Zero Hour

By D. M. Baillie

Being thousands of miles from home is always a daunting prospect, but at the apocalypse it’s astronomically unthinkable. Jack Lee was just outside L.A. when the most devastating war the world has ever seen began. He was also there when it ended, over in almost an instant. Jack survived the attack, but he was on the other side of the country from his wife and son. Not knowing if his family are still alive, Jack sets out on the long journey home, his legs his only mode of transport. To get back to his family he has to survive, but he doesn’t yet know the dangers that are waiting in front of him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D. M. Baillie
• Release date: Oct 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311389886

D. M. Baillie

D.M. Baillie is a young Scottish novelist originally from Glasgow. His first novel Time To Kill, was published in late 2012, a crime thriller about a young man faced with drastic choices for something that happened in his mysterious past. His second novel, Zero Hour, is due for release on the 20th October 2014, a post apocalyptic story of a man trying to walk across the USA after a devastating nuclear attack. Some of D.M. Baillie's favourite authors include James Patterson, Chris Ryan, Terry Goodkind, J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin. A graduate from the University of Glasgow, D.M. Baillie has spent over ten years in the Aerospace Industry and has worked on various Aircraft Projects. Also an avid lover of outdoor pursuits such as rock climbing, gives him inspiration to create hair raising, thrilling novels that take you on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.

Book preview

Zero Hour

D.M. BAILLIE

Zero Hour

D. M. Baillie

Copyright © D.M. Baillie 2014

Visit www.dmbaillie.com

D.M. Baillie has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1995 to be identified as the author of this work.

This novel is the work of fiction. Names and Characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

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Dedication

For Alan and Alex

Acknowledgements

I would like to give my thanks to the following people: Cover – Ross McAulay, Proof Readers Nicola Jamieson, Craig Lindsay, Steve Bain, Elaine Baillie, Laura Baillie, Iain Taylor and Vik Dowlul.

I would like to also thank all my friends and family, without you my life wouldn’t be complete. Each of you brings a special something to the world and without you in it the world would be a much duller place. A special thanks goes to Nicola who has put up with weekends of writing and editing, I couldn’t have done it without her patience. Let’s all laugh and make the world a brighter place and hopefully the events that occur in this book will never occur in the real world.

Chapter 0

The bright blinding flash could be seen in the distance, shades shielding my eyes from its unrelenting harshness. Fear gripped me instantly, I could not tell at this moment what had caused it. The light appeared to emanate from some sort of explosion. It was massive, hard to believe that I had witnessed such a catastrophe. A great fireball rushed out in all directions, destroying everything in its path. The sound hit me, a massive pressure wave shaking the leaves in the trees, the ground beneath my feet rumbling. I covered my ears as the sound washed over me, they were in agony. I was on the ground now, looking up at the sky, lazy clouds fluttering in the air, my head spinning. Turning onto my side, I tried with great effort to get myself up onto my hands and knees. It felt like I was wading through a swamp, my limbs wanting to move but something viscous resisting them.

Eventually I managed it, pushing myself up with all the strength I could summon, it seemed like a gargantuan effort. I looked again towards the direction of the blast, my eyes focused on the large mushroom cloud hanging over what used to be downtown L.A. Three more flashes occurred all within moments of each other, over various parts of the city. I realized I was trembling as I watched from my vantage point in the mountains to the north-east of the city. I instantly dropped to the ground, covering my ears, preparing for the inevitable. It was not long before the booming sound crashed over me again, the pain in my ears was almost unbearable. My mind went numb, eyes tightly shut, ringing affecting my hearing. I stayed on the ground, fear paralyzing me. Time seemed frozen, darkness enveloping me, I felt like I was falling.

After some time my eyes blinked open, the once blue sky replaced by a cloud of grey dust. I looked around, the dirt about me disturbed. Sitting up slowly, I tried to gather my senses. The ringing sensation was still prevalent in my ears, my head spinning, I felt like I was about to vomit. Standing up, I turned again to look at the city I was visiting only but a few days ago, four massive mushroom clouds floating lazily above the flattened buildings, total destruction, almost nothing left standing.

