Rogues Origin: Book I - Rogues Apocalypse Read online

  Max yelled, “Those explosions were jets hitting the ground, and perhaps one or two might have hit the above ground fuel tanks. The shit just got real, and probably a thousand people died in those crashes. It’s time to make our run to those warehouses Greg mentioned. We need to go now.”

  The others were gathering their bags of food and joined Max as he walked over to Rob and said, “Rob, you need to get some supplies and get out of Nashville while you can. In three days there will be rioting and people will kill you for a can of beans. Find a farm and become a farmer.”

  “Rob said, “Where are you going and can I come along?”

  “Max asked, “Do you have any guns or ammo? It’s going to get bad very soon.”

  Rob yelled at the others and said, “Men it’s going to get bad soon. Get out of here, find a hole, and hide.”

  One of the men replied, “We're heading south to Murfreesboro and my Dad’s farm. Come with us.”

  “No, I’m going to my ex-wife’s home and make sure she is safe. See you in the funny papers.”

  Rob waved at Max and said, “Follow me.”

  They walked a few hundred feet until they were standing in front of an office that had a sign, “Command Office: Airport Security.”

  Rob knocked on the door and yelled, “Ralph come to the door it’s Rob.”

  The door opened, and a young man in a security guard’s uniform opened the door and said, “Rob, what happened? My boss left me alone, and all of the other guards ran off like rats leaving a sinking ship.”

  Rob replied, “Brother, the USA has been attacked by rocket man and his Korean thugs. The grid is down, and we are on our own Open the armory so we can get some guns and ammo.”

  “But Rob, Bill will fire me if we take the guns.”

  “Ralph, open the damn door; he’s not coming back, and the shit just hit the fan. Now unlock the vault.”

  Ralph went to his desk, retrieved a wad of keys, and opened a big gray door to reveal a small room that had a gun rack on one side and shelves stocked with ammo, riot gear, and bulletproof vests.

  Before Ralph could begin distributing the weapons, there was the sound of someone yelling at them, and they turned to see Amy leading a group of men toward them.

  Amy said, “These guys want to join us. They were traveling together to a conference and would be a big help.”

  Max saw a large group of men approaching with the lady, “Well I don’t know…”

  “Come on Max there is safety in numbers,” Tony said as he winked at the Marshal.

  Rob yelled, “Grab a rifle and a pistol and pistol belt. I’m taking a flack jacket and as much ammo as I can carry. We’ll get a couple of small luggage carts to carry the extra weapons and ammo.”

  Greg replied, “Why do we need so many weapons?”

  Max replied, “Because it will soon be a war zone out there when the food supplies dry up. Hell, I’ll bet looting and rioting are starting right now. Besides we can trade guns for other things, we need.”

  Rob took Roger and three of the newcomers and was gone a few minutes and then came back pushing five of the luggage carts with empty boxes strapped to them.

  “Pile our food, some extra guns, ammo, and water in these, and we will get the Hell out of here before the world goes totally to shit.”

  “How do we get these carts up the stairs?” Tony wondered aloud.

  Rob replied, “We don’t, just follow me.”

  Rob stopped by the maintenance office and placed several tools on top of the supplies and then headed down a long black hallway that had light at the end.

  ∞

  Chapter 2: The SHTF

  March 12, 2028 – A day before THTF

  “Mr. President, the Russians, and Chinese are moving numerous divisions of armor and troops to several locations along their borders. Several Islamic countries have massed their forces along the Israeli border. This all has happened in the past 24 hours after North Korea and Iran put us on notice to pull out of South Korea and Israel. Sir, we believe the NK and Iran will attack in the next 24 hours and Russia will make a grab for Europe while China runs over India and Japan.”

  “General, can we have a first strike against these countries that take out their ability to fire their ICBMs at us in retaliation?”

