The Aftermath

Jake was alone, had no clue who was on his side and didn’t know who to trust, if anybody. The one thing he did know was he had to get back to Daisy and Caroline, and that had become his only concern. Ignorant of the challenges that lay before him, he would face them all head on if that’s what it took to get his family back together.

***

Jake's entire division had been in the mountains running non LFX drills, isolated and unaware of anything going on in the outside world. They received orders to abort training and rendezvous at base camp immediately but as they neared the highway pass leading out of the mountains they ran into an ambush set up like a checkpoint. The lieutenant had ordered the convoy forward, assuming they were part of another drill.

The men they encountered at the checkpoint were all fellow soldiers, they thought. Their uniforms looked just like standard issue BDUs, though their weapons were anything but. He had never seen or heard anything like it. The rounds made this strange high pitch whirring sound as they ripped through the metal cab like papier-mache. As bad as that was, it was nothing compared to the noise they made as they tore through flesh and bone, exploding out the other side like a pull string party popper. One minute everything was peaceful and the next it was chaos. Screaming, explosions, confusion, it was the trifecta of ambush.

Jake knew he owed his survival to the blast. Coming out with just a minor bump on the head had been a stroke of luck. When the first transport exploded it rocked the truck he was in, throwing him from the back and down into the ravine. Ears ringing from the explosion and dazed from the fall he pulled himself back against the rocks to assess the situation. He knew there was nothing he could do for anyone now but stay alive. Unarmed and outnumbered, anyone left alive would be scattered. His best option was just to lay low and survive.

The ravine Jake tumbled into was a dried up, rocky river bed. Even in it’s glory days it had always been more like a large creek than a river, but in recent years the flow had been cut off completely by a water bottling company. He could remember playing along it’s rocky banks as a kid; swimming, fishing, and skipping rocks across the deeper sinkholes in the bends. It provided the perfect cover for him to head south away from the checkpoint without ever being seen.

At the edge of town Jake had noticed an increased military presence. At every major intersection there was a team of five armed soldiers and a Humvee armed with strange looking mounted weapons. The soldiers all looked and sounded like his brothers-in-arms, but after the ambush at the highway there was no way in hell he was just walking up to say hello. The ravine would provide all the cover he needed for now but he knew if he had any chance of making it home he needed one of their uniforms.

***

It had taken Jake almost two weeks to make the three hundred plus mile trek back home but the gated entry to his neighborhood was finally in sight. The ravine had provided cover most of the way but the last fifty-three miles— He knew it was fifty-three miles because of how often he had driven it with Daisy— The last fifty-three miles he had to use back roads and pastures to move without being seen. He had put every bit of his training to the test focusing on three things; utilizing the forest for cover, creeping along the outskirts of neighborhoods, and avoiding the heavily armed paramilitary patrols.

Between here and the river all the neighborhoods had been deserted, the homes abandoned by their owners. Some had been taken over by small groups that seemed more concerned with fighting than anything else. They were riled up, violent and looked ready to kill. Anytime he got near one of their encampments is reeked of burning flesh. He didn’t know why and he chose not to find out.

Surveying the destruction in a few neighborhoods, he didn’t know how so much damage could have been done in such a short time. It had only been two weeks but almost everyone was gone and everything was destroyed. If he didn’t know any better he would think it had been months. Vultures move fast when they smell rotten meat, he had thought to himself many times.

Even through the smoke hazed skies Jake could tell his and his neighbors houses hadn’t been spared from the decimation, he just wasn’t sure to what extent yet. Either way it didn’t bode well for Daisy and Caroline. He had tried to prepare himself for the worst, knowing it to be the most likely outcome. With the things that he had seen already there was no reason to think here would be any different. On his journey back he had bore witness to some of the most heinous and egregious acts of destruction imaginable so at this point his hope was waning.

Jake proceeded slowly through the broken gate into his neighborhood. It didn’t look or sound like anyone else was around but he still kept out of sight as much as possible. All this time not knowing what to expect had kept his emotions in check. He didn’t feel the true effects until he made it past the Clement’s residence and his house came into full view.

The sight of the house is shambles sent a paralyzing jolt of reality through his body. All the fear and uncertainty he had been holding back came rushing over him like a tidal wave. Half of the house was gone, demolished. The damage was so bad it looked like a tank had driven through it. Jake dropped to his knees from shock, no words, just tears.

Once Jake had gathered his bearings he approached the house, still cautious. His truck was gone but Daisy’s car was in the driveway, at least the burnt out shell of it was. It had been just the same in every other neighborhood he had gotten close enough to see; deserted, houses destroyed, charred remains of vehicles. The only respite he had was the fact that there was no stench of burning flesh in the air here.

Inside the house the conditions were no better. Jake searched the house for any signs that Daisy may have left as to their whereabouts. He also searched for supplies that may be of us, but he found neither. Anything useful had been stolen, everything else was smashed to pieces and left to rot in the rain. He stood in the middle of the living room for a moment looking around at the destruction that was once his life before heading down to the basement to check one last spot.

In the basement Jake found his old recliner, the frame smashed and the upholstery torn apart. He cleared the debris away and noticed the indention in the rug where chair had been. That was a good sign, it meant no unfamiliar hands had moved it. He rolled the area rug up and tossed it to the side out of the way then began feeling along the edge of the carpet. His fingers located the small tab and as he pulled a section of carpet pulled up with it. He peeled the carpet back revealing wood flooring. He pressed into one of the boards and a section of floor popped up enough for him to get his fingers under and lift, revealing a cubbyhole in the floor. Inside was a small black metal lock box that he took out and inspected. He was relieved to see there was no damage. He spun the dials to the correct numbers and twisted the handle, releasing the lock. Inside the box he found his .38 Special in it’s side holster, three full boxes of ammo, some bundles of cash and an envelope.

Jake strapped the holster to his side and stuffed the ammo and money into a duffel bag. He grabbed the envelope and tore open the end. He didn’t know what was inside but he knew it was more than likely his last hope for a sign as to where Daisy and Caroline were. He dumped the contents out into his hand to take a closer look.

The envelope had contained a small note and a necklace with a heart-shaped locket. He recognized the locket, it was a Mother’s Day present he had given her earlier that year. He clicked it open and when he saw their smiling faces his tears instantly filled with tears. Daisy had always been the most beautiful women in the world as far as he was concerned and Caroline was growing up to look just like her. He clutched the locked tight into his hand as he opened the note. As he read he began to sob uncontrollably, his body slid down the wall where he sat crying. The words on the note echoing through his head over and over… “We are never not together.”

***

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