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  Game Over

  A Novel

  by

  Derek Hart

  Copyright © 2018 Derek Hart

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, places, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Foreword

  13 Steps to Prepare for Civil Unrest

  Preface

  Acknowledgements

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 Just Like Any Other Day

  Chapter 2 Emergency Supply Run

  Chapter 3 Vital Contact

  Chapter 4 Unexpected Guests

  Chapter 5 Old Friends Meet Again

  Chapter 6 Changing the Odds

  Chapter 7 Sunshine Senior Living Center

  Chapter 8 Master Plan

  Chapter 9 Extending Their Reach

  Chapter 10 Seasons Change

  Chapter 11 Reinforcements Finally Arrive

  Chapter 12 Civic Improvements

  Chapter 13 Recovery Teams

  Chapter 14 Hunter’s Trace

  Chapter 15 Death in the Family

  Chapter 16 Required Training

  Chapter 17 Should We Stay or Should We Go?

  Chapter 18 Reconnaissance in Force

  Chapter 19 Not Exactly the Promised Land

  Chapter 20 New Explorers

  Chapter 21 We’re Not Going Any Further

  Chapter 22 New Horizons

  Epilogue Parting Was Sweet Sorrow

  Connect with Derek Hart

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Randall Howe

  Foreword

  In the movie Aliens,

  Private William Hudson (Bill Paxton) shouts,

  “Game over, man! Game over.”

  13 Steps to Help You Prepare for Civil Unrest

  1. Ensure that your basic preparations and backup supplies are in order. This includes an adequate supply of food, water, and sanitation supplies. Two weeks is the bare minimum. Three months or more is much better.

  2. Take stock of your first aid kit and medical supplies, including necessary prescription drugs. Medical supplies, remedies, and prescription drugs will likely be in short supply if there is civil unrest or collapse.

  3. Learn homesteading skills and self-sufficiency skills regardless of whether you are living in an apartment, condo, house, farm, or ranch. Anything you can grow yourself or make yourself will put you way ahead.

  4. Inventory the security features of your home to determine weaknesses that need to be strengthened. Are you prepared to paint over the windows to prevent light leakage, cut down trees to improve fields of fire and erect barriers, can you barricade doorways, or set lethal traps to protect your family and home?

  5. Set up a personal self-defense system. If you own a firearm, apply for a concealed weapons permit, stock up on ammo and practice shooting at the range. Invest in pepper sprays, billy clubs, sling shots, bows and arrows, tomahawks, swords, or any other edged weapon you can get your hands on. Think of unique tools that will give you an advantage against the bad guys, such as a chain saw, axes, nail guns, and industrial staplers.

  6. Form a community of like-minded people that will band together for protection and safety during times of chaos. This is going to be tough, because trust will be an issue when your back is up against the wall. Talk about these topics beforehand, so you can weed out the right-wing nut-jobs or the left-wing snowflakes. You need people who can put aside their political or religious affiliations in preference for common sense.

  7. Stockpile cash in small bills. In a massive and chaotic riot situation, ATMs and banks are likely to be inaccessible, closed, or inoperable. 1-ounce silver bars are good too. Inventory any valuable metals, such as jewelry, silverware and collectibles. Purchasing some of these items now is planning ahead, a woefully missing aspect of most American planning.

  8. Accumulate goods for barter. When the shelves are empty or the stores are closed, you may need to call on others for the supplies you need, but did not anticipate. Have something to barter. Spirits (including beer, wine and good old Jack Daniels) are always wise choices, as are candles, batteries, food, sanitation supplies, and first aid items. If you can plant a garden or raise chickens, the resulting fresh eggs and home-grown vegetables are worth their weight in gold. Extra ammunition can also give you a huge advantage when trading for things you need.

  9. Don’t forget about children, the elderly, and your pets. In a riot situation or complete shutdown of society, they may become fearful and panic. Stow away some toys, games, or amusements that will aid and comfort them. Special treats for animals can calm a frightened pet, while a surprise package of chocolate-chip cookies will delight scared people, regardless of age.

  10. Invest in a reference library of how-to books, equipment and repair manuals, and wilderness or military survival guides. Don’t forget to include fiction as well as non-fiction, plus reading materials suitable for a variety of different ages. Puzzles are awesome for entertainment and can help stimulate the mind for problem-solving.

  11. Acquire battery-operated or rechargeable communication equipment, so you can keep in touch with family members and the outside world. This may include an emergency radio, a shortwave scanner, a HAM radio or walkie-talkies, though their range is limited. Your gear will do you no good if you don’t know how to use it. If it’s too complicated, create a cheat sheet or find something simpler to use. Practice often!

