Without Law Read online

  Eric Vall

  Chapter 1

  I awoke to the smell of fresh mountain air and my fire’s dying embers. I stoked the fire just enough to warm myself a cup of water to drink with breakfast. Then I sat on the rock at the edge of my camp and watched the sun rise while eating a breakfast of dried meat and fresh berries. The solitude and simplicity of my last year had been refreshing though there were things about the world I had started to miss.

  I pulled my map from the side pocket of my khaki pants and spread it out in my lap. My location was only a half day out from a small town nestled into the forest, so I pulled out my compass and checked the marked route as I finished the last of my meal. I looked forward to knowing that by dinner I could wash down my meal with a beer, and I took one last look at the beautiful Vermont wilderness around me, grabbed my pack, and headed back toward civilization.

  Time to go home.

  I had done what I could in preparation for my return. Though a knife was a poor substitute for a pair of clippers, the shaggy undercut I managed to cut looked fine. In fact, it paired nicely with the medium beard I had grown out during my time in the wild. The one outfit I had left was a pair of dark gray pants with a cargo pocket, a gray tactical button up, and my desert tan utility vest. The whole outfit was a little loose due to my last year’s diet, but otherwise looked more than presentable. Part of me was sad that I had to think about these fashions again. My time alone had been free and simple.

  At midday I broke free of the dense trees and stood at the top of a bluff overlooking a small town. There were maybe twenty houses, a store, and a gas station. A copse of trees hid a small cluster of buildings at the back of town. It was idyllic. I climbed down the bluff and headed into town.

  As I hit the outskirts, I noticed just how quiet the place was. No one was outside as I walked up the street. All the houses were dark, and nothing around me moved. My hand instinctively reached for the knife sheathed on my vest. The cool metal of its ribbed handle brought me little comfort. This was not what I had hoped to find upon my return.

  Where the hell was everyone?

  The town felt abandoned. Cars and Trucks sat empty on roadsides and every window I peered through revealed only empty rooms. The quiet of the place was unnatural, but it didn’t look like anyone had left in a panic. There were no broken windows or signs of fire. It was a tidy abandonment but without enough dust to make me think the place had been empty for a long time.

  I rounded a corner and saw the store up ahead. Its exterior was painted a faded brown and no sign was posted with a name. Instead the words General Store were painted in bright red above the bank of windows that made up the front of the building. A paper closed sign hung inside, and, like the rest of the town, no lights were on. I approached and pressed my face against the glass. Deep shadow obscured the interior making it hard to see the state of the shelves. I moved quietly toward the front door. What was once a simple lock lay in pieces on the concrete below the door. Someone had been here. I pulled my knife free.

  I was just about to enter the general store but stopped as, from around the back of a building, a woman's scream shattered the silence. I crouched low and crept along the side of the building. I could make out voices and crying, so I took cover behind some garbage cans and peeked around the corner. A group of five, four women and one old man, were on their knees, and two large men stood over them. They were decked out in denim and leather with wild unkempt hair. I spotted two motorcycles across the street and guessed they probably didn’t belong to the girls. The larger of the men jabbed a 9mm threateningly toward the prisoners.

  “Shut her up!” the gunman growled.

  One of the women, a lean looking redhead, spoke up. “I’m sorry! Look, I told you all you wanted to know. Please just let us go,” she said.

  The two bikers looked at each other, grinned, and started laughing. The second biker stepped up and knelt in front of the redhead. He ran a knife along her cheek as she tried not to look afraid. “Come now, darlin’ there is plenty more you can do for us.”

  I gritted my teeth and rounded the corner. The old man and one of the women, a platinum blond, noticed my approach. The girl’s eyes went wide as she saw the knife in my hand. Her eyes were glued to me as I approached. I shook my head and motioned for them to look away. The old man gave the slightest nod, and the woman quickly looked to the ground.

  “Don’t hurt us,” sobbed the group’s bespectacled brunette.

