Archive for November, 2023

Against Living and Dead

Posted: November 14, 2023 in TORN APART SERIES
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Chapter 1

Trapped

“We’ve been locked in this hospital for months with all this shit going on,” Carolyn Marks whined. “So, what the hell are we going to do?”

Lilly Sanders pushed damp, dark hair out of her face and answered. “Keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ve got more supplies from the cafeteria storeroom.”

“You know they’ll run out eventually.” Carolyn brushed her arm across her damp forehead. “We can’t stay here forever.”

“I know. You’re speaking to the choir,” Lilly answered.

Carolyn looked around to make sure no one was listening. “I think about leaving, but I know I wouldn’t make it to my car. I saw that herd of monsters out there. Besides, I don’t know where I’d go; my family’s dead. I heard the screaming that first night.”

“I’m sorry,” Lilly looked out the window. “My family was in Houston. I doubt they made it out of there. They lived in Midtown. No way they would have gotten out of the city when the infection hit there.”

Carolyn sighed as she looked at her watch. “I guess I’d better get to my session with Dr. Appleton. Don’t want me to try offing myself again.” Carolyn forced a laugh.

“You won’t do that. We all have had our moments of weakness,” Lilly responded.

“Maybe, but y’all don’t act on it. I did,” Carolyn answered as she walked away.

Lilly watched Carolyn walk away, then Lilly turned back to the ward of surviving vets. Out of the two hundred and fifty-three in the hospital, only twenty-two had survived by the end of the second week, when the backup power failed. She took care of six of those men.

Lilly forced a smile on her face and walked into the ward. “Morning, guys. How’s it going?”

“Living the dream,” answered Sargeant Max Bailey with a wave. “Come give me my morning kiss, gorgeous.” He grinned.

“You know, I’ve got a husband waiting at home,” Lilly retorted with a forced chuckle. They knew he was probably dead, but Max continued the joke that began almost five months ago.

“My loss,” Max looked down in bogus sadness. “Oh well, I’ll settle for a sponge bath.” He looked up with a grin and a mock lear.

“Oh my God,” Lilly laughed. “You’re encourageable.”

“Give her a bre-ak,” Neal Bishop laughed. His head reared back in good humor. “Pay no attention to that fool, Nurse Lilly.” Bishop coughed.

“No problem at all, Bishop. I’ve got his number. He’s a player,” Lilly laughed.

Bishop survived burns on over sixty percent of his body from an exploding fuel tank when his vehicle ran over an IED. No one thought he’d make it, but he did. When the power went out, they thought Bishop would be one of the first to die but a determination to survive brought him through. That and careful care by Lilly and the remaining staff. Now Bishop was the clown of the ward still wrapped in gauze on thirty percent of his body.

“We getting breakfast this morning?” Jasper Belcher asked.

“Of course,” Lilly answered. “It’ll be coming up anytime now. Ms. Harriet is working on it; it takes time to get it brought up here.”

“More of those damned plastic eggs. Fucking tired of that shit,” Jasper, a black kid barely twenty years old who’d lost both legs above his knees, complained.

“Enough, Jasper, they’re doing the best they can,” Bishop interrupted Jasper’s complaining.

“Shut the hell up; we’re all fucked. They’ll have another outbreak, and the staff will take off and leave our asses sitting here, dumbass,” Jasper snapped.

“I will be walking and le-ave your sor-ry ass,” Bishop responded. “You complain too, mu-ch.” He snorted, then began coughing again.

Lilly raised her hand as she studied Bishop with concern. “Quit bickering, boys. Time to wash up for breakfast.” She began moving from bed to bed. Lilly poured a pitcher of hot water into a small plastic pan, then retrieved and passed each patient a clean washcloth and hand towel. While they cleaned up, Lilly filled a pitcher with water on each bedside table.

“Pretty stingy with the water, Nurse Rachet,” Complained Jasper.

“Sorry about that, but lugging up five-gallon buckets of hot water is a bit of a struggle these days,” Lilly responded and moved to the next patient. “We’ve only got two orderlies left now. It’s hard to get enough water up to this floor.”

