After The Event (Book 8): The Storm Page 5

  Margie dropped her hands and nodded. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”

  Everyone else at the table agreed and Trevor gave him a firm nod.

  The deal would only last for so long. Alec knew that. There would come a time when Noah’s stores of building supplies would run low and he would break off that deal. When that happened what incentive would they have to continue trading and what leverage would Alec have to negotiate? Alec looked around the table and tried to look confident but inside he knew that things were going to get worse.

  Ben

  The truck rumbled down the cracked street and Ben looked to the town sitting in the distance. Locke drove the truck while Allison Berger sat in the back in complete silence. Locke glanced in the rearview mirror at the woman for a second and then focused back on the road.

  “We’ll be there in less than a minute,” Locke announced to no one in particular.

  Ben had asked to accompany them on the second visit to meet with the person claiming to be Sylvia Carter. After days spent searching the rundown mall for evidence of what the real Sylvia Carter looked like, he had finally given up and decided to try something else. They approached an old courthouse where several soldiers stood outside waiting for them. This was where she was.

  Ben got out, unarmed as had been instructed, and one of the soldiers came over and patted them down. Once that was completed the soldiers stepped aside, allowing them to enter the courthouse. They walked past several more checkpoints and nearly a dozen soldiers that eyed them suspiciously until they were led into a large, empty courtroom.

  “The President will be with you shortly,” one of the soldiers said as he closed the door.

  Where there had once been several rows of seats for people to sit and watch the court proceedings had been cleared out and a large table sat in its place. Ambassador Berger walked in and sat down on one side of the large table and opened her briefcase, taking out several pieces of paper.

  “Sit in the back, watch everything, but don’t say a word,” Locke whispered to him and then walked over and sat at the table beside Berger.

  Ben sat down on one of the few remaining benches and waited. Within a minute the back door opened and two soldiers walked out. Behind them was an older woman. She was dressed in a weathered tan blouse and Ben saw the age marks on her face and gray streaks through her hair. The woman’s face was tight and she gave him a quick glance before settling on Berger. Her face softened and she smiled.

  “Allison, nice to see you again.”

  “Ma’am,” Berger said flatly.

  The woman calling herself Sylvia Carter shook Berger’s hand and then sat down across from her. “I take it you have spoken with Mr. Johnson?”

  “I have had several discussions with President Johnson,” Berger said, setting her papers off to the side. “He is willing to pardon you for this misunderstanding if you give up power and recognize him as the true President of the United States.”

  Carter frowned just slightly. “I’m afraid per the order of succession he is not the true President. I am.”

  There was a beat of silence and then Berger let out a long sigh. “There’s no need to repeat ourselves. President Johnson does not recognize you as the real Sylvia Carter. The real Sylvia Carter was killed several years ago.”

  “As the real Sylvia Carter I find that somewhat concerning, seeing as I still very much feel alive,” Carter said, sitting back in her chair. “It does seem convenient that Johnson claims I am dead, as that allows him to remain in power.”

  “I’m afraid that you stepping down is not negotiable,” Berger said.

  Carter shared a glance with one of the soldiers standing to her side before focusing again on Berger. “The United States is a large country. Johnson is rebuilding the East Coast and I’m rebuilding the West Coast. Once order is restored we can have an official meeting and allow the people to elect their leader.”

  Berger opened her briefcase and placed the papers inside it before closing it again. “I’m not authorized to accept anything less than you agreeing to hand over control of this area and all military assets to President Johnson.”

  “Then until you are authorized to actually negotiate there isn’t much for us to discuss.”

  Berger sat there for a moment, and it appeared her head turned slightly toward Locke. “Ma’am, what you all have been able to do here and with the other outposts is fantastic. You have saved thousands of lives and President Johnson understands that you all fought alongside us against the invaders. Those good deeds have not gone unnoticed. He will find you a suitable place in his administration, no matter who you really are.”

  “When we meet again, Ambassador Berger, I expect you to actually bring something to the table. Otherwise there isn’t a point in us going through the motions,” Carter said, standing up. “Until then.” She turned and walked out of the room. The soldiers followed.

  “Bitch,” Locke said under his breath but still loud enough for Ben to hear.

  They gathered their things and were escorted back out to their truck, where they began their journey back toward their base. Ben sat in the passenger seat as Locke drove again. After a few minutes he turned around to Berger.

  “Are you going to radio President Johnson when we return?”

  Berger turned her attention from the window to him and shook her head. “It’s getting dark. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

  “What do you think he’ll offer?” Ben asked.

  Berger glanced at Locke for a brief second then turned back to the window. “I…I don’t expect him to offer much.”

  “But she already said she wasn’t willing to simply stand down.”

  “Not willingly,” Locke said finally. “Not willingly.”