  “What we have planned for you won’t hurt if you just let us have it,” the first biker said with a grin.

  I launched myself out of the crouch and drove my blade into the side of the big one’s neck. He opened his mouth to scream but all that came out was a stream of blood and a wet gurgle as he tried in vain to pull my weapon from his neck. His friend was quick and spun to face me almost as soon as I appeared.

  “Well now, what do we have here?” the biker asked with a deranged grin. “No one told me the girls here had a hero!” He giggled and attacked me with a wide swing of a knife in one of his fists.

  I stumbled backward and yanked my blade free of the big fellow. The maniac came at me again with another wild slash, but I ducked it and jabbed for his thigh.

  He shuffled back a step, planted his back foot, and lunged forward. Pain lanced through my chest as I hit the ground with the man on top of me. He started to giggle again. “You didn’t think I was just gonna let you get away with killin’ Jacob now, did ya?” He raised his knife and let out a scream that was supposed to be a war cry.

  In response I buried my own weapon in his chest. Blood poured out over my hand and dripped onto my vest. He blinked twice and stopped moving, so I pushed him off me and used his jacket to clean my blade.

  “Who the fuck are you?” one of the girls asked.

  I looked up and saw the group had gotten off their knees. The redhead’s toned arms were crossed over her chest, and she gave me a hard stare with her green eyes.

  “Conner Tavish. You all can call me Tav,” I said while I sheathed my knife. I stood and wiped some of the blood from my gear, but knew there was little I could do to clean it right now. “And yourselves?” I looked up with a smile meant to disarm their anxiety.

  The women were hesitant, but the old man stepped forward.

  “Rolly,” he said as he stared me straight in the eye and offered me his hand. His voice was deep and slow. He was a solid, tall man, with leather-like tanned skin, rough calloused hands, and short gray hair. A pair of, cracked, tortoise-shell glasses sat in the front pocket of his denim shirt, and his pants and shoes were simply made but tough work clothes. He seemed the type to work hard and not say much except for when it was important. Rolly gave me a small smile after we shook hands and stepped back. He pulled a toothpick from his pocket and placed it in his mouth.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said. “How ‘bout the rest of you?” I made eye contact with each of them. Their hesitation made me wonder what they had been through, and I still didn’t know what was going on in this town. Then, after a moment, the redhead spoke up again.

  “I’m Anna,” she said. She took a step forward and offered me her hand as well. She had a firm handshake that went well with her athletic build. I noticed her outfit, a black tank top, and matching running pants, were fairly dirty. She pulled away as she saw me look her over. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned away, her long braid trailing behind her.

  The platinum blonde who saw me before I attacked stood close by. Her hair gorgeously framed her seemingly perfect face. She had large, almost pouty, lips, and she stood with her hands behind her back to show maximum cleavage in her low cut black top.

  “I’m Tara,” she said. “I wanted to say, like, thanks for saving us. It’s been so long since I’ve seen someone as b
ig and hot as you.”

  “Wow Tara, he has only been here a few minutes. Think you could give him a second before jumping him?” the brunette asked. She was noticeably shorter than the rest, and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun at the back of her head that was held in place by that looked to be a pencil. Thick black glasses with purple arms rested gently on the end of a slightly hooked nose. Her gray college t-shirt and dark khaki pants were plain compared to the fashion of Tara.

  “Oh my god, Paige! I was, like, just introducing myself!”

  Paige scoffed. “Yeah, and I’m sure if we were not looking you would be introducing yourself to him in a more intimate fashion.”

  The last girl started to laugh. She looked thinner than all the others, and it looked like the skinny jeans she wore were the only type of pants that would fit her right. Her skin was almost porcelain white and complimented her pastel green tank top. She had fine wispy eyebrows and sandy blonde hair that hung along a natural curve. I wondered if the gold ring in her left nostril had been an act of teenage rebellion or an actual sign of her personality. She tried to stifle her laughter as Tara turned toward her.

