The End: Fight For Survival

An Emp Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

Zion Cage

Copyright © 2020 Zion Cage

All rights reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people or real people are used for fiction purposes only. Other names, characters, places, and events are the ultimate product of the author imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

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Also By Zion Cage

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Epilogue

About The Author

Coming Soon

Books In This Series

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The End: Into The Past

In events prior to the EMP, Vivien will do anything to please the one she loves. That is until he decides to put her away. Her eyes open and, for once, she realizes the truth. She will have to make a hard decision.

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Also By Zion Cage

The End: Genesis

The End: Captives

The End: Warzone

The End: Rogue

“It's the end of the world every day, for someone.”

Margaret Atwood

Prologue

24thMarch, 2006
Washington D.C, USA.

“Okay. I want a full status report. And you’d had better have something good to tell me,” Adrik said into the phone. He could hear Vivien gulp in fear. He sighed. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him. “Look, relax. I won’t be able to hurt you from here, would I? Besides, why would I want to hurt you if you’re doing what you’ve been told to do? Just tell me sincerely, how far have you gone with the assignment given to you?”

Vivien Dmitri knew her boss was lying. If she was found to be slacking, they would take her to be irrelevant to the plan and they would kill her. From what she saw while she was being trained back at the base, there were enough replacements for her if she messed up. The organization of the Rising Sun was very interesting though. From Russia, the bosses seemed to want to subtly have their hands in the affairs of other nations. She had somehow become one of the tools by which they gained that dominance. She collected herself before replying.

“Just as you asked, we’ve shipped them all. We’re working on giving them platforms from which they can operate but that’s where we’re having problems. It’s hard to just summon operatives and place them anywhere here. Their names must be approved by the governing council. So far, I’ve found favor with a lot of the members of the governing council. It’s only a matter of time, sir.”

The man on the other end sighed.

“How much time was given to you?” he asked.

“Two weeks, sir.”

“How much time have you used?”

“Tomorrow would make it two weeks, sir.”

“Vivien, I love how you are proactive. I love how you always give detailed reports whenever you’re asked. However, I’m beginning to feel that you’re ineffective on the job and we don’t like that, I put you there because I felt that you would be the most capable to handle this job. Why are you disappointing me?”

The conversation was wearing Vivien out. She was going to ask him to shut up but she knew better than to dare say as such. She couldn’t even cut him off when he was speaking. She waited till she was sure that he was done with talking then she spoke.

“Sir, we’re doing as much as we can. I promise I won’t fail you. Just give me one more week. I can assure you that I’d have at least ten people in the seats as you desire.”

She could feel the man’s smile from a million miles away. She sighed inwardly.

“I miss you Vivien”, he said calmly. Vivien rolled her eyes.

“If you had known you wouldn’t have sent me to the United States, would you?” she asked. She heard him sigh.

“You’re still angry, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Oh no. I don’t dare keep a grudge against my boss,” she replied, trying her best to sound sincere. She wanted to slap herself for letting her emotions get the better of her.

“Oh, sure. Put on the professional demeanor. You’ve always been excellent at what you do. Please understand that I didn’t want to send you that far away but the job required much skill and you were the best person for the job. As much as I love you, the plan must succeed.”

Vivien bit her lips, holding back tears as she walked through the hallway to her office. When she didn’t say anything, he sighed again.

“Take care of yourself, my love. By the way, we sent in another agent to support you. He’ll make sure you’re doing what needs to be done. Keep up the good work.” He said before he finished the call.

Vivien shook her head. Adrik, her boss sure had a way with words. She went to her office and entered. The place was dark. She turned on the lights and approached her desk. The books on her table were neatly arranged and an American flag stood right in the center of the table. She pulled out her journal from the pile of books and began looking through her appointments for the day. That was when she noticed the man in a suit that was standing by her door. She was surprised but she didn’t show any signs of fear.

“Who are you?” she asked as she subtly reached for the gun beneath her desk. The man smiled.

“That’s no way to welcome your new assistant, Ms. Secretary to the White House Chief of Staff. By the way, I am Daan Barackov and I’m good at Economics,” he said, twirling her gun around his fingers.

Chapter One

"There will be a day with no more tears…"

17th November, 2021

5:30am

Belfast, Maine. USA

The car had suddenly gone off but the wheels were still in motion. It tumbled upside down so that she bumped her head hard against the window. The glass broke and the shards lodged themselves in her scalp. The pain was excruciating. Then there was the fire… all-consuming; ensuring that no one survived.

Suddenly, she was behind the bleachers in school with her sweetheart, Jackson. He held her head in a vice-like grip. “Come on, Ali. I know you want me as bad as I want you. Everyone who loved you is dead now. I’m the only one who still does. Too bad you pushed them all away. Don’t repeat your past mistakes. Just open up,” he said as he pressed his lips to hers and tried to force her. Aaliyah tried to scream but his lips were hard on hers and he was stronger. He had her pinned to the wall so she couldn’t push him off. She struggled and tried to shout but her breath caught in her throat. No words came out. 

Then a hand touched her thigh and she jerked up, finally able to let out the scream. She looked around. It was still dark. The air was chilly but she was sweating. Some of the other migrants had woken up because of her screams. They were all staring at her. A hand was still on her thigh. It belonged to her grandmother, Marcia, who was kneeling by her.

“Are you okay, Ali? That must have been quite a nightmare,” Marcia said in a whisper. Aaliyah took a moment to clear her head before getting up and walking away without answering her grandmother. She walked to the waterfront and sat there, staring at the calm waters. Without permission, tears began to flow from her eyes. She sobbed quietly so that no one would be able to hear but she sobbed nonetheless. She couldn’t hold back the grief.

Marcia came and sat quietly beside her. Slowly, she put her arm around Aaliyah. Aaliyah didn’t shrug her away; instead, Aaliyah rested her head on Marcia’s shoulder. When she had cried to her satisfaction, Marcia spoke.

“You’ve been crying a lot these days, you know.”

Aaliyah didn’t respond.

“You’ve been too quiet, Aaliyah. Something has been eating you up for years now. To worsen it, this tragedy has happened. Child, you can’t continue bottling up the pain. You have to let it go. You need to say something.”

Aaliyah didn’t know what to say. So many thoughts were running through her head at the same time. She just wanted to think them through to put them in order, the way she liked all her things to be.

“Granny, can you just sing me one of your songs?”

“What songs?”

“You know, those ones you said they used to sing back in the day at church.”

Marcia laughed- then coughed.

“Oh, my. Why would you ask for them now? I haven’t had reasons to sing those in days.” Then she began to sing in her sweet alto voice: “But I hold on to this hope and the promise that he brings that there will be a place with no more suffering. There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more…”

As Aaliyah listened to her grandmother’s voice, sleep took her. She loved the numbness of sleep. She hoped it would last forever.