  “Sir, as you know, our Icarus project would send stealth ICBMs and space based nukes to our enemies that are projected to be able to destroy 97% of Russia’s, China’s, Pakistan's, North Korea’s, and Iran’s nuclear capability before they know they are being attacked. Our projections tell us that the homeland would receive from 8 – 12 nuclear explosions.”

  “And you can’t tell me where these bombs will be targeted.”

  “No, sir. Our attack could eliminate 100 percent but plan on the worst case.”

  “What would be the damage to those countries,” asked the President.

  “Total.”

  “General put the plan in motion and be prepared for my order to attack.”

  “Sir our projections tell us that over 50% of the populations would die the first minute and 90% within months. Their grid and all electronics would fail leaving them living like cavemen.”

  “And our country?”

  “We would lose 40-50 million people assuming the missiles hit our largest cities and a fourth of the USA would be without power for years.”

  March 13, 2028

  At 2:45 Eastern time the North Koreans detonated several nuclear devices above several US Military targets. Yokosuka, Japan, the home of the Seventh Fleet, the Naval Base in Okinawa, and Pearl Harbor were obliterated in seconds. The North Koreans began a devastating barrage of artillery and rocket fire that rained down on South Korea’s capital, Seoul, and the US Military bases. The USA responded with nuclear missiles that obliterated Pyongyang and Teheran and the twenty most significant military bases for each country. Their ICBM launch sites each received a nuclear bomb from the two US submarines permanently stationed off their coast. The US Airforce ripped the attacking North Korean divisions to shreds as the massive atomic mushroom clouds rose above North Korea.

  Unfortunately, North Korea and Iran had planned their move very well. They felt that the initial attacks on the foreign naval bases would shock the USA and they would abandon South Korea. Their backup plan was twelve cargo ships spread out around the USA in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico containing short range missiles tipped with nuclear bombs that could be detonated a few hundred miles above the USA, which would result in EMP blasts that would knock out the electrical grid and most electronics.

  The USA did not back down and surprised North Korea by launching nuclear missiles from its submarines. The North Korean supreme leader gave the order for the cargo ships to arm and launch their attack seconds before he was changed into glowing radioactive particles of dust.

  Since the cargo ships ranged from 200 to 500 miles off the coasts of our major population centers, there was no time to react and shoot them all down. The US military only was able to kill three of the nuclear warheads before they were detonated.

  “Mr. President we just intercepted an order from the North Korean President for an unknown number of hostile ships to launch nuclear-tipped missiles at the USA. We believe they are close to our shores and we cannot stop them. Sir, the message was delivered before Pyongyang was reduced to ashes.”

  “Implement Icarus. Nuke them all. Nuke the selected targets in the Middle East also as we discussed. Here are my code numbers. May God help us?”

  ∞

  Chapter 3: Escape

  Max saw the light grow brighter as they approached the end of the long tunnel. They stepped out onto the tarmac and saw several jets parked at the jet ways and baggage handling equipment and fuel trucks scattered around the planes. Rob had led them to the outside by the northern terminal. They had only walked a few feet from the entrance when they saw black clouds of smoke rising from several large fires around the airport and smelled the pungent smoke.

  “
I think that’s where the planes fell out of the sky when the EMP blast occurred,” said Max and then added, “Thank God most planes had already landed. We need to head north quickly. We need a map of the area.”

  Rob looked across the horizon, “I live in Old Hickory and know the area like the back of my hand, but we can get a map at any of the convenience stores along the way. We’ll head up Donaldson Pike and then take Highway 70 east over to a road to cut up to Highway 109, and it takes us into Gallatin.”

  Tony asked, “How far will that be?”

  “By car a half an hour. By foot two days maybe three. It’s about 25 to 30 miles, but it gets us away from Nashville quickly and away from any large cities until we get to Gallatin where those warehouses are located,” replied Rob.

  Tony then said, “Mr. Marshal could you please take my handcuffs off. I think we are in the same boat and will need everyone's help to survive.”