“Give the bitching a rest, Jasper. They’re doing the best they can,” Max yelled.

“Fuck you!” Jasper cursed.

“Enough!” Lilly interrupted. “You get what you get. Any complaints, get your ass out of bed and get your own,” She snapped. “We’re doing the best we can. If you don’t like it, call your local Democrat congressman. Excuse me, congressperson. I’m sure they’ll rush right over.”

Lilly picked up a washcloth and handed it to Jasper so he could wash his face and body. When they finished their ministrations in silence, she emptied the water from the pans and returned washcloths to the end of each bed, along with towels.

“I’ll check on breakfast,” Lilly said, then pushed the cart from the ward with her back stiff, and jaw clenched. Once in the hall, she pressed her back to the wall and slid to the floor to let tears escape. “I can’t keep doing this,” Lilly whispered. She wrapped her arms around her dingy scrubs and wept.

“We have to,” A gentle voice answered. “We have no choice, honey.”

Lilly looked up and wiped her face. “Oh, Harriet. I’m sorry. I’m a baby feeling sorry for myself.”

“Nonsense. It’s that Jasper boy again, ain’t it?” Harriet asked. “He an unhappy young man. He should be thanking his God he’s still alive,” Harriet answered.

“Jasper’s right. If the infected break into this hospital section, he’s in real trouble. We don’t have enough non-disabled people to save everyone,” Lilly responded.

“Then he should be getting his butt out of bed and doing something about it,” Harriet advised.

“I agree,” Lilly echoed. “We have several men walking now that couldn’t walk before. They were lucky to be on this wing.”

“This is the wing to do that. We have the equipment, and people are still here to get them on their feet and moving. They should be focused on that every day, all day long. Every one of those men should be working on walking.” Harriet said.

“Maybe you need to talk to them, Harriet,” Lilly suggested.

“Maybe I should. In the meantime, I need to get breakfast,” Harriet answered. “You go get some fresh air. “I take care of this.”

Harriet walked into the ward with a frown on her face. She stepped inside and stood there glaring at the group of six men ending her perusal on Jasper. “You a sorry-looking bunch. Y’all layin’ up like you need curb service. I’m telling you something. You disgust me, and you,” Looking at Jasper with a stern glare. “You disgust me most of all. Your eyes look like my departed son, but that’s where it ends. He was a brave man. You are a coward. Lay up, waiting to get eaten. Well, I’m ready to toss you out a window to give you your wish.”

Jasper looked up, horrified. “But…”

“You been giving those girls a hard time. It ends now. I hear more, I come back, and you go out the window. Do you boys understand?” Harriet asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jasper whispered.

“Excuse me?” Harriet demanded.

“Yes, ma’am,” Several voices announced.

“Next, I want to see you out of bed. We done coddling, you boys. I serve meals at the table. End of story. No exception.” Harriet smiled as she walked to the first bed and pulled a tray to place it on the table. “Eat up. Each of you got work to do.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Max smiled. “I’ve been working on it.” He leaned down and picked up his prosthetic to prove a point.

Harriet moved to the other patients, and each agreed to be ready for the next meal as requested. Finally, Henrietta turned at the door with the meals delivered. “No more complaints. We’re all doing the best we can.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Max smiled. “I’ll see to it.” He held up the prosthetic for his leg one last time.”

Lilly and George Ortega, the physical therapist, arrived on the ward about an hour later to find a new attitude. Five of the men were ready to practice using the new prosthetics built by George in recent weeks. He had retrieved prosthetics from soldiers that had lost their lives when the hospital fell. When the staff fought back and sealed the hospital wing, he recovered prosthetics while disposing of bodies. Since then, he had worked diligently to refit the units to the surviving soldiers. In some cases, with a twist since the fabrication department was on the wing where they now resided.

“Well, I see we’re all ready for a day of work,” George, the stocky Hispanic man, announced with a grin.

