Caldera Book 6: New World Order Read online

  She rubbed the back of her neck and eyed Broussard cautiously. “We need to keep an eye on him.”

  “Agreed.”

  Carol took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, puffing her mask as she exhaled. “I’ll take the first watch.”

  “Record everything, no matter how trivial.” Broussard pointed at the door. “Nobody else in or out but we two until we know that he is no longer a risk to others.”

  “Understood.” Carol suddenly stood straighter and squared her shoulders. “Watch his door while I gather my stuff.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get him some fluids and anti-inflammatories…and something to record my notes in.”

  Broussard watched her walk away and lowered his eyes to the deck. “God forgive us.”

  Simon whooped as he continually raised and lowered the blade of the bulldozer, using it to act as a shield from any incoming bullets. He glanced to his side and pumped his fist in the air.

  Shooter grinned back at him then raised his own blade, lowered it slightly to ensure that he was headed in the right direction, then quickly raised it back.

  Sinner struggled with the controls and found his blade jerking as he tried to raise it higher. “This is bullshit!”

  Simon pushed the door to his cab open and held it propped with his foot. “Keep fucking with it, man!” He screamed above the constant clatter of the diesel engines. “You’ll figure it out!” He laughed as he fell back into his seat and let the cab door shut.

  “We shoulda hit them from the other side. They’d never see us coming,” Sinner argued as his machine shook and bounced across the rough terrain. He ducked instinctively as the first rounds bounced off of the metal frame of the cab. “Son of a bitch!” He tugged at the lever to raise the blade and the machine jerked to the right, causing him to bump his wounded shoulder.

  Simon motioned to Shooter and he branched away from the other two machines, drawing weapons fire as he lumbered across the open field. He twisted the knob, increasing fuel to the engine and released the idler pedal. Black smoke chugged from the machine as it increased speed, its metal tracks clicking across the hardpan.

  Simon lowered his blade slightly to get his bearings then raised it again. “Almost there…almost there.” He glanced to his right and saw Shooter straightening his machine to come at the group from the other side. To his left, Sinner stayed on a parallel course.

  Simon inched the blade down again then nodded. “Now.” He stomped on the idler pedal and his machine slowed to a stop. He twisted the throttle back then twisted the key off.

  He pushed the cab door open and held it with his foot. He lifted the bullhorn to his mouth and leaned out the open doorway. “You fuckers got one chance!” the bullhorn squawked as he yelled into it.

  A quick glance to the right indicated that Shooter had stopped and was waiting for Simon’s next move. To his left, Sinner had just halted his machine, too, but was having trouble with his blade. Simon waited until the diesel engine died then he held the bullhorn up again.

  “As I was saying. You fuckers got one chance! Surrender and we’ll only kill whoever is in charge.” He chuckled to himself…he intended to kill a hell of a lot more people than that. “You are squatting on MY property. You’ve been eating MY food and you’re holding MY women.” He ground his teeth as the anger got his blood pressure rising. “I want it all back.”

  He lowered the bullhorn and listened for a response.

  The bullet that ricocheted off of the track of his bulldozer was the answer he expected. He grinned and looked to Shooter. “Let’s do this!” He turned to Sinner and gave him the “go” sign.

  “Fine!” He yelled into the bullhorn. “You’re ALL gonna be human pancakes!” He twisted the key again and smiled when the diesel engine belched to life once more.

  Trevor welded the tubing to the strip of thin metal as best as he could. He snapped off the acetylene torch and leaned back to admire his work. “Not the prettiest job I’ve ever done, but I think this will actually hold.” He scrubbed at the seams with a wire brush then set the window guard to the side to cool.

  “I don’t suppose you know what spray paint looks like, do ya?” He chuckled to himself. “I realize this is the end of the world and all, but we don’t want our primary security system to rust and fall apart.”

  He turned and looked around the shop for Patricia. “Baby girl?” He carefully set the torch on the steel welding table and stepped to the side, looking down the length of the RV for her.

  Trevor pulled his gloves off and laid them on the edge. “Patricia?” For a moment he prayed that she hadn’t soiled herself or worse, took off chasing a rabbit or some other critter, looking for a quick snack.

  He peered out of the open shop door and listened for signs of movement. Maybe she’s taking a nap?

