Bobby Akart - Desolation

Здесь есть возможность читать онлайн «Bobby Akart - Desolation» весь текст электронной книги совершенно бесплатно (целиком полную версию без сокращений). В некоторых случаях можно слушать аудио, скачать через торрент в формате fb2 и присутствует краткое содержание. Год выпуска: 2021, Издательство: Crown Publishers Inc., Жанр: Триллер, sf_postapocalyptic, на английском языке. Описание произведения, (предисловие) а так же отзывы посетителей доступны на портале библиотеки ЛибКат.

Desolation: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

Предлагаем к чтению аннотацию, описание, краткое содержание или предисловие (зависит от того, что написал сам автор книги «Desolation»). Если вы не нашли необходимую информацию о книге — напишите в комментариях, мы постараемся отыскать её.

As Nuclear Winter wrapped its gloomy arms around the planet, man experienced a state of anguished misery and desolation.
In order to survive, some became territorial, shunning outsiders.
Those in positions of leadership wielded it like a club.
While others resisted.
This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but with many nuclear bombs detonated around the planet. It was no longer a topic of conversation around the dinner table as in years past.
Nuclear winter enveloped the planet with its relentless barrage of dark, sooty air. With each passing day, more and more people died. In a desperate attempt to give people a chance to survive, some government leaders chose to marshal the assets of their community. It was a polite way of saying take from those who have and give to those who have not.
Hank Albright and his family were not selfish people. However, they were survivors and they’d prepared for the worst.
What happens when an all-powerful government sets its sights on what you own? Will you willingly give away the food and necessary to keep your family alive? Or, will you fight for what is yours?
For the Albright’s, they stood shoulder to shoulder and declared, I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
This is more than the story of nuclear conflict. It’s about the devastating effects wrought by Nuclear Winter. Our possible future is seen through the eyes of the Albright family whose roots stretch back to the early settlement of the Florida Keys.
While they fight for survival, they trek across a rapidly deteriorating landscape wrought with danger from both the elements and their fellow man.
It was not our fight, but it became our problem.

Desolation — читать онлайн бесплатно полную книгу (весь текст) целиком

Ниже представлен текст книги, разбитый по страницам. Система сохранения места последней прочитанной страницы, позволяет с удобством читать онлайн бесплатно книгу «Desolation», без необходимости каждый раз заново искать на чём Вы остановились. Поставьте закладку, и сможете в любой момент перейти на страницу, на которой закончили чтение.

Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Lindsey laughed. If she was threatened by Erin’s straight talk, she didn’t show it. She abruptly stood, catching Hank and Erin off guard. “Well, I’ve got a county to run, and this conversation isn’t very productive for me to continue. I get the sense the president is taking my actions to protect Monroe County’s citizens a little too personally. When you speak to him, may I suggest he focus on his own shit?”

And with that, the conversation was over, and the two of them were summarily dismissed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Wednesday, November 13

Key West

They had barely left the administration building when Erin issued her opinion of Mayor Lindsey Free. “She certainly chose the right career. That woman is a vulture who belongs in the halls of Congress.”

Hank let out a nervous laugh. He was not a confrontational person by nature, so the toe-to-toe exchange between the two politicians had made him somewhat uneasy.

“She’s always been stubborn and righteous, too. There’s no way she’ll leave office willingly. We’ve got a helluva fight on our hands.”

“Sadly, you’re right. If anything, she’ll set her sights on us as soon as she can.”

Hank glanced at his watch. He hadn’t worn it in the nearly four weeks since the nuclear missiles began flying. There were no appointments to be kept or places to be. Today, however, Mike had given them a precise time when he planned to return to the administration building to pick them up. It was more than two and a half hours from now, which gave them plenty of time to start walking along Truman Avenue toward the sheriff’s department.

“Are you up for a walk?” asked Hank.

“Yeah. I’d like to see more of Key West.”

Hank broached the subject carefully without doing anything to offend Erin for the approach she’d taken with Lindsey. There was no good way to talk to the mayor, so he couldn’t fault Erin for trying to make her points.

“Is there a chance the president is bluffing? I mean, would he really send in the Marines?”

She raised her eyebrows and shrugged. After rolling her head around her neck to relieve some tension, she replied, “I could answer that question better if I’d been in the room with the president when he issued his instructions to Chandler. I don’t trust Chandler, and the subtle threat may have been his own doing. That said, the president can be flighty. Oftentimes making decisions ruled by his emotional state at the time. Even if he didn’t say it, Chandler spoke for him, so I have to assume it to be his directive.”

“Would we have better luck by staying out of everybody’s way and allowing the military the opportunity to take care of Lindsey?” he asked.

“If it goes that far, the president will want to install one of his political cronies. Most likely someone who’d receive the blessing of the governor. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. Especially when you consider the law enforcement duties could be taken over by the U.S. military instead of your sheriff and those serving beneath him.”

