The Crowning: Exodus From Cerberus: The Crowning, #2

By Thomas Feely

Embark on an exhilarating odyssey with the resilient Stone family as they confront the perils of a world teetering on the brink of international conflict and domestic upheaval in the heart of America. In 'The Crowning: Exodus From Cerberus,' we experience the gripping tale of survival as one faction ventures to an unexplored island amidst the chaos, while another braves a treacherous journey across a fractured nation to seek refuge in the rugged landscapes of Arizona. Meanwhile, a third faction fights relentlessly for freedom against a tyrannical government bent on their imprisonment. A riveting narrative of courage, resilience, and the unyielding human spirit awaits within the pages of this electrifying saga. This is the 2nd book in the series called The Crowning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Feely.Life
• Release date: Apr 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224079117

Book preview

Prologue

April 1, 2025

30,000 feet above the Indian Ocean

Tully Stone, wearing a heavy-duty, full-size headset over his ears, partly to communicate with the pilot and the pilots of the plane that trailed behind them but also to silence the deafening drone of the plane’s engines. He was sitting in the co-pilot seat next to his good friend, Manny, in Manny’s brand-new plane as they passed over the land of Madagascar, flying at 30,000 feet above the endless Indian Ocean. The new Beech 300 was carrying himself, the pilot, and 11 of Tully’s family members, while the other 20 flew a few miles behind them in the much larger plane, a NOAA’s Gulfstream IV-SP, which can fly high, fast, and far with a range of 4,000 nautical miles and a cruising altitude of 45,000 ft. It also has the cargo space to allow the Stone family to load up with the most ultra-modern and high-tech survival gear they could gain in the frantic previous month. The too-brief 30 days required every one of the Stone nuclear families, while staying under the radar of the authorities, sell all their property, close all their financial accounts, and convert all their dollars into gold and other precious metals, something that can be bartered for goods or services after all the world banks have collapsed, post-World War III. Tully, the patriarch of the Stone family refugees, decreed that each family would bring one suitcase, the size suitable for an airline overhead bag, to store the precious metals, with their name and a $ sign in place of the letter S. Tully warned everyone that If the plane had to discard excess weight to complete the voyage, those suitcases would be the first to be thrown out the door. He doubted they believed him, but he was serious.

As Tully looked through the cockpit window into the horizon, all he could see was the blue, rolling ocean in every direction. The waves sparkled and glistened endlessly under the high noon sun. They have been flying for over 24 hours with only occasional brief stops to refuel. Their anxiety only overshadowed their fatigue. Anxiety about the world and loved ones they left behind, and the anxiety born of the endless unknowns that lay ahead. Even the very island they have declared their destination is a complete mystery of what they will find there. As far as they know, it is void of human inhabitants, but that is also uncertain. Since the evacuation of the Army Airforce some 80 years earlier, no one has seen the two landing strips, and their condition remains a mystery. According to satellite imagery, the runways still exist, but downed trees, rocks, or unknown debris might make landing difficult, if not impossible. Indeed, they will have many potholes because of their age and enduring eight decades of a harsh environment.

Manny is a retired pilot for the United States Air Force. After retiring as a colonel, Manny was promptly hired as a contractor by the United States Air Force to continue flying their more challenging missions. He spoke fluent Spanish, having been born and raised in Columbia before immigrating to the U.S., where, after achieving his citizenship and a college degree through the Air Force R.O.T.C., he began his career in the Air Force. He also became a highly ranked racquetball player, playing worldwide professionally, where he met and became friends with Tully. Tully also competed in the tournament circuit but was never at the professional level. Still, the sport served as the common denominator for the two to form a great friendship. Manny, slightly taller than Tully, had an athletic build, dark hair, clean shaven with a huge smile. He had a genuine practice of excellent sportsmanship, so he was well-liked by every one of his competitors and friends.

