The Solstice Nightmare

By Mark Maronde

The Solstice Nightmare reveals the beginning of the unrest and other activities that led up to the suspense and drama of The Equinox Nightmare. Readers will enjoy learning what exactly occurred in the downfall of a free society. The Solstice Nightmare will provide much suspense and thrilling anticipation for the avid readers in this the finale of all Nightmares!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640825765

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The Solstice Nightmare

Mark Maronde

Copyright © 2017 Mark Maronde

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2017

ISBN 978-1-64082-575-8 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64082-576-5 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Amanda sat at Marc’s bedside, watching him sleep. The predawn rain softly fell, rather relaxing, she believed. Some azaleas for the nightstand would have been nice, but she wanted to be with him when he awoke. No one would be out and about yet anyway, except the men who served on the overnight security detail. So many questions she wanted to ask Marc, but that bump on the back of his head must be her primary concern now.

Marc stirred restlessly then awakened, sweating profusely. Amanda softly wiped his forehead with a cool washcloth. Be still, Amanda stated emphatically. The fever has finally broken. You are suffering from exhaustion. He struggled to push himself up using his elbows. Amanda shook her head and smiled. I can see that you’ll be one of my more difficult patients. Marc ignored the comment and asked, Where are the girls? Amanda replied, Not to worry, they are with our other nurse, Shelly. She takes care of the children who have no parents. Including Sasha and Jasmine, seven children live with her in one of our larger homes. She also doubles as our schoolteacher. We value education here.

Moments later, the rainfall ceased, and the sun shone magnificently upon the community. Don’t get any ideas, young man, Amanda warned. I still have a number of questions for you. If you can behave, you’ll be able to shower, dress, and join us for a potluck supper at six o’clock tonight. Also, no guard duty for you just yet. I want to know how you got that bump on your head. Marc responded, Not until you tell me if my cousin Joel escaped. That mess in the mall, just exactly what the hell did he have going on here? She replied simply, "Well, as far as the men who pulled guard duty last night can determine, he escaped through the mall somehow. Regarding the scientific aspect of it all, well, Joel is one sick puppy, hell-bent on emulating the commandant. Now, take it easy and I’ll serve you breakfast. Everyone is anxious to get to know you and the girls, so you must rest here all day in order to present yourself well at the potluck supper this evening!" With that, she left, returning approximately five minutes with a tray containing waffles, fresh fruit cup, and bottled water. She smiled, pleased that he didn’t lose his appetite. Upon finishing breakfast, he waited for her questions.

A gentle knocking at the clinic’s front door interrupted her plan to question him. Wow! Marc exclaimed. My first visitor! Amanda shook her head impishly, and answered the door. She returned with one of the men on the security detail. This is Chris, she began. Marc offered a handshake, which Chris promptly accepted. Amanda turned to Chris and said simply, He needs to know. Chris responded, I hate to tell you this, but Joel escaped. We have secured this community and sealed off that mess of a mini mall or whatever the hell it once was!

Marc sighed heavily, not at all surprised. Amanda, concerned, directed Chris to leave. Marc stated sharply, No! He can stay. He needs to know what he’s up against! So do the others in this community! Chris sat next to Amanda, listening intently. Marc continued, We’ll never be truly safe, but we must have ’round-the-clock security. I’ll speak about that in greater detail, at the potluck supper. Chris, you go now and be sure that the mini mall is entirely secured. I will assign a cleanup detail once I’ve become acquainted with all the residents. Even the young people can help. As Chris turned to go, he remarked, I can see that you’re accustomed to being in charge. Marc nodded confidently and said nothing.

Amanda observed their exchange with some trepidation. She stared intently out the window, watching Chris walk to the street and gesture to several men and women talking. What impression might they have of Marc? she wondered. Marc noticed her intensity and glibly offered, The Q and A session, Nurse? Amanda removed his breakfast tray and returned to his bedside. "I’ll be frank. Who were you, really, before our country collapsed? Sasha looks absolutely nothing like you. And Jasmine obviously belonged with that elderly woman who died in the Buick Dylan drove. Her grandmother, I presume?"

Marc opened a second bottle of water, sipped slowly, and responded calmly, You may find what I am about to relate totally unbelievable, and mind you, there are days I wonder how it all happened. I gave up a long time ago, trying to figure out the reason, the actual purpose of it all. Amanda gestured, urging him to continue. Staring directly at her, she found his piercing gaze too unnerving. Suppressing her uneasiness, she listened as he began, displaying no emotion whatsoever . . .

In my view, it began decades ago. I worked for a government agency—off the books, of course. With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Berlin Wall, federal funding for intelligence gathering had been cut. Good, credible intelligence was at a premium, post-Reagan era.

Pausing momentarily for a sip of water, he continued, A few of us were basically renegades, unable to be managed. I became disillusioned with ‘the mission,’ as they might say. Anyhow, I intended to hang out in clubs and drink a bit excessively, more often than not. I confided my disdain of the agency to an old dear friend, Peaches, who’d worked her way through college as an exotic dancer and, upon earning her degree in business management, teamed up with a rumored gangster, Boss Antonio, to start a successful chain of gentlemen’s clubs. Peaches advised me on numerous occasions to resign from the agency. Not that simple. Always another mission. It came to a screeching halt when I was in a tropic war-torn province, gathering intelligence on a nasty general named Estis.

