The Shepherd: Society Lost: Volume One (A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller) Read online

  The Shepherd

  Society Lost – Volume One

  By Steven C. Bird

  The Shepherd

  Society Lost – Volume One

  Copyright 2015 by Steven C. Bird

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or shared without expressed consent and prior authorization from the author.

  Published by Steven C. Bird at Homefront Books

  Illustrated by Hristo Kovatliev

  Edited by Carol Madding at [email protected]

  Final Review by Sabrina Jean at fasttrackediting.com

  Kindle Edition 7.1.16

  ISBN: 978-1-4951-8235-8

  www.homefrontbooks.com

  www.stevencbird.com

  facebook.com/homefrontbooks

  [email protected]

  Table of Contents

  Disclaimer

  Dedication

  Introduction

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  A Note from the Author

  Disclaimer

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real events or persons, past or present, living or dead, are purely coincidental and are not intended by the author. Although this book is based on real places and some real events and trends, it is a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only. None of the activities in this book are intended to replace legal activities and your own good judgment.

  Dedication

  With each book I write, my list of people to whom I owe a great debt gets longer and longer. There are many people in the indie-author community that help to make the dream of writing a reality for myself and many others. That list is, of course, too long to detail here, but for each and every one who has given me guidance or encouragement along the way, I owe you all an eternal debt of gratitude.

  To my beautiful wife and loving children: may this book be only one of many more that I write that helps to secure our future together; living the life that we dream of.

  Introduction

  One year ago today, most of the fighting ended. The fighting, brought about by the great collapse as some referred to it, concluded with no clear victory, no fanfare, no resolution to the turmoil the world had faced. For quite some time, it had seemed that modern society was headed down a self-destructive path. Corrupt politicians, regardless of party affiliation or claimed ideology, sold their influence to special interests while pandering to a growing voter class who would cast their lot with whomever paid them the proper lip service or offered them the most in exchange for their vote, always paid for at the detriment of others.

  As nations all over the world began to go bankrupt, their economies began to fail from the crushing debt of the promises made to voters in exchange for power. The world’s financial systems started to collapse, piece by piece, starting slowly at first, with most governments hiding their eyes from the fact that their economies were based on fiat currency, backed by nothing but the word of collapsing governments. When this financial house of cards began to fall, those who had been waiting in the shadows began to come into the light and take advantage of the situation spreading all across the globe.

  The politicians, most of whom were merely well-paid pawns in the game, were blamed, and either jailed or lynched by mobs of angry and desperate citizens as the hopelessness began to set in. Meanwhile, those who actually pulled the marionette strings from behind the dark curtain of financial manipulation began to take control.

  What many referred to as the New World Order, a vast web of international conspirators hell-bent on dominating the world with a totalitarian global government, ascended to power, masquerading as those who would save the common citizen from the chaos caused by their very own puppets, who now took the blame.

  Utilizing unholy alliances with terrorist organizations and organized crime—who also had their sights set on carving out a piece of this new world for themselves—the New World Order accelerated their goals under the guise of a violent, total societal breakdown, the chaos of which masked the true perpetrators.

  As each of these groups advanced their end goals, their courses diverged, creating struggles within what had started out as a symbiotic relationship seeking the mutually beneficial destruction of society. The world’s elite, the powerful financial, governmental, and corporate leaders of the New World Order would come to regret their alliances with religious extremists, which looked to the total annihilation of all non-believers in their cause as the ultimate culmination of their work. To that end, they unleashed the widespread use of weapons of mass destruction against all major population centers, killing off as much as seventy percent of the world’s developed societies.

  Those attacks did not spare the NWO elite—a betrayal that would have gone the other way if they had simply acted first. Neither side had ever intended on truly coexisting with one another; dividing up the new world in an equitable fashion as they had agreed. Many of the NWO elite and their families fell prey to the horrors of the large-scale, indiscriminate use of chemical, radiological, and biological weapons utilized by the Jihadi extremist factions.

  In retaliation, the NWO elite employed their remaining governmental controls in counter-attacks against the jihadists, although in the end, it made little difference, as the lack of adequate controls in employing their own weapons of mass destruction took a significant toll on their own populations as well.

  As the fighting subsided from the attrition of leadership and the near-eradication of organized forces on both sides, the world was left a crumbled, decaying shell of its former self. For those who had survived, every day would be a challenge. Not only would it be a struggle for the basic necessities of life, it would be a fight for those who hoped to retain their humanity in this new and violent world, while they faced those who saw the road to survival as being paved with violence, intimidation, and aggression.