Then more explosions, this time from further afield, each explosion seemingly following the coast, north and south, it was like a carpet bombing run of nuclear weapons. The fiery destruction rained down from above. I stood there in complete and utter shock, watching, waiting, thinking. Millions of lives extinguished in seconds. What the fuck was happening?

Chapter 1

Massive clouds billowed into the sky, these were not normal fluffy white ones from fairy tales and children’s stories, these were dark malevolent clouds, billowing ash, dust and who knows what else into the atmosphere. I stood in shock, dumbstruck at the event my eyes were witnessing. I couldn’t believe it, was it all some sort of nightmare? I had to wake up, but the pain in my ears from the initial blasts told me that this was no dream.

The destructive power of the blasts was unbelievable. L.A. was flattened in seconds, towering skyscrapers toppled as their structural integrity submitted to the overwhelming forces they experienced. Smaller, almost ant-like from this vantage point, buildings were obliterated, vaporized into nothingness. Some buildings were shielded from the initial blasts, seemingly standing up to the impossible, screaming out that they would not succumb to the horror. But, this was only momentary, the heat from the explosions causing them to ignite into infernos, nothing could escape the destructive power of the blasts.

I was horrorstruck, unable to do anything but stare at the scene unfolding before my eyes, like some sort of Hollywood doomsday movie. There was nothing to do but stand there, await the inevitable. You could never outrun such a blast, you couldn’t hide from it. All those people in the city, all those lives gone in a fraction of a second, but for what reason? Why had this happened, who had fired upon us? What had happened to the missile defense systems that were so publicized on TV, that had cost billions of hard earned dollars?

Time seemed to be frozen as I watched civilization evaporate before me, millions of lives flicked off in an instant, with the press of a button. L.A. was not the only place affected. I could see the cloud plumes forming all along the coastline, small looking mushroom shaped clouds dotting the horizon. I turned, looking to the east, beyond the hills, far in the distance, more. The sky was full with these clouds. I could only imagine the total destruction that followed in their wake. The world as I knew it was at an end.

I must have looked on for what seemed like hours as I noticed the light was beginning to fade. The sun was not setting though, thick dusty clouds obscuring some of the sun’s rays, turning a beautiful California day into a dull, dreary one. I remembered my phone, I had to call my wife, to make sure she was okay. I plucked my cell from my pocket, the Velcro ripping away as I opened it. The phone screen was blank.

How could that be? The battery was fully charged this morning.

I looked at my watch, a digital navigation aid that indicated co-ordinates of your current location. That was blank too. Nothing. All my electronic equipment was dead, a consequence of the nuclear blast, the unseen electromagnetic pulse had fried it.

If this had happened here, where else had been targeted? My mind was in overdrive, I pictured my lake-house, in upstate New York, away from civilization, hopefully far enough away from the main metropolis of NYC to avoid being targeted in the blast, if anything had occurred there. Jessica had taken Alex up there just before I left for L.A. for a vacation.

Hill walking was a passion of mine and while I was out here, for a business trip, I decided to go for a hike in the hills for a couple of days at the weekend, while I wasn’t required in the office. My decision to come walking was the only reason I was still alive.

I had to move, to do something. I had to find out if Jessica and Alex were okay, I had to get home. I was nearly three thousand miles from there, I had a long journey ahead of me. Upon my back was my trusty backpack that had stood the test of time, coming with me through various adventures. Within its confines, I had enough supplies to last me for a few days, even more with careful rationing, a small tent, sleeping bag and spare clothing. The pack seemed heavier on my shoulders now, the significance of the events that had played out before me most prevalent on my mind.

My feet seemed frozen to the ground, refusing to heed my commands, seemingly having a mind of their own. It was with great effort that I finally got going, every step seeming to take a colossal effort. After about ten minutes of walking, I found myself inside dense forest, the darkness blanketing me, drawing me deeper within, a ringing sound still prevalent in my ears. There were no birds in the trees singing, no sounds from insects chirping, emptiness apart from the low dull ringing. I kept walking, into the shadows, not knowing exactly where I was going except heading away from the now devastated Los Angeles. The finger-like trees shot up towards the sky, a protective barrier between me and the world, nothing could harm me in here, I was safe for the moment.

