Lights Out (Book 2): Power Trip Read online

  Power Trip

  A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

  Hayden James

  Power Trip

  Chapter One

  Mike Cromwell

  “What was that?” Mike muttered, waking up from a deep sleep. He and Demi had fallen asleep in the abandoned barn, taking shelter for the night after leaving Lonnie’s home. They were just out of Ely, Nevada when they stopped to rest.

  Mike’s jolt as he was abruptly woken stirred Demi. “What’s going on?” Demi asked, not fully awake. Mike’s heart pounded as thoughts rushed through his mind. Another attack? An ambush?

  He reluctantly let Demi know that he was startled out of his slumber by a deliberate noise. “I heard something coming from outside the barn,” explained Mike. “It sounded like rustles of bushes and leaves.” Mike reached for the rifle out of the backpack the Lonnie gave him. How could anyone have found them, hidden from sight in the abandoned barn?

  “Quiet,” Mike whispered, barely audible as he put his index finger to his closed lips. Since the power outage, Mike’s fight or flight response had never ceased, he seemed to be constantly on edge. His lungs burned as he attempted to control his breathing, unable to get adequate oxygen into his constricted chest. Peering through the barn window, the darkness was illuminated by the dull glow of the waxing gibbous moon. The moonlight danced on the brush that dotted his vision.

  “See anything?” Demi vocalized under her breath, joining Mike.

  “No, nothing,” answered Mike, his rifle pointed out the window. “I swore I heard something.”

  Demi seemed to relax a little as her voice became louder than a whisper as she said, “Could have been coyotes?”

  “Could have.”

  Mike sat back down, returning the rifle near his pack, his heart still racing. He could now take deep breaths, and his body seemed to start to relax. He leaned his back against the barn wall and noticed that Demi had already fallen back asleep. She must have been exhausted from the last two days. He did not doubt that this whole ordeal was wearing on her. It wore on him as well. He never fathomed that Demi was right when the lights went out on the stage at The Dive. Mike was certain that it was a power outage or technical difficulties, something that they had encountered during their years on tour numerous times. The last thing he’d expect was that this thing, however, Demi explained it, was permanent.

  As he tilted his head back against the wall, he thought about his sister, Sophie and his three-month-old niece, Lily who he was able to see right after she was born in between shows. Sophie married her high school sweetheart, Tom Morris right after graduation. The two waited several years before having Lily as Tom worked hard to build his construction business. Mike was happy for his younger sister, that she had married the man she was supposed to be with. Yet, in a way, he was jealous of her as well. Having a small family, like Sophie was one of his dreams, however, he did not see how that would be possible given his tour schedule. Not to mention, making it big and touring for half of the year was one of Mike Cromwell’s dreams, and something he was willing to put finding the love of his life on hold for the time being.

  He looked over at Demi as she slept, her back touching his leg. The contact allowed Mike to feel secure. As he watched her sleep, he was grateful that she was in his life. Because of her, he lived his dream of touring and drumming were his passions. He never thought that he could make a living doing something that he loved, and all of that was made possible by Demi. Her intoxicating charm and charisma coupled with her near cocky sense of grandeur yet mild self-deprecation made her both relatable and endearing, she was a convoluted blend of egomania and self-loathing all rolled into one. This complexity polarized fans into being rabid or disenchanted, either way, she cultivated a following.

  Despite her fame, Demi was one of the most humble people when she was one on one with a person. This humility is what brought Mike and her together. He had placed in an ad in the Salt Lake City Times, looking for a lead vocalist, a bassist, and a keyboardist for the band that he wanted to start. After several auditions, Demi walked into the studio. Once Mike had formed the band, it was only a matter of weeks before they signed their first record deal.

  Touring began immediately after Rapid Records signed them, but their first tour was filled with drama and unsold shows. Making it in the music industry was an uphill battle, and with several band member changes, rehearsals, and record releases, Demi and Mike were the two constants in Shards of Glass. However, they weathered through the rough patches, and came out on the other side, stronger than ever. Their success had everything to do with Demi, her decisiveness with her art, her songwriting, and her ability to connect with fans was the formula of how they made it. For that, Mike was eternally grateful.

