Powerless World: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (Survive the Fall Book 1) Read online

  “No offense, but I’ve already chatted with David this morning about my recent actions,” Russell said. “Diving into it again isn’t high on my list of things to do. Besides, I don’t bust your balls all the time about how much you smoke, do I?”

  Tim tilted his head in agreement. “You don’t, but we did agree to keep the other in check, and call them out if they were slipping. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Russell sighed. Tim was right, but still, he wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. “Can we wait until later before we talk about this? It’s been a shitty twelve hours, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better. I lost my job.”

  A jovial smile slit across Tim’s face. “This is great.”

  How was that good news? “Great? How do you figure?”

  Tim pushed away from the bar and placed his hands on Russell’s shoulders. “Because. We’re taking a trip.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  SARAH

  Sarah woke in a panic in the middle of her bed from the bad dream she’d had. She lifted from the mattress with the Glock and phone still clutched within her grasp. Her chest heaved in and out, and her pulse raced like a stallion at the derby.

  The night’s stressful dealings with Spencer texting and receiving a call from the police about Russell had kept Sarah on edge. The insomnia was bad enough without adding the Creeper and her husband to the fold.

  Sarah blinked, trying to erase the film that coated her eyes as she surveyed her bedroom. The haze remained and made it difficult to see at first. Her knuckles dug into each socket as she blinked some more.

  The Creeper wasn’t there. Her room was void of any persons except for her. There were no strange sounds that loomed from any other part of her duplex either.

  Thank God.

  Sarah lowered the Glock, then tossed the weapon to the covers. She panted and fell back on the stack of plush pillows that cradled her body. Her eyes were sore from lack of sleep. They stung as she squinted. She dug her knuckles into each socket, trying to relieve the irritating sensation.

  Her head fell to the side as she exhaled. The bold red letters of her digital clock made her grumble.

  Great.

  It was after 11 AM, much later than she had intended to sleep.

  The early bird gets the worm was a saying her dad had drilled into her head from a young age. Sleeping the day away was a sin in his eyes. Time was valuable, and it needed to be used wisely. Plus, it gave her mind the opportunity to run wild, and think of all the horrid things that had gone wrong over the past week.

  A full day had been planned out for her. Not by choice, but by her good friend, Mandy. Shopping, eating, and who knew what else. Sarah wasn’t in the mood for such things, but she had put Mandy off for too long. The last time they spoke, Mandy made sure to remind her of that.

  Sarah rolled out of bed and stretched her arms. A big yawn attacked her. She grabbed the Glock from the covers and stowed it back in its place within her nightstand drawer.

  She trudged around her bed while checking her phone. It was a morning routine that was done daily without fault. Check the latest news out on social media, then a few entertainment sites to see what was going on in the world of movies and music.

  The social media site she frequented was first up. She thumbed the app on the screen. A blue circle twirled as the site’s logo splashed on the screen, but wouldn’t load. An error popped up, informing her that the device didn’t have a signal.

  That’s strange.

  The bars in the top right corner of her phone showed up, then slipped away. A zero with a line throughout populated in the space. The WIFI she had was also on the fritz.

  Par for the course.

  Just more issues that seemed to mound up on an already rough morning.

  Her shoulders sagged with the weight of a restless night as she walked out into the hallway. Every step seemed like a chore. Her feet felt like cinderblocks were shackled to her ankles. Coffee was what she needed, stat.

  Sarah thumbed the power button to restart the phone. The manufacture logo splashed on the screen as she passed through the living room. If it didn’t stop acting up, she’d have to take it in. Again.

  The site of her Keurig made her smile. The rich aroma of the dark coffee grounds being cooked by the hot water made her mouth water.

  A creature of habit, Sarah had her black mug stationed under the spout. No sugar or creamer was used. She liked it hot and black.

  She powered on the unit and listened to the steady hum of the heating element flash boil the water in the reservoir. Her phone dinged, and fired up. She leaned against the counter and waited for the phone to finish loading as she yawned again.