Tully studied the instrumentation on the cockpit’s dashboard and compared that info to the maps on his lap. Tully’s son, Michael, had discovered the island of their destination. A clandestine cache of reports, unveiled during his tenure with Homeland Security Intelligence, unveiled the cryptic path they now tread. In between the oceanic battlegrounds of World War II, the Army-Airforce forged two defiant airstrips upon this island. A testament to strategic prowess, two twin behemoth tanks emerged on the top plateau, poised to slake the thirst of their military aircraft in their daring sojourn across the Indian Ocean’s expanse. As if stitching a constellation of vital waypoints, this island oases, like many others, punctuated the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean. Yet, unlike their counterparts, these sanctuaries remained enshrouded in the deepest secrecy, a clandestine pact upheld steadfastly against the gaze of both foe and friend. This island was un-named and uninhabited and is in the Chango Archipelago. It is almost due south of the Maldives and southeast of the Laccadive Sea, at the southern tip of India. Malaysia is 1803 miles east of the island. There is an isolated, unexplored island beyond India’s eastern coast about 100 miles away, from the un-named destination, which is reportedly inhabited by the Sentinelese, who violently reject all contact, maintain an utterly primitive lifestyle, and they haven’t even learned how to make fire. Michael had calculated that this was of no threat to their family as the distance made it impossible for the Sentinelese to travel to the sister island. The island, a testament to nature’s whims, invoked within Tully’s mind the very essence of an amoeba scrutinized through a microscope—an undulating form with its length stretching resolutely from north to south. In stark contrast, the southern extremity culminated in a sharp point, while the northern extremity sprawled with abundant breadth. Two distinct sites were exposed by the satellite’s revelation, with one located on the eastern frontier and the other asserting its presence in the west, both undoubtedly hosting runways. The island, a mere two-mile tapestry, surged dramatically, ascending abruptly toward an exalted plateau. Its peak was just a flattened tabletop. The heights of this pinnacle remained an enigma, veiled by the photograph’s teasing blur.

Tully, what is our exact location? asked the pilot, Manny Torres. Tully responded, We are at 23⁰17’17 S. and 64⁰ 42’ 04 E. from Mauritius. We had to travel 994 miles to the destination, and we just passed the halfway mark, so we had about 497 miles remaining. We are right on course, Manny. Great, Manny declared, we should get there in another 90 minutes. The weather keeps looking clear and calm, so let’s plan our approach to the landing.

