THE END - Book I - Of THE EVENT SERIES Read online

  THE END

  Book I

  Of

  THE EVENT SERIES

  MW HUFFMAN

  The End- Book I of The Event Series©2012

  By Marshall Huffman

  All Rights Reserved

  WaKe Productions

  The End – Book I of The Event Series

  2012

  This is a work of fiction from the mind of the author. It is intended to represent no person living or dead. Certain elements have been fabricated. No part of this book may be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the author.

  “There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.”

  -UNKNOWN

  OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED BY MW HUFFMAN

  THE END–BOOK I of The Event Series

  THE BEGINNING–BOOK II of The Event Series

  THE REVELATION–BOOK III of The Event Series

  The Second Civil War–BOOK I-A Nation Divided

  The Second Civil War–Book II-A Nation at War

  The Second Civil War–Book III–A Nation Healing

  Project BlueBolt – BOOK I – American Gulags

  Project BlueBolt – BOOK II - The Gulag Journal

  Project BlueBolt – BOOK III – American Uprising

  REVOLUTION

  THE BRINK

  CLOSE PROXIMITY

  BLACKSTAR

  CHIMERA

  WORLDS END

  SUN BURST

  Sins of the Fathers

  The Unfinished

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 1 - The Alphabet Murders

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 2 - Frost Bite

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 3 - Dead Aim

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 4 - What Goes Around

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 5 - Nothing to Lose

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 6 - Shadow Man

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 7 – The Club

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 8 – Shakespeare Murders

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 9 – One Too Many

  Angie Bartoni Case File #10 – Weak Link

  Angie Bartoni Case File #11 – Vanishing Act

  Angie Bartoni Case File #12 – Victim’s Advocate

  Angie Bartoni Case File #13 – Payback

  Angie Bartoni Case File #14 – Dead on Arrival

  The Logan Files - Blond Deception

  The Logan Files - Innocence and Avarice

  The Logan Files - The Deal Breaker

  The Logan Files – Pain Center

  Norris Files - Silver2

  Norris Files – Insurrection

  PROLOGUE

  What if something out of man’s control changed the world? What if no one country was the strongest? How much different would the world be if we started over with all people and countries on a level playing field? Would we be intelligent enough to learn from the past or would we simply repeat the same mistakes again? Are humans really capable of learning from the past and making the necessary changes to assure a better world for mankind?

  Where do we even begin? What are the first basic steps that must be taken to ensure the survival of the human race? Currently the Earth has seven billion people living on the planet. If some catastrophic event occurred that wiped out all but a few thousand, could they rebuild an entire world with only the very basic necessities to sustain life? What would the priorities be and who would decide what they were?

  The Earth has experienced incredible breakthroughs in almost every field of endeavor. Our technology is interwoven into our very fiber of daily life. If that technology was suddenly rendered useless, what would we do?

  Humans are a resilient breed that can usually rise to any occasion. But suddenly being thrust back into the pre-computer age would be a monumental challenge. The question isn’t so much one of ‘IF’ we survive but ‘HOW’ would we survive.

  Given a second chance, can those remaining build a better world than we live in today? Who will make the decisions that will shape the future? Everything that we have done in the past can now be scrutinized and evaluated. The decisions made will determine how the next generations will live.

  Vision without action is a daydream

  Action without vision is a disaster

  -Unknown-

  CHAPTER ONE

  The Sun Dome

  A dim light could be seen just ahead. Randy touched Rachel on the leg and she looked back. He pointed to the light and she gave him a thumbs-up. Randy reached down and looked at his pressure gauge. He still had 1600 psi in his oxygen tank. He reached out and checked Rachel’s gauges as well. Her gauge registered 1750 psi.

  There was plenty of air to get them back out of the cavern once they made their way to the sinkhole. Randy and Rachel had been diving partners for five years and while there were no romantic feelings between them, the joy of scuba diving was a common bond.

  Randy had first met Rachel when he went on a scuba diving adventure in Aruba. He had been a lone diver which was never popular. It meant he would have to tag along with another group or be paired with someone he didn’t know. As it turned out, Rachel was a lone diver as well so they became dive partners for the week.

  Randy soon found that she was an accomplished diver and used good judgment and possessed skills that many of his previous partners lacked. This turned out to be especially important since he loved underwater photography and Rachel had excellent buoyancy control. She became adept at keeping track of where they were in relation to the boat and watching the gauges carefully. He knew that he was bad at that.

  Once he started taking pictures or stalking a particular fish he often lost track of depth and direction. Rachel just assumed that role and kept him out of trouble. After a few dives they became comfortable with each other and really started to enjoy each other’s company. They had a few beers after one exciting day’s diving and rented a Jeep together to explore the island.

