jillian could say a word or dispute being left alone, Jesse was gone, disappearing into the dark shadows. Jillian crouched behind the dumpster and waited for what seemed like forever, before she noticed the shadow of a man coming towards her. She held her breath, not wanting to give away her position. Was it Jesse returning, or was it the Russian soldier stalking them? The steel-toed boots made loud footsteps, as the shadow drew closer.
Where are you Jesse!
Suddenly the shadow stopped. Jillian covered her mouth to prevent a gasp from escaping. Had the unknown person seen her? Was he now silently creeping closer? No. He was just standing there. Jillian wanted to peek around the corner of the dumpster, but realized the folly of such an action if the shadow belonged to anyone but Jesse.
The shadow took another step forward and then suddenly disappeared. Jillian could hear sounds of a scuffle and struggled to maintain her composure. What if Jesse was involved in the fight and needed her help? What if…she could barely acknowledge the thought… what if Jesse was being murdered only a few feet away? She was tempted to go and investigate when she remembered his instructions. ‘Wait here,’ he’d told her. So she did. After what seemed like eternity, she heard a familiar voice call her name.
“Jillian?”
It was Jesse’s voice! Jillian stood up and stepped out from behind the dumpster. “Jesse, are you alright?”
“Yes,” he answered, slightly out of breath. In his hand Jesse held the large hunting knife that he’d salvaged from their apartment. Blood dripped down the sharp, serrated blade, leaving a small pool around his boots. He wiped the blade across his arm, removing most of the blood, before slipping it back into his coat. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”
The couple quickly and silently slipped through the dark streets, avoiding any sign of people, regardless of nationality. They were almost to the Marina and safety of the sailboat, when Jillian noticed drops of blood dripping from Jesse’s hand. “Oh my God, you’re hurt!”
“It’s just a scratch,” said Jesse.
“How do you know,” countered Jillian. “Let me have a look at it.”
“There’s no time,” whispered Jesse. “Especially not out here in the open. It’ll have to wait until we reach my grandpa’s sailboat. We’re almost there. We’ve got to keep moving.”
The sun was beginning to rise in the east, when they finally reached the Marina. Jesse glanced up at the dark, red sky. “We don’t have much time before its daylight,” he whispered to Jillian.
“Why are we whispering?” She asked.
Jesse nodded towards two Russian soldiers standing guard at the gate leading to the docks. Beyond the chain link fence were dozens of boats of different shapes and sizes, floating peacefully in the Marina. “There she is,” said Jesse, pointing to a white sailboat tied at the end of one of the docks.
“How are we going to get to it?” asked Jillian, looking back at the two guards. One of them lit a cigarette and offered a light to his comrade.
“Quietly,” whispered Jesse, “very quietly.” He led Jillian to the far end of the fence surrounding the Marina. When they were out of sight from the guards, Jesse hoisted Jillian up and onto his shoulder, and handed her the hunting knife from inside his coat.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” she asked, holding the knife with two fingers, as if it might bite her. She could feel the sticky remnants of dried blood on the hilt of the knife.
“Cut the barbed wire,” instructed Jesse, holding Jillian steady on his shoulder. They’d found the perfect spot to climb the fence, thanks to a large powerboat docked on the other side, concealing them from the Russian soldier’s view.
“Ouch!” cried Jillian, after nicking her finger on part of the barbed wire.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, biting her lip.
Jesse looked up and saw Jillian trying to saw through the wire with the smooth portion of the knife. “You’ve got to use the serrated edge,” he whispered. “Get the wire in between the teeth of the blade and then twist.”
Jillian did as instructed and the wire snapped. “Woohoo!” she exclaimed.
“Quiet!” hissed Jesse.
“Oh, sorry,” said Jillian, covering her mouth with her hand. She quickly repeated the maneuver with the remaining strands of barbed wire. “Okay, I’m done.”
“Good job, now climb over as quietly as possible.” Jesse held the fence tight as Jillian climbed it, trying to prevent it from rattling as much as possible. When she was safe on the other side, he tossed the duffle bag over and she caught it in her outstretched arms. Jesse quickly scaled the fence and dropped to the ground next to Jillian. He took the duffle bag and tossed it over his shoulder. “Alright, are you ready?”