I think we should do a flyover first to get a read on the runway condition, Tully suggested. I agree, Manny affirmed. We’ll check out the west side runway first, then do a U-turn and fly over the east side runway. Alpha 1 (the other plane) should hang around at 20,000 while we fly low to get a good look. Roger, Tully replied, I’ll ring them up and tell them the plan. Tully called over the radio for Alpha 1, piloted by his son, Paul, a pilot for the Coast Guard, and explained the plan. A pit in Tully’s stomach felt like a giant chasm, so he stretched his legs and passed the news to his passengers. He unlocked the cockpit door to the main cabin containing three rows of four seats, two on each side of the middle aisle. There was a look of urgency on everyone’s faces as they gazed out their window for signs of land. A look of puzzlement spread across the cabin as Tully stepped inside. Tully announced, We are about 90 minutes away from the island. The weather appears perfect, so relax and enjoy the rest of the flight. The passengers throughout the cabin felt a sense of relief. Tully surmised they were expecting some sort of disaster and was sure Tully was the bearer of bad news. Tully stopped in the first row of seats where, to his left, sat James, Tully’s oldest son. Next to James is his middle daughter, Pamala. On Tully’s right was Suzanne, who sat next to Grace, their eldest daughter. The arrangement was to have Grace nearby to care for Suzanne, who was recovering from her near death because of Covid. Suzanne did all the caregiving because of Grace being exceedingly inconsolable. The family had to depart for their journey into the unknown before Grace could secure the release of her husband, Grady, whom I.C.E. detained as a suspected illegal alien and then turned over to the N.S.A., who suspected he was a spy from Russia. Despite all the efforts of Grady’s father and James to secure his release, the political climate of this new era of Cerberus’ self-proclaimed rule over the world, including all the western hemisphere, what would normally be a mere formality of verifying the identity of a U.S. citizen, especially one born and raised in this country, became a nightmare of red tape. No one knows if they would keep Grady in prison indefinitely. As hard as the decision was, they had no choice but to depart without him. Grace wanted to stay home to wait for Grady, but James was very persuasive, believing his daughter would perish if they left her behind. He convinced Grace that her mother could not survive without Grace’s care. Thus, Grace has been crying on her mother’s shoulders for the last 24 hours. James gave her his word that Grady would be brought to the island as soon as he was released. He did not know how to make that happen, but to his distraught daughter, he sounded so certain, so assuring. She believed her father would succeed and reluctantly boarded the plane with her family. Tully, looking at James, whose right shoulder was serving as a pillow for Pam, who was sound asleep, asked, How are you feeling today, son? I’m good, Dad. I think I have almost totally recovered. The only persistent issue is a dry cough that won’t go away. Otherwise, I feel strong. Tully smiled at his son and said, Strong is good. We need that strength to get our new life up and running quickly. James replied optimistically, I’ll be ready. We have some very strong young men with us as well. We’ll get it done. Tully turned his attention to Suzanne and Grace. Suzanne seemed exhausted and frustrated, and Grace’s eyes were swollen, wet, and ruby red. Tully just gave Suzanne a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder with a look of empathy on his face. Suzanne conveyed her response by winking at her eye and giving a grateful smile, saying no words. Suzy, James’s youngest daughter who had just turned 16 years old, and Chase, James and Suzanne’s only son, a college senior and player on his college football team, occupied the seats in the next row before leaving all that behind. Chase was the tallest of the Stone family, and the football strength training had made him truly ripped. His speed and aggressive play had caused his college coaches to add middle linebacker to his starting position list. How is it looking up ahead, Grandpa? Chase inquired. Chuckling, Tully retorts, Very blue, referring to the fact that all they had seen for hours was the blue ocean, and nothing else, not even clouds, was present in the very blue sky. The slight difference between the color of the ocean and the sky made the horizon hard to find.

John, Tully’s younger brother, and his wife of 42 years, Mary Stone, sat in the two seats to Chase’s left and Tully’s right. John served a full career as a doctor and head administrator to a group of doctors. Mary, like Tully and John’s mother, served as a hospital chaplain in a Catholic hospital. John and Mary have a solid Catholic faith that enabled them to navigate life with strength and wisdom. Their son, Burke, his wife, Emily, and their 3-year-old daughter, Lucy, occupied the third row. The last seat was the parking space for John and Mary’s daughter, Rose. Rose is a researcher in the arena of marine biology and ecology. The huge research firm she worked for before her leave of absence, a company named the National Association of Biologistic Laboratories, is in Duluth, Minnesota. They equipped Rose with some top-secret equipment and materials, which Rose would not divulge the purpose or nature of the research saying instead that she was under a Non-Disclosure Agreement. It was paramount for the N.A.B.L to provide a refrigerated cooler, using solar power to keep the materials running cold at a precise temperature. Tully found all this secrecy a little unnerving, but he could see how important it was to Rose, so he would support her work. It didn’t seem to enhance the family’s survival chances, but one never knows. Her work remained a mystery, and Tully promised they would find a suitable building to serve as her laboratory. 

Speaking to his brother, John, Tully said, You have done a phenomenal job, John, pulling together everyone’s medical history and developing an arsenal of medication and equipment needed for our long-term survival. John smiled modestly and said, That is the simple part. Keeping everyone healthy in a jungle may prove to be the real challenge. Thank God I will have two highly trained nurses and two more doctors with me. We have an impressive team in place, Grace, Lyndsey, Dr. Vinny, and Dr. Becky Sampson. Dr. Vinny has been, throughout his career, an emergency room physician, while his wife, Dr. Rebecca, has been a neurologist. Just get us on the ground safely, Tully, and we will take it from there. John knew Tully was not the pilot, just serving as the navigator while occupying the co-pilot seat. Still, he needed to express his anxiety about landing on an unknown island using runways that hadn’t seen a plane or human being in 80 years. Tully quipped back to John, My job is to find the island. Manny’s job is to get us safely on the ground. Rose told Tully, Tell your friend Manny we pray for his success. Tully smiled broadly and replied, I sure will. Tully returned to the cockpit to start the vigilant search for land. After the 90 minutes had passed, and the planes had flown the expected number of miles to arrive at the island, Tully glanced at Manny and said, Where did it go?