  “It, like, wasn’t that funny,” Tara scoffed.

  I stepped forward. “Hey, how about we calm down?” I asked.

  All the girls fell silent for a moment. Anna sighed. “Sorry, things have just been a little shitty lately. Like Tara said, we are glad you came along though.” The whole of the group nodded in agreement, and Anna kicked at one of the dead bikers. “Just don’t blame us for having trust issues.”

  I nodded and looked over the group and was met with timid but well-meaning smiles.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked.

  “We don’t really know,” Paige said. “What we do know is that over winter break the power went out, and all of our electronics stopped working.”

  “Yeah,” Bailey added. “Not even the cars want to work.”

  “Not entirely true,” Rolly said. He pointed toward the two old Triumph motorcycles. Each one had a jerry can of gas strapped to it, and the keys were still in the ignition. “Bikers rode up on those. They seemed to work fine.”

  “Point is we don’t really know what happened. What we do know is that no one came back after the break,” Anna said.

  “Might have been an EMP attack,” I said.

  “What’s that?” Tara asked as she pressed close to Anna. “It totes doesn’t sound good.”

  “Electromagnetic pulse,” I explained. “It knocks out pretty much anything that uses even simple computer and electrical systems. That’s why the motorcycles still run. Old vehicles wouldn’t have the electronic systems to get fried.”

  “Does that mean we could ride out of here?” Tara asked as she blinked her blue eyes at me.

  I looked at the dead bikers. I pulled the gun from the first one and checked it. Full magazine. I pulled a second magazine off his belt and a zippo from his pocket.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said as I looked at the knife the second biker was carrying. It was heavy but held a good edge.

  “Why not? Could be that there are people waiting for us out there,” Bailey said.

  “Maybe, but it is more likely that you will just find more of these guys,” I said as I motioned to the dead men.

  I stood up, looked at the odd group, and I could not help but wonder if any of them would have ever become friends under normal circumstances. “So, why are you still here?”

  “We go to school up there.” Paige pointed at a road that snaked up the hill behind the general store. “We didn’t go home over the break. Big mistake I guess.”

  “That explains the girls, but what about you?” I asked as I looked to Rolly.

  “I’m the groundskeeper up at the school. Haven't been far from this place for a very long time.” A thin smile spread across his wrinkled face. “I have always liked how quiet it was up here.”

  “Seems an odd choice to work at a college then,” I said.

  “It’s a small, all girl liberal arts college,” Bailey said. “We don’t get that loud.”

  “Often.” Tara grinned, and her blue eyes roamed over my body.

  “What’s your plan then?” I asked as I turned to address the group.

  Anna shrugged. “I guess we just keep doing what we were doing and hope the government comes to get us.”

  I bit my tongue and nodded. No need to let them know yet that the chances of rescue were slim. At least if this was an EMP attack anyway.

  “My daddy will save us,” Tara said. “Like, wait and see.”

  The group let out a collective groan and Tara began to pout.

  “What makes you say that?” I asked.

  “Well, he, like, has a lot of money and resources. He totes takes care of me and will send the army, or coast guard or whateve’,” Tara replied.

  “Well we have to get back to what we were doing. Water isn’t going to find itself. Come on ladies,” Anna said before she started to walk away.

  “Can’t he help us though?” Bailey asked.

  “Yeah, like, why not just see if he wants to stick around,” Tara added.

  Paige remained quiet but didn’t follow immediately after her sporty redheaded leader.

  “We got this,’ Anna called to them as she disappeared around the corner.

  “Hey, wait a minute, can’t we talk about this?” Bailey asked as she ran after her.

  Tara let out a sigh, stomped her foot, gave me one last look, and rushed after them both.

  “I’m gonna go with them,” Paige said as she adjusted her glasses and nodded towards where her friends had just fled. “Maybe we can talk some sense into Anna. After all, you did just sorta save our lives.”

