Chapter 9
The only thing John cared about was finding his wife. He had heard about the bank robber who had been captured after stealing millions of dollars from Cincinnati Federal Reserve Bank. And now that monster had his wife as a hostage.
“Where is he taking her?” John asked.
Agent Willow was pale, his complexion waxy, and there were dark circles under his eyes. The nurses had done what they could, but without surgery, John didn’t think the federal agent was going to survive.
“My partner and I were the ones who interrogated Dillon after he was caught,” Willow said. “I always thought us capturing him was too easy, but my partner said we were overestimating him. He was only a thief, but he’s much smarter than that.”
“How did he take my wife?” John asked.
“I let down my guard,” Agent Willow said. “It never should’ve happened, and I’m sorry. But if we hurry, we could still catch him.”
John raised his eyebrows and studied the two wounds Agent Willow had sustained. “I don’t think we are going anywhere,” John said. “I’m getting my friends and family out of here, and then I’m going to rescue my wife. Now, tell me where he’s going.”
Agent Willow shut his eyes, taking a moment to focus on his breathing.
It was clear he was in severe pain. “Have you seen what’s going on out there?
The roads are completely blocked. The only way you’re going to catch up with him is with a vehicle.
” Agent Willow carefully reached into his pocket and then gently removed a set of keys.
“No car is going to be able to navigate those clogged roads,” John said. “I had a truck with off-road capability, but even that didn’t survive.”
“I’m not talking about a car or a truck,” Agent Willow said. “I’m talking about decommissioned military vehicles. The kind that can push cars out of the way to clear a path.”
“There aren’t any army reserve bases close enough to find something like that,” John said. “And even if they were close, I don’t think the army would let me take one of their vehicles.”
“Luckily for you, the FBI field office here in Cincinnati managed to get their hands on a few of them,” Agent Willow said.
“Our office wanted to repurpose them, and since the army was going to trash them, we decided to take them off their hands. We have three in the basement of the parking garage at our office.”
John knew the only way those vehicles would still be operational was if they had been put into production prior to the standardization of electric fuel injection. It would’ve made them over fifty years old.
“And why are you so confident they will work?” John asked.
“Because they were retrofitted to survive an EMP,” Agent Willow answered.
The comment surprised John. He didn’t know the FBI was so concerned about EMP devices. “And what would you know about that?”
“It was Dillon,” Agent Willow answered. “He was the one who was responsible for detonating the EMP. He wanted to create as much chaos as possible in order to cover up his escape.”
John had no idea how this bank robber had managed to create and then detonate an EMP device, but if Dillon was smart enough to pull that off, then John worried about what else Dillon had planned.
“Get the vehicle,” Agent Willow said. “And then come back and pick us up so we can go track this bastard down.”
“Why don’t you tell me where he is now?” John asked.
“Because I want you to take me with you,” Agent Willow answered. “And I’m not giving up that leverage so easily.”
John wasn’t in the mood to play games, but he recognized he wasn’t going to be able to move Jake and Blake in their condition without a vehicle.
John took the keys from Agent Willow but looked him square in the eye. “If you’re wheeling and dealing costs my wife her life, then you will have to answer to me. Do I make myself clear?”
“I understand,” Agent Willow answered, and then he grimaced. “There is one more thing. My partner might still be back at the field office. His name is Agent Parker. If you see him, then tell him I sent you and give him this.”
Agent Willow painfully reached for the FBI badge inside his jacket pocket and handed it to John.
“Tell him to come back with you and get me,” Agent Willow said.
“If he’s not there, then there is one more thing you need to get.
It’s something Dillon doesn’t know I have.
” He gestured to the keys in John’s hand and pointed out a golden key.
“The key opens a locker in the men’s changing room on the first floor of the building.
Inside, you’ll find a box. Bring it back here. ”
“What’s in the box?” John asked.
“Just bring it back,” Willow answered. “If you want to save your wife, you’ll bring it.”
John wanted more detail, but Agent Willow did not provide any further information. John simply nodded and then returned to his son to make sure he was okay.
“I want to go with you,” Blake said.
“I know you do,” John said. “But it will be safer for you here.”
