Impact Winter | Book 2 | The Darkest Day, page 1
part #2 of Impact Winter Series
The Darkest Day
M.M.E. Yoho
Copyright © 2020 M.M.E. Yoho
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by: Jewel Stewart
Printed in the United States of America
For John.
Together we have made it through all the ups and downs. Thank you for all that you do.
Chapter One
May 22nd 8 PM
Tom
There had been chatter in the prepper groups for days, but that really wasn’t unusual. I tried to participate in online prepping communities that were trustworthy. Still, there always seemed to be a few crazies in each group. The crazies thought the government was going to release a super virus or that Russia, North Korea, China, or all three were going to set off an EMP over the United States and shut down the grid. I didn’t discount that those situations could occur; however, the crazies never had any substantial evidence that the events were imminent. I ignored their comments as I scanned through the online chatter. Something was going on; hell, something was damn wrong. I could feel it in my bones. The dogs were acting all sorts of crazy as if they knew something that we didn’t. It was time to do some more in-depth investigations, call some old friends and contacts who might have more information. Dawn was off teaching a class on gardening for home medicine, and Ty had left for a trip with his girlfriend and friends to celebrate their recent high school graduation. The house was quiet, so there was no time like the present.
I picked up my cell phone and dialed. No answer. Hmm, Barry was always my first contact for information. High-ranking in the intelligence community, he always knew if a rumor was true. Unfortunate that he wasn’t available, but he wasn’t my only contact. I left a message and disconnected. Five calls later, I really didn’t have any more information than when I started. Sam, one of my usual go-to contacts, had told me that something was going on, but it was so hushed that he hadn’t been able to find anything out yet. He’d call me when he did. It was a challenge to know who to call if I didn’t even know what direction to go in. So, I went back to the computer and the online posts to see if any of my reliable sources had provided any insight.
I was hours into my online digging when Dawn strolled into my home office. Sometimes it was if her presence alone was enough to make me stop what I was doing. I could just sense her arrival, even after all of these years. The years hadn’t always been kind to us. I went into a spiral after my brother, Edward, was killed in a terrorist attack overseas. Dawn and I had only been married for a few years at that point. I was so angry at the world that she thought I had become a completely different person from the man that she had married. It wasn’t until we took custody of Edward’s son a year later that I had come back to myself, changed forever, but still the man that she had married. Some experiences just change us irrevocably, and losing Edward was one of those for me. I was just glad that it hadn’t cost me my family as well.
I don’t know if it was the scent of her perfume or just a spiritual connection between her soul and mine that caused me to look up and see her lounging against the door frame nibbling on a cookie. I tried to smile but knew that I fell short. Dawn’s eyes took in everything about me, and within just a second, her demeanor changed from relaxed to tense.
“What is it? What’s wrong? Don’t even try to pacify me. I can see it in your eyes. I know that something is wrong.”
I stood and went to her, taking her shoulders in my hands and turning her so that she fully faced me. “I don’t know. Something is wrong, but I can’t get any details about what it is. My connections are all out of contact, and I was just sitting here trying to sift through online posts to see if I could find anything that seemed at all reliable. So far, nothing. I’m trying to get in touch with Web, you know, my in-the-know guy on the west coast. He usually doesn’t show up online until late, though, so I’m just searching the sites and biding my time.”
Dawn, always a strong woman, gave a quick nod of her head. “Is there anything that I can do?”
“If you could, maybe check our bug out bags just to make sure we are set to go.” After a brief second, I added, “and try to get in touch with Ty. I hate that the boys are both so far away. I don’t know why, but I just have this feeling that there is something very wrong. I don’t know what it is, but I think we will find out very soon.”
Dawn gave me a quick hug, handed me a cookie saying I would need the sugar for energy, and took off to try to reach our son. As much as I wished Ty was here, I knew that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Ty was a grown man now, and I had taught him everything I knew. He had earned the right to go out into the world and have some fun. He ran around with a good group who didn’t get into the drug scene or drink to oblivion like many young people did these days. Ty was grounded and realistic. He knew what he wanted to do with his life and was ready to join the Navy and become a SEAL. As much as I hated the thought of both of my sons being in the military and in constant danger, I was proud of their willingness to stand up for what they believed in and fight for the freedoms that we all took for granted. Trevor was already off serving the country and had been for years. I hoped that both my boys were able to stay safe through whatever it was that was coming. Deep down, I knew that it was my job to keep them safe, and the only way I was going to be able to do that was by finding out what was going on. Someone out there knew something. I just had to find out who.