6:50 am

Aaliyah poured a bucket of water over the fireplace, putting out the flames. The team of migrants had to begin moving as it was morning again. The day before, soldiers had come to their homes to inform them of the governments instructions to move from their homes to New York where a ship would take them to Spain. Aaliyah would have preferred to die in the comfort of her house than to trek all the way to New York. Luckily it was just a journey of about six days. From what she had heard, some people would have to trek for over ten days to get to salvation. Marcia sat close-by doing nothing. Her health was frail and so she was unable to handle the community tasks that the others had to do. Before the EMP ruined all life as Aaliyah had known it, Marcia had been a diabetic. She had also suffered from Arthritis. Those two illnesses alone made life difficult for her grandmother without adding the extra problem of trekking long distances for about eighteen hours every day. But Marcia was strong. That was one thing Aaliyah loved about her grandmother. Marcia never complained. She just kept going.

Aaliyah went on to pack up the sleeping materials she shared with Marcia. She pretended as though she didn’t see the stares of the other people. Everyone knew her as the girl that had nightmares every other night and never talked to anyone. She was naturally an introvert. She was also very thoughtful. Her mother had told her that if she had a penny for every time she got lost in thought she would probably be the richest girl in the world; which was quite true, though. Those used to be virtues until she started dating Jackson in her senior year. She pushed the thoughts aside. It was too early for her day to be spoiled.

Sergeant Graham, the leader of their team of migrants stood on an elevated rock and called for everyone to gather around him. He, along with three other soldiers had been delegated to lead that team of migrants to New York. He was quite the leader: wise and intimidating. Besides, the soldiers had guns. No one disobeyed a gun.

“Okay, folks. We’ve got ourselves an empty town here. We’ll be leaving in about an hour time. Use this time productively. If you want to eat, eat now. If you need to hunt for supplies, do it now. The moment we get going, no one stops till the midday rest. Is that clear?”

Murmurs danced over the heads of the crowd. Apparently, the sergeant took it as a yes.

“Good. Now scram. But be careful. It’s been reported that some people are missing. Let’s not get ourselves in any trouble,” he said as he jumped down from the podium and went to where his team were waiting.

Aaliyah sighed. Their community was quite a mixed group since everyone, whether poor or rich, had to move together. Some people had survival skills and were good at hunting and making campfires. They were thriving well. There were also the others, like Aaliyah, who knew nothing of the outdoors and would have to learn the hard way. Her father and her younger brother used to go camping during the summer vacation. Her father would encourage her to join them but she always turned down the invitations. A while ago, she turned them down simply because she wanted to be with her friends within the boundaries of civilization. Later on, it was because she felt too dirty to have friends… because she just wanted to be alone. Well, whatever her reasons had been, now she wished she had joined her father all those years ago. She had no one and so she had to fend for herself and her grandmother.

She along with a couple of other people had developed a way to survive though. They broke into empty homes and took whatever useful thing they could find- what they called ‘hunting for supplies’. Since the owners of the homes wouldn’t be returning anytime soon, that could hardly be counted as stealing. Her supplies were running out. She needed to get food for herself and her grandmother. If she was lucky enough, she would be able to find pain killers for her grandmother. She walked over to Marcia.

“Granny, I’m going to step out and find something for us, okay? Just stay put and I’ll be back in no time.”

Marcia looked up at her in worry.

“I appreciate all that you do, Ali, but don’t you think it would be easier and safer for us if we just join another family making the trip. I know some families from church that would gladly help us. You don’t have to do this on your own.”

“Granny, we’ve talked about this before. We can’t trust anyone. People are desperate to have their way. If we put ourselves into their hands, they will use us the way they want to and throw us away when they are done. We can’t hand ourselves over to people that cheaply. We can do this, granny. Trust me on this,” Aaliyah said as she wrapped a blanket around Marcia.

Marcia looked at Aaliyah in surprise. Aaliyah was nonplussed.

“What?”

“Well, it’s partly that, I can’t remember the last time you aired the thoughts that ran through your mind. I miss hearing about your philosophies. But, more than that, I’m bothered by the philosophies themselves. They’ve changed and become pessimistic. What makes you think that way - that everyone would betray us?”

Aaliyah sighed. The dream had really shaken her up. Her emotions were all over the place.

“Don’t worry about it, granny. Just wait for me, please. Will you?”

Marcia sighed too but then she smiled and nodded.

“The only reason I’m going to let you go out there on your own is that I don’t want the money your father spent on martial art classes to be a waste. You’d better use it to take good care of yourself,” she said.

Marcia tilted her head and smiled. “Okay, grandma.” With that, she drew her hood over her head and ran off towards the town. Marcia smiled as she watched Aaliyah go. She was grateful that not everyone was taken away. True, it hurt to lose her daughter, son-in-law, and the entire family. But she was glad that Aaliyah stayed. Aaliyah had always been sweet and thoughtful. If there was anyone who would take it upon themselves to care for her, it was Aaliyah. The little girl would even insist on taking her to church so that she didn’t miss out on her life because of her health. Suddenly, barely one year ago, Aaliyah had changed and become a recluse. She would come back from school and go straight to her room without even spending time with Marcia as she used to do in the past. Everyone, including her friends from church, tried to talk to her to no avail. Soon they all gave up but Marcia kept praying for the sweet child. Then one day, she announced that she wanted to take martial art classes. Everyone had thought that she was back to her bright cheerful self. They were wrong. She only became a self-confident recluse. Marcia sighed and said a silent prayer for her granddaughter.

Barely a second later, a young man walked up to her.

“Hello, Ms. Marcia. It’s been a while,” he said. She looked into his moss-green eyes and she smiled. It was Ted Hankins, the lead guitarist from the church.

“Oh my, it’s truly been a while. You know my health no longer allows me to move around alone. That’s why I had to stop coming.”

Ted took her hand and held it in his.

“Well, am I glad to see you. It’s a miracle we’re alive, you know. Where’s the rest of your family? It’s weird that you’re all alone out here.”

Marcia’s smiled dropped and he got the message.

“Oh,” he said slowly. “I’m so sorry. How have you been moving all this time then?”

Marcie smiled again; this time ruefully.

“Well, my granddaughter was not in the car with them. We were at home when the EMP hit. She’s been fending for me all this time. In fact, she just went to get us something to eat.”

“You mean Aaliyah?”

“Yes. You remember her!”

When he smiled, his cheeks turned red.

“Well, I do actually.” There was a brief silence and then Ted piped up again. “Hey, you know what? Why don’t you guys join my family? We could all work together to survive the trek. And it’ll be good for company too. We’re having canned beans for breakfast. There’s plenty to go round.”

Marcia’s eyes lit up.