“Hey, Ortega! I’m ready for a go-round with a zombie,” Max snarked.

“How about walking across the room first instead?” George responded.

“Got it covered,” Max laughed.

“That is the goal for everyone this week. No exceptions,” George looked at Jasper in his bed as he headed toward the black youth’s bed. Jasper gave a slight nod but remained silent. Both prosthetics rested against the stump of his thighs, ready to be pushed into place.

George checked the strap and nodded. “Good job, Jasper. Let’s get those legs on,” He straightened the sock on the stump, then grabbed the first molded cup and pushed the prosthetic into place. “Feel good?”

“Fine?” Jasper answer.

George repeated the process and pulled Jaspers’s legs around to the edge of the bed. “Time to get to work, young man.” He grabbed a walker from the foot of the bed. “You can do this. I’ll be right behind you.”

Lilly pulled walkers and canes out for soldiers, then ensured each prosthetic was well seated and ready for their therapy session. Afterward, she went from patient to patient to check their progress as they walked across the ward.

“Doing great, Max, James. Sam, Juan, it’s not a race. Take your time,” Lilly encouraged as she moved between them. “Careful. The last thing you want to do is have an accident and lose your balance getting used to the prosthetics after the latest adjustments.”

“Hey, I’m almost ready to dance!” Max called out.

Bishop laughed from his bed. “I saw you dancing before you lost your leg, Sarge. It wasn’t pretty. What makes you think a peg leg will make it any better?”

“Roll you red ass out of bed, and I’ll chase you around this ward, Fry Boy,” Max chided.

“I managed to get out of bed when it counted, with a bunch of those chompers chasing me.” Bishop laughed. “I made it out of the burn ward when no one else did.”

“Yeah, you’ve opened up wounds that still need time to heal. So you’re confined to bed until the worst of them have a chance to close back up,” Lilly argued. “I’ve heard enough out of you, Max. Get to walking.”

Max laughed. “Okay, I’ll quit baiting Fry Boy.”

“Maybe I’d better watch that rowdy bunch,” George told Lilly. “If you’ll help Jasper, I’ll keep them out of mischief.”

“Works for me,” Lilly deliberately turned her attention to Jasper. The young man leaned into the handrails of the walker, and his weight settled into his prosthetics. He teetered for a moment, straightened his back, and squared his shoulders.

“Find your balance, Jasper. It’s been a while,” Lilly whispered.

Beads of moisture appeared on Jasper’s forehead; his arm muscles, tense with strain, then began to relax. “That’s it. Raise your right leg. The prosthetic is your lower leg. The shoe will provide traction. Now try it.”

“It’s heavy,” Jasper said as he struggled to pull it back under him.

“Pull your foot back under you, then do the other side. Yes, your upper legs have lost some muscle tone. I’m going to give you some weights, and you can start using them to rebuild some of that muscle,” Lilly advised.

Lilly pushed him to repeat the process with each leg half a dozen times. By then, Jasper was soaking wet and huffing with exertion. He looked at Lilly with pleading eyes.

“I’m beat,” he claimed.

Lilly smiled. “You did good, Jasper. I’ll be back this afternoon to bring the weights. I expect you to use them.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jasper answered as he settled back on the bed.

Lilly pulled off the prosthetics and examined each stump for redness or pressure points. Then, she picked up a bottle of alcohol and gave each leg a rubdown. “This will toughen the skin.”

“Now, you see what I’ve done. I expect you to take care of yourself from now on. Your health depends on the self-care of your stump. A blister or sore spot can become infected overnight. That can leave you helpless or a burden on others—time to learn to take care of yourself,” Lilly advised. “You take care of the sock and wipe out the cup with alcohol too. Keep it all clean. Any question?” She handed Jasper the bottle and a few gauze pads to complete the task.

“No, ma’am,” Jasper answered. “I understand.”

“I’m glad. I’m sorry, but I think our days here are numbered. We have to be ready,” Lilly looked at the rest of the men in the ward. The rest of the men shuffled across the room—all except Max. Max barely used the cane he now held. She wished it was comforting, but she was worried. Thirty people at the VA hospital in Kerrville had survived until now, but she was afraid their luck was running out soon.

