The Long Road (Surviving the Fall 6)

“You were approved for transport to Mount Weather and you were given a military vehicle. You’re now officially required to be held in a secure facility until such time as the situation can be brought under control.” The general kept glancing down at the paper as he recited a passage from it. “The period of this detention is indeterminate but is up to the discretion of the superior officer.” He looked up from the paper. “That’s me.”

“So you’re going to hold me?” Rick rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair. “Great. I knew I should have gone to Denver instead.

“I sincerely doubt you would want to be in Denver right now. The place makes hell look like a resort.”

Rick shook his head. “Just let me go. I’ll leave now and I won’t bother you or anyone else. I’m just trying to get home to my family.”

“These orders come down from the top, Rick. Part of some of the extreme emergency measures that were devised back in the 60’s. If you were a Class B or C then I’d consider it. But you were tagged for the think tank at Mount Weather. You’re Class A whether you like it or not.” General Black pressed a button on his desk and the door opened a few seconds later to reveal a pair of MPs standing outside.

General Black motioned to the MPs and one of them stepped inside to stand next to Rick. “You’ll be taken to your room down below. Meals will be delivered and you’ll have full use of our library. Once I figure out what to do with you then we’ll go from there.”

The MP reached for Rick’s arm and Rick pulled away as he leaned forward to try and continue the conversation. “This is bullshit, General! I’m a United States citizen! I have rights, guaranteed to me under the—”

“Under the what, Mr. Waters?” The general stood up, his nostrils flaring as he glared at Rick. “Under the constitution? Under a piece of paper that formed the basis for a country and a civilization? There is no more country or civilization, Mr. Waters. There is death and destruction and if we don’t secure every able body and—more importantly—every able-bodied mind available then we will fall into the abyss and never climb out.” The general nodded at the MP. “Take him to his room. Make sure he has food and whatever else he needs. Rick struggled as the MPs took him out of the general’s office, still protesting even after the door was shut in his face.

Chapter 2

The Water’s Homestead

Outside Ellisville, VA

“Mom! We were starting to get worried!” Mark ran out the front door as Dianne and Jason pulled into the driveway. He carried his rifle on his shoulder and glanced around as he headed across the porch and drive to the truck.

“Hey, Mark.” Dianne’s smile was forced though she was fairly certain Mark wasn’t picking up on it. “Everything go okay here?”

Mark nodded. “Yep! We tried calling you on the radio but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh, crap. The radio!” Dianne got out of the truck and fished around in the back, finally finding the device. “Yep, looks like I forgot to turn it on.”

“Dianne?” The front door opened and Sarah Statler came walking out with Jacob and Josie in tow. “Jason! What on ear

th are you doing not answering the radio like that?”

Mark leaned close to his mother and whispered in her ear as Sarah continued to fuss at Jason. “Mrs. Statler’s been kind of on edge ever since she tried to call you guys on the radio.”

Dianne covered a slight grin with her hand as she coughed loudly to interrupt Jason and Sarah’s argument. “Hey, we’ve got a lot of stuff in here. How about you kids get started moving it inside? Leave the fuel in the back of the truck but get everything else in the house, okay?”

Mark gave Dianne a curious look but shrugged and nodded. “Will do.” He, Jacob and Josie got to work while Dianne steered Jason and Sarah over to the side of the house where they could talk in relative privacy.

“You still should have remembered to turn it on!” Sarah was still talking about the radio when Dianne turned to her.

“Sarah, it was my fault, okay? Besides, we have much bigger problems than forgetting to turn on a radio.” Sarah was about to say something else when she finally caught the undercurrent in Dianne’s tone and saw her serious expression.

“What?” Sarah looked between Jason and Dianne. “What happened?”

“After we got the supplies we went over to the Carson’s place. We saw a car there so we parked across the road behind the old barn at the end of your property and snuck back across.”

“A car at the Carson’s? Are they there?”

Jason shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Whoever was in that car was…”

Jason trailed off and Dianne finished his sentence. “Bad. Very, very bad. They were talking about looting the house, looting other people’s houses and Tina, too.”

“They were talking about Tina? Tina Carson?” Sarah’s eyes grew wide. “Is she okay?”

Jason and Dianne looked at each other and Dianne cleared her throat. “She uh… I think she’s alive. But I think they have her.”

“They kidnapped her?” Sarah’s face was a mask of horror and Dianne motioned for her to quiet down.