“That will be splendid. I kept telling Ali that we should find a friend to pair up with but she’s such a lone ranger.”

Ted laughed with her. 

“Well, we are all over there,” he said as he helped her get up and led her to where his family was. His family consisted of his parents and a boy of about twelve years. There were all seated around a smolder, eating from cans. Some other friends sat around too. They all lit up when they saw Marcia.

“Granny!” Elizabeth, Ted’s mother, said as she got up and hugged the elderly woman. Ted piped up.

“Hey, mum. Please let Ms. Marcia get something to eat. I’ll go find her granddaughter.” He said and jogged off. Marcia called out after him;

“She headed into town.”

Chapter Two

“Fear is an illusion …"

17thNovember, 2021

7:15am

Belfast, Maine. USA

Aaliyah trudged quickly through the snow, grateful for the alone time. She desperately needed to clear her head and fix her emotions. She remembered the words of, Ando Lee, her karate master.

Don’t let your emotions rule you… fear is an illusion holding you back from what you must do… don’t be a sympathetic fool; even hard decisions must be taken.

A tear rolled down her cheeks. 

This wasn’t how I planned to spend thanksgiving. The last thing my family remembers of me is my rejecting them. They never knew why. I had never told them.

She pulled her lock picks from her jacket pockets and slipped them into the keyhole of the door to the house closest to the travel route. Clearly, the army had emptied that place before they had reached her neighborhood. She hoped she could quickly find some supplies and head back to camp.

Now I’m left with grandma and she’s sick. Only God knows if she’ll survive the journey. I’ll be left all alone with no family.

She had to stop and suck in her breath to stop herself from crying. Her grip around the doorknob tightened. Managing to pull herself together, she walked into the house and went straight to the kitchen. She checked out the fridge. There was a carton half-filled with milk… most likely spoilt. She put it into her backpack. Apart from that, there was nothing of much value. She checked the cabinets. There were two loaves of untouched bread as well as a jar of mayonnaise. She slipped those in too. She found some empty plastic bottles in the trash can and she filled them with water. The water was very cold - just the way she liked it. She decided that was enough house-shopping. As she was about to leave the house, she noticed a book on the ground close to the chair. She picked it up and looked at it. It was a novel. She smiled. Finally; something to keep her mind busy.

As she stepped on the snowy streets again, she noticed a sandy-haired guy running towards her. She dismissed him for one of the other people who were ‘hunting for supplies’ and continued to head towards camp. It was almost time for their journey to continue. When the guy shouted her name, she stopped in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting that. She waited for him to get close enough so she could get a good look at him.

“Whew! I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said, stopping just in front of her. She looked carefully at him. She knew she had seen him somewhere before but she wasn’t sure where from.

“Do I know you?” she asked bluntly. She watched the smile on his face get exchanged with formality.

“Oh, you probably might not remember me. I go to the church your grandma used to attend.”

She didn’t look like she was catching on. He tried again.

“I play the lead guitar there.”

Her face lit up.

“Oh, I remember you. You’re the weird guy that never finds the right key for any song,” she said as she continued to the camp.

His face saddened a bit.

“Well, that’s not exactly accurate,” he said before following her.

“What do you want?” she asked, sounding weary of him.

“Your granny asked me to get you. She’s having breakfast with my family. She wanted you to join her.”

Aaliyah stopped, turned, and shot Ted a death-glare.

“What’s my grandmother doing with your family?”

“Well, we’re friends of hers. We invited her over.”

Aaliyah let out a breath in anger.

“I thought I clearly told her to stay put!” she said more to herself than to Ted. Ted wasn’t sure of what to say. He had never seen her that way. He raised his hands.

“Hey, you don’t have to be angry. And you don’t have to do everything on your own. We can help.”

“Oh, shut up! You can’t help. Give your help to someone that needs it.” She placed her face in her palms as she exhaled.

“Hey, we’re just trying to be nice. If you don’t want to join us, knock yourself out. It’s cool.”

Aaliyah rolled her eyes.

“You know what?” Ted continued. “I don’t want to judge you but it seems you’re exactly what people say you are - rude and snobbish - the very opposite of what I remember. I guess my memory must have mistaken you for someone else.”

“Do I look like someone who cares? Go hug a live wire or something. I have some hunting to do,” she said straight to his face before turning away and heading further into town. Ted stared after her wanting to have the last word but he restrained himself.

Aaliyah knew he was still standing where she left him. She wished he’d just go away. Not even thinking of where she was going, she took a turn so that she could clean the tears that ran down her cheeks without him seeing. She took a moment to breathe then she put herself together and walked on, trying to decide the next house to raid. She hadn’t gone too far when she saw two men and a woman. They were typing into white phones. Aaliyah didn’t recognize them from the camp and it was weird that they were using phones at such times. Even if their phones weren’t broken, there was obviously no mobile network available. The whole place was deserted. Being alone with them was spooky. She turned to go away.

“Hey, young lady,” the woman called. Aaliyah turned to face her.

“Yes?”

“Um, we’re having a problem finding our way to the migrant camp. Ours left just yesterday and we missed them. You’re the only person around here. Did you see them,” the woman said as she walked towards Aaliyah. Aaliyah shook her head.

“No. I don’t-“

She couldn’t speak anymore. The woman had brought out a perfume and sprayed it over her face. She immediately began to lose consciousness. Falling, she felt herself land in the woman’s arms.

The ground seemed to swim beneath her. She couldn’t get herself to be coordinated. She tried to shout but no words came out.

Though hazy, she heard the woman say;

“Nine. Today seems to be our lucky day.”

Chapter Three

“you need to follow instructions …"

10th October, 2006

12:16pm

Seattle, Washington D.C. USA.

Vivien sat on a bench in the park, waiting for the emissary from the bosses. She checked her wristwatch. The meeting was supposed to begin at noon on the dot. However, this emissary had succeeded in wasting sixteen minutes of her precious time. She wasn’t even supposed to be here. She could be sanctioned at work for negligence due to her leaving the job for no reason. She had been called the moment she got to work that morning. She didn’t want to go but Daan had shown up in her office by 11:30 am to ‘remind’ her of the meeting.

A black car stopped across the road. At first, she didn’t waste any special attention to it. When she noticed the person who got out of the car, her heart stopped. She stood up immediately, even before the man crossed the street and entered the park.

“Vivien, you look more beautiful than ever. The United States is taking good care of you,” he said to her in Russian.

“Thank you, sir. I’d say the same of you it’s just that you live in Russia.”

He laughed at her joke.

“You know you don’t have to call me ‘sir’. We’ve gone beyond that.” he said before kissing her gently on her lips. He trailed his fingers over her dark skin.

Vivien shook her head sadly.

“Adrik, we need to focus on the job. We can’t be doing that here,” she said in Russian accented English.