  He pushed open the door of the RV and peered inside. “Patty?” No sign of her.

  He felt his hands begin to tremble, the fear of losing her more than his mind was ready to deal with. He stepped down from the RV and fought the urge to scream her name.

  A tinkling of metal falling to the concrete floor caught his attention and he spun, peering into the shadows along the edge of the shop. “Patricia?”

  He stepped out of the natural light and into the shadows. It took a moment for his eyes to focus in the darker areas but he saw her…crouching in the corner under a workbench, her eyes wide and frightened.

  Trevor froze in place and stared at her. She seemed frozen as well, her eyes peering toward the open shop door. Trevor turned slowly and thought he caught a glimpse of something moving fast in the shadows between the buildings and the RVs.

  He snapped his fingers at her. “Come on!” he whispered. “We can go now. Now!”

  She trembled in the corner, cowering from whatever was outside.

  Trevor took a deep breath and ran toward her. He reached out and snatched her arm, pulling her to her feet before turning and darting toward the RV. “Come on! We can secure this thing later!”

  As he approached the rear bumper of the RV, a figure stepped out from in front of the vehicle, its pale form immediately recognizable. Trevor slid to a stop, his heart rate doubling as the Rager stepped forward, a piece of pipe in his hand. The creature’s skin was reddened from being in the sun and its eyes widened when it saw Patricia. The creature pointed the pipe at the pair and the scream that erupted from its throat was unlike any Trevor had heard before.

  The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and Trevor froze, the sounds of bare feet slapping against the asphalt behind him sent chills up his spine.

  He pulled Patricia closer and tucked her behind him. “You’re not getting her.” His voice cracked as he spoke to the pipe wielding creature. “She’s my baby girl and I won’t let you hurt her.”

  Trevor inched toward the RV and the Rager jumped to the side, cutting him off. Trevor watched in horrid fascination as the creature lifted the pipe in the air and shook it. The scream that erupted from it nearly caused him to wet himself.

  The creatures that had blocked their escape behind him screamed back and he could feel his limbs begin to shake with fear.

  He pulled Patricia around and wrapped her in his arms. “They’ll have to kill me first.” He tugged his coat around her, enveloping her in the fabric. “Don’t look, baby girl. Just…don’t look.”

  About the Author

  A personal note:

  Thank you so much for investing your time in reading my story. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment and leave a review. I realize that it may be an inconvenience, but reviews mean the world to authors….

  Also, I love hearing from my readers. You can reach me at my blog: http://heathstallcup.com/ or via email at [email protected]

  Feel free to check out my Facebook page for information on upcoming releases: https://www.facebook.com/heathstallcup find me on Twitter at @HeathStallcup, Goodreads or via my Author Page at Amazon.

  Heath Stallcu
p was born in Salinas, California and relocated to Tupelo, Oklahoma in his tween years. He joined the US Navy and was stationed in Charleston, SC and Bangor, WA shortly after junior college. After his second tour he attended East Central University where he obtained BS degrees in Biology and Chemistry. He then served ten years with the State of Oklahoma as a Compliance and Enforcement Officer while moonlighting nights and weekends with his local Sheriff's Office. Heath still lives in the small township of Tupelo, Oklahoma with his wife and three of his seven children. He steals time to write between household duties, going to ballgames, being a grandfather, and being the pet of numerous animals that have taken over his home. Visit him at heathstallcup.com or Facebook.com for news of his upcoming releases.

  Also By Heath Stallcup

  My stories so far:

  The Monster Squad Series

  The first saga:

  * * *

  Humanity has spent its time enjoying a peace that can only be had through blissful ignorance. For centuries, stories of things that go bump in the night have been passed down and shared. When creatures of the night proved to be real, the best of America’s military came together to form an elite band of rapid response teams. Their mission: to keep the civilian populace safe from those threats and hide all evidence of their existence.

  This time, they face the largest threat ever to rise against mankind as it prepares its own twisted Apocalypse. The only thing standing in its way is the Monster Squad. Man and monster will fight side by side in an epic battle to the death to try to defeat an evil so great, it could only have been created by the hand of God Himself.