Thirty minutes must have passed since I entered this dark place, each step like a painful stab into my being. The images of the blasts kept playing through my mind, destroying everything in its path, nothing could have survived such cataclysm. I kept questioning why this had happened, who would do such a thing, destroying all those innocent lives, millions gone in an instant. I could picture the people in the city, oblivious to the atrocity that was just about to occur, going about their normal everyday lives, worrying about their next paycheck, whether they would make it to the kids’ recital, all those worries gone in an instant, their lives extinguished in a matter of seconds, by the destructive power of man.

I was coming to the edge of the forest, the trees starting to thin out, light beginning to penetrate through to the leaf strewn forest floor. My footsteps kicked up dust as they pounded onwards, still unsure of where they were taking me. A dirt path crossed in front of me, leading down the hill, I could not see the destination from here, the path winding its way around a corner in the distance. There was still no sign of civilization.

Willing myself to go on, I made my way along the path, looking up into the now dusty sky every so often, ensuring that the mushroom clouds were still there, that this wasn’t all in my imagination. Could this all be some sort of nightmare, at any moment I would wake up, finding myself in bed in my hotel room? My question was answered not but a moment later, stumbling over a boulder, I twisted my ankle quite badly, the pain excruciating. I let out a cry, and a few curses as well for good measure. It felt like red hot needles where slicing through my flesh, the warm feeling from the blood infusing the area. I took a moment to gather myself, sitting in the dirt. Being injured now was not something that would be advantageous in my current predicament. I would have to take it easy to ensure that I never made it worse. Surveying my ankle, I could clearly see the swelling begin to manifest. I reached into my pack, remembering that I always carried a few first aid items. Grabbing a bandage, I carefully wrapped my injury, winding it tightly to give the ankle some support.

I stood up to test my handiwork, gingerly putting weight onto the damaged appendage, gradually increasing it until the pain was evident. This would certainly slow me down. I searched about for some sort of walking aid, something that would be able to take some of the weight off my injured ankle. There were branches strewn here and there, but nothing that would constitute a crutch. I moved on, slowly, my eyes searching every piece of ground to find something that may aid me. Each step seemed like walking on hot coals, the pain shooting from my ankle, straight up my leg. I was almost in tears with the pain, but I had to go, I must go on.

After hobbling along for a few hundred yards, I finally found a piece of wood long and strong enough to be a useful tool. I picked it up, cutting off the excess branches and twigs that attached to it with my small pocket knife. I tested the implement by putting all my weight on it, however the real test would be on the steeper inclines that would no doubt lie in my path, conspiring to hinder my progress.

The pain was dulling my senses to the surroundings, but I continued onwards in my desire to get home. With each painful step I knew I was making progress, slow progress, but I was moving which distracted my mind from the atrocity I had yet just witnessed. The dust stirred up as I dragged my foot, more than lifting it, due to the exacerbated pain when I put my weight on it. This slowed my progress even further but I kept going, refusing to stop, refusing to be beaten. A long sweeping corner lay ahead, with each step I got closer, making it my target to reach there. Then I could reassess the situation, work out a plan of some sort to carry me forward. Small milestones, to keep my spirits up, a hope in my heart that all was not lost. My thoughts drifted back to my wife and son, picturing them by the lake house, unaware of the disaster that had occurred on the west coast. Maybe they were also caught up in this dreadful situation, the images of fire surrounding them consumed me, making me panic.

I couldn’t think like that, I had to clear my head of those thoughts otherwise I would be driven mad. Jessica was one of the smartest people I had ever met, it was one of the reasons I was attracted to her in the first place. If the same was happening near her she would not panic, she would analyze the situation, see if there was a way out, find a safe place, supplies, weapons, anything to keep Alex safe.

Without even realizing it I had now reached my original goal, the long sweeping corner drifting off to my right. From my position I could see for miles, hills tumbled into the distance, trees dotted here and there. A road pierced its way through the mountains a few miles away from me. The man-made construction stood out like a sore thumb, the black asphalt in sharp contrast to the dirt covered hills that surrounded it. I would make this road my next target. I plotted the best possible path I could to get there. Hopefully, I would make it there in a few hours, as long as nothing else hindered my progress. With this new aim in my mind I went onwards, slowly, purposefully, trying not to damage my ankle further.

