Wasteland Rules: Die Fighting (The World After Book 4) Read online

  Wasteland Rules:

  Die Fighting

  (The World After #4)

  November 2014

  Dedication

  I want to dedicate this to everyone who died fighting, who never gave up. To those who died fighting a terminal illness, for civil rights, and especially for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and died for this country. They are the true heroes.

  Available Books

  Book 1 – Wasteland Rules: Kill or Be Killed – Available via Amazon

  Book 2 – Wasteland Rules: Born to Fight – Available via Amazon

  Book 3 – Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn – Available via Amazon

  Book 4 – Wasteland Rules: Die Fighting – Available via Amazon

  Wasteland Angel – Novella Available FREE via Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  The Rules

  Chapter 1

  September 11, 2029

  Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

  As soon as Derek saw Rora move towards the podium in the cave he knew it wasn’t going to end well. Nothing about the situation had added up. There were no freezer units or storage devices capable of keeping genetic material or embryos. No facilities to store seeds or even computers to store the data electronically. All they had found was a mostly empty cave with the small podium and several rows of large steel boxes.

  It wasn’t until he saw the glimmer of a laser beam from the corner of his eye that he realized it was a trap. He tried to stop her from breaking the beam, but it was too late. She triggered the trap as she moved towards the podium. The lights had gone out leaving only the soft glow of the emergency lighting bathing the cave in red light giving it a hellish appearance. Then the boxes had opened to reveal one of his seemingly inescapable nightmares.

  Drinkers, there were freaking Drinkers in the boxes. They had either been drugged to keep them calm or in some sort of hibernation, but the minute the boxes opened they woke up. Their howls of hunger echoed through the cave, a horrible cacophony of animal rage and fury. Derek wasn’t sure how many of them there were, but even a handful would be too many in close quarters like this. The howls quickly became deafening and he knew there were just way too many to fight. They only had one option.

  They had been lured here by the promise of salvation for the planet and now it might be their grave. He didn’t spend any time worrying about who set them up or why, he just acted. Pulling his pistol out Derek calmly shot the Red Beret captain in the leg. The man fell to the ground screaming in pain and clutching his wounded leg with his handcuffed hands.

  “What did you do that for?” Rora screamed as the gunshot broke her from her frozen state.

  “We don’t have to outrun the Drinkers; we just have to outrun him.” Derek cold-bloodedly informed her. “Now run!”

  She swallowed hard and nodded. They turned and ran for the entrance as the Drinkers exited their boxes. Derek noticed the hacker, Shilling, was already gone. He had disappeared without a word when the lights went out. That man was a mystery they needed to solve. He was like a ghost when he wanted to be, and yet he seemed genuinely interested in helping them. Once they were out of this, he needed to track the man down and get some answers.

  “Lead the way!” Derek ordered Rora. “I know you memorized the way out.”

  She scrambled out of the cave and he followed. Derek didn’t even spare a glance backwards at the bleeding captain. He could hear the man moaning and pleading for help, but Derek ignored him. The man meant nothing to him, and Rule #31 was every man for himself. If the captain hadn’t ambushed them he wouldn’t be in this situation. So Derek didn’t feel any pity for him.

  They ran down the stone corridor using the lights on their M-18 carbines to show the way. When they reached the gate, Derek was relieved to find that it was still unlocked. He had been slightly afraid that the hacker had somehow locked it behind him. Derek had taken the padlocks as a precaution, but that didn’t mean someone else couldn’t have had their own. He paused briefly to use one of the original padlocks to secure the gate. That ought to buy them even more time to escape.

  Derek was startled as the Red Beret captain crashed into the gate, his crazed face pressed against the chain link fencing. Derek was impressed, even with a badly wounded leg; the man had managed to catch up to them. There was a trail of blood leading back into the cave and the captain looked pale in the minimal light provided by the light on Derek’s gun. There was a look of madness in the man’s eyes and he was practically foaming at the mouth. Derek could hear the howls of the hunting Drinkers coming from the corridor behind the gate. It wouldn’t be long now before they caught up.

  “You’re going to pay for this Storm!” The captain shrieked. “I’m going to make you pay!”

  “Good luck with that.” Derek said sarcastically as he turned away.

  “You think you’re better than me?” The captain said, suddenly very lucid. “You’re a killer just like me. And you enjoy it.”

  Derek paused and turned back. “I’m nothing like you.” He said vehemently.

  The captain laughed. “You shot me in the leg so you could escape, knowing I would be eaten alive by those beasts. You left me handcuffed and unarmed. I don’t think it gets any more cold blooded than that.”

  “You’re a monster, you deserve your fate.” Derek snarled.

  “Whatever helps you sleep at night.” The captain said snidely, as the howls got closer. “At least give me a fighting chance.”

  “We have to go!” Rora insisted. “We don’t know if that gate will hold them.”

