The Resistance: Book 5 of the After The Event Series

After The Event Book 5

The Resistance

By T.A. Williams

Copyright ©2015 T.A. Williams

All rights reserved by the author. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the written consent of the author

Alec

              Darkness.

              The smell of unwashed bodies filled his nose and the sounds of whimpering echoed throughout the transport. The warm, hard metal of his shackles cut into his wrists and the skin around his ankles was rubbed raw from the rope that bound them together.  The memory of how he got there floated about him, just out of reach.  He remembered trying to lead the Chinese soldiers away from his home, he remembered an explosion and he remembered seeing his horse laying there next to him and watching as the life seeped from her body.  The memory of the soldiers dragging him out in the middle of Centralia came to him slowly.  She had been there watching as they took him away.

              He wasn’t sure how long he had been in the back of the transport but it felt like days. Alec strained his eyes trying to pierce through the darkness.  He could make out the bodies of two people a few feet from him.  Both were bound and shackled just like he was, and both were either sleeping or passed out as their heads were slumped forward.

              “Are you okay?” Alec asked. It was only meant as a whisper but his voice bounced off the walls of the transport and sounded more like a shout.  Despite that, the people in front of him didn’t move but the whimpering coming from somewhere stopped.

              “Is there someone there?” a woman’s voice floated to him from afar.

              “Are you okay?” Alec asked.

              “Yes, no….I’m okay.” The woman’s voice shook. “My wrists hurt; they put these on too tight. Where are they taking us?”

              “I don’t know,” Alec answered honestly. “Is there anyone over there by you?”

              A sob escaped the woman’s throat. “I don’t know, I can’t see anything.”

              The transport shook violently as if it was going over a large bump. The ride was getting rougher and rougher; wherever they were going it was off the beaten path.

              “Are you still there?” the woman shouted, panic rising in her voice.

              “Yeah, I’m still here.  My name is Alec, what is yours?”

              “Emma.”

              “It’s nice to meet you, Emma.  Just stay calm and I’m sure we will be ok.” He managed to keep the fear and uncertainty from his voice.

              “They just came out of nowhere,” she whispered, more to herself than to Alec.

              “Who?”

              “Them. They said we were stealing their livestock but those sheep were ours.”

              “Your people…are they-” Alec started to ask.

              “I don’t know,” she said as her voice once again shuddered. “I saw them kill…I don’t know where the others are.”

              “I’m sorry.” It was all he could say.  She cried again for a few minutes then went silent.

              They continued traveling down the bumpy road and Alec’s thoughts turned to the people in New Hope.  They would be fine, he told himself.  He had led the Chinese soldiers away and that would leave them enough time to hide the roads to their settlement even better than before.  The Council would watch over them until he was able to find a way back.  He had to find a way back.

              The vehicle stopped.

              The rear of the transport opened and the bright sun poured in the vehicle, causing everything to go white.  Alec closed his eyes and turned away and then felt someone unlock his shackles and grab him by the arm.  The person dragged him a few feet and then Alec was airborne for a brief moment before he slammed violently to the ground.  As pain shot through his right shoulder from being thrown onto the ground he heard Emma screaming and the sounds of people rustling about.  Alec forced his eyes open and as they adjusted to the bright sun his stomach dropped.  Dozens of Chinese soldiers stood before him with their guns raised.  Just beyond them were several old industrial looking buildings and then trees as far as the eye could see.  He didn’t know where they were but they were definitely outside of any major city.

              One of the soldiers grabbed Alec by the arm and pulled him to his feet.  Alec looked to his side and saw the rest of the people that were in the transport with him.  There were five other men, all middle-aged with the bloody signs of their capture spread all over their body and fear filling their eyes.  Emma was off to the side. She looked to be just slightly older than Alec, with jet black hair and beyond the dirt that covered her face, smooth features.  Her eyes were red and tears streaked down her face.

              The Chinese soldiers stood before them at attention and a man walked up amongst them.  He was Chinese and wore the uniform of a soldier but he was different.  He walked with a casualness that was at odds with the surroundings; he seemed almost bored.  Most of the soldiers standing around seemed young but this man couldn’t have been past his mid-twenties. Despite this it was obvious by the way he moved he was either in charge or a very important person.  The man strolled calmly up to them and stopped a few yards away.

              “I am Xu,” he said in a soft voice. “You are here because you are enemy of the New World. You will listen, you will follow orders, you will be productive and if you are, then you will go free.  If you are not you will die.” 

              The man next to Alec began to cry and Xu turned his attention to him.  Xu’s gaze was cold and indifferent.  He stared at the man for a moment then looked behind them and said something in Chinese.  Alec followed his gaze and saw another transport vehicle behind them.  The vehicle started up and headed down a dirt road that led up a large hill. Alec could hear the cries of people in the back of the vehicle. Where they were being taken, he had no idea.

