Z-Day Chronicles (Book 1): Genesis Read online

  Chapter 1

  “Riley, We need some cover fire now!”

  Jake Riley was under heavy fire in Somalia. He and a few other sailors took cover behind some rubble of a demolished building. As he peeked behind a corner of the large wall, he saw a huge number of ISIS militia reaping havoc in the town of Ambouli near Camp Lemonnier.

  Jake pulled his assault rifle over the corner and began spitting out ammunition at the militia. The other three sailors with Jake began to open fire behind him, delivering a flurry of hot bullets. As they were shooting at ISIS, SEAL Team Six member Lieutenant David Miller, along with the rest of his team, hurried to Jake’s position and quickly took cover behind a second wall beside Jake.

  “Just in time for the party,” Miller started. “What do we have?”

  “Glad you boys made it!” Chief Petty Officer Jeff Adams, Jake’s commanding officer, responded. “ISIS came into Ambouli like a ghost! We already have heavy civilian and Navy casualties!”

  “You radio the Marines?”

  “They’re taking heavy fire as well, but they’re on their way. In the meantime, we were given orders not to leave this position until otherwise!”

  The sailors continued to unleash their fury on the on the impending terror of the ISIS militia. A sandstorm suddenly blew in and the air started to cover with dust from the ground and smoke from the rifles. Small mists of red started flashing from the bodies of those that were shot. Many bodies were lying on the ground, some being the dead, and the rest being the men, women, and children trying to avoid the firing.

  “Momma!”

  In the midst of the cloud and dust of the battleground, Jake heard the screaming of a child. He looked around, trying not to lose his head from the flying bullets. He finally traced the cries of distress and saw a little girl feeling her way past war torn vehicles in the middle of the street. A young woman, possibly the girl’s mother, started screaming for her child in her native tongue. She tried to run to the girl, but was held back by other villagers.

  “Riley!” Adams shouted. “I know what you’re thinking! Don’t be a hero! You’re not gonna help the situation any bit!”

  “I can’t leave that little girl in that hell storm!” Jake replied.

  “That is a direct order, Petty Officer!”

  Jake ignored the orders given to him by his commanding officer and he ran for the girl. The sailors had to give him covering fire while they were protecting the base from being penetrated by the ISIS militia. The terror group fired back and killed some of the sailors, one of them being a SEAL.

  When Jake arrived to the vehicle the child was behind, he shielded the girl from the flying rounds, then comforted the little girl.

  “Aamus hadda,” Jake told the girl. “Noqon doonaa waad caadi,” which is translated as, Hush now. You’ll be okay.

  One of the ISIS militia ran for cover behind one of the buildings. When he ran out in the open, the militia gave him covering fire as he prepared a missile.

  “RPG!!” one of the sailors shouted.

  The militia man fired the rocket launcher, and the flaming missile flew close to Jake. Jake immediately pushed the girl out of the firing zone before the missile impacted the truck a few feet away from him. Jake was shoved back by the blast, and the dust in the air spun around him, as if he was in the center of a sand twister.

  Jake was blinded by the wind and sand. He couldn’t see any of the vehicles or people. He frantically searched for the little girl and his rifle, but both were nowhere to be seen.

  Oh God! Jake thought. Please don’t be dead!

  As Jake started to pick himself up, a silhouette of a man with an object ran towards him.

  “Dhintaan!” the figure shouted, which is translated as, Die!

  The figure was an ISIS member. He was holding a bloody dagger, and was charging at Jake. Jake quickly unholstered his sidearm and pointed it at the man’s head.

  Pow!

  The man tripped over his two feet, nearly toppling over Jake.

  Papapapapap!

  Jake quickly swiveled around to the soldier shooting at him from behind.

  Pow! Pow! Pow!

  After Jake fired three rounds in the attacking soldier, a third ISIS soldier tackled him to the ground, knocking Jake’s pistol out of his hand. The man pulled out his knife and attempted to plunge it into Jake’s heart. Jake quickly blocked the man’s thrust with his forearm as he shifted the man’s knife away from his heart. The man pushed harder and was able to shove a third of the blade in Jake’s right pectoral muscle. Jake punched the man in the throat and began to wrestle the knife out of his chest and away from the terrorist’s hands. After prying the knife out of his grasp, Jake rolled around the man and jammed the knife under his chin.