  Through their ups and downs, the bond between Demi and Mike had solidified and the two would have each other’s back in the cut-throat industry of music. Demi moved to Salt Lake City as soon as she could, she had let Mike know early in her career that she moved there because it was a large enough city she could get noticed, yet small enough that she could make a name for herself relatively quickly. This cunningness and professional sophistication are what drew Mike to Demi as it was something that he lacked.

  Mike drifted back to sleep, his mind becoming empty as he dozed, releasing his worries and relinquishing his concerns of the noise that he had heard. Immediately as Mike fell into a deep and relaxed slumber, he was awoken once again.

  Chatuchak. Mike recognized that sound, as it was the sound of a cocking pistol. Mike opened his eyes to find he was staring straight down the barrel of a handgun. Immediately, Mike backed up toward the wall of the barn with his legs pushing back on the ground. “Whoa! What do you guys want?” Mike panicked as he shot his hands up in the air. He looked to the left of the handgun barrel to find that another man held Demi, his hand around her mouth and a gun to her head.

  The man who directed the gun at Mike answered, “We are going to need your supplies and bikes. Give them up without a fight, and no one gets hurt.” Mike could not make out any discernible characteristics of the man who pointed the gun at him since the barrel eclipsed his view.

  “Right! Take what you want,” replied, Mike with a high-pitched voice, shivering as he held his hands in the air. He looked over toward Demi, who attempted to scream through the hand that muffled her mouth, squirming, trying to break free from the man’s grasp.

  “We’d been trailing you for some time. That tent and sleeping bags we saw tied to your packs looked like something we could surely sell, if not use for ourselves,” explained to the man as he held the pistol directed at Mike’s head.

  Demi fought, trying to free herself from the man’s grasp, but his arms were thick as he held her tight against his body. “Hold the girl tight!” yelled the man who held the gun on Mike. While he kept the gun on Mike, the man reached for the pack that laid right next to him. “Looks like you have some nice stuff in here,” the man admitted.

  Rummaging through the backpack, the assailant took his gun off of Mike. Mike slowly lowered his hands as the glimmering black steel of the rifle caught Mike’s eye. Steady, Mike reached for the rifle, bringing it up to a firing position as he sat on the ground. “Let her go!” Mike shouted, the rifle aimed at the man rummaging through the sack.

  The man set down the pack and put his hands up, indicating that he was surrendering and under Mike’s control. “Yeah man,” the assailant relented. The other man continued to hold Demi while she struggled to free herself. “Keep the gun on the girl!” the man shouted to the others who held Demi. Then he directed his voice back to Mike, “You shoot me, she goes too.”

  Since the barrel of the pistol no longer eclipsed
Mike’s vision, he could now see the two men and make out their features from the moonlight. Both were over six feet tall and middle-aged, burley in stature. They wore dark shirts and pants, the color was undetectable in the darkness.

  “Ouch!” screamed the assailant that held Demi. “The witch bit my finger near off!” the man continued, taking his hand off of Demi’s mouth, but still holding her with his arm across her chest as he held the gun to her head.

  “Mike! Shoot him!” Demi shouted.

  Mike moved the rifle barrel over to the man holding Demi. Aiming directly for his head, Mike’s finger froze as it tried to engage the trigger.

  Demi must have noticed Mike’s hesitation as she shouted once again, “Mike! Shoot! Now!” She bent within the man’s grasp, trying to give Mike a larger target. Mike froze.

  Demi took matters into her own hands, stomping on the man’s instep of his foot as she reached for the arm that held her. Pulling down the arm, she escaped the man’s grasp, getting a distance from him. She reached for her holster where she had the handgun that Lonnie gave her. With two pulls of the trigger, both of the men fell to the floor.