Chapter 1

Searching for Salvation

April 1, 2025

30,000 feet above the Indian Ocean

Manny didn’t respond to Tully’s question, but threw a sideways glance that spoke volumes. Clearly, he doubted Tully’s navigation skills and just kept flying in the same direction. After 5 very silent minutes, Manny calmly declared, We must have flown in the wrong direction; by how much, I can’t even guess. What do we do? Tully asked. We fly in a gradually increasing spiral, assuming we were off by a few degrees. I’ll instruct Alpha 1 to go up an additional 5000 feet to give them a larger horizon to search. Let’s hope we find this island before we run out of fuel. How much time do we have left before we run out? asked Tully. One hour, max, answers Manny in a matter-of-fact tone. After informing Paul in Alpha 1 of the plan, Manny began the first of the concentric circles of the spiraling route. Each circle was a good five miles wider than the previous one. Tully sweat profusely, his heart pounding in his chest at the thought they all might perish because of his mistake. After completing the third circle and staring at the fourth, now 20 miles wider than the first circle, Tully suddenly glimpsed something sticking out of the glistening waters of the vast blue ocean.

Was it my imagination, a mirage? Tully wondered., his heart beat even faster to the point he felt it would soon explode in his chest. Tully squinted his eyes, put on a pair of sunglasses to help cut the glare and that last move brought into his vision what appeared to be a pointed rock striking out of the water on the horizon. Over there, Tully shouted so loud that Manny reflexively tore his headset off his head. Where? Manny asked. About two o’clock on the horizon, I see a peak sticking out of the water. Manny looked and, after a minute, spotted the same small projection poking through the blue world of water and sky. He turned the Beech 300 toward the peak and watched intently as it gradually grew. Paul’s voice came through the headset, said, You guys see what I’m seeing? Roger, Manny responded. I believe that is our island. We will gradually descend to 5000 feet to get a good look at the runways and get back to you with a report. Roger that, Paul responded. Manny began the descent to 5000 feet and approached the west side of the island. As they approached the runway, but from the 5000-foot altitude, Tully noticed the glistening of rippled or wavy water that seemed to appear right over the runway. Is that runway underwater? Tully asked. It appears that way, Manny said, remaining calm. I’ll go down to 1000 feet to see how deep that water is. Manny adjusted the wing flaps to slow the plane down and descend to the 1000-foot altitude. From there, Tully could see that the water seemed to be just inches deep, and indeed, in spots on the runway, there were dry patches with no water at all. I think we can land here if needed, Tully said to Manny, who nodded affirmatively without responding vocally. Let’s check out the east side runway. I think this one is too short for Alpha 1 to land. The satellite view showed the east side to be considerably longer. They flew past the island, remaining at 1000 feet, then veered left to get into the U-turn to the east side of the island. Upon completing the turn and heading almost due north, the eastside runway lay dead ahead. Clearly on higher ground, with no water anywhere near the runway, a large, downed tree suddenly appeared around halfway down the length of the runway. The tree, covered in vines and blocking a pathway for any plane to set down, looked like it had been there for a very long time. Shit, Manny said. No way Alpha 1 can land on this side with that mammoth tree in the way."