“How are we going to get to the sailboat?” asked Jillian. “The guards will see us before we’re halfway there.”
“We’re gonna swim for it,” replied Jesse. He lowered Jillian into the water, and then followed himself. As they began to swim towards the sailboat, Jesse was thankful for all of the time they’d spent scuba diving together.
When they reached the sailboat Jesse reached up, grabbed hold of the railing, and hoisted himself up. He then reached down for Jillian’s outstretched hands and pulled her up beside him. Staying low on the deck, the couple crawled to the hatch leading to the cabin below. When they were safe below deck, Jesse opened a cabinet and removed two towels. He handed one to Jillian and they both removed their wet clothes and dried off.
“What now?” asked Jillian, after they’d dressed in fresh, warm clothes.
“Now, we wait,” said Jesse, as he took apart the Russian made pistol. He quickly dried and cleaned the weapon, wanting it to be ready for use if, and when, the time came.
“Wait? Wait for what?”
“You see those big ships floating off the coast?” he asked.
Jillian peered out of one of the small windows. The sun was already high in the sky, creating a glare off the surface of the ocean. In the distance, she could see hundreds of large war ships floating off the coast. “Yeah, I see them.”
“Well,” said Jesse, “they ain’t ours.” He began to re-assemble the gun, as if he’d done it a thousand times before. “If we try to leave now they’ll blow us out of the water. We need to wait until the ships are gone, or at the very least leave under the cover of darkness.”
“Right,” said Jillian, nodding her head in agreement. She walked over to the small table where Jesse sat assembling the gun. “Let me take a look at your wound.”
Jesse reluctantly placed the gun on the table and removed his shirt. He had a long, nasty looking cut on his bicep, running from his shoulder down to his elbow. “Oh my,” gasped Jillian, “that looks painful.”
“It could’ve been worse,” admitted Jesse, thinking back to the carnage on the beach just a few hours ago.
Jillian sat down next to him and began cleaning the wound with soap, water and peroxide. When she was finished, she rummaged through the cabinets and drawers, looking for something to stitch the wound. “Ah ha!” she said, turning around with a sewing kit in her hand. “This should do the trick. Although,” she hesitated, “I don’t have anything to give you for the pain.”
“Check the compartment under the bed,” suggested Jesse.
Jillian disappeared into the master cabin for a moment and then returned with a bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand. She found two glasses in one of the cabinets and returned to the table. After breaking the seal on the bottle, she poured them each a stiff drink. “What shall we toast too?” she asked, handing Jesse one of the glasses.
“Life,” suggested Jesse, raising his glass.
“To life,” repeated Jillian, raising her glass. The glasses clinked together before they each tossed their heads back and swallowed the amber liquid inside. “Wow!” said Jillian, shaking her head and placing the empty glass on the table in front of her. “That’ll sure take the edge off.”
“I hope so,” replied Jesse, pouring himself another. “Alright, are you ready for surgery, doctor?”
“I hope so,” said Jillian, threading a needle with pink thread. “Sorry about the color, it’s all I could find.”
“No problem,” laughed Jesse. He couldn’t care less about the color, which was the least of their worries. He tossed back another drink of whiskey and rested his arm on the table in front of him, giving Jillian plenty of room to work.
She burned the end of the needle with a lighter and dosed the needle and thread in the whiskey to disinfect it, took a deep breath, and then slid the needle through Jesse’s skin. She worked the needle back and forth through his mangled flesh, starting at the shoulder and working her way down. “There!” she said, when she’d finally finished. But the only reply to come from Jesse’s lips was the soft rumble of a snore.
World War III – Day Five
Clearview, Nevada
The fourth morning following the nuclear attack found the sleepy residents of Clearview still holed up in the library. Having run out of food and water the day before, their situation was becoming quite uncomfortable. Without food they could survive for a month or more, but without water they wouldn’t last more than a couple of more days.
The black rain had stopped falling several hours after it started but the radiation in the air lingered, making it impossible for anyone to leave the shelter in search of supplies. Over the next few days the rain continued to come and go, but it was no longer black. The clear droplets of water were comforting to see following the dreary black sludge that had been haunting some of their dreams.
Shiloh’s eyes opened abruptly and he glanced around, searching for the sound that had awoken him. Scattered all around him were sleeping bodies, no one else seemed to be awake.