It took a second but Adrik to straightened up and nodded at her with a straight face. He sat on the bench she had been sitting on and motioned for her to join him. She obeyed.

“So, I’ve read through your report and I’m so pleased that I sent you here.” They had reverted to speaking Russian.

“Thank you, sir. As I said before, I just needed time to act without causing any suspicions.” 

Adrik smiled and nodded his head.

“So, everyone thinks you’re from Wisconsin?”

She smiled and nodded.

He pulled out an A4-sized brown envelope from his jacket and handed it over to her.

“We are moving on to the next phase now. The organization has decided on the people they want to fill up the positions. Your job is to steadily promote them till they get those seats. This should be done over a long period to avoid suspicion. We aim for fifteen years. Work towards it. Remember, no slacking.”

Vivien opened the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. She read through the names on the first sheet. She raised a brow.

“Really? We’re going to let Alexei take this position?”

Adrik narrowed his brow.

“You have a problem with that?”

Vivien sighed.

“Well, I don’t. It’s just that I feel the job description requires so much tact and strength. I know him. I doubt he can do it.”

Adrik laughed.

“Vivien, my love. Ever so opinionated. So, who do you think can do it? You?”

Vivien mentally rolled her eyes and said nothing more. Adrik became serious.

“Vivien, this is not the council where we make our suggestions. Your wisdom indeed brought us this far but you need to follow instructions. If this is what we say we want to be done, do it without any questions. Is that clear?”

Vivien nodded.

“Yes sir.”

“Adrik.”

“Yes, Adrik.”

“Good.”

There was silence for a while. They sat staring at all the activity on the field. Vivien wished he hadn’t come. He had a way of upsetting her. She asked;

“Why did you have to come from Russia? You could easily have sent someone to do it. I was told I was awaiting an emissary. I never thought it would be you.”

“I just wanted to see you. I’ve missed you, Viv,” he said, still staring at the people.

“Oh,” she said and he turned to look at her.

“But, you don’t seem happy to see me. You smile but it’s obvious your heart is far from it.”

Vivien tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears. She didn’t say anything.

“Viv, I know you think of me as a hard man, incapable of emotions but I’m only doing what needs to be done to achieve our aim. We’ve been at this for years now without getting anywhere. Five years ago, because of your brilliance, we finally began making headway. We can’t afford to ruin this for reasons as fickle as emotions.”

Vivien looked up at him and nodded.

“You need to get back to work so you won’t be missed,” Adrik said as he stood up and held out his hand for a handshake. Vivien took it before turning and walking across the grass back to the road where she planned to take a cab. She didn’t look back but she knew he was watching her.

Chapter Four

The Spirit of Survival

17thNovember, 2021

7:50am

Belfast, Maine. USA

“Quickly! Lift her up and let’s get out of here before anyone spots us.” The woman who had abducted Aaliyah said and the men moved to take Aaliyah out of her hands. They had only carried her a little way when a sandy-haired young man made the turn and saw them with Aaliyah. They all froze. The woman lifted her head in anger.

“Well, would you look at that? We’ve been spotted.” She said as she pulled out a pistol from her pocket and pointed it at him. “It’s such a pity that I’d have to waste such a pretty boy but you just saw what you simply weren’t supposed to see.” She pulled the trigger. Immediately, the boy ducked behind the wall and the bullet lodged itself into the bricks.

He shouted out: “Everyone, Aaliyah is being abducted. Come here now!”

The woman cursed. There were sounds of response. People around had started gathering. She looked at the girl.

“Well, since we can’t have her, neither can they.”

She pointed her gun towards the girl.

“I’m sorry, baby girl. Mummy didn’t want to do this.”

Before she could pull the trigger, the young man emerged from behind the wall with the cover of a trash can.

“Hey!” He called and flung it towards the woman. She looked up just in time for the cover to hit her squarely in the face. She lost her bearing and fell to the ground unconscious. Men pulled out their guns and began to fire at him. He dropped to the ground and tried to roll away but a bullet hit his left leg. They were getting closer. The two men decided to cut their losses. One picked up their female accomplice while the other pointed his gun at Aaliyah.

“Don’t shoot her. If you do they won’t stop looking for us. Let’s just go. We already have the burden of carrying Niki,” the first one said as he ran away, disappearing around the first turn. The other one followed suit.

People gathered to see Ted rolling in the snow because of the pain and Aaliyah unconscious.

“Let’s get them back to camp. It’s almost time to move,” an elderly man said to the others around him.

18th November 2021

7:00 am

Outskirts of Vermont. USA

Aaliyah zipped her hoodie up and laced her boots. Tying her black hair into a bun, she threw the hood over her head. Slipping her bag over her shoulders, she stood in the ankle-deep snow, deep in thought. The movies had always warned them about it. Even her novel had mentioned it in passing. She wondered why the EMP had to happen in her generation. Suddenly, walking to New York wasn’t what bothered her the most. She could do that. Her mind ran over the events of the previous day. She could hardly believe she had almost been abducted. There was a war looming. They were in danger zone. Americans had turned on each other and the spirit of America had now become the spirit of survival. She didn’t know if she could handle it.

Marcia, her grandmother came to stand beside her. She hugged her grandma - the only other surviving person in her whole family. They had shared her loot from the previous day with the Hankins.

“We’re going to be safe, Granny,” Aaliyah said. Marcia coughed in response and sadness filled Aaliyah. Time was running out.

“Aaliyah just stay back. The Hankins will take care of us. Why do you insist on blocking people out all the time? You are loved.”

Aaliyah shook her head.

“Granny, you won’t understand. And it’s okay if you’re going to rely on them. But I don’t want to. We’ve already seen firsthand how that turned out.”

“But Ted saved you yesterday.”

Aaliyah’s eyes widened.

“And he’s now walking with crutches because of that. He shouldn’t have bothered.”

“If he hadn’t bothered, you wouldn’t be here by now. Who knows where those people would have taken you? Did you not hear that some families in our community are looking for their children?”

“I can take care of myself, granny. As I will today.”

“But I don’t want to lose you, my child.”

Aaliyah sighed and bit back her tears. She didn’t want to talk about losing anyone.

“You’re ill, granny. I need to find drugs for you. I’ll just check if there are any pharmacies around and see if I can get some something. I’ll also try to get bandages for Ted if that’ll make you happy but I have to go now. We’ll be moving in an hour. That’s hardly enough time for me to get what I need to get.”

She turned and headed out.

“You don’t want to be indebted to Ted or to anyone for that matter. That’s it, right?”

Aaliyah stopped. She wanted to turn and reply but she forced herself to go on. Her grandmother had always been able to read her. As she walked on, she came to the path that demarcated the highway through which they made their journey from the main town. A couple of guys sat around, talking. Ted was one of them. Aaliyah pretended she didn’t see them and walked past. Worry crossed Ted’s face and he moved to get up.