Hank grimaced. Lindsey had put them all in an untenable situation, and now they had to move quickly before the president lost patience or confidence in Erin’s ability to deliver a peaceful resolution.

As they walked up Truman Avenue to the point where it became Roosevelt Avenue, they both pointed out the looted buildings and the number of people who were sleeping in makeshift tents. Several businesses had been burned out, and most had their windows broken. The town looked like a war zone, and it was just a matter of time before every business was stripped of anything of value.

Even the car dealerships across from the marina weren’t spared. People desperate for gasoline had attempted to siphon what little fuel the dealership’s vehicles had in them. A row of three Jeep Rubicons had caught on fire, likely because someone had attempted to drill a hole in the underside of a gas tank, creating sparks that ignited the fuel.

Up the street, the scooter rental store was being pillaged as they walked by. Hank quickly pulled Erin with him to cross the street so they didn’t come into contact with the looters. The scooters weren’t the target of the thieves. They wanted the bicycles that had been shackled together in front of the store. One man tried to hold a bike on his back as he pedaled away on another one he’d stolen. He could barely control the handlebars as he pedaled.

“It will go on like this, Hank, until somebody steps in and stops it,” said Erin. “Every retail store followed by residences of all types will be looted.”

They walked another ten minutes, pointing out damage to property and the occasional dead body that had been covered with palm fronds. It was a disturbing and depressing scene that started to weigh heavily on Hank.

Then they came upon the Gordon’s Food Service location. The aftermath of the sheriff’s office raid and the ensuing gun battle shocked them both. Bloodstains filled the parking lot. Torn sheets and bedding were used to cover the dead, held in place by small coquina boulders. People were still filing in and out of the building, desperate to find any morsel of food to sustain them for another day. While Hank and Erin paused to take in the scene, a man approached them.

“Say, do you have anything to eat that you can spare?”

“No, sir, we don’t,” replied Hank. “I’m sorry. Can you tell me what happened here?”

“Sheriff’s department came in like stormtroopers. The store had been boarded up, and all of us who live around here knew it was being guarded. That’s why we never messed with ’em.”

“Who?” asked Erin.

“Hired guns,” he replied. “Some were ex-military. Others were just tough guys who were good with a weapon. Anyway, the SWAT team showed up in their military trucks and began to peel off the plywood. That’s when the bullets started flyin’.”

Hank pointed at the dead bodies and the pools of blood that had soaked into the asphalt. “The SWAT team was all the way out here?”

“No, sir. That’s what I’m sayin’. The bullets were flyin’. Most of these dead people are my neighbors. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You know what I mean?”

Hank closed his eyes and shook his head. Erin reached over and squeezed his hand.

She looked to the old man. “Did you hear the sheriff’s deputies say anything about what they were doing?”

“I didn’t, but my buddy over there did,” he replied and pointed toward the shaded areas in front of Centennial Bank, where several newly homeless people gathered around. “He said the mayor ordered these raids to feed everyone. When we asked for food, they said we had to wait for the distributions in a week or so.”

“I’m sorry this happened to your friends,” she said sincerely.

“Yep, me too. It didn’t stop the sheriff, though. They’re just up the street at Publix and Winn-Dixie doing the same thing. You can keep walking that way, but I’d keep my distance if I were you.”

The man wandered off, and Erin grasped Hank’s hand to draw his attention from the carnage. “Listen, there’s nothing we can do about this. I do want to see their tactics. How far is it to these two grocery stores?”

“Winn-Dixie is right around the corner, and Publix is up the street from there.”

“Come on,” said Erin, who tugged at Hank’s hand and began to walk briskly up North Roosevelt Boulevard. The shopping district that was once filled with tourists and locals alike loading up on staples was in shambles. It had only been a few weeks since the attacks. Erin began to wonder what their surroundings would look like a few weeks from now.

Читать дальше
Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Похожие книги на «Desolation»

Представляем Вашему вниманию похожие книги на «Desolation» списком для выбора. Мы отобрали схожую по названию и смыслу литературу в надежде предоставить читателям больше вариантов отыскать новые, интересные, ещё непрочитанные произведения.


Yasmina Reza - Desolation
Yasmina Reza
M. Banner - Desolation
M. Banner
Ian McDonald - Desolation Road
Ian McDonald
Bobby Byrd - Lone Star Noir
Bobby Byrd
Patrick O'Brian - Desolation island
Patrick O'Brian
Bobby Akart - Armageddon
Bobby Akart
Bobby Akart - First Strike
Bobby Akart
Bobby Akart - Devil Storm
Bobby Akart
Bobby Akart - Whiteout
Bobby Akart
Werner Kleine - Bobby
Werner Kleine
Jack Higgins - East of Desolation
Jack Higgins
Отзывы о книге «Desolation»

Обсуждение, отзывы о книге «Desolation» и просто собственные мнения читателей. Оставьте ваши комментарии, напишите, что Вы думаете о произведении, его смысле или главных героях. Укажите что конкретно понравилось, а что нет, и почему Вы так считаете.

x