Tully’s mind, now in a fight-or-flight mode, worked overtime to come up with a strategy. Finally, he said, We will have Chase and Burke parachute down near the tree, landing on the runway. If we land on the western side, it will take too long to find our way to the other side of the island. No telling what that hike would be like or how long it would take. How the hell are they going to move that tree? They are strong, but not that strong! Manny exclaimed. Tully retorts, We have four electric chain saws in a crate in the Alpha 1. We can have them attach the crate to a parachute and drop them down to the boys. If it lands softly and doesn’t bust up, they can use them to rip that tree to shreds and open the runway. We must move fast before either plane runs out of fuel. Manny agreed and passed on the plan to Alpha 1. Paul reported that Tony and Patrick were preparing the crate for ejection, and Paul piloted Alpha 1 to make a very low drop to set the package where it was needed. Tully went inside the cabin of the Beech 300 to inform everyone of the problem and the plan. James stood and said, I’m going down there with them. Three can get it done faster than two. Tully’s first instinct was to order James to sit down and rest, but he knew better and just nodded his approval. The three pulled out their parachutes from under their seats and helped each other get them on properly. The only one of the three that had ever jumped out of a plane before was James, who immediately took on the role of leader of the group, explaining to them what to do and how to safely land. Their parachutes would open immediately upon exiting the plane. Once in position, Manny guided the plane above the east side runway. He waited until they passed over the tree to bark out the go command so the wind would carry them away from the tree. Just as they reached the tree below them, they opened the door and lined up for James to be the first to jump. Suddenly, Tully yells at the top of his lungs, GO! and James didn’t hesitate to jump clear of the plane’s wings. Chase jumped seconds later, then Burke, who felt sick to his stomach. He grits his teeth and screams a blood-curdling yell as he departs from the cabin. Mary could not bear to watch her son jump, so she stared out her window in the opposite direction. Their chutes deployed as planned, and each floated slowly to the pavement below, landing about a hundred yards south of the tree. They each rolled up their chutes and stuffed them back into the backpack that housed them. They dropped the pack where they were and began walking toward the tree while watching Alpha 1 appear. Right on time, Paul guided the plane over the runway and a door opened from the rear of the cargo section of Alpha 1. The crate came out with the parachute deployed as it drifted over the tree and toward the three men on the ground. They watched the crate float down and land with a hard thud on the runway. James looked up and noticed another parachute floating toward them. What the hell is that? James exclaimed. Puzzled by the unexpected package, the three ran toward the chute as it swallowed up the attached package just off the runway, landing on the rocky, desert-like land.

Chapter 2

The Runway is Underwater

April 1st, 2025

Unknown Island

In a flurry of sporadic , uncoordinated attempts to remove the chute covering the lump it covered, James, Chase, and Burke finally reached the object covered by the chute. As they pulled it off, they realized the thing it carried to the ground was their daredevil brother and uncle, Patrick. Patrick jumped and triumphantly declared, I’m good! James realized a fourth person to man the fourth chainsaw would speed things up even faster.

Let’s get to work, James orders after giving his crazy younger brother a big hug. Without wasting a minute, they jogged to the crate, covered in deflated parachute cloth. We stuffed bubble wrap into the crate to protect the chainsaws. Hopefully, that worked, Patrick informed the others. They removed the chute more gracefully than the first time and took out a knife Burke carried with him to open the crate. When they opened the lid, they found all four chainsaws intact. Upon opening the box, they found that all four chainsaws were intact, fully charged, and ready to do their job.

Vines grew over the tree like a spider web and had to be pulled off before anyone could begin sawing the tree limbs off. Burke’s knife, more like a machete than a knife, turned out to be a ‘godsend’ in cutting through the thick vines, and Burke was a beast in the efficiency and speed he exhibited cutting through the giant cobweb of vines. As soon as he cleared parts of the downed tree, the others swarmed all over the exposed branches, ripping through them like a hot knife through butter. The four of them worked like possessed freaks, making quick work of the branches and dragging them far away from the runway. Within 30 minutes, the only remaining thing was the giant tree trunk, stripped of the branches that once adorned the massive wooden tree. James then said to everyone, Stop. Rest a minute while I figure out our next step. James realized that the chainsaws they had were too small to cut through the enormous tree that looked to be at least three feet across. Finally, Burke, sensing Jame’s apprehension, suggested, Let’s take the straightest of the tree limbs. We just cut and turn them into levers and roll this tree right off the runway. That’s brilliant, James said. If we place a log under the branch, we create a fulcrum that can move mountains. They immediately used their chainsaws to cut out four logs to place under the branch positioned so the branch could cause the tree to roll over. Spreading out to cover the length of the