  Through one of the kitchen windows, Sarah spotted the trash cans and thought of Spencer.

  Was that him outside of her house this morning? Had he been skulking about like some demon in the murk? He fit the bill which made Sarah shudder from the thought.

  The lights on top of the Keurig flashed blue, indicating the unit was ready to be used. A cup of happiness was less than a minute away. She pressed the large, blue flashing button as her phone rang. It was Russell this time.

  She stared at the screen, contemplating whether or not she wanted to answer. She was in no mood to fight, or talk about anything that dealt with their strained marriage. She had already checked out for the most part, and had been in talks with a divorce attorney about next steps.

  The phone rang and rang. Sarah sighed, then answered the call.

  “Hey.” Her tone was lifeless and void of any pleasantries a lover would have toward her mate.

  “Hey, ba-” Russell paused, not finishing the affectionate greeting he was used to. His voice was choppy. It sounded more like a robot. “Good morning.”

  Sarah folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot, wishing it would make the call end sooner. “What do you want?”

  “Long night?” Russell asked.

  “You could say that.”

  “Couldn’t sleep, huh? Insomnia still getting the better of you?”

  “Among other things.” The smell of coffee permeated Sarah’s nose which made her turn toward the Keurig. She watched the dark liquid finish pouring into her mug.

  Russell grew silent. He took a moment before responding. “Is that guy still bothering you?”

  Sarah’s eyes widened from shock. How did he know about Spencer? She didn’t recall telling him, and that wasn’t something she’d divulge to him anyway. “How do you know about that?”

  Silence filled the end of the phone before Russell answered. “David told me some guy was giving you problems. Don’t be mad at him. He just wanted me to know.”

  “Well, it’s nothing for you to worry about. I can handle myself, and him.” Sarah removed the mug. Steam lifted into the air. The heat radiating through the ceramic mug warmed her hands.

  Russell sighed. “I know you can. You’re tough and resilient. I just—worry is all.”

  Sarah took a sip of the torrid brew.

  Russell cleared his throat. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry about everyth—. I know I’ve been a—husband for—time and that you deserve better. I’m heading—town for the weekend with—and was hoping that when I—back, maybe we can talk some. I don’t want—lose—Sarah.”

  The reception was getting worse. Sarah struggled to make out what Russell said before the line went dead. She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the screen. The signal had been lost again, and it didn’t look as though it was coming back.

  Sarah thumbed the different apps again while sipping her coffee. Each opened to the same error.

  No service available.

  What the hell?

  Perhaps it was a glitch with the cell provider, or maybe their satellite had experienced a malfunction. Sarah didn’t care. She just wanted a functional phone.

  Sarah pocketed the phone in her robe and hauled the coffee back to her bedroom. Another big yawn overtook her as she cupp
ed her mouth. The restless night’s sleep and bad dreams Sarah was plagued by wouldn’t let her be. Even now, it made her feel uncomfortable as she wrapped her arms across her chest. Despite trying to move on with her morning, the sensation remained.

  A warm shower could help, at least Sarah hoped it would.

  She spent the next hour or so taking a shower and getting dressed. Mandy was meeting her at Copley Place around twelve, so she was already running late and needed to move faster.

  Dressed and ready to leave, Sarah rapped her fingers against the jamb of her bedroom door as she glanced back to the nightstand.

  The Creeper lingered in the back of her brain. His unsettling text messages gnawed at her insecurities and wouldn’t stop. Sarah felt confident she could handle herself if push came to shove, but having the Glock on her would make her feel more at ease.

  Afterall, it was better to be safe than sorry.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  RUSSELL

  If humans were meant to fly, they’d have wings.

  Russell wasn’t a fan of heights. It rattled his nerves and made his skin crawl. The thought of seeing the ground from an elevated view clawed at his stomach. He had enough worry in his life. He didn’t need to add to it.

