Rise of the Prepper: A Story of the Coming Collapse

Rise of the Prepper

A Story of the Coming Collapse

a non-stop action prepare fiction story by “Above Average Joe” Frank Bates

© This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. The book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, historical events, is purely coincidental. This ebook may not be sold or gifted to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. No part of this book may be re-printed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written consent of the author. Copyright © 2016 Above Average Joe Frank Bates. All rights reserved.

About The Author:

Frank Bates is a master of many trades; from survivalist fisherman and outdoors enthusiast to expert published wordsmith. His real-world experiences working with NASA and consulting with Cosmonauts, colors his fictional work, adding a dynamic sense of realism to every scene. The result: fame! Frank Bates has been covered in various forums including Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch.

I always like to be emailed feedback, comments, and remarks. I love your questions. If you don’t understand something in the story, please email me and I will clarify anything you want to know in the novel. You can reach me at [email protected]

Table of Contents

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 One: Parasites

[December 12, 2016 – 3 Months before the Outbreak]

             
A
t first glance, Dr. Timothy Frankel, who was sitting alone near the back of the plane looking out the window, seemed inconspicuous. A man in his 50’s, with his white suit and hat, he looked like a proper gentleman. His easy grace bespoke of a good nature. His clear eyes belied the genius within. No one would certainly suspect that this man planned to bring about the end of the world.

              Dr. Timothy Frankel was renowned all over the world as one of the greatest pioneers of Microbiology, most especially in the field of Virology. He was just coming home from a conference on Molecular Virology held in Los Angeles. He would prefer not going to these annual gatherings since they usually occurred in the fall but he had no choice. It was, after all, a gathering of like-minded experts and he couldn’t pass up the chance to expand his knowledge.

              The doctor looked out the window and his eyes sparkled as he spotted a lake surrounded by some mountains. He was known to be a great fan of the outdoors. He was a great lover of nature and enjoyed her beauty tremendously.

As a boy, Dr. Frankel used to go fishing with his father after church on Sundays and taking care of the animals at their family’s farm. He closed his eyes as he remembered how he felt breathing in the cool fresh air of the mountains coupled with the smell of the forest. That was one of the only memories he had left of his childhood that never failed to bring a smile to his face.

Life was good until… The doctor’s eyes hardened as the scenery below shifted to a patchwork of buildings, factories billowing black smoke, and pieces of land that had been stripped bare of life.

The browns and grays of the railways and roads that spread through the land looked like the pseudopods of an amoeba. No, on second thought, they looked more like scars—disfiguring and defiling what was once beautiful and pristine.

Dr. Frankel felt the familiar surge of rage within his chest at the memories that thought evoked. They didn’t deserve what happened back then. Not his father, his mother nor his sisters. Not even the animals and the forest. No one deserved it and yet it happened anyway. He came  to a conclusion as he watched everything around him burn to ashes that day including his family: as long as humans, with their relentless pursuit of monetary satisfaction and inherent violence roamed this earth—infesting it like cockroaches, sucking out its life like parasites—there will be no hope for a better future.

A stewardess approached with a trolley cart full of drinks and snacks. “Good afternoon, sir. Would you like something to drink?” She asked.

The doctor showed no sign of hearing her, so consumed with his thoughts. He continued staring out the window, watching the earth below as they passed. “…just like parasites.” He murmured.

“Sir?”

He finally turned to the stewardess with a benign smile. “Don’t you agree?”

The stewardess tilted her head a bit to the side, puzzled. “With what, sir?”

“Don’t you think our planet is magnificent?”

If the stewardess thought it was strange to ask such a question out of the blue, she didn’t show it. She smiled and said, “It truly is. It’s such a shame, though.”

Dr. Frankel raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How so?”

“Mother earth is truly beautiful but there are wars everywhere and corporations who just care about making a profit without considering the environment.”

The doctor’s smile grew bigger in appreciation. “Such insightful sentiments, my dear. You are quite right.” Noticing the trolley, he nodded towards it and said, “I’ll just have some coffee please.”

“Is that all you will be having?” The stewardess asked. At the older man’s nod, she smiled. “Very well, sir. I’ll get your coffee.”

The doctor watched the retreating back of the stewardess and remarked on what an intelligent young woman she was. If only everyone had the same mindset as her, there would be no need for what he had planned.
Oh, well. It's too late now
, he shrugged. He looked around the quiet plane, observing his fellow passengers. Some were sleeping, earphones jammed in their ears while others were chatting with their companions excitedly in hushed voices.