  12. Develop a family emergency plan so that everyone knows what to do and where to meet in the event the worst happens. Unfortunately, many of us will be at work, in school, or out-of-town. It is vital that family members can count on each other sticking to plan, no matter how long it takes to get from point A to point B. I’d rather see you later than not at all.

  13. Keep a level head and keep your mouth shut.

  Preface

  When the game is over, what happens next?

  Do we put the pieces back into the box or do we reflect on the outcome? Do we merely respawn somewhere else, or get mad and hurl the controller across the room? Do we switch games or perhaps fiddle with the options, to make the playing field more even? Do we give up on the home team and become a fair-weather fan?

  At the start of life’s game, you had no control over whom you were or your environment. By the end of the game that becomes true again. Your past decisions drastically shape where you end up and if you’re happy, healthy, and fulfilled – or not. But in your final days there’s far less you can do about it.

  So how much control do you really think you have?

  Are events spiraling towards a finish with or without your consent or your active participation?

  When is the game really over?

  It ain’t over till the fat lady sings is a colloquialism which is often used as a truism. It means that one shouldn’t presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is, or appears to be, nearing its conclusion.

  Even when the game appears to be over, never give up.

  Never

  Give

  Up

  No matter what.

  Contrary to popular belief, this book is not intended to be a guide for post-apocalyptic behavior, but since you’ve brought it up...

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to Jim Rogers, legendary investor and Wall Street expert, who was willing to answer some of the author’s questions via email. His view of the next economic crash was sobering and troubling. Certain indicators align with his prediction of the worst financial calamity in history, which certainly could bring about the end of society as we know it.

  The author also wishes to acknowledge the assistance from Dr. Jonathan Quick, who is the chair of the Global Health Council. He recently stated that the next pandemic virus will be the most diabolical, hardest-to-control, and fastest-spreading potential viral mass killer known to humankind. With just a few charts, graphs, and pages of data, he provided Derek Hart with startling details of the coming scourge.

  Finally, it was an impressive coup on the author’s part to get in touch with Reginald DesRoches, the world’s foremost expert on civil engineering during hurricanes and earthquakes. He teaches at Georgia Tech’s School of Civil Engineering and, by default, has become outspoken regarding climate change and the violent increase in weather-related catastrophes. Derek Hart would like to thank him for his wonderful responses via an email interview, which provided the author with alarming scientific facts regarding the coming tidal and oceanic changes across this planet which, one day, will flood most of the coastline around the world.

  It’s always wise to point out any single individual who created the impetus or catalyst, and then planted the seed that germinated in the author’s warped little mind. In this case, depending on your perspective, Randall Howe aptly earned the blame, or the praise, for this novel’s inspiration.

  The author is exceedingly grateful to Lupita Martinez, Joe Cressaty, Randall Howe, Dimiter Kolev, Jodi Roth, David Burke, Luben Jelezarov, Anthony Schell, Raymond Bell, Karis Coido, Dave Renar, and Mark Collins for their profound and much appreciated impact on this story. Perhaps t
hey’re not aware of how much they influence the author, but they should be, because it’s right here in print.

  When the shit hits the fan, as it undoubtedly will one day, remember who your friends are. During these tumultuous times, it’s easy to get wrapped up in politics, religion, or other trivialities. Instead, trust in love and friendship, because in the end, nothing else really matters.

  Cover art by David M. Burke

  Introduction

  APOCALYPSE

  A·poc·a·lypse

  əˈpäkəˌlips/

  Noun

  The complete and final destruction of the world, especially as described in the biblical book of Revelation.

  An event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale.

  Origin: Old English, via Old French and ecclesiastical Latin from Greek apokalupsis, from apokaluptein, to uncover, reveal, from apo-un+ kaluptein - to cover.

  Pay attention, if you will.

  Prologue

  It happened so fast. Nobody was sure what triggered certain events. At least nobody still alive knew what actually caused the end.

  Later, we were told it all started with a nuclear attack on Hawaii. That turned out to be a bald-faced lie. It started way before then.

  No matter what the cause, most of civilization came to an abrupt end.

  There was some speculation by certain military personnel that the catalyst was introduced with a simple viral-chemical agent released into the atmosphere. At a prearranged time, the activation sequence was induced by an electronic signal to the brain through our cell phones. After that, it simply escalated out-of-control.

  No nuclear missiles ever reached the continental United States, yet millions of Americans died anyway. The death toll around the world reached into the billions.

  There were lots of excuses, of course, but nothing to substantiate the wild and unfounded rumors. Most of the stories were pretty far-fetched and eventually became nothing more than urban legends.

  Now that was a joke too.