I still had a few hours before Web usually showed up online, so I headed out to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I had a feeling it was going to be a long night. I picked up my phone while I waited for the coffee to brew and hit the speed dial for Trevor. I didn’t know if I’d be able to catch him off duty or not, but it was worth a shot. I sighed in relief when Trevor answered and tried to keep my tone light. There was no need to worry him if there really wasn’t a reason, but I needed to know if the military was operating unusually.
“Hey, Pops. I’m surprised to hear from you. What’s up?”
“Hey, Trev! I’m glad that I caught you. Are you still on leave and heading home in the next few days?”
“That’s the plan. I know I missed Ty, and I feel horrible about not being there for his graduation. Is something going on? It’s not usual for you to check up on my schedule.”
“I taught you too well, didn’t I? It’s nothing huge. Well, I don’t think it’s anything huge. I actually don’t know what it is yet. I just have a feeling, and the dogs around here are acting strangely. It’s not a lot to go on, I know. There has been a lot more chatter online lately. Yes, the usual crazies but also more generic statements that something is going on. However, no one seems to have any information. I’ve got calls out to everyone, but so far, no one seems to be able… or willing to take my call. I’m waiting for Web to show up online.”
“And so, you thought you would call to see if they were still letting me have leave?”
“It was a thought,” I replied with a chuckle. It was good to know that I had taught my boys well. If something went wrong, I had the utmost faith that they would be able to stay calm and stick to our family plan. “So, there hasn’t been anything unusual going on around the base?”
“Nothing that has come to my attention. I always keep eyes and ears open as you trained us to do. We haven’t really been back on base long though. I’m off duty now; I’ll go out tonight and see if I can pick up on anything. I’ll keep you posted.”
After ending the call with Trevor, I got a cup of coffee and headed back to my office. The house was quiet, but I could hear Buster whining from somewhere in the house. After sitting my coffee on my desk, a quick investigation led me to Buster. The dog was sitting at the French door, which looked over our back yard and the field that stretched beyond it. I opened the door for him to go out, thinking he must need to use the bathroom, but he just looked up to me and whined again.
For living so near a city as large as Columbus, Ohio, our house was situated in a very rural environment. I couldn’t fathom living in one of the over-populated neighborhoods where all the houses looked the same, and you were so close to your neighbor that everyone knew everyone else’s business. We were close enough to the city to enjoy all the pleasant aspects of city life, but far enough away to feel like we were in the country. A benefit of living away from the city was that typically there was nothing unusual going on in the general area of our house, and that’s just how I liked it. I didn’t like surprises or people being able to sneak up on the house. We had top-of-the-line security installed, cameras, and a gated drive into our fenced property. Yes, we often had deer and other creatures wandering around, but Buster usually paid no attention to them.
Maybe he needed encouragement? “Come on, buddy, let’s go outside. Do you need to go outside?”
Buster looked at me like I was insane, seeming to say I’m not crazy, you weird human. I’m not going out there. I pondered for a second and then stepped out the door, hoping the dog would follow. It was a cool spring evening. The sky was clear, and there seemed to be an abundance of shooting stars visib
Once back inside, Buster slunk off to hide somewhere, still emitting a low whine. His behavior was becoming more concerning. He was generally a pretty happy go lucky kind of dog, although he was well trained and would protect to the death if he had to. Typically, he bounded into the yard at every opportunity, full of energy and curiosity. I went back to my office and grabbed my pistol out of the desk drawer. A walk through the yard to check out the area wouldn’t hurt anything, and maybe it would give me an answer or at least insight.
∞∞∞
My foray into the yard brought no insight, but it did leave me with a lasting image of a beautiful night sky. I wondered if I had forgotten a meteor shower, as the falling stars were plentiful. When I got back to my desk, I found Dawn sitting in my chair, sipping my coffee. She smiled up at me sweetly. I sighed and sat down in the other chair.
“Any luck getting through to Ty?” I asked her.
“No, unfortunately not. They had planned to spend the night at Pilot Mountain. They wouldn’t have any service there. The good news is that I checked the bug out bags, and they are fully stocked and ready to go. Have you uncovered any information?”
“No. No calls back, and when I last checked, Web was still incommunicado. He usually shows up in the next half hour or so. I did reach out to Trev. I thought that maybe they would try to keep him on base if something were going on, but he said that his leave is still scheduled and that he hasn’t heard anything.”
We sat in silence for a while, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I looked up and gazed at Dawn as she sat in my desk chair, leaned back, feet on the desk, and eyes closed. She was no longer the young, bright-eyed girl that I had married. She was a grown woman who would always be the most beautiful creature in my eyes. She had grown into a strong and formidable person. Talented in many ways, she was the backbone of our family, and I would do anything for her. She and our sons had to be protected, no matter what was coming.