  Max spoke up first, “Bob, I think he is right. He knows how to handle a gun I’ll bet and he needs us as much as we need him to survive. I personally don’t care if he escapes later on if he can help us stay alive the next few days.”

  Bob started to take the cuffs off Tony when Sam said, “Wait a minute. He is a crook. We have tried to put him behind bars for years.”

  “Are you going to go to an empty prison and guard him? You won’t have power or running water. The sewage alone will drive you nuts,” Bob asked.

  “Crap!”

  “Yep, crap stinking up the place.”

  Sam shook his head and said, “Let him loose.”

  Bob unlocked the handcuffs, and Rob handed an AR15 and a 9mm pistol to Tony. Tony slapped magazines in both weapons and placed extra mags in the pistol belt pockets. He added a twenty round AR15 magazine to each of his back pockets.

  Tony looked at Amy and said, “Mrs. Baker and all of our new friends need an AR15 and pistol also.

  He took one, tossed it to her, and smiled as she snatched it from the air and stuck her hand out for a magazine. Rob handed the weapons to all of the men and plenty of extra magazines

  Max watched all of the men handle the guns as though they were very familiar with their operation and said, “Amy and the men appear that they are familiar with a rifle and pistol.”

  “Two tours in Pakistan and one in that little dirty war down in Mexico a couple of years back,” she replied.

  “What did you do? Drive a truck?”

  “No, I’m a Marine sniper,” was her reply.

  “Roger what about you,” asked Max.

  “I was with the Army and then was a contractor for Blackhawk down in Mexico,” he replied.

  Max said, “You two don’t talk much do you?”

  “Nope.”

  “Not much.”

  Max looked at the other men and said, “Are all of you ex-Army?”

  One spoke up and said, “Most of them are ex-Army. Chad, Bill and I are Marines. Once a Marine always a Marine. I’m Oscar.”

  Tony said, “Well, well, our security just improved.”

  They walked north pushing the carts around the main terminal using Terminal Drive until they headed north on Donaldson Pike. They had to work around the stalled and crashed cars as they proceeded away from the airport. People were standing beside most of the vehicles, and many were injured from crashing into other vehicles when their cars died, and the power steering stopped working.

  Max noticed that Oscar gave hand signals and two of the men took the lead and appeared to be on an Army patrol by the way they conducted themselves. He looked behind them and saw two more following at a distance. He thought the men looked kind of funny in business suits carrying AR15s and watching left and right as they moved through the abandoned cars. He also noticed that several had Uzis under their coats and pistols in concealed carry holsters on their belts.

  “Hey, can you help us get to Murfreesboro. My wife hurt her leg, and I need someone to help carry her,” asked a man with blood all over his hands and shirt.

  His wife had died when she bled out from a cut to her femoral artery. He was dazed, and the tragedy hadn’t sunk in yet. Unfortunately, they would run into much more people like that man who had lost their handle on reality.

  Tony replied,” Sorry we have to get to safety. I don’t think an ambulance or police will show up. You need to forget her and head to somewhere safe.”

  “I have to get her home to Massachusetts and bury her.”

  “Good luck on that.”

  They plodded on trying to ignore the people asking them if they had seen the police or what had happened. Too many people were waiting for someone to help them and weren’t helping themselves. Max noticed that only about half of the people were walking with purpose and that half of that group had gathered supplies or had backpacks on.

  They made the right turn onto Lebanon Pike and began to notice smoke rising from scattered fires across the landscape. They had walked only a mile when they saw a small crowd in front of a CVS Drug Store breaking the glass doors and storming into the building.

  Suddenly several rocks and bottles crashed down on them, and several bullets hit the pavement hurling bits of bullet fragments and concrete into them. Oscar and several of his men saw the perpetrators on top of the closest building and fired on them hitting three and running the others off.

  Oscar yelled, “Damn it, don’t get complacent. Watch the roofs just like the Hadjis are after your ass back in the sandbox.”