“Don’t leave me,” Blake said, tugging his father’s shirt. “I don’t want to stay here alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” John said. “Uncle Jake is going to be here with you.”
“That’s right, bud,” Jake said. “You and I, we’re a team, the badass duo.” He winked, but Jake’s voice was weak, and he wasn’t in much better shape than Agent Willow.
“Son, look at me,” John said, and Blake turned his gaze to his father. “You are stronger than you realize. And you are going to survive this. What’s more, you are going to help Jake and Agent Willow stay alive.”
John reached around for his handgun and then placed it into his son’s small hand. He had made sure Blake was familiar with the weapon so when the time came for him to use it, he would be ready.
“Do you remember what I taught you about this?” John asked.
Blake dried his tears, and then he nodded. “Keep both hands on the gun. Don’t place your finger on the trigger unless you’re ready to pull it. And keep your arms straight, but not locked, when you aim.”
“That’s right,” Blake said. “And you squeeze the trigger, don’t pull it.”
Blake nodded nervously, and John kissed his son’s forehead.
“You’re going to do fine,” John said. “Anyone tries to hurt you, Jake, or Agent Willow, you don’t hesitate to use it, okay?”
Blake nodded again.
“I love you, bud,” John said.
“I love you, too,” Blake answered meekly.
John headed toward the door and then glanced back at his son. “Stay safe.”
It was painful to leave his son in the hospital, knowing how frightened Blake was, but John needed to move quickly if he wanted to catch his wife. And with the city on the verge of collapse, time was of the essence.
When John stepped back out into the chaos of the city, he knew it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart.
Fires raged along the storefronts, which were smashed and looted. There was absolutely nothing left for people to sift through once they returned home, and John suspected it would be years before the city was habitable.
People sprinted aimlessly in all directions.
Every few minutes, there was random gunfire, and people ducked and sought cover.
There was no help to be had anywhere. Whatever police and emergency services had remained had most likely taken off to take care of their own families. It truly was the end of civilization.
Despite all the chaos happening around him, John remained focused on his task of getting to the FBI building to obtain a ride to get him and his family out of the city.
When John arrived at the FBI building, he expected it to be busy, but as he approached, he realized it looked abandoned.
The security booth at the front gate was unmanned.
The iron gates were too high for him to climb, so John found a trashcan to stand on so he could reach the top of the wall.
He paused a moment when he neared the top, and then, when he confirmed that the coast was clear, he dropped down to the other side.
John found the nearest entrance and hurried inside. With the power out, the interior was darkened, but what John could see and hear told the story of people leaving in a hurry.
Chairs were overturned, papers trailed the hallways, and personal items had been left behind. John wasn’t sure where everybody went, but he didn’t plan on sticking around to find out.
It didn’t take John long to locate the men’s locker room, and John found Willow’s locker. He opened it and sifted through the contents inside. There was a change of clothes and a nine-millimeter pistol with a fully loaded clip.
Not wanting to leave a useful firearm behind, John pocketed the weapon, and he eventually found a box the size of a necklace box on the top shelf in the far back corner of the locker. It was the only box in the locker, and John assumed that was the item Agent Willow had spoken about.
Curious as to what was inside, John opened the box to find what looked like a key. It had three prongs on it, but it was most certainly a key. But John had no idea what it opened.
Having what he needed, John searched for a path toward the parking garage so he could get one of the re-purposed army vehicles to escape the city.
Eventually, John stumbled across a stairwell connected to the parking garage. He descended to the basement floor in pitch-black darkness, using the guardrail to help guide him.
When John reached the bottom, he felt along the wall until he reached the door and pushed it open.
The garage basement had some dim light coming through the opening on the far side of the building, and after John’s eyes adjusted, he saw the hundreds of vehicles abandoned inside.
Some were locked up in cages, while others were neatly organized in parking spots. Every vehicle was at least twenty years old, which made John wonder whether certain officials were better prepared for the EMP than John had anticipated.
John had tried several times to bring the subject of EMP to his local representatives, but he was never taken seriously. They always assured him that such an attack would never happen on American soil.
So much for that.