  Jake began to apply pressure on his wound and looked around for any signs of life. Out of the corner of his eye, Jake saw a pistol that looked like the one he lost in the fight with the ISIS soldier. He then fixed his eyes ahead of him and saw another figure speeding towards him in the blinding storm. Jake quickly slid to his weapon and positioned it to the running silhouette.

  Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

  The figure stepped back a few steps and then the dust blew harder, making it difficult for Jake to see past his gun. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was frozen in place. He didn’t know where he was, and he questioned which direction to run to. Which side was his team on? Which side was ISIS on? Was that figure a mirage or an attacker?

  The smoke and dust started to clear and Jake could see the remains of the war zone. As he got a clearer image of the figure that stood before him, he lowered his arms in awe. They started swaying back and forth as the pistol he was holding slipped out of his hands. Jake had opened fire on the little girl he was searching for.

  “No!” Jake whimpered.

  The little girl began coughing out blood and stumbling over her two feet. Jake rushed to catch the girl before she could hit the sand and rock.

  “No no no no no,” Jake repeated. “Don’t you do this to me, baby girl. Don’t you dare! MEDIC!!”

  Jake frantically called for the Corpsman as the little girl he was holding grew cold. The girl’s mother rushed towards the two and Jake shuffled backwards, away from the woman and her lifeless child. The woman shook her child, as if she was trying to wake her up.

  “Ziza!” The woman screeched. “ZIZA!! ZIZA!!”

  The woman laid her head on the little girl’s chest and began weeping and wailing, using the body to muffle her screams. Her moaning would have been mistaken as an over exaggeration, but so blood curling that it chilled Jake to the bone. The woman slowly glanced at him and her face abruptly changed from sorrow and hopelessness to pure hate and anger. She furiously leaned close to Jake and spat in his face.

  “Dilayow!” The woman shouted, which is translated as, Murderer!

  She crawled over to a dead ISIS soldier and took the knife he had in his hand and leaped towards Jake, hoping to end his life. Two sailors and the Corpsmen arrived just in time, as the sailors quickly grabbed the knife out of her hand and held her tight, so that she wouldn’t move anywhere. One of the Corpsmen began applying pressure to the wounds while the other began applying CPR.

  “DILAYOW!! DILAYOW!!” The woman kept repeating as she struggled to be released from the clutches of both sailors. Jake was frozen like a statue as the bone twisting screams of the mother’s cries pierced though his ears and his heart. When trying to save the girl’s life, he took that life instead, and it had costed the lives of some of his brothers.

  Chapter 2

  It had been two years since Jake was dishonorably discharged from the United States Navy.

  Jake s
hot up in his bed. He was heavily breathing and sweating a puddle in the sheets. As his hands began shaking, Cassandra softly touched his hand and rubbed her way up his arm.

  “Are you okay, Jake?” She asked as she sat up in the bed.

  “Yeah,” Jake shuttered. “I’m fine.”

  “Another nightmare?”

  “Yeah,” Jake sighed. “It’s actually not as bad today as it usually is.”

  Cassandra moved her hand from Jake’s arm and brushed her fingers against the scar on his chest. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against the scar and kissed her way up Jake’s neck and stopped at his lips.

  “Guess that means you’re getting better,” she replied.

  Cassandra then kissed Jake’s forehead and rested his head against her breasts. She held him tight as if he were a child sleeping on her chest.

  “What time is it?” Jake asked.

  Cassandra rolled over on top of Jake and reached for the alarm clock.

  “6:04,” Cassandra answered. “Might as well get ready for my classes.”

  Cassandra leaned down to kiss Jake as he reached around her back and pulled her to him.

  “It’s the last day,” Jake sighed. “Can you just call in sick?”

  “Mmm as tempting as that is right now in the heat of the moment,” Cassandra responded, biting her lower lip. “I might as well finish strong. I am an Honors Student after all.”