  Alec

  A new normal fell over New Hope. It took a while to get used to the cramped quarters but no one complained, not out loud at least. The Centralia refugees jumped immediately into the normal routine and soon they had extra hands for farming, ranching and house building. They were grateful for the second chance but they carried the memory of those who didn’t make it like a weight around their neck. It wasn’t uncommon the first few nights to hear crying or yells due to a bad dream. Yet they all continued on.

  Alec went back to Centralia to survey the damage and it broke his heart. This town had existed long before he arrived, and it was in part thanks to this town that his family was able to survive and create New Hope. Now it was little more than a battlefield. They were able to salvage most of the medical supplies, along with ammo and even some livestock, but the town was another thing entirely. With enough supplies and manpower they might be able to rebuild it, but it would take years and probably wouldn’t be habitable during winter for at least a year or two. For the first few weeks they took daily trips to salvage what they could. Once that was complete Alec said goodbye to the Centralia he once knew.

  Every month Noah’s men would arrive in the ruins of Centralia to collect their shipment of food and to exchange a shipment of building materials. It only took until the first exchange after the incident before the shipment of building materials began to shrink. By the third exchange it was barely half the size it was before. Then Noah called for Alec. Alec didn’t attend the exchanges so Freddie had to drive back to New Hope to inform him of the request. Freddie asked if he was going to go, and Alec told him the truth: he didn’t have a choice. Landon informed him he had to appear alone and despite this, Alec didn’t feel any fear. If Noah wanted him dead he wouldn’t have to send for him.

  He rode in Landon’s faded red pickup truck and the rest of the envoy followed behind. Landon didn’t say anything until they finally arrived at their base, and even then it was just to tell him to get out. Alec walked through the dark hallways and avoided eye contact with Noah’s men. When he got to Noah’s door, Landon patted him down and stepped aside to allow him in. Alec walked into Noah’s large office and the man smiled as if he somehow didn’t realize he was the bane of Alec’s exist
ence.

  “Alec, welcome,” Noah said warmly and walked over to the leather couches near his desk. “Can I get you a beverage or bite to eat?”

  Alec shook his head and walked over to the couches making a point not to use his cane. He sat on the small couch closest to the door and Noah walked over and sat causally across from him.

  “Good trip?” Noah asked.

  “Why am I here?” Alec said bluntly.

  Noah paused but the smile never left his face. “Alec, you’re here because I want to start over. I want our relationship to be like it was before the unfortunate incidents that occurred a few months ago.”

  Alec studied the man’s face, and he seemed to be genuine. “Noah, you have to know that’s not possible. What you did can never be undone.”

  “Nor should it be. I’m not asking for forgiveness for what happened.”

  “Even if you were, things can’t go back to the way they were.”

  Noah stood up and walked behind his couch before turning back around to Alec. “The world has always been run by ruthless men, Alec, from Alexander the Great to whoever was our last president. The only difference is that they got better at hiding it. To create something, you have to be willing to destroy the things that hinder its growth.”

  “We’ve had this discussion, Noah, and it’s already been established that we have different views on this subject.”

  “We can have different views but still have a good relationship.”

  Alec bit his tongue for a moment then realized it wasn’t worth holding back. “Last time I was here you told me that we had to continue to trade with you, no matter what. You take away a person’s choice and you lose the ability to have an equal, trusting relationship.”

  For the first time Noah frowned. “Technically you don’t have to continue trading with us.”

  “And what would happen if we tried to stop?”

  Noah smiled again. “There are consequences for every choice.”

  “Then you’ve answered your own question.”

  The warmth in Noah’s face was gone so quickly that Alec wasn’t even sure if it had ever been there. The man walked back around the couch and sat down in front of Alec with his fingers interlaced in front of him. “I’m not a trusting man, Alec. I’ll acknowledge trust is not a strength of mine, wasn’t before the world ended and it hasn’t gotten any better now. People who are unhappy aren’t the most trustworthy people, and I have a hard time with people that I can’t trust.”

  Alec knew he had to watch his step. “You’re right, Noah, my people are unhappy but they’re not stupid. They’re aware you know where they live and they’ve either seen or heard about what you’ve done to the last towns that crossed you. None of them want to end up that way.”

  Noah tapped his fingers together for a few seconds. “That’s as good as it’s going to get?”

  Alec took in a deep breath. “For now, yeah.”

  “Was your family well off before society crumbled?” Noah asked. He saw the confused look on Alec’s face. “Did your family have money?”

  Alec thought back to his childhood. They always had a roof over their heads and a warm meal in their stomachs but they definitely wouldn’t have been considered wealthy. Even when Alec’s dad was sober and working, things had seemed fairly tight. “We had enough.”