“Hey, bro. Don’t tell me you’re going after the witch,” Jackson, one of his friends, said while holding him back. Jackson was quite a bit younger than Ted. The only reason Jackson hung out with the bigger guys was that his father was the manager of the local bank. Sincerely, Ted wasn’t sure he liked the boy too well. He raised a brow.

“I am. Is there a problem with that?”

The rest of the guys laughed.

“When are you gonna learn a lesson, boy? That girl dun’ care about you one bit. Besides, you don’t need anyone to tell you that she’s a black cat. She’s got bad luck on her. Your leg is a testimony,” Jackson said.

Ted laughed.

“Y’all don’t know her. And you’re delaying me. I’ll be back.”

He limped towards her. She didn’t stop when she noticed him coming. He didn’t stop following her either. When she couldn’t ignore him any longer, she stopped and turned to face him.

“Why are you following me?”

He smiled at her.

“Where are you going? Did you need something? You know you could just have asked my mother, right?”

“I’ve made it clear that I don’t need any help. Especially not from guys who feel they are everything a lady needs. I’ve got to go.” She turned to walk away but Ted limped closer to her and stood right in front of her.

“You didn’t seem so independent yesterday.”

Aaliyah rolled her eyes.

“Is that what this is about? Well, I didn’t ask you to save me.”

“I know. And you don’t owe me. I know you don’t appreciate it but I’m just hoping you’ll realize that we all need each other especially in these crises. Please, let me in. I just want to help.”

Aaliyah sighed and walked around him, pulling her woolen nose mask on in the same moment. She passed through the small streets cautiously, looking for the green cross that symbolized pharmacies. Her eyes were also peeled for any abductors. She spotted a small building. It had the sign she was looking for. She frowned when she noticed the iron doors that blocked the entrance. The windows were barred. She couldn’t go through them either. She walked up to the door and looked at its lock. It was of the more complex sort - the kind that took a while to open. Luckily for her, she had some experience with doors of that sort. Her mind wandered back to her days in senior high after the incident. She had decided to hang out with a couple of Goth girls because no one in school messed with them. She had wanted to be like them: strong and intimidating. She had learned a lot from them; like how to open locks when they wanted to enter the principal’s office and change their grades; or how to fight like the wrestling stars on television. Someday, somehow, she decided to not continue with her squad. It turned out to be a great decision because they were caught and got expelled on the next scheme after she left them. She was lucky.

She set to work on opening the lock. In ten minutes she was done. A smile lit her face as the doors swung open to let her in. She walked through and shut them so as not to be interrupted. She walked through the aisles, searching for pain killers, diabetic drugs and bandages. She found them one after the other. Then she had an idea. There was so much need for drugs back at the camp. People had caught the flu and had to resort to natural remedies that they knew little about and weren’t used to. If she got drugs for them, she could make some good exchanges. She ran through the store, picking up whatever she felt would be necessary.

She was pleased with herself when she saw how full her bag was. She decided to leave. She was about to head out when someone suddenly grabbed her from the back and held a hand to her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Aaliyah paused, taking a moment to recall all her training.

 Stepping hard on her captor's feet, she turned sharply and kicked so that the person fell over on to a shelf, taking the whole thing down. Aaliyah poised herself for a fight. Her assailant got up from the pile. It was a dark-skinned woman, probably in her forties. The lady twisted her neck, making cracking sounds in the process. Aaliyah wasn’t afraid of her.

Fear is only an illusion.

“You want to kidnap someone? Well, kidnap this,” Aaliyah said, running to the woman. She threw a punch but the woman dodged it, grabbed the hand and hit Aaliyah in the armpit. Aaliyah’s hand felt numb as she staggered back. She knew the trick well. Stretching out her hand forcefully, she heard a crack and felt her hand return to normal functionality.

“I’m not here to kidnap anyone,” the lady said, walking in half circles. “However, I’m guessing you’ve met my friends.”

Aaliyah smiled at her then she lunged at the woman, taking them both to the ground. She punched the woman. The next second, the woman turned and sent Aaliyah to the ground. She got up and watched Aaliyah do a Chinese get-up. The woman smiled.

“I’m impressed. I wondered what you did to my friends when they tried to abduct you.”

Aaliyah didn’t respond this time. Instead, she threw her heel towards the woman’s face. The woman barely dodged it but Aaliyah wasn’t done. She threw herself into the air, turning so that her other heel struck the woman on the face sending them both to the ground again. This time, Aaliyah got up first with a smile.

“I didn’t do anything to them. They were lucky they drugged me first. You aren’t as smart as they were.”

The woman stood up.

“Enough of this,” she said as she ran towards Aaliyah. Aaliyah braced herself to dodge a punch but the woman squatted instead, using her leg to kick Aaliyah’s leg off the ground. Aaliyah landed hard on her butt and gasped in pain. The woman used the front of her leg to hit Aaliyah’s face, causing her to fall flat on the floor. She placed a heel on Aaliyah’s head.

“Don’t bother moving, young lady. Especially if you don’t want my heels to go through your skull.” When she was sure Aaliyah would respect herself, she lifted her foot off and went back to where she dropped her bag. Picking it up, she started to leave when Aaliyah called out.

“Hey, if you’re not kidnapping me, what are you doing here? And why are you friends with the kidnappers?”

The woman turned and looked at Aaliyah sitting up on the floor.

“I’m guessing you’re on some Israelite journey to some promised land where a ship awaits you.”

Aaliyah nodded.

“Well, let me put it this way: whatever you’re running away from here is the same thing that’s waiting for you there. The people who are being kidnapped are the lucky ones.”

Aaliyah frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t. You’re an innocent citizen with complete confidence in the integrity of your government. When two elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffer. At least the Africans got that one right. Look, I want to tell you what’s going on but it’ll only put you in more danger. So, have a safe trip to New York. A new life is waiting for you there. Bye,” the lady said as she continued walking away. Aaliyah followed her. It was only then she realized that there was a back door that the woman had come in from.

The woman sat on a snowmobile and turned to face Aaliyah.

    “Look, it was great meeting you, though I wish it wasn’t under the current circumstances. Take my word for it. It’s better to stay back than to make this trek,” she said before putting on her helmet and driving off. It was then Aaliyah realized how foolish she had been to miss the tire tracks in the snow to the pharmacy. She wondered how the lady’s snowmobile still worked and how she even managed to power it. Another thing bothered her.

     why were the kidnapped ones the lucky ones?

Chapter Five

“Stay away from me, will you?"