  A solid friendship eventually evolved. They even went on several dedicated dive vacations together but always maintained separate rooms and kept everything on a friendly basis. Randy had thoughts about what it would be like to be more than friends with Rachel but was determined not to spoil the relationship as it was now. It would be much better to remain friends than jeopardize the partnership they now enjoyed.

  Up ahead the narrow cave started to open wider and the light became more intense. Finally they reached the end of the cave and came to the surface. They both inflated their BCDs and floated.

  “Wow. This is incredible,” Rachel said, her voice echoing off the walls.

  “I told you. You have to see it to believe it,” Randy said, backstroking toward the shore.

  “Wow,” Rachel said again, twirling around to take it all in.

  They had followed a long cave for almost three quarters of a mile before surfacing in a huge sinkhole. It was an enormous earth room filled with water and with a hole in the middle where light streamed in causing the phosphor in the water to light up. The pool of water shimmered as the light beams danced on its surface sending a cascade of sparkling light rays bouncing off of the walls.

  “How deep is it?” she yelled as Randy was taking his BCD and tanks off. He climbed on the bank and let the equipment float.

  “I went down one hundred and ten feet. I still had a ways to go. I don’t really know how deep it is,” he told her.

  “Why is it so bright?” she asked, and Randy pointed to the beam of sunshine streaming through the opening in the ceiling.

  “This is absolutely the coolest thing I have ever seen,” she yelled.


  Randy laughed, he could only understand about every third word because of the echo but he knew she was enjoying it. He sat down on the bank and watched as she continued to look around in amazement. He had found this spot three years ago with another diving friend.

  Despite the dangers of cave diving, it was just too much of a temptation for them not to try and find the Sun Dome as the locals referred to it. They both became certified in cave diving and then went exploring.

  He could still remember the fear he faced as they went though some of the narrower passages and the total darkness that surrounded them on his first dive inside the Sun Dome. It had all been worthwhile when they finally arrived at the cavern. He felt just like Rachel was feeling the first time he saw the place. It was truly amazing.

  Rachel finally swam over to the bank and slipped off her BCD. Randy gave her a hand and pulled her up on the bank. A narrow ledge ran around the water and Randy pointed out where they had come in.

  “I don’t even know what to say. Unbelievable. I mean…”

  “Yeah, I know. Breathtaking isn’t it?”

  “Fantastic.”

  “I checked our gauges, we are in good shape. Actually, you used a little less air than I did,” he confessed.

  “I’ve always been good at conserving air. Don’t know why, I just am,” she said.

  “You want to explore some? There are a few caves above the water line over there,” he said pointing to the darkness on the other side of the water.

  “Sure. Are they safe?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve been in them three or four times. They don’t go back very far,” Randy assured her.

  “Then let’s go,” she said, standing up.

  Randy led the way around the narrow protrusion of land. They had to bend over at one point due to a large overhang. They continued on around the narrow path until they came to a fairly large opening in the wall of the cave.

  “We go in here, we have to stay on our hands and knees for a few yards until it gets bigger. Then we can stand up for a few more yards. Just follow me and you will be fine,” he said reassuringly.

  “Let’s do it,” Rachel replied.

  Randy crawled along the passage for several yards before he could stand. He continued going deeper into the cavern until he was forced to get back down on his knees again.

  “How you doing?” he asked.

  “Great. How much further?”

  “Just a few more yards and we will come to a large chamber,” he replied.

  It continued to get darker as they crawled further back.

  “Okay,” Randy said, standing up and reaching back to help Rachel.

  “Yikes. Its pitch black in here.”

  “Yeah. Here,” he said, shaking a glow stick.

  The chemical light illuminated the cavern with an eerie green-yellow glow.

  “Holy cow. How big is this place?” Rachel asked.

  “Big. Here, watch,” he said as he tossed the glow stick up in the air.

  It went a long way up before finally dropping back down to the floor of the cave.

  “I wonder how high it is to the top,” Rachel said, half under her breath.

  “A long way, that’s for sure,” Randy replied.

  “Are there any bats in here?” Rachel asked suddenly.

  “Nah, at least I don’t think so. I’ve never seen one. I think this area is shut off from the outside world.”

  “I’m ready to go,” Rachel said, shivering slightly. Bats were not her thing at all.

  “Sure. Just stay close and follow me.”

  Rachel was relieved when she could see the narrow cave beginning to get lighter. It meant they were close to getting out of the confines of the trench they were in. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt the way she did but something had come over her while they were in the cave.

  “You okay?” Randy asked when they got back on their feet.

  “Yeah. I just got a little spooked back there. I don’t know why. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I think I let my imagination get the better of me,” she said.

  “It is kind of spooky. Especially when you don’t really know what's in there or how big it is,” he said.

  “Sorry I freaked out.”