  Jake chuckled as Cassandra climbed out of bed. Jake rolled around on the bed and angled himself to her as she grabbed her clothes and headed for the shower.

  “Wanna go out and celebrate tonight?” Jake asked. “Since we won’t have to deal with college anymore after today?”

  “Oh,” Cassandra responded as she stepped in the shower and closed the shower curtain. “What do you have in mind?”

  Jake paused for a moment and thought of a good place that was nice.

  “How about Il Giardino’s,” Jake suggested. “Special occasion requires a special place.”

  Cassandra leaned out of the shower. “Come on, it’s not that special of an occasion.”

  “Eh, consider it a pre-graduation ceremony.”

  “Okay,” Cassandra smiled. “But you had better be at Christopher Newport today. Don’t be playing hookey. When I’m talking to Dylan and them, they had better tell me they saw you at the campus today.”

  “Well I can always bribe Dylan,” Jake joked.

  “Hey now! Two can play at that game.”

  “Alright, Alright. I’ll go today.”

  Cassandra cleaned up and put on her hard leather clothing, and then headed out the door. Jake stayed up long enough to hear her Harley rev up and drive away, then he went back to sleep. After a couple of hours, he slid out of bed and stretched his arms. He got cleaned up, grabbed his books, and also headed out of the house, setting foot inside his small, white Honda Accord, and driving away from his rented home near Little Creek Cove, and towards Christopher Newport University.

  After the last day of classes ended, Jake began to walk to his vehicle when a silver ‘65 Mustang Convertible drove up next to him. The person driving that sleek muscle car was Jake’s friend Dylan Michaels. The man riding shotgun was a frat friend of Dylan’s, Julio Hernandez.

  "Yo, Jake,” Dylan started. “Watcha up to?"

  "Nothing much, Dylan," Jake answered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his vehicle. "Just finishing up the day so I can get home."

  "You better be coming to the party tonight," Julio replied.

  Jake paused for a moment. "What party?"

  "Jake, man." Dylan was surprised. "The graduation party I've been telling you about. You know, the one me and the other guys have been planning for ever since the first semester."

  Jake was confused. "Wait... that's tonight?"

  "Uhh..... yeah."

  Jake shook his head and sighed as he remembered Dylan’s reminders. "Oh, I forgot all about when it was. Had I known it was tonight, I wouldn't have made reservations for me and Cassandra at Il Giardino’s Restaurant in Virginia Beach.”

  “Jake, come on,” Julio pleaded. “Last night, man.”

  “Alright, how’s this,” Jake responded. “I'll talk with her, because she wanted to go to Il Giardino’s, and then I'll think about it. But on one condition."

  "Let me guess," Dylan replied. "No beer, huh?"

  "Wait, what?" Julio joked. "If you're planning to drink something else besides beer, then you're heading to the wrong place."

  "Then I'll bring bottled water. Dylan remembers the last time I had beer."

  "Oh yeah," Dylan laughs. "One became two, which became ten. Then you started running around Lesner Bridge wearing nothing but a paint bucket and a...."

  "I refuse to comment on that matter," Jake interrupted.

  "It was still funny."

  "Maybe, but I would actually like to remember the crazy stuff I do."

  Dylan agreed to not tempt Jake into getting drunk at the graduation party. Julio and Dylan rode away in the Mustang, as they were getting ready for the party at Chic's Beach. Jake drove back to his home. Cassandra was sitting on a couch in the living room, waiting to give Jake a hug and a kiss when he walked through the front door. She was in a black dress, matching her long, curly hair. She wore her glasses, which brought out her sapphire blue eyes.

  "Jake, you better hurry up and get changed if we're still going to Il Giardino’s," Cassandra replied as she was putting on her earrings.

  "Yeah... about that," Jake hesitated.

  Cassandra stopped. "Change of plans?”

  "You could say that," Jake replied.

  "What for?"

  "I forgot that Dylan's graduation party was tonight. He's been planning this ever since the fall semester, and he's been wanting me and you to come."

  "Well, let's just go to the party," Cassandra answered.