  “Tony one of Oscar’s men got hit on his neck. There is a lot of blood, but he’ll live.”

  Oscar slung the man across his broad shoulders and said, “No man left behind. Let’s boogie.”

  They kept walking and saw more and more people looting grocery stores and electronic stores.

  Tony saw the people running out of a BestBuy with TVs and Xboxes in their hands and said, “I guess they’ll plug that TV into their asses for electricity. How damn stupid are these hill people down here in Tennessee?”

  “Tony, the same people are rioting and looting BestBuys up in New York City. These thugs think the cops are busy and they can take what they want. We need to get to those food warehouses by the end of day tomorrow, or we’ll be fighting for food,” replied Max.

  “You are the expert and have sold me on our plan. My men will follow,” said Tony.

  Max looked around at his new friends and said, “Damn, nearly everyone has been wounded by the ricochets, rocks, and bottles. We look like we’ve been in a firefight. Poor Tim has bled all over Oscar.”

  Tony replied, “We have, and you have blood on your chin and shoulder.”

  Max never felt the sting of the bullet fragments as they struck him; he was just happy they didn’t kill him. He was wary of his new friend but knew that an apocalypse made for strange bedfellows. He thought cops, mobsters, a logistics expert and a science fiction writer should be able to conquer this dark new world.

  They walked for another several minutes when Roger said, “There are several punks following us across the street. They are behind that red van, and my guess is they want our guns. When we pass that stalled semi truck Amy, and I will fade back and take care of them.”

  Tony replied, “Do it quietly.”

  Amy and Roger handed their ARs to Tony and slid back to the back of the group as they continued walking.

  Max said, “Why did they wait for your approval?”

  Sam interrupted, “I wondered how many thugs you had following us into the airport to help you escape. Are their more out there?”

  Tony laughed and replied, “No the gangs all here, but I’ll bet that dozen at Atlanta Airport get tired of waiting for me to arrive.”

  Max looked at the men who had joined them and now knew they were Tony’s gang and that everyone was looking to him for guidance from a plan they had developed on a cocktail napkin. He was scared and had to force himself to keep moving so he did what his characters would do as he kept moving that day. He kept thinking what would Matt and Zack do when confronted wit
h a situation and acted in accordance.

  They rounded the front of the semi and Amy and Roger slinked around the other side of the truck and ducked under the cab to wait for the thugs. There were five young men with pistols and knives following along biding their time until they could spring their trap on this well armed group. They wanted the weapons.

  Amy and Roger took their Ruger MKVs from their shoulder holsters, threaded the suppressors on the end of the barrels and waited for the men to get even with the truck before firing the first shots. One of the punks turned around just as Amy and Roger pulled their triggers and got off a lucky shot that ricochetted off one of the semi’s wheels, shattered and covered Roger’s face with shrapnel. Roger flinched, and his first shot hit his target in the chest instead of between his eyes.

  Amy and Roger took down their targets with five well placed shots neutralizing the threat. The men’s weapons were in poor shape, so they left them with the dead and rejoined the group.

  “Roger are you okay. You are bleeding from several places on your face,” Amy said.

  Roger wiped away the blood with his shirt sleeve and said, “Just some small nicks.”

  They walked back to the main group and Amy reported, “ Mr. Mong, the threat has been handled.”

  “Max, why don’t we find an old car that runs and drive on up to Gallatin,” asked Rob who added, “Won’t pre electronic cars still run?”

  “Yes they will but if we find one now someone else or the police will just take it away from us. I plan to find one tonight and then drive on to Gallatin early in the morning before daylight. I write about this stuff and have studied the situation for years. I think we can find an old car or truck tonight and head out before dawn in the morning. The trick will be to give up the car if anyone points a gun at us. We need to keep alive and get to safety. Our lives are more important than cars, guns, or our supplies at this point,” said Max.