  The man who was holding the backpack had reached for his pistol in the commotion but did not have time to discharge it at Mike before Demi got to him. Demi’s shot was improving, as she hit each of the men in the temples, their skulls cratered by the exiting bullet, blood splattered on the opposing wall. Demi took two deep breaths before returning her gun to its holster.

  “Mike! Why didn’t you shoot the guy when I told you to?” Demi shouted, visibly frustrated at Mike.

  Mike stared at her, stunned by her quick action. He shivered as he lowered the rifle, still aimed at the man who held Demi, who was now on the floor of the barn. “Mike! Answer me!” Demi pleaded. “I have to be able to trust you in situations like this. I have your back, you have mine!”

  No response came from Mike. “Goodness, Mike,” Demi continued. “I think the only thing that gave you the courage to come to find me after Kenny kidnapped me was that you had Officer Haskins with you. Otherwise, I’d probably be the kept prize of that crazy loon with Stockholm syndrome.”

  Mike was embarrassed by his hesitation and the admonishment by Demi was not making him feel any better. She was right. Mike needed to man up and realize that the world had changed. It had only been two days since the power went out, but this was a different world. If Mike was going to keep his word and stick by Demi’s side, he needed to be willing to kill for her.

  Something must have softened Demi’s mood. She knelt by him and reasoned, “I know you’ve never killed before, I know you’ve never shot a gun before. I can’t be mad at you for not doing these things.”

  Mike, with tears in his eyes, turned to his friend, “Yeah, I couldn’t shoot them,” he admitted.

  “I know. But you’re going to have to start to learn how to do these things. I’m counting on you, the same way that you are counting on me. If I tell you to shoot, I need you to do so and do so with authority.”

  “I understand,” said Mike with a nod. “We can’t stay here with these two bodies, can we?”

  “Well, we could, but they are giving me the creeps,” admitted Demi. Mike was relieved to see that she was human and did not want to spend the night with the corpses. “Let’s get our stuff and hit the road. When we get tired, we will take a break.”

  Mike nodded and gathered his pack that had been rummaged through by the man. He knelt by the dead body, blood oozing out of his head as he gathered his things. Mike did not like the world that he found himself in.

  The pair took to the road in the thick of night, riding side by side on their beach cruisers. “Hey Demi, what if we don’t make it to Salt Lake City?” Mike asked.

  “Are you having an existential crisis?” Demi asked.

  “Well, sort of. I am still having a hard time realizing what exactly happened, and how quickly society as I once knew it had collapsed.”

  “I see,” replied Demi. “I suppose growing up the way I did, that once something like this happened, I expected society to go all anarchy.” She let go of the handlebar to rub her brow as she steered the bicycle, letting out a tired sigh. “It’s been ten-plus years since I had to learn about any of this stuff. I’m just glad I got my shot back. This whole situation is making me rethink how I see my dad and my upbringing. I’m having a hard time thinking the way I was raised was a good thing, but maybe my dad did the best he knew how, and that is a hard thought for me.”

  “Right. I’m seeing how this is hard for you. But you didn’t answer my question. What if we don’t make it?”

  “Let’s not think about things like that. We need to get to Salt Lake. We need to make sure that your sister and parents are all OK. Then I need to head to Idaho to get Lacey,” explained Demi.

  “Right, and I’m going with you. Once I make sure my family is all right.” Mike adhered to Demi’s caution and not to explore the thought of not making it to Salt Lake City. However, he could not stop thinking about what his sister, brother-in-law, and parents would do if he could not get to them. His heart sunk thinking about the world that his new niece would grow up in if everything that Demi had been saying would come true. How would she know kindness and love in a world like this? She was so innocent, only three months old. Mike resolved to help keep her safe and to know love and kindness like he did growing up.

  “Keep pedaling,” shouted Demi while she turned her head back to yell at Mike. Mike struggled to turn the pedals of his bicycle, feeling fatigued and sore from traveling several miles since daylight.