  Chapter One

  Taking a sip of warm, homemade herbal tea from his thermos, he felt the heat from the liquid radiating upward, warming his face against the cold morning air. Sitting on top of the ridge, looking down at his flock below, he gripped his Winchester Model 70, chambered in .30-06, with his right hand, while he scratched his Karakachan sheep dog behind the ears with his left.

  “Duke, old boy,” he said as he gazed at his flock do
wn below. “You can almost feel winter’s chill starting to set in. It won’t be long and all of this green will be white again. I guess we’d better get to the task of reducing our flock and stocking our stores with meat before it comes to that.”

  Duke turned his head, looking at him as if he understood what the man was saying. For the next few minutes, the two enjoyed the peace and silence of the still morning air and the tranquility the Rocky Mountains provided them.

  Jessie Townsend was the man’s name. Before the great collapse, Jessie, or “J.T.” as many called him, was the sheriff of Montezuma County, Colorado, nestled high in the Rocky Mountains. At forty-four years old, he was the husband of Stephanie Townsend, and the father of daughter Sasha and son Jeremy, ages ten and eight, respectively.

  Before the collapse, Jessie had the foresight to cash out his retirement and buy a remote cabin deep in the Rockies. Over the years, as he watched the world spiral out of control, he prepared the cabin with provisions, supplies, tools, and everything they would need in order to survive for an extended time on their own, in the event that his fears eventually came true.

  Jessie lost his bid for reelection in what many in Montezuma County considered to be a travesty, an act of voter fraud so great that it appeared that his challenger won in a landslide, though virtually no one would admit to having voted for him. Jessie could see the writing on the wall, though, and did not contest the vote.

  His successor was politically well connected and had the financial backers to bankrupt Jessie with lengthy court battles if he had challenged the outcome. Add to that a legal system that had become heavily controlled by those who were connected to the right circles, and Jessie knew it would have been futile to even try. Instead, he decided it was time to quietly relocate his family to their simple mountain hideaway to ride out whatever might come to pass.

  A day didn’t go by when he wasn’t thankful for his fortuitous decision to follow his gut instinct. Acting early had given his family time to adapt to their new lifestyle, as well as giving them time to grow their flock of sheep to a size that provided them with both meat and wool. Jessie now saw himself as a simple, humble shepherd and spent many of his days watching faithfully over his flock as a means of protecting his family’s future.

  This morning, as he reflected on the past, which was ever-present on his mind, he turned to thoughts of the future and the upcoming winter. Winter often came with little warning in the mountains, and he knew that once you started to feel it, it would be upon you before you knew it.

  Jessie’s thoughts were interrupted by Duke springing up on all fours while letting out a restrained woof, followed almost immediately by a loud and aggressive bark and a lunge forward. Quickly picking up his binoculars, Jessie scanned the area below to see his flock running rapidly up the side of the hill toward his position.

  Catching a glimpse of one of his sheep going down in his peripheral vision, Jessie quickly focused on the abrupt movement, to see a wolf ravaging the defenseless animal. Cycling a round into the chamber with the bolt and slipping off the safety, Jessie held his rifle steady and took aim as he estimated the yardage, adjusted his hold, and gradually applied pressure on the trigger until he felt the shock of the powerful .30-06 cartridge as it discharged and sent the one-hundred-and-sixty-five grain projectile toward the offending animal.

  He immediately grabbed Duke by the collar and said, “Steady boy. Not yet. Where there’s one, there’s more. Don’t go gettin’ yourself killed on me.”

  He then continued scanning the area below through his rifle scope, catching only a fleeting glimpse of a second wolf as it ducked quickly back into the woods.

  “Mongrels,” he mumbled. “We’re gonna have to do something about your cousins down there,” he said. “They’re getting too brave, attacking in broad daylight.”