18thNovember, 2021

7:53am

Gorham, Danville. USA

Aaliyah ran through the snow in worry. She was confused. Could she take the advice of the strange woman and just stop the journey? Who would believe her if she told them what the woman had said? What had the woman even said that would logically explain why she should stop her travel and go against the government orders? Nothing made sense. However, she couldn’t shake off the feeling of impending doom.

She went to the road leading to the highway and she noticed the guys were no longer sitting around. Apparently, they were about to move. She walked faster till she got to the camp. people were preparing to leave. She went towards Ted’s parent’s corner. When they saw her coming from afar, she noticed that they started whispering among themselves.

Sure, whatever. Say what you want about me. I don’t care.

Ted got up and limped towards her and she rolled her eyes. The guy never got it, did he?

“Leave me alone, Ted. I just want to get my grandmother and prepare her for the trek,” she said even before he got near. When he was close enough, she noticed the sad look on his face.

“That’s not what I want -” he began to say but she cut him off.

“Hey, check out what I got you,” she said as she pulled out the bandage roll and a bottle of alcohol from her bag. “Take care of your leg and stay away from me, will you?” she asked with mock sweetness as she walked past him.

“Marcia is really ill. She can’t even talk or get up. Time is running out.”

Aaliyah froze. Slowly she turned to face him.

“That’s a nasty joke,” she said, hoping that he would burst into laughter and tell her she looked like an ape when she got angry. He didn’t do that.

“I’m serious, Aaliyah.”

She struggled to hide her tears as she didn’t want him to see her cry.

“When did it happen?”

“Shortly after you left. I got back to the camp and she began to complain to me of headaches. She slumped shortly afterward.”

Aaliyah sucked in her breath.

“Where is she?” she asked and Ted walked up to her.

“This way,” he said as he led the way. Aaliyah followed him to his parent’s corner where something lay in a heap on the ground. She bent down over the heap. It was her grandmother, who had been covered with blankets.

“Granny,” she cried as she took Marcia’s hand. She couldn’t fight the tears anymore so she allowed them to flow freely down her cheeks.

“Granny, please come back. Don’t die. You’re all I have left. Don’t die please.”

She didn’t mind the presence of people as she cried like a baby. She pulled off her bag and hugged her grandmother. The Hankins excused her, allowing her to be alone. Only Ted stood there, watching her as she cried.

After a couple of minutes, her sobs became quieter. He limped over and managed to kneel beside her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he spoke.

“It’s going to be okay.”

She looked up at him and saw hope in his eyes. Hope was what she needed. Against her better reasoning, she threw herself into his arms and cried again freely. He simply held her in silence, allowing her tears to flow down his shirt.

“I don’t want her to die,” Aaliyah whispered.

Ted stroked her hair with his hand that wasn’t holding the crutch.

“I wish it was within my power. Believe me, I do.”

Aaliyah was quiet for a while.

“I wasn’t always like this, you know,” she said finally. Her voice was full of sadness.

“Like what?”

She rolled her eyes.

“You know: rude and angry. Grandma used to say I was the brightness in her sun. I remember those days and somehow, I can’t seem to find my way back there.”

“What happened?” he asked sincerely.

Aaliyah broke out of the hug, wondering whether to tell him. She had never told anyone about it. She bit on her lips.

"I know you don’t know me and you might feel insecure sharing secrets with me but I guess the fact that we’re strangers should make it easier to off-load your burden. I mean, I don’t know you and so I can’t judge you, right?” Ted asked.

She looked into his eyes to see if his words were real. They were clear and sincere, inviting her to empty her heart.

“You promise not to judge me?”

“I promise.”

She sat on the ground in front of her mother and Ted joined her.

“You know Jackson?”

“You mean Jackson Wells?”

She nodded.

“Well, no. I just know his father is the owner of the local bank and a deacon at church. I hang with him because of his elder brother. Why?”

She didn’t speak immediately. When she tried to speak, the words wouldn’t form well in her mouth. She sighed then she forced the words out.

“I was raped. By him.” She broke down into tears again.

Ted was going to get angry at Jackson and shout but he saw Aaliyah’s need. He shifted closer to her, grimacing as pain mildly shot up his left leg. He put an arm around her.

“It’s okay. Free yourself. Talk to me.”

“It was a year ago. I had only just entered my senior year. They had a game that day,” she said amidst tears. She paused, wiped her eyes, and tried to calm down.

“I was a straight A student. He had to retake calculus and so I tutored him. I don’t know why but I allowed him to get close. My friends tried to warn me but I was blind. And that’s what they say, right? Love is blind. At the close of the football season, we were matched against this other school and we were all scared because they were tough. We only won by a point and everyone got so excited. He asked me to wait for him after the match. When the whole place was empty, he took me behind the bleachers and she took a second to say it: “he raped me. I feel so dirty.” She broke down again and Ted patted her back.

“You’re not dirty. If anyone is dirty, it’s him.”

“No, you don’t understand. I couldn’t bear the shame. Who would have believed me if I told them that the son of the bank manager raped me? I doubt even my parents would. I became so depressed. I couldn’t help it. I lost my family because of him. We didn’t have a relationship anymore. The afternoon they left, you know what happened? My mother had confronted me, asking me why I had become so reclusive. They had planned a family day out in the park but I didn’t want to go. I sparked. I was just tired of life. I was going to kill myself the next day, anyway. My father rebuked me for shouting at my mother but I didn’t care. I told them to go to hell and I ran up to my room.” She smiled ruefully as she shook the hair out of her eyes. “Those were my last words to my parents: ‘go to hell’. How ironic.”

They sat together in silence.

“Your grandma said you learned martial arts. Is that why?”

Aaliyah laughed.

“She’s told you a lot, hasn’t she? Well, yes. At first, I wanted to have revenge but my karate tutor had a no revenge mantra. That’s what saved Jackson. Later on, I just learned it in order to defend myself in the event of future occurrences.”

There was silence. Just when Aaliyah felt the conversation was over, Ted turned to her and said;

“I’m sorry life turned out this way for you.”

She turned to him too. The air was tense.

“Thanks.”

Their faces drew closer to each other, the eyes of each on the other’s lip. Aaliyah closed her eyes, taking in the moment. Their lips had almost locked when Ted turned his face away. Aaliyah opened her eyes, feeling embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, Aaliyah. I can’t do this. I don’t want to take advantage of you in your moment of weakness.”

“Oh,” she said, bowing her head. There was silence again then Aaliyah asked:

“What do you want?”

“What?” Ted asked, confused.

“What do you want? Why do you keep being nice to me when I’m always rude? Then, you have the opportunity to get a kiss and you refuse. I don’t understand. Most guys wouldn’t do that.”

Ted smiled ruefully.