  I walked up to Rolly as the brunette disappeared around the corner. “Look, I don’t want to impose, but I’m not the type to just walk away from people who need help. I won’t force myself into your situation any more than I already have but if you want my experience, I’m yours.”

  “I was sorta hoping you’d say something like that,” he said with a grin, though it quickly faded. “Truth is Tav, things are getting worse for us. We are low on water and it seems there is little more of it to find. Our food won't last us forever, either. Sure we have some but what are we going to do in a couple weeks when the cans are empty, and we’re out of water? So yeah, I think it’s a great idea. Not sure how the girls will react to it though. Especially after watching you kill those men and all.”

  “I only did what was necessary,” I said

  “I know that, and I am sure deep down they know it too,” Rolly replied.

  “Well, I at least had to offer.”

  Rolly nodded and clapped me on the shoulder. I followed him around the corner to where all the women had gathered. All their chatter died as they saw me behind Rolly.

  “I want to help. Rolly was telling me that things have been tough, and I think my skills could be of use to you. You have a strong start but supplies won't last forever. I can show you how to live off the land enough to stay alive until your rescue comes.”

  “Why should we let you help?” Anna asked. “I mean, aside from your name, we don’t even know who the hell you are. All we know is that you show up at random and kill two guys. For all we know you’re just some fucking psycho.” Anna had placed herself at the front of the group again. The others clearly looked up to her.

  “You make a fair point, but I assure you I am not here to hurt anyone,” I said.

  “Come on, Anna,” Bailey said. “He seems sincere, and we really have no clue what we are doing. Maybe he does though.

  “I just spent the last year in the wilderness around here,” I said. “I can help you find water and track game. I also served three tours in the United States army as a Ranger. I know how to make it in tough conditions.”

  “Omg, that’s, like, perfect!” Tara exclaimed.

  “Someone with you skillset could certainly be useful in our current situation,” Paige added
.

  Bailey looked relieved by my information but Anna stood there, arms crossed, and didn’t look impressed.

  “You know what, you guys take a moment to figure it out. If you decide you don’t want my help give me the word, and I’ll take one of those bikes and go,” I said.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Rolly said as he headed toward the girls. “These last few weeks have been rough, but I think they will come around.”

  I nodded and disappeared around the corner to give them some privacy. They would need some time to think, and I only hoped that they would let me help. It wouldn’t sit right with me having to leave. They were strong enough to make it this far, and Anna seemed to be a solid leader, though they were clearly lacking in the knowledge of what to do in a situation like this past their initial instincts to scavenge.

  I stepped over the thugs and made my way over to their bikes. Aside from the jerry can each one had a small saddle bag and an open face helmet hanging from the handle bars. I picked up the cans and rattled them. Each one was only around half full. I set them down and started to search the bags. One of the bags had a can of baked beans and a bottle of water. I found a second bottle of water in the other along with a half-eaten sandwich, but nothing here said long distance ride. I looked back to the dead men cooling on the pavement and frowned.

  These two were scouts, and there might be more coming.

  I took a seat on one of the bikes and looked out at the quiet town. An EMP attack would mess up most of society. It seemed that I had been lucky to be up here in the Vermont countryside since cities would have become madhouses full of angry, frightened, and hungry people with no real way to escape. Even rural communities would not have escaped the effects as so much of modern farming was done with technological help. I couldn’t help but wonder if the EMP had preceded some sort of attack. There was a chance America was at war at this very moment. I saluted as I thought about those I had served with. If we were at war, I wished them well.

  I stood and got to work. I grabbed the bodies, one at a time, and carried them off behind a nearby farm house. Once I was sure they could not be seen from the road, I went back to the bikes. I picked the best looking one for myself and combined the extra gas together into one can. I gathered the food and water into my pack and pushed the second bike up by the bodies. It looked a little more beatup than the first, and I didn’t want to deal with repairs unless I had to.