Amanda listened with fascination, raising her eyebrows slightly as Marc wiped perspiration from his forehead. I’m OK, he stated, and continued. General Estis was rumored to be conducting experiments, eerily similar to that mess in your mini mall. I have no doubt that my cousin Joel had plans to enslave people—General Estis murdered those who dared to resist him. Fortunately, a group of citizens fled that province before its apocalyptic collapse! What a mess!

Sasha and Jasmine knocked at the clinic’s front door. Amanda excused herself and mentioned, I will find toys and games for them. I don’t believe that it’s appropriate for them to hear of your previous life. He asked, Amanda, how do you know the girls are out there? She smiled and replied, Oh, I can tell by the knocking. We have children here. Now, while I tend to them, before you tell me any more about your busy life, think of a nice name for our community. With that, she left his room.

Moments later, Amanda returned to find him seated on a recliner. Frowning, she wagged her right index finger at him. Marc raised his hands defiantly and informed her, I am not staying in that bed all day. This is the way it is if you want to know how we came to your community. Amanda realized to argue with him would accomplish nothing and sat at the edge of the bed. He relaxed and continued, I was able to escape General Estis’s compound after his province collapsed. Not a living soul, just those stinking zombies, mutants, or whatever the hell they were. No electricity. I stole a police van and made my way to a secured gated community. It’d been built by a group of freedom-loving citizens who’d escaped Estis’s reign of terror.

Amanda found this rather intriguing and wondered if Marc wasn’t somewhat delusional as a result of the bump on the back of his head. He sure as hell appeared rational and needed no urging to relate the events of his journey. "The community was named La Villa Pacifica, and its alcalde, Roberto, led approximately twenty residents. His wife, Frances; the police chief, Cecilio; Yolanda, Cecilio’s wife; and their doctor, Graciela all played key roles in my recovery from the incarceration of General Estis’s compound. Life in La Villa Pacifica was good, for a short while. Then we found ourselves under attack by creatures borne of the evil created by General Estis! Fortunately, I had stolen an adequate supply of weapons from one of his police stations, and we successfully defended ourselves. I—"

Amada interrupted, This is so fascinating, simply beyond belief!

Marc nodded and patiently continued, I can see that you know very little of the inner workings of our once-great country. Anyway, Roberto and his advisors calculated that a catastrophic storm would soon devastate La Villa Pacifica. The resident psychic, Esmeralda, confirmed it. Not all were on board with my suggestion that we try to reach my hometown in the US, Robusto.

Truly intrigued, Amanda inquired, Who all helped you in your journey to Robusto? Marc stood now and began to pace about the room. Amanda sensed his agitation. Twelve of us made the journey. The rest chose to remain in the community room of La Villa Pacifica, drinking alcoholic beverages and singing rather bawdy songs about General Estis. We left as the heavy rains arrived. Esmeralda had passed away several hours after confirming Roberto’s devastating predictions. We paid our respects and departed La Villa Pacifica, crowded into just two vehicles, taking back roads to avoid detection. I might add that rumors persisted of General Estis being on the lam. Nothing was ever confirmed. Well, we zigged and we zagged, made it across the border and, a day later, arrived in Robusto. We stopped at Angie’s Diner, and that’s where it really got interesting. I had no memory of my previous life in Robusto! Angie and I had gone to high school together. Graciela saved the day—introduced herself as my doctor and quietly informed Angie that I had been injected with an experimental drug while in General Estis’s compound. Angie took Graciela aside, gave her directions to the gated community, which I resided—owned too, as I later learned. More on that soon.

Amanda excused herself to look in on Sasha and Jasmine. Within five minutes, she returned and stated, They don’t want lunch yet, so please tell me what happened when you knew that all wasn’t right. Were you married? What was your career choice? She settled back on the recliner next to his bed. Marc looked emotionlessly out the window and offered, Not married, until later that year. Graciela became my personal physician. Unbeknownst to me, she had stolen files, intelligence files, from General Estis, pertaining to me and my work with the agency. A private dancer, Corina, who performed exotically for the general, gave birth to our son. I was unaware of this, as I’d already been incarcerated in the general’s compound. Graciela and Esmeralda smuggled the baby, Troy, across the border. Graciela found parents in San Francisco willing to adopt him. After a short time of being home, she gave me the file. Imagine my shock at learning that I was a father of a twenty-three-year-old son! He was just beginning his career as a detective on the Robusto Police Force. Roberto had been appointed mayor after about a month and, in turn, hired Cecilio as the police chief. Robusto was mired in scandal and violence. A serial killer preyed upon dancers.

He turned away from the window, and his piercing gaze unnerved Amada. Maybe you need to relax, she suggested. You were out there for quite some time. Marc dismissed her suggestion with a wave and related, I’m all right. It was an adjustment as my memory returned, and I got to feeling better. My son, Troy, became the chief of detectives of Robusto Police Department, and two of our young men from La Villa Pacifica, Carlos and Julio, became police officers. I can never forget how they always had Troy’s back, due to homophobia that prevailed in Robusto. On top of that, violent crime was on the rise. He paused momentarily, then remained silent.

Amanda pointed at his left hand and stated, I noticed you wear a wedding ring. I assume that you did not accept the fact that Ginny served you divorce papers? Marc replied, "No, I was married during my life in Robusto. Sierra just could not accept my