SODIUM:2 Apocalypse by Stephen Arseneault Page B

just about a half mile away. I alerted the team that I was going for a quick look and to come looking for me if I was not back within the hour. We had strict rules against separation, but since we had not seen anyone or anything other than the alien ships offshore for months, I took it on myself to break the rule and go.
    I pulled up to the hobby shop in Mike and began my inspection of the property. With my eyes looking constantly down at the rubble I didn’t notice the unknown visitor slipping up behind me. My firearm was strapped to my hip, but it did me no good if I wasn't watching.
    I first learned of the visitor when I felt a heavy blow to the back of my skull. I fell to my knees as the pain shot down through my neck. What had happened? Aliens? The girls and David, were they alright or...? That was the last question I got to before feeling the next blow and blacking out.
    I awoke five minutes later only to find myself disarmed and tied up with duct tape. A scrappy looking bearded fellow with frizzly hair stood in front of me with a big grin on his face. He started in with the questions of what I was doing there and why I was in his city and were there any others with me.
    I wasn't about to rat out my family so I told him I was just scavenging. The man started waving a red handkerchief in the air and a minute later another fellow pulled up on a dirt bike with saddle bags hung all over it. It was loaded with booty. It was a short round man with a pig like nose and the same frizzly hair.
    I asked what they were doing there which only agitated them. It was not only none of my business, but I was in no position to be asking any questions. As the pig faced man began his interrogation the bearded guy left to retrieve his own motorbike.
    His bike was also loaded with saddlebags and had a boom box of sorts strapped to the back. When he pulled up he turned it on and had blaring heavy metal playing. It fit right in with the two men in their tank tops, jeans and boots. The bearded man pulled out a bottle of whiskey and took what was the biggest swig I had ever seen anyone take at one time. Some of the booty was hanging out of one of the saddle bags and it looked to be gold chains and pieces of jewelry.
    For the life of me I couldn't reason why these two rednecks were pilfering jewelry. What possible use could it have? Was there a larger settlement nearby? Real civilization perhaps? These two certainly didn't bring civilization to mind, but I reasoned they must have come from somewhere.
    After each had downed a few big swigs of the whiskey I could see it was having an effect on their manner. Their tone would go from laughing at my demise to threatening me with death. So, I began my usual over analysis of the situation and tormenting of myself for not having paid attention to my surroundings. The scenarios running through my head of what they might do to the others had my stomach in knots.
    I then remembered that I had told David and the girls to come looking for me if I wasn't back within the hour. Were they going to walk right into the situation not knowing what was happening? Would they see me trapped and not come at all? The more alcohol the rednecks consumed the shorter I imagined my time remaining alive was. The pirates were in complete control and I was powerless to act.
    At that moment I heard a shot fired and a young man's voice commanding the two to lay down their weapons. Then a second voice came from the left side barking the same order and then a third from the right. David and the girls had managed to sneak up on the drunks and out flank them. The pig faced man was the first to slowly turn his head and assess the situation. After looking from side to side he let out a roaring laugh and slapped his buddy on the shoulder.
    At first the rednecks attempted to intimidate my rescuers by calling them punk kids and telling the girls just what they were going to do with them when they got a hold of them. I wondered at how the