Escaping Chaos Book 2 Nation Betrayed

Posted: November 14, 2023 in NATION BETRAYED
0

Chapter 1

Ryan-Clear Creek River Inn Resort (Day 1)

Maria Valdez looked around the small apartment to ensure all was in its place. They wouldn’t return to their apartment until the end of the day. The small apartment included a bedroom, a bathroom, a small living room, and a kitchenette. All was neat and straightened, and coffee was on the nightstand. Lots of work to do preparing the Clear Creek River Inn for a new collection of vacationers. Maria had already pulled on a floral skirt and white blouse when she leaned over her husband to shake his shoulder. “Pablo, you need to get up, old man. I brought you coffee. Señor Brian will be back this morning. He’ll want to discuss how the new group of kids are doing. You need to explain with this first week of vacationers, they had trouble keeping up. We need more help or more experienced help in the kitchen.”

Pablo took a drink of coffee and then set the cup down. “Sí, I told Señor Brian it was not good hiring such young ones,” He responded as he rose to his feet at the side of the bed, putting on his pants.

Maria ran a brush through her hair, laughing. “They all look like young kids at our age. They’re college students and maybe will grow up if we give them time, but we need help now.”

Pablo announced. “I already called Señor Brian and told him they were not hard workers. All they want to do is play on their phones or make eyes at each other. He told me they’ll shape up if we have a firm hand and guide them.” Pablo sighed. “I had to remind that young blue-haired man to feed the horses again.” Pablo pulled on his shirt and stepped into his boots. “Lots to do. Let’s get the day started.” He tucked the shirt into his pants and buckled his belt.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the morning peace. Pablo looked at Maria, then ran from the small suite. He raced toward the sound as Maria threw her brush on the dresser and followed. When they got to the girl’s dorm, two young women stood outside clinging together, screaming hysterically. Pablo and Maria rushed to the girls, pulled them from the dorm’s door, and led them across the porch toward chairs.

“What’s going on?” Maria wrapped her arms around the girls. “What has you so upset?”

Becky Grayson, a small, dark-haired twenty-year-old, turned and buried her face against Maria. “They’re dead! Everyone is dead!” She started wailing incoherently again.

The girl with her, Lilly Baker, was white as a sheet and suddenly collapsed. Pablo caught her just before her head hit the wood deck. “Stop screaming! We can’t help you if we can’t understand what you’re saying!” Pablo ordered.

Maria stepped away from Becky and pulled a pillow from a deck chair, slipping it under the girl’s head. Becky stood silently watching; Maria rose, put her arm around Becky again, and led her to a chair. “Come now and talk to us. What is this all about?”

Becky sat in the chair, sniffling. “They’re all dead. I got up when the alarm went off. I knew Lupe would be starting breakfast, but Lilly and I were the only ones to get up. When I tried to wake the others, they wouldn’t wake up. They were dead. I tried to wake all of them, but…,” her voice trailed off.

“What about the men’s dorm? Has anyone come out?” Pablo asked.

Becky shrugged. “Maria, stay here with the girls. I will check on both dorms and the rest of the staff. Then, if she wakes up, take her into our home and give the girls something to drink.” He hurried back to his room, picked up a handgun, and stuck it in the back of his pants.

Maria looked at Pablo. “Why did you get that.”

“I don’t know what’s happening; I don’t want to need it and not have it.” He passed Maria a cell phone. “But I will find out and try to call the sheriff’s office. But, for now, take care of the girls. Señor Brian will be here soon, and he’ll know what to do,” Pablo responded.

“Be careful,” Maria whispered. Pablo smiled.