  Climbing to his feet, Jessie slung his rifle over his shoulder, let go of Duke’s collar and said, “Come on, boy. Let’s go put that poor sheep out of its misery.”

  ~~~~

  Looking out the front window of the small three-room cabin, Stephanie shouted, “Kids, there’s your dad. It’s time for breakfast,” as she saw Jessie approach on horseback with his packhorse in tow.

  Pulling his horses up to the front of the house, Jessie dismounted and greeted Stephanie with a hug and a kiss as he met her at the door.

  “Breakfast is ready,” she said. “Lamb and eggs. Your favorite.”

  Stepping inside, he closed the door behind him to keep the crisp morning air out of the cozy little cabin and replied, “It smells great. You three go ahead and eat without me. Just save me some. I’ve got to deal with something before I settle in.”

  “You’ve been out there almost all night. You need to get some rest. Eat breakfast and take yourself a nap. Whatever chores you think you have to do right now can wait.”

  “This can’t,” he said, pulling the curtain to the side and pointing to the load draped over the back of his old gray pack-horse, Jack.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “A sheep and a wolf.”

  “Again? Damn it! Uh... I mean, dang it,” she said, correcting herself as she realized the kids were in the room. “Is Duke okay?”

  “Yeah, Duke’s fine. He’s out there with the flock dutifully standing guard like a sheepdog should. It seems there are more and more wolves every day,” he said as he hung his old weathered, wide-brimmed hat on the coat hook. “It’s gonna be a rough winter once their food sources start to thin out. We’re gonna have to be on our toes. We may even need to reduce the flock more than usual, so that we can bring them in close to the cabin.”

  With a disappointed look on her face, Stephanie said, “I suppose you need your knives and bone saw?”

  “Yeah. I’ll butcher the sheep up for us and make dog food out of the wolf.”

  Stephanie scrunched her face and replied, “Yuck! Dog food out of a wolf? That’s cannibalism. Wolves are dogs, too.”

  “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Very funny, mister,” Stephanie said, crossing her arms while giving him ‘the look.’

  “Relax. Meat is meat,” he replied. “Besides, like I said, it’s gonna be a rough winter. We can’t afford to waste anything. I’ll keep the pelt, too. You never know what it will come in handy for. Maybe you can make me some wolf-pelt house shoes,” he said with a crooked smile.

  Pushing him toward the door, Stephanie said, “Just go get done what you have to get done, so you can get back in here and relax for a while.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jessie said, tipping his hat to her as he placed it on his head and started on his way to pull Jack, the pack horse, to the meat-processing shed.

  Chapter Two

  Stephanie, who now homeschooled both Sasha and Jeremy, was a middle school English teacher before society began its final death throes. Unlike Jessie, who seemed to prefer their new way of life over the way things used to be, even when times in the past were good, she often missed her old life. Even though their little mountain homestead grew on her more each day, she couldn’t help but catch herself getting lost in her own reflections of the past. Often times, she would watch the children doing their homework and flashback to all of the smiles of the children she used to teach. She wondered what had become of them, although she knew the sad reality was that more than likely, most of them would not have made it through the collapse and the subsequent attacks.

  Denver’s population had been decimated by a bioterrorism attack with a weaponized strain of Marburg hemorrhagic fever and the entire city and surrounding areas were now considered to be dead zones by most. Although, with the fractured state of the nation, there was no way to get a reliable report of the city’s true status, especially considering the secluded nature of the Townsend’s self-sufficient, mountain hideaway.

  As she gazed out the window, Stephanie heard young Sasha ask, “Mommy, are you okay?”

  Snapping back to her present reality, Steph
anie realized that a tear was rolling down her cheek, as she was lost in her nightmares of the recent past. Wiping the tear from her cheek with her hand, she said, “Yes, dear. I just had something in my eye.” Pausing for a moment, she continued, “You two have been working very hard. Why don’t you take a break? Run outside and see if your father needs a hand. You could use some fresh air.”

  The children’s eyes lit up with their mother’s suggestion and they both ran straight for the door. “Don’t stay out there all day! We’ve got to go over your work while it’s still fresh in your minds,” she shouted as they quickly disappeared outside, the front door slamming shut behind them.

  Stephanie walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of piping hot herbal tea that she had been keeping warm on the old-fashioned wood stove. She then walked over to the old antique upholstered chair that Jessie had placed in the corner of the room by her favorite window. As she sat down on the chair, she gazed out the window and lost herself to her emotions, breaking down into tears. “Oh, God, why? Why did you leave our children this world to grow up in? Why couldn’t things have just stayed the same?”

  Putting her hands over her face, she heard the door open softly, followed by Jessie’s voice, “Steph, are you okay?”

  Attempting to regain her composure, she replied, “Yes. Yes, I’ll be fine,” as she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to continue her gaze out the window at the beautiful and serene mountains.

  “When the kids came out and said you sent them... well, I figured you might have been having a moment. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and see if there was anything I could do.”

  “You can turn back time,” she replied tersely, intensifying her stare through the old pane of glass that separated her from the outside world.