  “You didn’t freak. Apprehension is not the same thing as freaking out,” Randy told her.

  “Let’s go get our gear,” Rachel said.

  “Sure, works for me,” Randy replied, walking back along the narrow ledge to the other side of the cavern.

  “Careful, this is the tricky part,” he said stooping to walk under a ledge that stuck out several feet just at head height.

  He ducked down and started under the ledge when a blinding flash of light filled the cave momentarily. He put his hands up to his eyes and held on to the side of the wall.

  “What the hell?” was all he had time to say before a huge gust of wind sent debris crashing down into the pool of water from the hole in the center of the dome.

  At first it was just leaves and dirt but then larger limbs and rocks began to plummet into the water.

  “What’s happening?” Rachel asked.

  “I don’t know. An earthquake maybe,” Randy yelled.

  “Oh my God. We need to get out of here,” she said.

  A rumbling noise was building and the ground beneath them began to shake.

  “Oh crap. It is an earthquake,” he said.

  Suddenly they were both knocked to the ground and the noise intensified to a deafening level.

  “What’s happening?” Rachel yelled as they both scrambled to their feet but Randy had no answer.

  A large chunk of rock broke off from the top of the dome and came crashing down. It landed in the water and sent a tremendous wall of water up, knocking Randy and Rachel to the ground for a second time. A large cracking sound filled the cavern and one side of the dome started to break off and fall into the abyss below. Randy grabbed Rachel and pulled her to him under the small ledge. It wasn’t much protection but it was all they had at the time.

  Rocks and dirt rained down on them as they hovered under the niche. A rock bounced off the side of the wall and struck Randy on the side of the head. Then everything was dark.

  “Randy? Randy? Can you hear me?”

  He slowly opened his eyes but couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black, just like back in the cave.

  “Oooh,” he moaned.

  “Randy. Can you hear me?”

  “Yeah. I can’t see. I think something is wrong with my eyes,” he said.

  “It’s not your eyes, we’re buried. I thought you were dead,” she told him.

  “Hell, maybe I am. Maybe we both are. What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know but the top of the dome came crashing down and we are trapped in here,” she said.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, all things considered. Scared shitless, but fine,” she said.

  Randy wiggled his feet and arms. He decided nothing appeared to be broken. He felt his head and found a huge lump just above his left eye. The skin had been cut open as well and he had caked blood on his face. He wondered if it looked as bad as he felt.

  “We need to get out of here,” he said at last.

  “Ya think?” Rachel replied.

  “Sorry. Okay, I have one chemical light left. I’m going to activate it and let’s see what we are up against,” he said.

  “You still have your knife don’t you?” Rachel asked.

  “Good thinking. Maybe we can use it to dig out.”

  Randy shook the light until the green-yellow glow filled the tiny space they were in. He looked back at Rachel and smiled.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get out of this,” he said trying to reassure her.

  He was putting on a brave face because he wasn’t so sure they were going to really survive. He slowly used the knife blade to try to dislodge the rocks directly over him. He knew he had to be very careful or else he could start another rock slide tha
t would certainly bury them forever.

  He removed each scoop of dirt and handed it back to Rachel. She placed them in the small empty space behind her. Twice a minor rock slide came down on Randy but they were not buried. He looked at this watch. He had been going at it for almost two hours and while the entombed area had gotten larger, he didn’t feel they were anyplace close to getting out of the mess they were in.

  “Shit, I could do this all day and I don’t know if we would get out,” he said disgustedly.

  His face was black with dirt, grime and caked blood.

  “We have to keep trying. You want me to dig for a while?” Rachel asked.

  “No. I’ll do it but I have to give something else a try,” he said rolling over on his back and placing his feet against the rocks above.

  “Don’t,” Rachel yelled.

  “Look, I could dig for the next week and we might not get out. I’m just going to push to see how much is on top of us. If I can move it some, it means we can dig out. If I can’t move it at all we may never get out. I have to try,” he said.

  “What if it falls in on you?”

  “Then it does. I’m not going to die in here like a trapped rat,” he said and started pushing with his legs.

  He strained, shoving with all the leg and back muscle he could muster. The rocks gave way a small amount. He shoved again, straining as hard as he could and he felt the rocks give. Yes. If there had been tons of rocks on top of them he would have never been able to move them.

  Almost an hour later Randy felt a rush of cool air as he removed a rock.

  “I think we got it,” he shouted.

  He carefully removed several more rocks until he could poke his head out of the opening. Much to his surprise it was almost totally dark. Hardly any light came in from above like he had expected. He could make out a faint outline of where the dome once stood. Now it was a huge hole with jagged ledges sticking out. The sky above it was only slightly lighter. He looked at his watch. It was three-thirty. He shook his watch.