Pablo took a deep breath before he turned the knob and headed into the women’s dorm. He opened the door. A dim light came from windows covered with open shades, but Pablo flipped on the bank of lights, filling the room with light. “Rise and shine,” he called out. No one moved. Pablo wiped the moisture from his forehead as he walked to the first bunk. The girl wore a T-shirt and was covered with a white sheet except for one leg. Dark red hair spilled across the pillow, and he brushed curls away to place his hand on the pale skin of the girl’s neck and felt for a pulse. The cold skin held no warmth or vibration of life. It didn’t take a doctor to know dead when he felt the flesh. Pablo moved to the next bunk to see a blonde with short locks, only to find the same results. When he moved through the rest of the dorm, he realized eight girls were dead without any sign of violence. Pablo exited the women’s dorm and walked to the men’s housing. He knocked. Again, there was no response. Finally, Pablo stepped into the room and flipped the light switches. The room brightened, and Pablo saw a single figure sitting on a lower bunk. The lone young man raised his head, and Pablo saw a confused look on his face.

“They’re all dead. I checked everyone,” Ryan Nicoles said. “I tried calling 911, but it goes to an automatic answer service. How can this be happening?”

Pablo crossed the room. “Ryan, why didn’t you come to get me?”

“It’s everywhere. People have died all across the state. When I tried to call 911 without an answer, I tried to use the Internet to get help. But I can’t get through to any emergency services,” Ryan said. “Frankly, I figured the rest of you would be dead until I heard screaming. I didn’t have the nerve to get up and see who it was.”

“It was two of the girls.” Pablo reached for Ryan’s arm. “I haven’t checked the staff yet. Can you help me?”

Ryan sighed. “Sorry. I don’t know what to do to help. Being pre-med has not helped a damned bit. All the classes, I’ve taken and all the internships mean nothing. The first time I saw death, I froze. I’m a big fucking failure.”

“No, we’re all in shock here. I’m not sure if any of us know what to do. You know more than the rest of us,” Pablo argued. “Maria and I had no idea.”

Ryan rose and took a deep breath. “I’m okay; I’m ready to go.”

The two men walked back to the staff wing and knocked on the door of Lupe’s cabin; it was empty. With no answer, he looked inside and said. “We’ll check the kitchen. She’s up by five.” Pablo commented. “That means she’s in the kitchen, hopefully.”

“I hope we find her making breakfast,” Ryan answered.

Pablo nodded as he knocked on the next cabin. “So do I. Millie and Gilbert are probably not in their cabin, either. Both should be in the kitchen, too.” As predicted, the cabin was empty. “I hope this is a good sign. Let’s head to the kitchen.”

Ryan squared his shoulders and, with Pablo, walked past the central courtyard behind the inn to the kitchen. Pablo opened the door to see Lupe, Millie, and Gilbert drinking coffee at a large table amid the aroma of baking biscuits and cooking bacon. A tear of relief slid down Pablo’s face, and he quickly wiped them away.

“Gracias a Dios! I am happy to see you three are okay. We’ve got problems. Stay here while we gather the others, and we’ll explain when I return,” Pablo said. “No breakfast for now.”

Lupe, a Hispanic woman in her late fifties, with Millie and Gilbert, an older black couple, glanced at each other with puzzled looks. Pablo ignored it. Pablo returned to his and Maria’s cabin with Ryan to find the unconscious girl had awakened. Becky continued to sniffle in the corner but was no longer hysterical.

“Lilly? How are you feeling?” Pablo asked.

She sat up, looking sad and frightened. “I guess better. I can’t believe this.” Lilly saw Ryan, and tears slipped from her eyes. “This is impossible. Right?”

“I’m afraid not,” Ryan answered.

“It’s all right,” Pablo said. “Come on, everyone. Let’s get to the kitchen and explain to the others what’s happened. Then, we’ll have coffee and breakfast. After that, we can discuss what we know and what Ryan can share.”

Maria raised her voice. “Sí. We can do nothing more. Let’s have breakfast and feel better,” she gave Pablo a questioning look. “Come on, girls. You too, Becky.”

“I can’t believe this,” Becky commented as she got to her feet.