I quietly got up from my chair and moved behind where she was sitting. I began massaging her neck, and she let out a low moan. Knowing that she still loved her quality girl time, and realizing that if … no, when, when something happened, she would be without some of her creature comforts for a while, I suggested she go take a bubble bath and relax. She tried to protest, but my stubbornness won out, and soon she was off to soak.
When she was gone, I sat back down at my computer, hoping that Web had made an appearance. I clicked on my chat list and saw that he wasn’t listed as online but decided to send him a message anyway in case he was hiding. I minimized the chat window, knowing it would send me a notification if I got a reply and started to scan the threads again. I was browsing a thread about strange military movements in San Diego when the notification came. I quickly jumped to the chat page.
“Sup, man?”
“Hey, Web. What’s the word? Have you heard any reliable buzz?”
“Well, I have been noticing some patterns, and there are some strange goings on with the military out my way. I haven’t been able to get any real information, though. What have you heard?”
“That’s the problem. I’m not really hearing anything, and my contacts have all gone suddenly quiet. No strange military movement and, I know it sounds crazy, but my dog is acting weird, as are the other dogs around here.”
“Animals always know more than people. It’s never a good idea to ignore them. I know you’ve been watching the boards; anything I missed?”
“Nah, nothing really reliable. Grizz, the guy in Alaska, he was posting yesterday about a strange sighting in the sky. But you know he’s crazy. He was talking about aliens and taking off to his lake because he saw in some movie that the aliens don’t like water. Next, he’ll be posting about crop circles. I saw that movie too.”
“Yeah, me too. I would say that something is going to go down, and with the military movement here, I think it’s something that the government knows about.”
“So, what are the troops doing?”
“As far as I can tell, they’re bugging out. I will be doing the same as soon as I finish this conversation with you. They are all heading east, and that’s where I am going too. Even though I can’t tell you what is going on, I would recommend you and your family take a little vacation to your place down in the mountains. A little proactivity can go a long way.”
“Thanks, Web. Get packed and hit the road. You know how to find me.”
“Good luck to you and yours,” and with that, Web was gone. I pondered what he said. It wouldn’t hurt anything to pack up the Hummer and head to the cabins. Morning would be soon enough, I thought, and bent back to the computer, flipping to the threads again.
An hour later and there were still no reliable leads, and no return of any of my phone calls. I heard Dawn above, moving around and knew that I needed to go talk to her. She would understand. She always had. Years ago, when I had begun prepping and told her that I wanted to invest every penny that we had into building a business that would help people prepare their lives for a catastrophic event, she supported me one hundred percent. Dawn never balked or questioned my unfailing belief that this was something that we had to do. She pulled up her sleeves and learned everything she could to help me. Now she was well versed in survival skills and even taught classes that would help others if they ever faced an event that took down the grid or altered this convenience-laden life that we all lived.
Oh, I was fond of all the modern conveniences that we had. I loved a good movie, and a hot cup of coffee within minutes of walking into the kitchen was something I never wanted to give up. I liked being able to pick up a phone and call anyone, grabbing my smartphone to get quick information, or signing onto a website and ordering something I needed and having it delivered on the very next day. If they were all taken away today, sure, I would miss them, but I would also know how to survive, as would my wife and children. And just maybe there were some people out there who I had helped to prepare that would do okay too.
I shut down the computer and made sure that my pistol was adequately secured in the desk drawer before heading up the stairs. I found Dawn lounging in bed with her book propped up on her knees. She was engrossed in whatever fictional escape had captured her attention this week. Dawn was an avid reader, and I remember the long discussions we had as she had picked every one of the hundreds of books that were now housed in what we lovingly referred to as our cabin. In reality, our cabin was a well thought out and equipped survival compound. It was a series of multiple cabins connected by underground tunnels, all joined in an underground bunker. The entire compound had been designed to support life regardless of almost any type of catastrophic event. It had been a lot of hard work and investment to create a safe place for my family, but in my mind, it was worth every penny we had spent and more to ensure that those I loved would be safe come what may.
Dawn looked up and found me lounging against the door, as I had discovered her earlier. She smiled at me, and I almost forgot why I had come up to talk to her. I made my way to where she sat and perched on the bed beside her. She looked at me questioningly, eyes scanning. She had always been able to read me like a book and now was no different.
“What is it? You found something out. How bad is it?”
“To be honest, I still don’t know. However, I want to be proactive and head to the cabin. Web says that the military seems to be bugging out of the west coast and heading east. We don’t have anything pressing going on here, and it can’t hurt to take a trip. We can get in touch with Ty and Trev in the morning and get them to meet us there. What do you think? If you think we should stay here and wait for some concrete evidence of something, I will agree. But I think we need to go. I can feel it. Something’s coming.”