  Tim knew as much, but still, he persisted on Russell flying to Virginia in his plane, for the weekend—clear his mind of all the issues that were weighing him down. Have some fun for a change without wallowing in the muck of his existence.

  He was a great pilot, or at least he was still alive and hadn’t crashed. Tim loved flying so much that he decided to sink all of his money, plus multiple loans, in the charter business he ran. He was a people person and smooth as ice which kept him knee-deep in women and on the go with various jobs. The man’s life was never dull.

  Having fun and time to unwind from the stress Russell had been fighting through was something Tim had been trying to get him to do for some time. His moment of weakness had now steered him in the direction of facing a lifelong fear.

  A quick plane ride in Tim’s Cessna 400. That’s how he sold it to Russell, anyway. They’d be at their destination before he knew it.

  Anything smaller than a jumbo jet, Russell viewed as a crop duster. The Cessna wasn’t, but the lightweight aircraft and absence of interior space made it look like one.

  Tim wouldn’t divulge where they were heading. All he said was, “It’ll be a surprise. You’re going to love it, and you’ll forget about the flying part of our excursion.”

  Russell had his doubts, but he trusted Tim, despite his own anxiety screaming in his skull to not go along. It could’ve been the Xanax or Ambien he had taken before they left for Logan International Airport that mellowed him out some. He was still a bit on edge, but the medicine helped curb the angst.

  “I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Russell groaned as they secured the few bags they had in the aircraft. “Not sure whatever surprise you have in store is going to be worth flying in your crop duster.”

  Tim chuckled, then smiled as he looked at Russell. “Like I said, you’ll be fine. It’s only a couple of hours, if that. It’ll pass by fast. Besides, you’ll have some wonderful scenery to look at. It’s an amazing view. Something you can’t experience anywhere else in the world. I can promise you that.”

  Russell had his doubts. He could get the same view while watching the Discovery channel or some other nature show from the safety of a couch or chair at home. “If you say so.”

  Tim stepped away from the opening of the aircraft and looked at Russell. “All right. I think we’re good to go. You ready?”

  “You got anymore Xanax?” Russell countered.

  Tim chuckled again, then shook his head. “I’ve got more for the way back, but I don’t think you’re going to need it. Like I said, once you’re up there, you won’t ever want to come down. It’s life changing.”

  Russell rolled his eyes. That was an unlikely scenario. Tim might mean well, but Russell’s view about planes wasn’t going to change. “Don’t kill us, all right?”

  “I’ll do my best,” Tim jabbed while winking.

  Not funny.

  Tim touched Russell’s arm, stopping him from boarding the plane. He dug his hand into the front pocket of his pants and pulled his lighter out. “Here. Hold onto this for me, will ya?”

  Russell took the lighter, then asked, “Why?”

  “New beginnings,” Tim winked.

  Russell nodded and shoved the lighter deep into the pocket of his jeans. For Tim, this was a big move, one that Russell would have to try and match.

  They loaded into the cockpit and settled into the rich, tan leather seats. Russell stared at the dash as he fumbled with the seat belt. A slew of buttons, switches, and gauges outlined two large screens that were fixed before them. Off to the side of the dash was a control yoke. It looked like a gaming joystick, but Russell didn’t want any part of it. He preferred his games not to be real, or thousands of feet in the air.

  Tim pointed to the headset that hung from the corner above the dash, then to his ears. “Put that on, so it’ll be easier for us to speak.”

  Russell grabbed the headset and slipped it over his head. The black cushioned ear pieces conformed to his ears. He dug his hand into the front pocket of his jeans and retrieved his phone as Tim did his preflight checklist.

  Flight jargon spewed from Tim’s lips as he spoke to the tower. It played as background noise as Russell opened his wallet to a picture of Sarah and Jess.

  The world around him fell silent as the past played in his mind’s eye. He wanted them both back, but those days of a happy life were out of his reach, and the odds of getting his wife back were a long shot. Russell hoped that when they returned, Sarah would give him a chance to speak, and perhaps, offer him one final chance with her.