“Must have been my imagination,” he mumbled to himself, as he rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. Suddenly the floor beneath him began to vibrate gently, as though God were shaking the entire building. His eyes flashed open and he sat up straight. This time he was certain that he’d heard something.
As the vibration grew stronger, Shiloh could hear a distant rumbling which became louder and louder. He reached out and placed his hand on Ian’s shoulder, giving his friend a gentle squeeze. The squeeze was all that was needed, Ian’s eyes instantly opened.
“Do you feel that?” Shiloh whispered softly, so as not to awaken everyone.
“Yeah,” answered Ian, in the same hushed voice. “What is it?”
“I’ve no idea. Ya wanna come with me to check it out?”
“Absolutely,” grinned Ian, always ready for an adventure. Before standing up, he slowly and gently removed Jessie’s arm, which was draped over his chest. Swiftly and silently he made his way across the room and joined Shiloh, who was already removing the plastic and duct tape from the door.
The rain had stopped falling while they were sleeping but the ground was still wet. The sky above was grey and overcast and looked like it might start raining again. The two men were about to leave the library when a voice from behind stopped them.
“What’s going on?” asked Lex, who’d woken up and joined the men at the door, Cleo at his side.
“What the bloody hell is causing that rumbling?” asked Cleo, holding Lex’s hand in hers.
“That’s what we intend to find out,” answered Ian. “You guys coming?”
“I am,” replied Lex, pulling on his t-shirt and jacket.
“Let’s go,” agreed Cleo retrieving two rifles, one for her and one for Lex. “The level of radiation should be low enough by now.”
The group of four exited the library and quietly closed the door behind them. They didn’t have to venture out far before seeing what was making the rumbling sound and causing the ground to shake. Before they’d even had a chance to descend the steps to the library, the answer to the mystery was revealed.
Driving up the center of Main Street was a large column of armored vehicles, including tanks, trucks, and Humvees with mounted machine guns. It was the tanks which were causing the ground to shake. The small group of four stood there silently and watched, as the vehicles rolled by. After a few minutes one of the Humvees pulled out of formation and came to a stop in front of the library. Lex and Cleo immediately cocked the rifles in their hands and readied themselves for trouble.
“Easy now,” cautioned Shiloh, motioning for them to lower their weapons, “those are our troops.” Lex and Cleo reluctantly lowered their weapons.
The doors swung open and two men dressed in field uniforms dismounted the vehicle. The first was the younger of the two, in his mid-thirties. He had shrewd, light green eyes and carried a 9mm Glock in a holster strapped to his hip.
The second man, obviously the higher ranking of the two, had dark brown eyes, laden with worry. He too wore a 9mm Glock in a holster strapped to his hip and on his head a camouflage helmet matching his uniform.
“Good morning gentlemen, and lady,” he added, after seeing Cleo standing there. “I’m Major Shane Conrad with the United States Marines. I’m sure you’re all aware that we’ve suffered from a nuclear attack and are currently at war.”
“Yeah, you could say that,” replied Lex warily. He’d never been much for authority or being told what to do. So needless to say he wasn’t a big fan of the military. “Who attacked us?”
“Well I suppose that depends on who you ask,” answered Major Conrad. “They’re calling themselves the Communist Muslim Coalition. It started several weeks ago when the combined forces of Russia, China, Egypt, North Korea, Iran, Syria and several other Arab nations launched an attack on Israel. The small and isolated nation was able to defend its borders using their laser defense system, the ‘Iron Beam’. Reports indicate that the Israeli military was miraculously able to destroy all incoming missiles. Although surrounded on all sides by her enemies, Israel immediately launched a counter attack.”
“If all of Israel’s borders are surrounded then at least their military can shoot in any direction,” said Lex with a chuckle.
“Oh and they are,” replied the Major. “As odd as it sounds the little nation has now become the big dog in the world. They’ve taken advantage of this opportunity and are systematically eliminating their enemies, who so far, have been no match against the incredible Israeli military might. Israel seems determined to annihilate those countries that were bent on destroying her, and they’re doing it without anyone else’s help.”
“So why were we nuked?” asked Ian. “What happened to Mutually Assured Destruction? And what do we have to do with Israel? I thought we withdrew aid a few years ago.”