“Believe me, Aaliyah: I really like you. From the first day, you showed up in the church. But it’s beyond that. I just refuse to judge people. I’d prefer to love them and pour out myself to them. If everyone lived like that, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

Aaliyah didn’t say anything as she absorbed his words. Ted placed a palm on her cheek and stared into her eyes.

“I know you probably don’t feel the same way about me as I do about you and you have good cause to do so. I mean, your trust has been abused and all. I’m not asking for anything myself. I’m just asking that you open your heart again. Truly, there are a lot of crack heads like Jackson out there. But there are good ones too. People who won’t hurt you. And there’s family. Marcia really loves you. Whenever she talks about you, it’s hard to believe it’s the same person others see as a snob that she’s talking about. Don’t push her away, Aaliyah. Tell her everything. And do it soon. It’s obvious she doesn’t have much time left.”

Aaliyah allowed herself to get lost in his eyes for a second. It all felt weird: being held by someone who didn’t make any move to use her; who seemed trustworthy and loved her just for who she was. She began to feel overwhelmed.

She nodded and got up.

“Thanks so much, Ted. I wouldn’t have believed I would have been in this place with you if someone had told me an hour ago.”

Ted smiled up at her and nodded then he held up the bandage and the alcohol.

“Thanks for these by the way. Finally, I can get a state-of-the-art wound covering.”

She chuckled slightly, feeling free in her heart. She turned and walked away.

“Where are you going to?” he called from behind her.

“I’m just taking a stroll.”

“But the rest of the camp will soon be leaving”

“I can’t move without my grandmother, can I?”

Chapter Six

The kidnapped ones are the lucky ones…

19th November, 2021

12:35am

Danville, Vermont. USA

Ted and his father dropped the makeshift trolley in which Marcia lay onto the snow. Aaliyah was by their side.

“Thanks so much, Mr. Hankins. I don’t even know why you’re helping me”

The elderly man smiled at her.

“It’s nothing, really. I just hope she gets well soon.”

Aaliyah looked down at her grandmother who was sleeping and she nodded. She had told her grandmother everything as Ted had advised her. Marcia had wept with her. She realized she had done herself wrong by not opening up. Her family had loved her.

It was the midday break, lasting only for thirty minutes. She had been unable to go hunting that morning. She couldn’t leave her grandmother.

Feeling the need to be alone and think, she asked;

“I really don’t mean to bother you with my mother, sir. I was just hoping: Can I just stroll a bit? I’ll be back soon.”

His brows narrowed but he was still smiling.

“You know this is supposed to be a rest period, right. The walk will continue soon.”

“I know. I just need to be alone and clear my head a bit.”

He sighed and nodded. “It’s okay. Elizabeth will watch over Marcia. But be back before we have to move. We don’t want to have to look for you.”

She smiled, nodded, and walked off. As she passed by Ted, she noticed he was staring at her. She didn’t look at him though. And she hoped he wouldn’t follow. She felt so embarrassed as to how she poured her heart to him the previous day. She smiled. It felt so good to confide in someone, though it was a new feeling for her. She did what she always did: enter the main city to see the emptiness of it. She passed by the short buildings and gazed on the snow-topped maple trees around her. It was a small settlement, nothing too attractive.

She heard footsteps and she paused. Listening closely, she noted that the footsteps were from more than one person. The footsteps were coming from the other side of a building. She wondered at it. As far as she knew, her group was the only one still around that area at that time. The footsteps were getting closer. She noticed an abandoned car just ahead, close to the turn, and she ran to it. Finding it open, she slipped in and peered through the rear glass.

Three men came around the turn. Behind them were eight children and two teen girls, all bound by the hand to one another with thick ropes. Their mouths were gagged. Aaliyah gasped. They were kidnappers. Aaliyah didn’t get it: why had kidnapping become the order of the day? Why were people so desperate? What did they get from kidnapping little kids and ladies?

Then she remembered the words of the woman she found back at Vermont. She gasped again. It had to be an organized activity. Something else was going on.

The people who are being kidnapped are the lucky ones.

What was going on?

She knew the men were probably armed. She wanted to help out but she didn’t know what to do. She decided to getaway. Then another thought crossed her mind: the day of her abuse. She remembered how it felt to be used and her heart went out to the children and girls who were being captured. She had to do something. She looked around her for anything that would help. There was nothing She got out of the car since the men had gone quite a distance. She looked in the boot. She smiled.

“We’re already late, Bruce. We’re one day behind schedule. I think we should let these people go and return to base. That was the instruction,” Andy said. He was an average-sized red-headed man.

Bruce, the tall and blonde man turned and shot Andy a glare.

“Do you know how much we would lose if we returned to base without a catch? Besides, the list says some descriptions are yet to be turned in. It must have been due to the technical black out on the first day. Don’t worry, Andy. We’re well within schedule.”

“But you know it was all your fault, Bruce. You just had to get the teens, didn’t you? You made us have to hide for a whole day so as not to be noticed by the migrants,” Samuel said. He was the third man in their company. Black haired and short, he was the most muscular of the three.

They had barely passed by a white wooden building when one of the girls stumbled and the three men turned.

“What’s your problem, girl? Keep up, would you?” Samuel said.

“Keep up with this, short stuff,” Aaliyah said as she ran out from around the corner of the building and slammed the face of the metal skateboard into Samuel’s face. Turning swiftly, she kicked Bruce’s hand, sending his gun flying out of his hand. She swung the skateboard and it struck Andy on the head. Andy fell to the ground, rolling and groaning in pain. She poised herself, ready for another round of the fight. The men stood up, full of anger. They folded their fists. Aaliyah turned quickly to the children and the teenagers who were behind her.

“Go now. Run!”

“Oh no, you don’t,” Samuel said as he pulled out his gun and shot at the girls, Aaliyah used the skateboard to block the bullets. The three men, enraged by the escape of their prey, ran towards Aaliyah. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take them all on but she decided she would have to try. She had to give the girls and children a chance to escape. She wondered why she was pawning her own life but it was too late to turn back.

She flung the skateboard at Samuel. He dodged it easily, returning with a punch. Aaliyah managed to dodge the punch but Bruce’s kick on her stomach sent her stumbling backward. She ran towards the wall and, using it as a spring, she brought her right knee hard against Andy’s face. She bent quickly, missing Bruce’s kick. Using the opening, she kicked his thigh, sending him to the ground. Samuel’s large palms went hard against her throat, lifting her up and slamming her to the ground. The pain was unbearable for her. She rolled on the ground. Samuel and Andy kicked her repeatedly, while Bruce picked up his gun and came towards her. He pointed in at her.

Aaliyah’s eyes widened in fear… the same fear she had fought all year long.

“Don’t kill me, please. My grandma would be devastated if I died before she did,” she cried.

Brian spat out blood.

“You should have thought about that before pulling this stupid stunt, don’t you think? Say bye-bye,” he said as his finger curled around the trigger.