  Derek took a few seconds to think about it. He certainly wasn’t unlocking the gate, but leaving the man handcuffed and unarmed to face certain and horrible death did seem particularly coldhearted. He wasn’t a cold blooded killer. He was a hot blooded one who killed other killers. He enjoyed it yes, but it was the thrill of combat and the feeling of justice he enjoyed; not watching people die.

  He decided he was better than the Red Beret captain; that even though the man had a lot of blood on his hands, he at least deserved a fighting chance. Derek would have wanted the same. With a sigh, he unlocked the captain’s cuffs and jammed a knife through the gap around the gate. The captain grabbed it like a drowning man grabs a life preserver and smiled nastily.

  “Good luck.” Derek said quietly and sincerely.

  The captain nodded and turned to face his foes. Derek’s flashlight reflected off the sharp white fangs of the bloodthirsty monsters as the came down the corridor in a wild rush. The captain screamed a battle cry and charged them. Derek turned and ran before the two collided. The blood curdling screams behind him told the story. The screams followed them as they ran back through the cave network.

  Derek and Rora passed back through the Ruins of Karnak. It was completely empty. It looked like the captured U.S.T.G. soldiers and the partisans had fled, taking every scrap of equipment with them. Derek and Rora continued to run on, both ea
ger to get as far away from the bloodthirsty monsters as possible. The screams had faded away when they reached the entrance. They emerged into bright sunlight forcing both of them to pause to let their eyes adjust.

  Derek’s enhanced eyes adjusted quicker and he was able to study Rora’s face briefly. She was completely pale and had a look of horror and disgust on her face. It was possible she was in shock. When her eyes adjusted she turned to Derek.

  “Let’s get out of here.” She whispered. “We need to get back to NASA and start looking for another possible location of the ARK.”

  “Are you okay?” Derek asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just disappointed. I thought we would find the ARK. My plans cannot move forward without it.” She replied.

  “Your plans?”

  “The plans to reseed life on Earth.” Rora said quickly. “We need the ARK for that.”

  “Right.” Derek said, unconvinced.

  Something wasn’t right about this whole situation, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Rora had been acting strangely since the rescue from Stone Mountain. She had seemed more callous and self-centered. But that could very easily be his influence and that of the harsh realities of the World After. She had always had some secrets, but they hadn’t affected him. Now, they were started to impact him and he didn’t like it. He never liked to be caught unprepared. Rule #27, never walk into anything blind. They would need to have a serious discussion once they got out of this mess.

  The whir of helicopter blades cut short any further reflection on his part. It sounded like two large choppers were approaching. Grabbing Rora’s hand, he pulled her up the entrance stairs and behind the visitor center. He pushed her down behind an abandoned dumpster just as two Chinook transport choppers emerged over the parking lot and prepared to land. Glancing out from behind the dumpster he could see they had U.S.T.G. markings on them. But the black clad men who disembarked once the choppers landed were definitely not U.S.T.G. Special Forces.

  Dressed in black BDUs and body armor, they carried the ubiquitous M4 carbines all tricked out with laser aiming devices, red dot holographic sights, lights, and suppressors. Their faces were covered by black ski masks and they wore black Kevlar helmets. Oddly they all seemed almost uniform in size and body shape and they moved in almost perfect unison. It was somehow familiar to Derek and it only took him a few seconds to realize why.

  “Faceless.” Derek hissed when he realized who they were.

  “Here?” Rora whispered. “What are they doing here?”

  “I think we know who the captain’s new friends are.” Derek whispered back as he watched the Faceless troops descend into the caves. “We need to get out of here before they start searching the area. There are too many of them to fight.”

  “Where are we supposed to go?” She asked. “I tried to memorize the route we took here, but all the trees and rocks start to look the same after a while. We will just get lost.”

  “That’s better than staying here.” Derek insisted.

  “Hey Voice, how about some assistance?” Derek sub-vocalized.

  “Major, I am unable to access any network.” The Voice replied in a slightly alarmed tone.

  “What does that mean?” Derek hissed.

  “It means I cannot access any satellites, computer networks, or do anything except talk to you.” The Voice explained frustratedly. “I’m working on it.”

  “How is this possible?” Derek murmured.

  “Someone is blocking the channel I use to access the networks. It is supposed to be protected by an unbreakable encryption and the frequency shifts constantly to prevent someone from locking on. This just shouldn’t be possible.” The Voice replied seeming agitated. “The only way would be if someone was locked onto this signal and only this signal and knew the encryption key and frequency shift algorithm they could block it. But that shouldn’t be possible either.”

  “What about NASA?” Derek asked quietly. “They blocked the signal at Cape Canaveral.”

  “They used a massive jamming array that blocked all signals. There is nothing nearby or even portable that has enough power to replicate that.” The Voice explained. “No, this is targeted at me directly. Until I can figure this out you are on your own.”