  “Hey, you ok over there?” Tim asked.

  Russell nodded, then slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah. Peachy.”

  The engine of the Cessna thrummed as Tim took them out onto the runway. He worked the control yoke like it was an extension of his body as his other hand adjusted dials on the dash. “What did Sarah say when you called her?”

  Russell adjusted his bulk in the seat as the subtle bumps and vibrations caused him to grip the armrest a hair tighter. “Shouldn’t you concentrate on what you’re doing here and less on me?”

  Tim dismissed the question with a flick of his wrist. “I can multi-task. I’ve done this so many times, I can probably do it in my sleep.”

  The off-handed comment drew a concerned look from Russell. His eyes widened and his mouth split apart. “Well, I’d prefer if you just stay focused on the task at hand for now.”

  Tim smiled and throttled the engine. The lone propeller on the front spun faster. The aircraft shuddered from the engine revving.

  The plane took off down the runway at a good clip. Russell sunk into the leather seat and grabbed the armrest tighter as Tim pulled back on the control yoke. The tires left the safety of the earth, and they ascended into the clear blue sky.

  “See, it’s not so bad,” Tim said as they climbed at a modest rate. “Still feeling all right?”

  Russell gave a thumbs up as his hold on the armrest lessened.

  The Cessna climbed for what seemed like forever before leveling out. Tim monitored the wall of gauges and readings before him as he nudged Russell’s arm. “So, was Sarah on board with talking when we get back?”

  Russell shrugged. “Not sure. She always sounds unhappy when I speak with her. Plus, my phone was acting strange. The signal was shotty. Cutting in and out. Worst possible time for that to happen.”

  “I have faith it’ll all work out as it needs to. Just hang in there, and don’t give up,” Tim reassured.

  Hang in there. Russell had been doing that for months. Even in the face of a looming divorce and a drinking problem, he hung by a mere thread that was his everything.

  Minutes ticked by like seconds.

  The rhythmic hum of the Cessna
’s engine played through the silent cabin of the aircraft. Russell wrestled with his fear and peered down to the sprawling forest below.

  Tim wasn’t wrong. The view was stunning, something he had never seen before in his life.

  Off in the distance, mountains stood as the back drop to an already breathtaking scene. The peaks lifted to the sky, full of rich green texture. It was like a different world—one where the footprint of human civilization was minuscule compared to the city.

  “This would’ve been amazing to see last night with as clear as the sky was,” Tim mentioned.

  Russell didn’t follow. “What do you mean?”

  “The Northern Lights,” he clarified. “First time they’ve been pushed this far. I heard folks as far as Georgia were able to-”

  Tim stared at the dash. A look of confusion washed over his face as he tapped the flickering screen.

  “What’s wrong?” Russell probed.

  Tim didn’t answer. His brow raised in confusion as he tapped the screen harder. He went through a battery of checks that spanned most of the gauges that were showing signs of failure. His hands moved from knob to switch in a blink. The lights dimmed, then flickered as if the power coursing to each was being cut off.

  Tim cupped the palm of his hand over the headset. He listened close for a few seconds before ripping it free of his head. Russell followed suit and watched with a worried gaze as Tim continued adjusting the aircraft’s controls.

  “We seem to have lost navigation. Communications are gone as well.”

  “Stop messing around,” Russell snapped. He wasn’t in the mood for any games.

  There was no smile or chuckle that came from Tim. Only a concerned look that Russell hadn’t seen before. “I’m not messing around. We’re losing power for some reason.”

  The engine sputtered. The plane dropped which pulled a frightened squelch from Russell. His heart punched his ribs, fighting to break through.

  “Come on,” Tim growled as the dash went dead. He flipped every switch and turned every knob, trying to get any of the onboard systems to respond. The gauges were void of power, the screens dark and absent of any light. The propeller wound down as the plane dipped toward the earth.