Pablo ushered the two younger women, Ryan and Maria, from his home, and then he followed, closing the door. The trio of younger people started walking toward the kitchen. Maria stepped close, and Pablo grabbed her hand and whispered. “Be strong. It is bad.”

Ryan stepped between the two younger women and steered them toward the kitchen. They each grabbed at him as if needing his support. Ryan placed an arm around each of the girls.

Maria followed the young people to the kitchen, still clinging to Pablo. Her heart pounded in her chest until she saw Lupe, Millie, and Gilbert, and she gave Pablo’s hand a final squeeze. “Tan contenta de verto!” she uttered, cleared her throat, and spoke again. “Muy Bueno to see you.”

“We saw you last night,” Millie quipped with a puzzled look on her black face. Why are dem kids not coming to breakfast?”

Lupe began filling cups of coffee.

“We’ll discuss that as we eat,” Pablo said. “For now, this is everyone that will be coming.”

Lupe set the plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits on the table. Lupe, Millie, and Gilbert ate while the rest of the group tried to eat but mostly drank coffee and pushed food around on their plates. Gilbert continued to study the group, not eating, and put his fork down. He moved his plate aside and looked at Pablo. “Okay, speak of dat elephant in da room. We know something is wrong.”

Pablo and Ryan explained the tragedy they had found, what they knew, and what questions remained. “It’s not just here, so now you see the situation; we must make some decisions. Since we cannot contact the sheriff’s office by cell or landline, we must drive into Columbus and notify the authorities. I hesitate to leave if Mr. Brian comes and wants answers, and for the same reason, Gilbert is out of the question. That leaves one of the women or Ryan. I don’t want to ask the women to go since we know nothing of the situation.”

“Agreed,” Ryan said. “I should be the one to go.”

“But he shouldn’t go alone,” Lilly said, pushing her dark brown hair from her face. “I’ll go with him.”

Pablo turned to the young woman. “Are you sure? You fainted. If it’s bad in town, you can’t do that.”

“Yes, I’m sure. It was just the shock. I’m fine now,” Lilly retorted. “We don’t have the luxury of my wimping out now.”

“Okay, that’s solved,” Pablo said. “We’ll leave the bodies where they are. You three will bunk in Mr. Brian’s suite. It has two bedrooms if that’s acceptable.”

“That’s fine with us,” Lilly looked at Becky and Ryan. Both nodded.

“Do we need to pick up anything in town?” Ryan asked.

“We got a large paper and non-perishable shipment Friday, so we’re good on groceries. Gilbert and I have to put the stock away. I wish we had a fresh produce shipment, but I doubt that will happen. I sure wish we had the garden a little further along; then, we’d have our own if we end up well-stocked for a while. It’s too soon to know for sure what our future holds. We need more information. I think we have to depend on Ryan and Lilly for that.”

Ryan got to his feet. “Pablo, will you help me get the girls’ lockers and get them out of the dorm? Then the dorms can be closed off, and we won’t need to return inside until the authorities take care of the bodies.”

“Sounds like a good plan. In the meantime, we’ll take care of the Inn and maintain the facility as before. Ryan, we hope you return with the help that will give us a clearer picture of our future.”

“I want to know when I can go home,” Becky said. “My family is in Austin. I can’t reach my mother.”

Maria reached across the table to cover Becky’s hand with her own. “We know, Mi hija. But, unfortunately, no one can reach their family. Wait until Ryan returns with news, please.” Maria looked at Pablo. He smiled sadly at her as they thought of their son in California and another driving a cross-country truck.

******

✯JUST RELEASED! ESCAPING CHAOS!✯
Book 2 of Nation Betrayed Series
What if a corrupt government forced medical treatments on the populaces that resulted in a massive die-off, enabling the invasion by a rogue nation? Will there be anyone to save the country and the young children left behind? Fatal Shot and Escaping Chaos tells the story…. Both are available on B&N, Amazon, and Amazon Kindle Unlimited. NOW!
Fatal Shot
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RG9K9KB

Escaping Chaos
https://www.amazon.com/k/dp/B0CLQFLYMK