  The Voice’s statement that it was targeted caused a lot of concern. If it was indeed targeted that meant the Faceless not only knew about the Voice, they knew how to shut him down. That elevated their level of threat considerably. So far he hadn’t been able to figure out their motives, mostly because he knew nothing about them. But if they had access to this level of information and technology, they were indeed a major threat. He and Rora had to get out of here.

  Derek debated launching a surprise attack on the Faceless choppers. They only had a few troops to guard them and he might be able to seize one and escape. It might also allow him to check out the jamming device they were using. Or they could try to sneak off before the Faceless troops who went into the caves returned. When they found out that he and Rora were not in the caves, they would likely search the area; so they couldn’t just hide until the Faceless left.

  The sound of more choppers approaching made the decision for him. He gestured for Rora to follow him and he began running for the edge of the desiccated woods. He stayed crouched over as much as possible, but speed was more important than stealth at the moment. The trees didn’t offer the cover like they used to when they had leaves, but they were still dense enough to provide protection and some concealment.

  As they got near the tree line, he noticed movement in the woods and raised his carbine. Just before he pulled the trigger he realized it was the partisan leader, Micah. The young man was artfully concealed in the brush and was frantically trying to get Derek’s attention. Altering course, Derek led Rora over to where the partisan leader was hiding. They dropped down into a small gully covered in weeds along the edge of the park area.

  They watched in silence as two Huey gunships flew into view and circled the area. Both had gunners with mini-guns in their doors and rocket pods under their stubby wings. They continued to circle as some of the Faceless gunmen reappeared from the caves. Several of them seemed to be carrying something, but Derek couldn’t make out what it was. This was very odd. It appeared the Red Beret captain had been working with the Faceless; but if the whole thing had been a trap, why were they retrieving something?

  More concerning was the apparent pull they had within the U.S.T.G. Were they working with or for the government, or did they have people deep inside allowing them to use U.S.T.G resources? He wasn’t sure which one bothered him more. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any more complicated, they always did. He was starting to wonder why he was on this crazy crusade anyway. He could have dropped Rora off and gotten paid.

  The remaining troops exited the caves, a couple nursing minor wounds; and a few being carried by their fellow soldiers. They loaded the wounded men into one of the transport choppers and it took off. That chopper quickly gained altitude and headed northwest. The gunships didn’t follow, they began to made wider and wider circles around the visitor center. The remaining Faceless troops spread out and entered the buildings.

  “They’re searching for us.” Derek murmured. “We need to go.”

  “But they will spot us if we move.” Micah argued. “We should stay put.”

  “They will spot us eventually and then the gunships will cut us to pieces.” Derek insisted. “We have to move. They probably have infrared sensors and if they haven’t spotted us by the time the sun drops we will become very obvious when it gets cooler.”

  “They don’t need to wait until night for that to work. Our body heat is still higher than the ground.” Rora pointed out.

  “Time to go then.” Derek ordered. “Lead the way Micah.”

  They waited until the gunships were at their furthest points and made a mad dash into the deeper woods. Someone must have spotted them because the choppers suddenly veered in their direction and
the troops swarmed out of the park buildings. The black clad soldiers raced after them, running at full speed. Neither the gunships nor the soldiers opened fire, which meant the Faceless wanted at least one of them alive.

  “Run!” Derek yelled. “The deeper we get the more protection from the gunships.”

  The three of them sprinted through the woods; dead branches pulling at them, thorn bushes scratching them, and fallen limbs threatening to trip them up. Miraculously, none of them fell and they were able to follow Micah into the denser part of the woods. Behind them, they could hear the Faceless soldiers crashing through the brush in hot pursuit. Those sounds grew fainter as Micah was able to lead them through faster than the Faceless, who were unfamiliar with the terrain, could follow.

  Derek heard the gunships pass overhead, but they were deep into the woods now. The dead trees reached over a hundred feet up into the sky and effectively blocked any direct attacks. So he was surprised when they heard the distinctive sound of rockets being fired ahead of them. Explosions shook the ground as the attacks struck home.

  “What are they firing at?” Rora asked in confusion.

  “Maybe your guys?” Derek asked Micah.

  “No, they are long gone by now. We have a rally point well away from here to link back up.” He replied as they continued to run through the woods.

  The answer became obvious shortly. Ahead of them Derek could see the flicker of flames and it wasn’t long before he smelled smoke. Within a minute, the blaze became visible. The flames grew quickly and began ripping through the dried out and dead trees. He could hear the gunships above them using the wind from their propellers to fan the flames.

  The fire spread in all directions and became a living wall of flame that blocked their path. The gunships had very cleverly created a barrier to prevent Derek, Rora, and Micah from escaping. It was spreading quickly and they were forced to head back towards their pursuers. The black, oily smoke soon overran them and the air became so thick with it that it was almost impossible to breathe or see where you were going. The heat became unbearable as the fire closed in on them.