  * * *

  The second saga:

  * * *

  An ancient evil is awakened by a naïve pawn. Planned centuries in advance by fallen angels, the reign of Lilith is put into motion. With a legion of demons at her command, she plans to enact her revenge upon the world’s largest religious group before thrusting herself center stage and taking her seat upon the throne as Queen of the World.

  With threats coming at them from every angle, the Monster Squad turns to an ex-member to form a new team—a team made up of the most unlikely warriors to hunt down and face the Demon Queen.

  The Queen is well defended; when it comes time to remove the Queen in this grand game of chess, will they be able to sacrifice their own game pieces to do so?

  Whispers Trilogy

  How does a sheriff’s department from a small North Texas community stop a brutal murderer who is already dead and buried?

  When grave robbers disturb the tomb of Sheriff James ‘Two Guns’ Tolbert searching for Old West relics, a vengeful spirit is unleashed, hell bent for blood. Over a hundred years in the making, a vengeful spirit hunts for its killers. If those responsible couldn't be made to pay, then their progeny would.

  Even when aided by a Texas Ranger and UCLA Paranormal Investigators, can modern-day law enforcement stop a spirit destined to fulfill an oath made in death? An oath fueled by passion from a love cut down before its time?

  Forneus Corson

  Nothing comes easy and nothing is ever truly free. When Steve Wilson stumbles upon the best-kept secret of history’s most successful writers, he can’t help but take advantage of it. Little did he know it would come back to haunt him in ways he’d never have dreamt…even in his worst nightmares.

  With his life turned upside down, his name discredited, his friends persecuted, and the authorities chasing him for something he didn’t do, Steve finds himself on the run with nothing but his wits and his best friend by his side. When a man finds himself hitting rock bottom, he thinks there’s little else he can do but go up…unless he’s facing an evil willing to dig the hole deeper. An evil in the business of pitting men against odds so great, they risk losing their very souls in the attempt to escape.

  Mind Trip

  Here lies a collections of just some of the dark and twisted ideas that have run through the mind of Heath Stallcup over the years. Join him in a journey to the darker side of short story fiction.

  Hunter Trilogy

  Born of Viking stock and careered into the Swedish Navy, Sven Ericsson finds himself in the fabled New World. Away from the restraints of society, the young Northman is dragged into long nights of debauchery; nights that lead him into the waiting arms of a dark beauty who will change his very nature forever.

  Fighting his new, unnatural status, Sven steers clear of humanity, skulking along the fringe of society and filling his inhuman need with the blood of the outcasts and the easily forgotten. He is a shadow among the shadows...until extraordinary events centuries later force him to emerge from the dark. A mishap of his own making pits Sven into a moral quandary that will remind him what it means to be a warrior.

  He is a killer. A fighter. And a Hunter of his own kind.

  Caldera The Series

  Caldera the Series

  For years, the biggest threat Yellowstone was thought to offer was in the form of its semi-dormant super volcano. Little did anyone realize the threat was real and slowly working its way to the surface, but not in the form of magma. Lying deep within the bowels of the earth itself, an ancient virus waited.

  Recently credited with wiping out the Neanderthals, the virus is released within the park and quickly spreads. A desperate plea for assistance reaches the military, but are they coming to help those battling for their lives or to wipe out every living thing for miles around in an effort to prevent a second mass extinction? Can what’s left of humanity survive the raging cannibals that erupt from within?

  Also From DevilDog Press

  www.devildogpress.com

  Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo

  Caldera Book 1 By Heath Stallcup

  All That Remain By Travis Tufo

  From The Ash by Dave Heron

  Mossy Creek A Maggie Mercer Mystery By Jill Behe

  The Monster of Selkirk by C.E. Clayton

  Prey: Blood of The Ancients by Tim Majka

  By JJ Beal

  Check this YA Zombie thriller from JJ Beal.

  Lions & Tigers & Zombies, Oh My!

  The cold war has heated up again. This time the battle will be fought on every street in America.

  Trapped in a major city, hours from their small town country home, a team of young girls find themselves cut off from everyone they know and left to fend for themselves as the world spins out of control.

  With nothing but their wits, their softball equipment, and their friendship to hold them together, they face incredible odds as they fight their way across the state. Physical, emotional and psychological challenges meet them at every turn as they struggle to find the family they can’t be sure survived. How much more can they endure before reaching the breaking point?

  Customers Also Purchased