  “I’ve always been a fan of Alexander the Great. The man conquered so much of the world at such a young age, it always made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough, that I didn’t have enough time to accomplish all that he did. Then the world gave me a second chance.” Noah was quiet for a moment then chuckled. “Sorry, I got sidetracked. The interesting thing about his time is that people sought power above all else. Money was important but it was merely the oil that kept the gears going. Our society was different. We had been convinced that money was the end goal. You see, money can’t buy everything, but power can.”

  “Noah, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  “Then listen,” he said carefully. “If I asked someone to come up here right now and shoot you in the head they would do it. Why? Not because I could offer them money. I don’t have a single dollar to my name.”

  “You can do that now because there aren’t any laws. If there were laws then it wouldn’t matter how much money you had.”

  “Don’t be a fool,” Noah said, sitting back. “You think people didn’t get away with things back in the day? People broke the law all the time in the old world and never got in trouble for it, if they had enough power. Rich people still were held accountable, but not those with enough power.”

  Alec didn’t feel like arguing so he merely shook his head.

  “All it takes is to learn what is needed to obtain power. In this world it is having the biggest stick, the most secure area and the willingness to do what is necessary. Once you have power you have to be willing to use it in order to get more. You all could have reached out and took over Centralia, then you could have eliminated Sturgeon and utilized their resources. Instead you hid behind the old world’s morals.”

  “I get it, you’re more powerful than us,” Alec said. “We have different priorities and because of that I’m sitting here and you’re sitting there.”

  The man studied Alec for a few moments. “Would you at least admit that if you had the chance you would go back and do things differently?”

  “Yes, I would,” Alec said without hesitating.

  Noah sat there in silence for a moment, as if he was coming to a decision, then he nodded his head once. “Time heals all wounds. I have a parting gift to help with that healing process. Have a careful trip home and please remember what we talked about.”

  Noah turned and walked back to his desk, leaving Alec sitting at the couch by himself. By the time he stood up Noah had his back to him and was reading a book with his feet kicked up in the air. Landon opened the door and stepped to the side.

  It was already dark by the time they began their journey back to New Hope. Landon sat quietly in the driver’s seat, looking straight ahead. Alec watched the man without making it too obvious. Landon was a large man, someone who probably never lost a fight in his life, and he knew how to lead men, as he showed when Sturgeon was destroyed.

  “How did you end up here, with Noah?” Alec asked after a time.

  “I joined him.”

  “Why?”

  Landon glanced at him, a look of irritation on his face. “Because I didn’t want to die.”

  Alec said nothing. Landon did the same.

  “So you just ran into him and decided to join his cause?” Alec asked after a short time.

  Landon let out a huff. “Nothing’s that simple. Noah became the strongest force in Columbia. It was either join his group, run away or die. I chose to join him.”

  “You were part of a different group?”

  “I led a different group. We ran downtown. We provided protection for the people who lived there and they provided us with food and supplies,” A smile started to form on the corners of Landon’s mouth then disappeared a second later. “We raided a fairly large gun shop and at the time had the biggest armory in Columbia.”

  “Then Noah came.”

  Landon nodded. “He had more men and more guns.”

  “How?”

  “Noah ran into a group of men who were trying to maintain order, some military outfit. Anyways, they were well supplied and they had strategic supply depots all throughout the state. All you needed to know was the location and have the key to unlock them.”

  That explained the weapons. “And this group just gave him the guns?”

  “Noah wasn’t the leader at the time but he says they provided them with some hardware and tasked them with bringing order to the area and protecting civilians.”

  “You think that’s true?”

  “I know that’s not entirely true. There is always a little truth in every lie, or at least every good lie.” Landon glanced in his rearview mirror. “Noah got close with one of t
he men and earned his trust, but he knew the other soldiers wouldn’t allow him to provide the location or the key for the depots.”

  “So he killed them?” Alec asked.

  Landon was quiet for a few seconds. “All it took was some fake intel on some civilians in distress and a sabotaged helicopter. I wasn’t part of his group yet so I didn’t see this firsthand but I know the soldiers never returned. Within a few months Noah had the hardware, took over command of the group, and the rest is history.”

  “What happened to your men?”

  “A few of them are still around. Most of them died when we first tried standing up to Noah; the rest came with me when I joined him.”

  Ben raised an eyebrow. “And he was fine with that? Just allowing people he had nearly killed to join his group?”

  “Why not? You can have all the guns in the world but you’ve got to have men to shoot them. We were proven. Don’t get me wrong; he kept his watch on us for a long time. Made us prove our loyalty. But when you go from having to fight for every meal and living in squalor to being provided three square meals every day and sleeping in a warm bed, it’s hard to be mad.”

  “So after enough time you managed to prove your loyalty and become his right-hand man?”

  Landon chuckled. “There used to be a lot of groups vying for power in Columbia, and uniting this city took force. I had experience in taking things by force so it was easy to prove my worth.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “Miss what?”

  “Do you miss being in charge?” Alec asked.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Landon said after a few moments.

  “You think your men are still loyal to you?”