The Jack Bowman Story

By Charles Siefken and Wendy Siefken

A young man who made many bad choices has a chance to turn his life around. With nine year-old "Ghost" in tow and the world in chaos, they set out to find their way - together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Siefken Publications
• Release date: Nov 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781519995230

Charles Siefken

Charles Siefken (1992-present) is a recent graduate of high school. This is his first book of many to be published. He currently resides in rural central Iowa where he enjoys reading sci/fi books and playing video games among other things. He is currently enrolled in a local college and learning to be an auto mechanic. Christopher Paolini was his inspiration to become a writer. 

Book preview

Dedication

This book is dedicated to a wonderful family friend, Jim Koth who has helped us in our research of weaponry and survival skills. He has touched many lives with his wonderful wit and ready smile. We will miss you greatly.

Chapter 1

The Jack Bowman Story

Guilty, had been the verdict the fat slob of a jury foreman had read out loud when the judge had asked, And how do you find the defendant. Jack looked at his defense lawyer in shock and surprise. His stupid, dumb ass court appointed lawyer stood there grinning as if he had just won some damned contest or something. Don’t worry, this will all go away soon enough. The fool of a lawyer kept grinning. I’m going to jail you dumb assed prick!

The constant hum of the tires brought Jack out of his reverie as he stared at his hands. The hands that had almost killed a man, his father, a damned dooms day prepper, had taught him how to defend himself and kill if necessary. Those very hands now locked in handcuffs with a chain to his waist, leading to the leg irons around his ankles.

Oh shit! the corrections bus driver screamed as the bus hit something and lurched to the side. A loud thud came from under the bus. The bus swerved crazily as the driver tried to regain control of the bus on the bridge. Jack could see up ahead where other cars were slamming into each other and going off the bridge as people ran onto the bridge in a swarm. The driver slammed on the brakes before he hit the other cars in front of him. The bus swung its rear end around and stopped just before the pile up sitting crossways in the road. It was like watching a horror movie only what you were seeing wasn’t processing correctly in your brain. Jack, a correctional officer and three of the other inmates looked out the side window in horror as the people poured onto the bridge, grabbed the people from their cars, and started eating them.

The corrections officer in the front grabbed the radio to try to contact the main office but all he got was static. Quickly he dug out his cell phone and tried phoning in to headquarters or at least to the next stop on the route. No one was answering. Damn it! Where the hell is everyone? He grumbled before shoving the phone back in his pocket.

Oh my God, oh my God, my damned leg is broken! You guys gotta help me! The inmate two seats up and one over from Jack was screaming. Quickly Jack got up off the floor where he had been thrown only to find the guy twisted around the legs of the bus seat wedged between the seat back and the wall of the bus. His thighbone stuck out through the orange jump suit. The handcuffs were tangled and pulled tight against the man twisted in unnatural position.

Hey, hey, guard you have to get us out of here!  You see that shit coming? Jack yelled at the corrections officer staring out the window towards the front. Jack looked and saw the bus driver frozen with fear. The second corrections officer was nowhere to be seen. The officer turned and looked at Jack with a blank expression and then jumped when he heard a car explode up ahead. Quickly he unlocked the gate and ran to the first inmate and with shaking hands he unlocked his shackles and released him. Run damn it, get the hell away from here! the officer yelled as he quickly moved to the next inmate. When he got to the guy with the busted leg and blood gushing from the wound he just stood there and looked at him. I can’t help you.

The officer finally came to Jack, jammed the key into the restraints on his wrists and ankles freeing him. Jack jumped over the seats to the front of the bus to see what had happened to the second officer. He lay in the bottom of the step well with a broken neck. The cage door was still open and he quickly Jack opened the door and took the gun that was a glock and anything else he could find on the officer including the OC or pepper spray. He used the knife to cut the driver loose when he saw him struggling to release the catch on the seat belt. The driver’s eyes never left the horror and the carnage he was seeing in front of him as it was moving towards the bus. Jack grabbed the driver out of the seat and shoved him towards the back of the bus. As Jack was stepping back through the cage door, he noticed the dead guard starting to move. Oh hell no! Jack growled as he slammed the door and using the seat belt to tie the door shut.  Jack ran to the back of the bus where the other inmates as well as the guard were trying to open the door handle that was jammed. I am not dying on this damned bus! The guard yelled.

Then let’s go. Jack said using the nightstick; he had lifted off the other officer to pry the door handle open. Soon they were running away from the carnage coming towards them.

They ran past cars and trucks that had stopped on the bridge with people running for their lives. Jack was almost off the bridge when he looked into a side window and saw a little girl crying silently trying to free herself from the car. He could also see a man sitting in the front seat with his head half severed and a piece of pipe sticking out of his chest. The guy was reaching towards the little girl trying to grab her. Without thinking, he grabbed the door handle and pulled the rear door open. It had been jammed and didn’t open easily. Tears were streaming down her face but no sound came from her mouth, she struggled harder trying to stay away from the grabbing hands while releasing the seatbelt. Pulling out the knife that Jack had used to free the bus driver he quickly cut the belt and pulled the girl to safety. Together they ran off the bridge and headed towards the wooded area they could see up ahead. Jack noticed the marsh before he ran into it. He skirted around it pulling the little girl after him who was doing really well in keeping up with him.

The screams from the people running away from the human flesh-eating people started to fade away as they ran into the wooded area. Taking a moment to look back, Jack noticed most people were staying up on the highway fighting to get into other cars to get away. Some of those things had made it to this side of the bridge and starting to fan out. Thankfully the ones who went towards the marsh wound up stuck in the muck and the mud that went up to their knees holding them fast.

Chapter 2

Jack held onto the girls hand as they entered the wooded area running past trees and brush. A deer hunting tree stand came into view, automatically he dismissed it as a death trap. Yeah he could get up and away from these things and maybe they couldn’t climb but if they didn’t leave they would be trapped in that tree with no food, water or a way out.

The training he grew up with started kicking in and he kept a watch out for something better to hole up in until he could take stock of what the hell was going on. They had run maybe a half a mile when they broke through the tree line and saw a town up ahead. Scanning the area for people or those things Jack made a snap decision to take shelter among the buildings.

The town situated on top of a rise that made the church steeple jut out high above the rest of the buildings. They looked old and weathered and weeds growing up everywhere, even on the streets and sidewalks. Jack looked at the girl and knew she had to be getting tired. She was scared, had seen a horrible traumatic thing of possibly her dad turning into one of those things and trying to eat her. Jack picked her up and carried her piggy back as he hurried the rest of the way up the hill entering the town. A stone foundation that seemed to circle the town was the first thing he noticed when he got close to the buildings. Puzzled for a moment, he kept going, passing houses and stores, heading straight to the church.

The buildings were silent as a tomb as he carefully walked down the street in the deserted town. Jack finally reached the church and quickly looked around to