“Bye-bye.” The words were followed by three gunshots. The next second, all three of the men fell dead to the ground. Aaliyah’s eyes that had been closed shot open as the muscular one fell over her. She pushed him off hurriedly, surprised that she was still alive. She got up slowly to see the dark woman standing with an outstretched pistol.

“It’s you again,” Aaliyah said.

“I must say, girl, I’m not sure what to think of you. It was stupid fighting three armed men alone still I admire your bravery. Then you ruined it all when you began to beg.”

Aaliyah got up, grimacing as pain danced all over her body. She gave the lady a smile.

“Thanks for saving me.”

The lady returned her smile.

“Well, considering you have a knack for being alone and you have the skills to sustain yourself, I think I might have need of you. What do you say you join me? You’d be saving the whole of America, you know,” the lady said as she walked up to where the men's bodies lay. She reached into their pockets and pulled out a white mini-tab from each.

“I don’t even know your name,” Aaliyah said, wondering at the lady.

“Call me Suzanne.”

The woman used each of the men's fingerprints to unlock their devices and she began operating them.

“Well, Suzanne, I’m sorry but I can’t go with you. My grandma is sick. I need to be with her.”

“Well, then I’m really sorry. Take care of her,” Suzanne said as she walked off.

“Wait,” Aaliyah called out and Suzanne turned.

“Tell me what all this is about, please. Why these kidnappings? What’s going on?”

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because of your grandma. However, if you change your mind, text me with this,” Suzanne said as she handed one of the tabs over to Aaliyah. “It’s switched off. Don’t turn it on yet unless you want to attract the attention of some very dangerous people. Also, don’t show anyone. I’ve installed my contact ID on it. By the way, the girls you saved are waiting for you just around the block. They got away while you fought off the men. The way they were bound, I’m surprised they didn’t fall over themselves.”

With that, Suzanne ran off. In a couple of seconds, Aaliyah heard the sound of a bike. She looked at the phone in her hand. She had thought all devices had been destroyed. What was happening?

“Thanks for saving us, ma'am.”

Aaliyah turned back to see the ten people she had saved.

“It’s no big deal. How would you like to join my group to travel to New York?” she asked as she bent to set them loose.

21st November 2021

7:50 am

Cabot, Vermont. USA

From dust, we all came. To dust, we will all return.

Aaliyah sat on the snow watching people prepare to move. move Marcia had died the previous day. She had also been buried the same day. Aaliyah's eyes had dried up. There were no more tears left to cry. There was nothing left for her in the world. No family. No one. She liked Ted but he deserved someone a lot better than her. She didn’t want to hold him back.

She got up and walked away, far enough to be alone. She pulled out the tab and turned it on. On the home screen, there was a contact icon with Suzanne’s name beneath it. Everything other thing was in a language she didn’t understand. She clicked on the icon and typed. The keyboard was also in a strange language but it had English alphabet superscripts.

Hey, Zu. I think I’m willing.

Five seconds later a reply came:

Great. Cuz I’ve got a mission for you. I’ll send you instructions now. Once you get them, write them down, delete them and switch of the device. You have just ten minutes.

Epilogue

19th November, 2021

2:53pm

Cincinnati, Indiana. USA

Stephen Wallace threw a stone and watched Tanner, his German Shepherd, run after it. He was in front of a smoldering fire place. Survival was his thing. He wasn’t always a civilian. His mind drifted back to his days in the military. It had been a fun ride till his mouth ruined it all.

And gained him some dangerous enemies.

He’d have to take journey to New York alone if he hoped to get there alive.

He heard footsteps. As if in confirmation, Tanner’s head perked up and it began to bark. Stephen got up and used his feet to scatter the fire mixing the ash with the snow.

“Shhhh, boy. Come on, let’s go,” he said to the dog.

About The Author

Zion Cage is the author of more than a dozen science fiction novels and the winner of the prize for the best adaptation of the new generation Apocalypse in 2018 still being at College. he wrote for the newspaper group and delivered podcasts on the apocalypse being at Georgia State University. today he lives with his charming wife in Valdosta in the south of Georgia and is passionate about all the possible directions that the world could take if the apocalypse really happened. His favorite stories to read and write are mostly for characters who become stronger by overcoming the challenges and fears. Zion Cage love Basketball and he often plays in the Gym with his friends on Sundays. He also loves soccer and his favorite team is Atlanta United.

Zion Cage loves to hear from his readers so you can find his books and connect with him via any of the channels listed below:

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Email at ZionCage97@gmail.

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Books In This Series

The End

Something Sinister is brewing in the United States…
The United States is hit by an EMP from an unknown source and its citizens are asked to move to New York. Without basic survival skills and being in the middle of winter, it’s more of a journey to the death for most. And then there is the increasing number of kidnap cases everywhere.
4 Unlikely Heroes…
Xander, Aaliyah, Stephen and Suzanne are individuals from worlds apart and with different conflict. However, with suspicions of foul play in the country spreading, fate must bring them together to clear the air and set things right.
Or at least die trying…

The End: Genesis

Alexander Michael’s life is thrown into tumult in the wake of the EMP. He had been warned but he never listened to rumors. He sister, Grayson is now nowhere to be found and he is separated from the rest of his family. He sets out on a quest to find his sister despite the negative odds and, soon, he finds out that something dark is at work in the United States- something bigger than he could imagine.

The End: Fight for Survival

Aaliyah isn’t ready to face the truth of what has happened to their world because she isn’t ready to let go of the ones that she loves. Now, with her grandmother, Marcia, by her side, she has no choice but to continue further to the unknown, where only a small amount of the population are surviving. As Marcia’s health continues to deteriorate, Aaliyah is forced to make decisions that will impact her life, forever.

The End: Captives

It’s the Eve to the massive EMP plan and the Ray of Hope terrorist group has gathered the orders of various black market buyers for the children that will be kidnapped after the EMP attack. The leaders of Ray of hope inform their agents of the progress, warning them to be alert so that every displaced child be carried off at the first opportunity. Connor and Morgan are part of these agents and they are sent off.

The End: Warzone

As a veteran, Stephen is used to undesirable climates. From his days in the military, he has taught himself not to be so dependent on man-made appliances. He’d always been a bit suspicious of the activities of the government, and when the EMP did occur, he was more prepared than most. With survival skills that surpass basic, he is easily able to adapt to this new world as he begins on his trip to New York, where his only companionship is his German shepherd, Tanner.

The End: Rogue

Vivien Dmitri is at the top of the terrorist organization, the Ray of Hope.

For some reason, though, she decides to bring it down. It’s not an easy task,

and she’s forced to recruit people to join her on her mission. Still, it’s a race to the death, and she is determined to finish it.

THE RAY OF HOPE MUST FALL!