  "Are you sure?" Jake asked. "I don’t want it to sound like I want to call the restaurant off."

  "No, not at all," Cassandra reassured. "I’m sure it won’t be a problem to go there some other time. This is our graduation party. Might as well celebrate it with Dylan. You two are practically brothers."

  "Well, if that's what you wanna do, then it looks like we're going to Chic's Beach."

  Chapter 3

  When Jake and Cassandra arrived at the beach, they looked around and saw that it was packed with college students, particularly those graduating from Christopher Newport University. A trailer was used as the DJ's stage. Everyone was dancing to a party mix of T-Payne, Kanye, and a few other popular names. A tiki bar was set up between the stage and Chesapeake Bay, where all the beer kegs and other beverages went to. Dylan was partying with the crowd, while Julio was in the water making out with his girlfriend, Selena Ramirez.

  When Dylan saw Jake and Cassandra, he walked over to them and greeted them.

  "Jake! Glad you could make it!"

  "The lady dragged me here," Jake joked.

  "Thought you said you were going to Il Giardino’s."

  “Well, plans always change.”

  "Good point."

  Selena and Julio ran up to Cassandra when they saw her. The three of them went dancing in the crowd, while Jake and Dylan stayed by a fire that was set up a few yards away from the party.

  "Yo, Dylan," Jake started. "Can I show you something?"

  "Sure thing."Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black felt box. He opened it up and showed Dylan a diamond ring.

  "Are you serious, Jake?!" Dylan exclaimed. "You're actually gonna ask her?"

  "Yes I am," Jake answered.

  Dylan gave Jake a bear hug. He's been expecting Jake to propose to Cassandra for a few months. After the brief celebration, Dylan's mood changed.

  "What's wrong?" Jake asked.

  "You were going to propose to Cassandra tonight, dude. I'm sorry."

  "Man, quit feeling down," Jake reassured. "It's all good. I can always plan again for some other day."


  "Jake, it's not all good. I've known Cassandra way before you did. With her, you've got one shot and a small window. I have an idea."

  Dylan started dragging Jake through the mob of dancing co-eds and to the front of the stage. Jake knew right then what Dylan’s intentions were.

  "Whoa, Dylan," Jake exclaimed. "Don't you dare do what I think you're gonna do!"

  "Lighten up, Jake," Dylan insisted. "As your friend, have I ever steered you in any wrong direction?"

  "Now that I think about it... Yeah, you did!"

  "That I haven't got you out of?"

  Dylan, the host of the graduation party, and Julio, the co-host, grabbed their microphones and started welcoming everyone to "The biggest graduation jam in Norfolk, Virginia." Everyone started cheering, then Dylan called Cassandra to the stage. He then asked for the music to be turned down and announced that Jake wanted to say something. Jake was feeling nervous, embarrassed, and angry at the same time. He wanted to leave the stage, but there was no turning back now. Jake leaned over to Dylan.

  "If this doesn't work, I'm gonna hate you for this," Jake whispered.

  "Oh, you'll thank me for this," Dylan replied. “Trust me.”

  Silence was on that beach for the first time in that night. All eyes were on Jake as he got down on one knee and gently reached for Cassandra's hand.

  "Cassandra Carter," Jake started. "You have been my girl, my helper, and my friend for about two years now. But, you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would be my wife."

  Jake opened that felt box and showed Cassandra that diamond ring. Cassandra was shocked in amazement to the point where tears started rolling down her cheeks. The crowd around that stage started ooing and awwing. Cassandra started taking a couple deep breaths and wiped her eyes.

  "Yes!"

  The crowd started whooping and cheering as Jake placed that ring on Cassandra's left ring finger and start kissing and hugging her. The party then continued as many walked up to Jake and Cassandra and congratulated the two of them.

  A group of friends that attended the party that night were walking close to some shack by the beach not far from the party. They abruptly stopped as they came across a naked man, laying behind a garbage dump, who looked old and homeless. He was very filthy and scarred up, like he was decomposing. His voice was all raspy and he was sightly breathing. There was blood all over him, some being moist and pasty, and some being dry and crusty.