              “You Americans will learn hard work.  If you do not carry your weight, if you do not listen or if you try to escape you will die.”  Xu walked up to the man that was crying and in one quick motion jammed a knife into the man’s neck.  The man opened his mouth in surprise and a gurgle erupted, not from the man’s mouth but from his neck.  A stream of blood shot out of the man’s neck and the warm liquid covered Alec’s face in a matter of seconds.

              Alec stepped back and lost his footing, causing him to fall onto his back.  Emma’s screams filled the air, mixed with the horrified cries of the other captives, and the dying man’s last attempts at filling his lungs with air instead of blood.  Alec wiped the blood out of his eyes and saw Xu standing above him watching the dying man’s last breaths.  Xu watched him emotionlessly and caught Alec watching him.  Xu turned to Alec and gave him a single wink.

Ben

              The moon was hidden behind the clouds, making it feel like Ben had his eyes closed. He had decided it would be safer to float back across the Hudson at night in order to avoid being seen by the enemy, and he still believed that. The danger now was losing their bearings and floating down and out into the ocean. Ohio, the inexperienced soldier that he had met up with just prior to the city being attacked, handed him a paddle, indicating it was Ben’s turn. He took it and switched places with the man. On the other side of their raft was Ty, a kid who was just someone trying to survive the streets of New York prior to the power going out and then, just like Ben had joined the Army afterwards. Ty talked too much, was undisciplined and couldn’t shoot a lick, but he was the closest thing to a friend that Ben had.

              His thoughts turned to Mason, the solider that had fallen from the sky and helped change Ben from a daydreaming, frightened little boy, to the person he was today. The same man who had sent Ben and a group of civilians across the Hudson River while he tried to fight off a Chinese force. Ben could still see the warehouse that Mason had been held up in blowing up when a missile struck it. The man was still alive, Ben knew he was, and that was why they were headed back into the ruins of New York City.

              When Mason sent them away Ben, Ohio and Ty had led the civilians from the destruction of the city to the base in Newark. The road was hard. What should have been a single day’s journey turned into nearly three due to the number of people they were trying to corral, and it didn’t help that nearly all of the civilians were malnourished and weak. Most of the civilians followed them the entire way but some choose to stop along the way and take their chances. Ben didn’t try to convince them otherwise; he just wanted to drop them off and get back to help Mason.

              The base in Newark was one in name only. It was more a collection of buildings where soldiers in ill-fitting fatigues wandered around aimlessly. Ben had expected appreciation that they had managed to lead the civilians from danger; instead they were met by anger.
How the hell do you expect me to feed all these people?
the Commanding Officer had asked. Ben didn’t know how to answer that question. They directed the civilians to some nearby abandoned houses with water and what little they had to eat, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The Commanding Officer told Ben and the others to wait until they could debrief them and give them new orders. Instead Ben left and Ohio and Ty left with him. He hoped the civilians would be ok but there wasn’t anything he could do for them outside of what he already did. Mason needed his help.

              They pulled to shore just as the moon managed to break through from the thick clouds and that was when Ben saw it: the warehouse where Mason had made his stand, or at least what was left of it. A small crater now sat in the middle of the building and all that remained were a few timbers and broken concrete that was scattered about. Ben’s body tensed. Mason made it out before the missile; he would have known it was coming and would have led his men away before it struck.

              “Damn, B. You think he-” Ty started.

              “They got out in time,” Ben said softly.

              He pushed himself off the raft and approached the remains of the building. His rifle was at the ready and he scanned the nearby buildings but all he saw were shadows and darkness. If there was anyone in the nearby windows the only way he would know was if they started shooting. Ty and Ohio came up beside him and together they walked into the broken building. The smell reminded him of an old fireplace. Ben’s eyes fought the darkness for signs of life and found nothing.

              “Got something here,” Ohio said as he bent down over something.

              The corpse was blackened behind recognition. There was another a few feet away.

              Ohio looked up at him, pain in his eyes. “There were other soldiers with him,” he offered.

              Ben turned and walked out of the building and into the dark city. He fought his emotions and stared up at the empty night sky. Mason was still out there; he needed him to be.

              “Sun will be up in a couple of hours,” Ty said as he walked out of the building. “We should probably find a building to chill in to make sure it’s clear.”

              Ben didn’t move.

              “He’s right,” Ohio agreed.

              Ben looked at both of them. They were both exhausted. They had witnessed the attack on this city and barely survived to tell the tale, but they had still chosen to come back with him.

              “All right.” He scanned the area and pointed toward a six-story building that didn’t appear damaged. “We can rest up in there.” It would also provide them with a decent vantage point of the nearby area. They could take turns getting rest and strike out again while there was still daylight.

              They jogged across the gap, with Ben in the lead. The cool night air blew across his face and for a moment he let go of all the stress and the truck-load of emotions that was hanging over his shoulders. Things would be ok. They would continue to search until they found Mason and then they would get him out. Ben pushed through the door into the building and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.