“Okay so far,” DM replied. “We’ve had a bit of trouble from the south but thankfully with those surrounding us being so far outdated in terms of technology and power, they’re less reliant on money and so haven’t been hit as hard. It’s working out exactly as we had planned – we don’t seem to be in any danger.”
KW grinned. Despite their aim being to bring as much damage to the United States and the rest of the world as possible, it was still important to keep their own country safe. DM’s report was probably the most important. KW was incredibly pleased that the meticulous planning and targeting they had spent weeks pouring over before the attack took place had all been worth it. Their leaders would be happy with these results. Perhaps even happy enough to let them go at the end of it all.
Because no matter how hard KW now threw herself into her work and focused on the task at hand, her freedom was always at the back of her mind. She was angry at their leaders for lying to them and not keeping to their word and if she could, she wanted to find a way to fight back against them. Though in a bunker where her every word was listened to and her every move kept track of, it was near impossible to plan against them.
Time was on her side however. With very little else to focus on, KW had the opportunity to sit back and let her mind do the work for her, capitalizing on the only asset she had that her government didn’t yet control. There was more to life than the underground bunker and what it held and KW was determined to sample that for herself.
Chapter 2
“Do you have any rope, or a climbing harness or something?” Austin asked hopefully, looking at Samuel who gazed out of his bedroom window over the city. For days the two of them had been locked up inside his apartment, not daring to leave because of what they might run into outside. Enough time had passed now; Austin was determined to get back out into the world and track down his family. There was no way he was staying inside any longer.
Samuel didn’t respond. The sights outside of his window kept him entertained for hours on end each day, fascinated by how quickly the population of New York City had descended into madness. It truly brought to light the fragility of the human race and how quickly the most powerful species ever to live could be brought to its knees.
“Sam? Earth to Samuel. Are you in there?”
“Huh, what?”
“Rope?” Austin repeated, growing tired of how easily Samuel could snap in and out of focus. “Do you have any? We need to finish packing our kit bags.”
“Oh, sorry,” Samuel shook his head. “No, I haven’t got any rope.”
Austin sighed. He was finding very little of the supplies he wanted for the run to his family in Poughkeepsie. Samuel Westchester wasn’t exactly the outdoorsy type. He certainly wasn’t prepared for what had happened. Austin wasn’t either, but he knew the basic things they should be taking with them on this journey. It was the sort of thing no one could really prepare for. As a result, they had to prepare for everything.
It made Austin question whether it was a good idea for Samuel to be joining him. The two of them had discussed their next steps at length over the last few days and Samuel was dead set on his new mission to help others. He had talked to Austin about the shame he felt because of what he had done since the collapse – and while he hadn’t shared all the details, Austin could see that Samuel was desperate to make a change. Therefore, when he had decided to travel to Poughkeepsie to reunite with his husband and son, Samuel had promised to accompany him. Austin had already saved his life by helping him to escape from Trident and Samuel was unwavering in his decision to repay Austin.
But Austin knew it was one thing to want to help out and another thing to be capable of doing so. The trek back to his family wasn’t going to be easy. From just looking out of the window both Austin and Samuel could tell that leaving the city could likely take them a couple of days. Austin had no idea how long it would be before he would see Dante and Bowie. The last thing he wanted was to bring Samuel along and then discover he wasn’t up for the task.
He considered telling Samuel this, but couldn’t bring himself to do so. The man’s attitude had changed over the last few days and he wouldn’t take no for an answer now. Being chased out of Trident and labelled as the face of the collapse had done something to the man – more than he had let on already. No matter what ended up happening or where they ended up going, Austin realized that he needed to keep a close eye on his newfound friend.
“We’re going to have to hit up a camping supply store,” Austin announced, looking down at his rucksack and sighing again. “We don’t have even half of what we need.”
Turning away from the window, Samuel cracked his neck from side to side and tried to focus. “What more do we need?”
“Well for starters,” Austin spoke with a wry smile, “we could probably do with some better bags. No offence Sam, but these old things look like they could fall apart at any moment.”
Austin was right. Samuel didn’t have much in the way of travel gear and so the only rucksack’s he’d been able to dig out of the back of his closet were ones he hadn’t touched for well over ten years. They