“We did,” agreed Major Conrad, “but the Communist Muslim Coalition thinks we helped them anyway. They believe there is no way Israel could have designed an advanced weapon system of that caliber, without our help. Not to mention they see this as the perfect opportunity and excuse to destroy us. The United States has never been so weak and defenseless.”
“So we’re at war with all of those countries?” asked Cleo, in her beautiful Australian accent. “Bloody hell, it sounds like the whole world is at war.”
“Affirmative,” answered the Major, “the media has already dubbed this global conflict as World War III. There are more countries involved than the ones that I named and the list grows longer every day. What we’re seeing is just the beginning.”
“What about our allies?” Asked Ian. “Who’s on our side?”
“The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Canada are the only countries so far that have pledged their allegiance to us,” answered Major Conrad. “Although they’re infrastructures are in just as much peril as ours. Many of the smaller countries that we’ve helped and supported over the years are afraid to get involved. Israel is currently the only alley who’s actively fighting on our side and that’s by default. However, being so far away and surrounded by enemies, it’s doubtful that we’ll receive aid from them anytime soon. The fact is we’re outnumbered and as it stands, we’re all on our own.”
“What are we going to do?” asked Lex, a worried look upon his face.
“I realize that you have a lot of questions and there’ll be time for that,” continued the Major. “But right now I need to speak with whoever’s in charge.”
“I guess that’d be Mayor Samuel Sullivan,” replied Shiloh. “But he’s not here at the moment.”
“Where is he?”
“We sent him to my ranch a few days ago when our town was attacked by a raiding party, known as the Enlightened Ones.”
“Ah yes, we’ve heard of them,” replied Major Conrad. “They’ve been plundering mostly smaller towns throughout the country. They’re notorious for raping and killing their victims before burning the town to the ground. In fact if the Enlightened Ones have been through here I’m surprised that your town is still standing.”
“We fought them off,” said Ian proudly.
“And how exactly did you manage to do that?” asked the Major, full of intrigue.
“We had a lot of help from God,” answered Shiloh.
“I see. I suppose that explains all of the rotting bodies we passed by on our way into town?” said the Major, with a sarcastic grin on his face.
“Yes,” answered Shiloh. “We didn’t have time to bury them before the nuclear explosions and the black rain.”
“Well we need to make time,” said Major Conrad. “Those bodies are contaminated with infections and radiation. We need to burn them and burry the ashes far outside the town. It needs to be in a place that won’t contaminate the ground water you’re drinking. Our orders are to provide help and aid to those in need, re-establish communications and test the water and soil for radiation poisoning as we make our way west. These are actually the topics that I’d like to go over with your Mayor.”
“Of course,” said Shiloh. “I’ll send someone to get him.”
“Good,” said the Major. “In the meantime, my men are going to set up a base camp at the west end of town and begin our work.” The Major turned and signaled for the younger soldier to come over. The man had remained quiet until now.
“This is my second in command, Lieutenant Jon Sawyer. He’ll act as my liaison officer with your town. If you have any needs or concerns, Lt. Sawyer will be the one to address them. That being said, I’ll leave him to it. Good day gentleman, ma’am,” he added, tipping his helmet to Cleo.
Major Conrad turned and walked back to his Humvee and climbed in. The vehicle immediately joined the armored convoy, leaving Lt. Sawyer standing alone on the road in front of the library.
“Johnny?” asked Ian, recognizing the Lieutenant for the first time. “Is that you?”
“Ian?” said Lt. Sawyer. “Ian St Clair?”
“Yeah,” laughed Ian, as he descended the steps of the library and hugged the Lieutenant. “Man it’s good to see you! Weren’t you a sergeant the last time I saw you? What happened?”
“I got promoted,” grinned Lt Sawyer. “They tend to do that if you stay in long enough. It’s been a long time Ian, how in the hell are ya?”
“I’m doing great! I live here in Clearview,” said Ian, gesturing to the quaint buildings around him. “This is my home town that I used to tell you about. I came back after being discharged.”
“Oh yeah,” frowned Lt Sawyer, remembering the circumstances behind Ian’s discharge from the Marines. “Well,” he said, a smile returning to his face, “we’ve a lot of catching up to do.”
“That we do,” grinned Ian. “Come inside and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”