Amused at their blissful ignorance, he playfully imagined reaching out to all the people on board and mentally announcing his plans to them. He wondered how their faces would look like. He guessed that majority would be terrified. They would cower in their seats and worry for their own safety. Such was the selfishness of man. In times of great terror, they automatically prayed for their own survival and not of their families, much less other human beings. Another reason why humans were such a disgusting pest.
But I digress
, he thought.

There will be others, who, upon learning what is to come their way, would turn to aggressive behavior. They would point their fingers at him and call him names. They would threaten him and say if he didn't stop what he had planned, they will kill him. Meanwhile, there would be those who would just stay quiet. Seemingly at peace with their fate. These were the precious few who would understand why.

He almost felt some pity for them. Dr. Frankel wasn’t religious, not by any stretch of the word, but if God did exist, the doctor hoped that He would take care of those precious few. As a lover of nature and as a man of science, he understood more than anyone how resilient nature was. It would always find a way to adapt and survive and so would humanity too. He just hoped that the ones who do survive will be like that intelligent young stewardess.

A baby's cry from somewhere in the plane broke the silence, bringing him out of his reverie. The baby's mother sang the child a lullaby to calm her.

Hm, yes. If humans did survive, let the future generations learn the mistakes of their forebears. Let them take heed of their lessons and take advantage of the fresh start he had gifted them with. Surely, the children of tomorrow will sing him praises. They will say that he was truly a man among men for committing such a noble deed. They will say that it was his wisdom and vigilance that ultimately saved the world.

He looked at the abomination below with cool detachment. “Yes, the planet is quite precious indeed but she’s very sick. If there’s any hope at all of curing her, then the parasites must go away.” He murmured. In his hand was a copy of an invitation for the upcoming Global Influenza Research and Development Symposium in March. He had no plans of going, of course. He could not risk himself like that. Still, it was very ironic. He supposed that it was how fate worked. To be given such a great opportunity, truly, it must be destiny. He didn’t believe in God but maybe a higher entity had deigned his plan as a viable solution to the epidemic wrought on by humans on the planet. A wistful smile appeared on his lips. The ones who search for the cures will be the ones to spread the disease. It was ironic, but oh, the future never looked so bright.

Chapter Two: Seth

[March 14, 2016 – Two Weeks before the Outbreak]

              The roaring of the engines slowly quieted down as Deputy U.S. Marshal Seth Andrew’s truck pulled in front of the cabin. He jumped out from the driver’s side and grunted as his feet hit the ground. He slammed the door shut on his black Ford F150 and walked with heavy steps to the cabin.

              He was exhausted. His biceps hurt as they always did after a long day at work. He’d been a firearms instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Atlanta for many years now but his body still hurt after working with guns all day. You’d think he’d be numbed to it by now but he guessed shooting high power firearms weighing 10 pounds almost non-stop would still take its toll on his body no matter how long he’d done it.

              Talking about being numb, he was certain he could no longer feel his legs. Driving for hours on rough roads every day was harsh on his aging legs. Try as he might deny the obvious, he was getting on in years. He’s definitely not like those young bucks he taught at the training center anymore.

He put his bag down next to the couch in the living room. He didn’t bother taking off his jacket. It was still cold after all. “Damn kids.” He grunted as he rotated his arm. The kids that he taught today weren’t particularly the brightest bunch. They kept messing up and he had to keep demonstrating over and over again.

              He went over to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He opened the fridge and saw that there were still a few bottles of beer left. Changing his mind, he grabbed one and shut the fridge close. He deserved a reward for all the work he did that day.

              He went out to the porch and sat in his old but comfortable rocking chair. Taking a sip of his beer, he laid back and relaxed as he gently rocked the chair back and forth.

              Maybe it was time for him to have a career change or move to a closer house. Doing either one would probably make things a little easier for his body. He had considered it a couple of times before but he’d never pulled through with it. What could he do? He was as great at shooting as Einstein was in physics. He looked at the mountains in the distance and breathed in the fresh air. He could go and he probably should, but he couldn’t leave the cabin. It was his little slice of heaven in this world. Every time he returned home there, he felt like everything was all right again in the world. The cabin made up with the hard sturdy wood his father had cut down from the surrounding forest to build it was not only a house but a home full of memories. With his father serving 15 years in prison for manslaughter, his mother and sister living on an Amish farm in rural New York, the cabin was all he had left. He just had to deal with his circumstances as they were. It was all worth it anyway.

              He was enjoying the peace and quiet when the distant sound of a gunshot broke the silence. The gun fired off two more times. Seth didn’t even bother getting out of his chair to check out what it was about. He was in the mountains after all and the gunshots were pretty far away. He figured that whoever shot those fires must probably be some hunters out to hunt some poor animal.
Damn raccoon chasers.
Can’t a man have some peace?