  Wanting to have the approval of Demi, Mike put more effort into his legs, fighting through the stiffness that plagued his body. Looking around at the picturesque views he had ever seen. The horizon decorated by low mountain peaks, the dehydrated brush, and the big desert sky lent itself to be peaceful and serene.

  The beach cruiser bicycles that Lonnie gave Demi and Mike were comfortable. Not built for speed, but it did the job. Mike felt conflicted, feeling that he could surely pedal faster on a titanium mountain bike than a heavy, and sturdy beach cruiser, but his bottom was not numb as it would have been if he had been on a bike meant for speed and endurance. The wire basket attached to the front of the beach cruiser squeaked and rattled as Mike pedaled, attempting to keep up with Demi.

  Thoughts rushed through Mike’s head. He looked forward to seeing his family, his mother, father, and sister. That thought helped him push through the fatigue that ravaged his body. Mike knew that he was not fit for a long and arduous journey, but he had no choice but to push on.

  “Demi, when are we going to rest?” Mike asked, elevating his voice ahead of him so Demi could hear. She seemed to pedal her bike with such ease, which only discouraged Mike even further.

  “When we can’t go any further,” barked Demi as she pedaled with her legs fully extended, throwing her entire body weight into each thrust into the pedal crank.

  The wind picked up, howling over the mountain range and creating another obstacle for Mike as he endured to keep pedaling. Mike’s physical fitness and inability to keep up with Demi had surprised him. He knew he hadn’t been working out since the band had gone on tour, but he never thought it would be this bad.

  “Demi, I’m trying, but I cannot go much farther,” relented Mike. Demi slowed, allowing Mike to catch up to her.

  “Mike! We’ve been making decent headway. Don’t you want to get to your family?”

  “I do, I really do,” confirmed Mike.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?” Mike asked.

  “Keep pedaling!” Demi moved ahead of him once again, and Mike was left to endure alone.

  Mike put all of his strength into alternating pushing each pedal downward, leveraging the bike to move forward, foot by foot. She went into drill sergeant mode, and Mike was amused by it if he wasn’t fighting the fatigue that set into his body. He was certain that it was remnants from her training by her father. It seemed rough and cold,
the way she treated him, but he realized it was for his good. After all, he wanted more than anything to get to his sister and parents. Mike imagined that was how David, Demi’s father, treated her and her sister, Lacey when they were growing up. Mike gave David the benefit of the doubt that he did what he thought was best for Demi and Lacey. Although Demi grew resentful for the treatment, it did prove to be good training.

  He was concerned by the brief phone call that he had with Sophie that the fires might have gotten close to where they were staying. She and her husband could have walked to their parents’ house up the hill if they needed to, but Mike still worried about them.

  Mike kept pushing through his fatigue. “Demi, I can’t go anymore,” he shouted up at Demi.

  “Uh! All right. Let’s take a break,” shouted Demi, not even turning back to look at Mike.

  Demi slowed her bike and looked back at Mike. “Mike!” she shouted, turning around and pedaling toward Mike. He collapsed on the road, his bike on his leg.

  Demi dismounted her bicycle, kneeling at Mike who laid on the concrete that was not yet warm from the emerging sun. “What happened? Are you all right?” Demi pleaded.

  “I feel so tired. I couldn’t go anymore,” panted Mike, laying on his side.

  “What’s wrong?” Demi asked, feeling his forehead. “Goodness! It feels like you have a fever! Gees, you’re burning up!”

  “I just feel tired,” replied Mike with a faint voice.

  “How’s your leg? Here, let me get this bike off of you!” Demi securing her grasp around the bike frame, removing it from Mike’s leg. Demi proceeded to pull up Mike’s pant leg. “Oh dear!” she muttered.

  “What?” Mike asked, alarmed by her retort. He sat up to see what she was referring to. “Oh, man!” Mike’s eyes were met with green puss coming through the sutures that Demi had won the day before. “How did it get infected so fast?”