The dull sun was beginning to set when I reached the road, stepping onto the hard surface made me feel steadier on my feet. I had made it without too many problems, only stumbling a few times. I also had to re-route my path a couple of times when I came to impassable areas, boulders and rocks blocking the way forward, probably dislodged from higher up the mountain with the immense power of the blasts earlier that day, creating new barriers on the paths that had been eroded into the sides of the mountains over many years by walkers and tourists alike.

I started heading along the road, in what I assumed was an easterly direction, heading away from the setting sun, the sky turning blood red in the background as the sun continued on its relentless journey through space. Within a short time it was pitch black, the light from the moon unable to penetrate through the thick dust layer that hung in the atmosphere, making the going even tougher that it had been. I had a small LED head-torch in my pack which I got out and tested. With a great disappointment, my heart sank as the bulb failed to illuminate, leaving me consumed by the darkness.

Standing still for a few moments I let my eyes soak in as much of the darkness as they could, I looked about trying to make out anything that I could. It seemed hopeless, but then I suddenly saw the outline of the road. I could clearly see a distinction between the asphalt and the dirt that lay beside it, my eyes were adjusting to their environment allowing my night vision to tune itself in, allowing me to see something to keep my hopes alive. I went onwards, into the dark night, not knowing where this road would take me.

Chapter 2

I had no idea where I was, the sun was rising over the hills, creating a weird hazy effect with the dust still circulating in the air. I had stopped for the night by the side of the road, literally in a ditch, covering myself with a survival bag, trying mightily to get some sleep. I was not sure how long I had rested, or even how far I had come, but my ankle still throbbed from turning over on it yesterday. The makeshift walking cane I had created was working well, but my progress had been slow. I kept moving, heading along the long dust covered road, still not knowing where it would take me, but feeling that I was going in the right direction.

It must have been a few hours or so before I saw some hint of civilization. Up ahead I had spotted a small building. I had only noticed it as the thing appeared to wink at me as the sun struck one of the windows. My heart was lifted by the feeling that I would soon be able to get some help, that I would be able to find out what was going on, and maybe even find a phone that worked to call my wife and son.

I made haste as fast as my injuries would allow me to go. It was a long while before I actually reached my goal, the sight of me hobbling along the road with a stick for support may have looked quite humorous had it not been for the dire circumstances in which it had occurred. I was given a new sense of hope as I approached the door, the gas pumps outside indicating the main function of this store. The sign said closed, but I was not defeated yet. I tried the door, damn, it was locked. I stalked around the perimeter, looking for a suitable means of entry. There was a back door that led onto a back loading area from the looks of it. I tried this door as well. Locked.

I looked for windows but all them at the rear were too small to egress. I felt sick to my stomach, but I had not yet given up on gaining access. I made my way back to the front, back to the glass door. On my way I picked up a reasonably large sized rock, dense and heavy which I thought capable of smashing the glass. I took aim at the door, throwing it with a bit of force, the rock tumbled over on itself heading towards its goal, before harmlessly bouncing off the glass and falling to the ground. Damn. I tried again, this time with all my strength. Smash. The sound was like music to my ears. Clearing away the glass as best I could so as not to cut my skin on the ragged edges, I ducked my way inside. The interior of the store was cool, well stocked and organized. I immediately grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, which was inoperative, guzzling down the contents quickly, quenching my thirst, providing my body with some much needed relief. I grabbed a chocolate bar next, tearing open the packet with my teeth, quickly devouring the sweet snack. I opened up my backpack and filled it with water and food. There were some first aid items on a shelf near the counter. I took some supplies of items I may need, filling my pack to bursting, meaning I left plenty behind for any other traveler in need. I took a fifty out of my wallet and left it under the corner of a grey shelving unit that sat on the countertop. I left a note apologizing for breaking the glass, a list of what I took and my contact details if they wanted recompense for the damage to the door.

I spotted a phone laying behind the counter. I picked it up and pressed it hurriedly to my ear. To my dismay there was no tone. The line was completely dead. My desire to contact my family was forefront in my mind, desperate to find out their situation and what had happened over on the east coast.

There was no power to any of the items in the