  There weren’t enough people left alive to hear some stupid explanation for why so many people had died in the first place!

  The surviving population dwindled down to next to nothing.

  In fact, it’s been months since anybody has seen another living human being.

  We’ve become quite wary of anything that moves.

  Sometimes they’re not human at all, but only emaciated shells of their former selves. They gasp and wheeze, before coughing away what remains of their lungs. Eventually they die too.

  It’s sad.

  Was it really that easy to wipe out most of civilization?

  Whatever started it, it eventually brought about the end of humankind. We agreed it would have been better to fight zombies, but we weren’t that lucky. Instead, it seemed like death sought its victims randomly.

  You’re probably wondering how we survived.

  That’s a really good question, but we haven’t got the slightest idea, except that most of us weren’t using our cell phones at the preordained time.

  We must have been immune to whatever it was that killed so many. Maybe it was the bottle of tequila we all shared that first night. Unfortunately, that doesn’t explain why some lived and others didn’t.

  Whatever happened that day was catastrophic.

  In the beginning it seemed like any other day…

  Chapter 1

  Just Like Any Other Day

  It was 9:45 p.m. on Friday night, August 10th. The store would close at 11:00 p.m. The two employees on duty were busy with last minute duties before closing.

  It was a classic neighborhood liquor store with a good reputation and a loyal clientele. The rainbow neon OPEN sign flickered for a moment, as another satisfied customer departed, carrying a 12-pack of cold beer. The busy strip mall was winding down, the flow of traffic ebbing away to a trickle.

  The evening rush was over and now it was just the regulars who would wander in to get their favorite booze. Retired from the regular workforce, part-timer Robert Larson was busy fronting the shelves and wine racks, while his collegiate coworker, Brian Baron, pulled stock from upstairs to fill open slots in displays.

  This was the nightly ritual.

  Brass bells chimed as the front door opened again.

  Rob looked up from his straightening duties and nearly choked with surprise.

  A strikingly beautiful young Latina woman walked in. She held onto the hand of an adorable little girl, but paused while looking around.

  Rob immediately hustled up to the front from where he had been working, covering the distance in record time. He made a beeline straight for the new arrival.

  “Arianna Delgado?” Rob asked, only superficially confident he had identified the latest customer accurately.

  “Oh, why hello.” She reacted, somewhat taken aback by his enthusiastic approach. Still, she flashed him a wonderfully friendly smile.

  He offered his hand. “It’s so good to see you again.”

  She shook his warmly. “It’s good to see you too. I didn’t know you worked here.”

  “I left Target several years ago,” Larson said. “Is this Lizabeth?”

  The little girl, perhaps four years old, skirted around behind her mother and only dared to sneak a peek out from behind one shapely leg. She firmly held onto her Piglet stuffed animal.

  Arianna knelt down next to her daughter and pulled Lizabeth out to face the man.

  “Lizzy, this is Rob. What do you say?”

  Larson was amazed that Arianna remembered his name. After all, it had been awhile since they had last seen each other.

  Immediately dropping to his knees to be on Lizabeth’s level, he held out his hand and smiled. “Hello, Lizzy. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  Lizzy was coy and shyly tried to retreat, but there was nowhere to go because her route was blocked by her mother’s outstretched arms.

  “Who’s that in your hand?” Rob asked.

  “Piglet,” Lizabeth managed to say, backing away.

  Arianna looked at Rob apologetically. “I’m sorry she’s being so difficult.”

  Larson shook his head. “Don’t be silly. I’m a stranger and Lizabeth is just being careful, which is wise. She doesn’t know who I am and therefore I might be dangerous.”

  Arianna turned her daughter around to face her, so she could look the little girl in the eye. “Now Lizzy, Rob Larson is a very nice man. He once helped mommy after I lost my job and was in the car accident.”

  Lizabeth looked over at the man and a tiny smile broke out on her face. Then she waved. It was an itsy-bitsy, pinky-finger wave, but nonetheless, it was delivered with affection.

  Larson laughed with delight. “You are as cute as a button.” Then he waved back, duplicating the baby-finger delivery.

  It was right then that a miraculous thing happened.

  Lizabeth broke away from her mother’s grasp and vaulted into Rob’s arms, which he barely lifted in time to catch her. He was the recipient of an incredibly vibrant hug.

  Looking over the little girl’s shoulder, he caught Arianna’s eye. Her expression was one of surprise and something else. A serious evaluation was underway and there was no doubt that Lizabeth’s mother was conducting a heartfelt appraisal of what had just happened.

  Rob felt he should take control of the situation by changing the focus. He stood up; Lizabeth still cradled in his arms and asked, “So what brings you to our fine establishment?”