The End Series | Book 1 | The End: Genesis

  The End: Genesis

  An Emp Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

  Zion Cage

  Copyright © 2020 Zion Cage

  All rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people or real people are used for fiction purposes only. Other names, characters, places, and events are the ultimate product of the author imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

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  Also By Zion Cage

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  Coming Soon

  Books In This Series

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  The End: Into The Past

  In events prior to the EMP, Vivien will do anything to please the one she loves. That is until he decides to put her away. Her eyes open and, for once, she realizes the truth. She will have to make a hard decision.

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  Also By Zion Cage

  The End: Fight For Survival

  The End: Captives

  The End: Warzone

  The End: Rogue

  “I know not with what weapons world war III will be fought, but world war IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

  Albert Einstein

  Prologue

  12th September, 2001

  Fourteen of them sat around a round table. The room was mostly dark save for the light that hung directly above them. Only two women sat in their midst as they argued.

  The man at the head of the table got tired of thebantering and shouted in Russian:

  “Would you all shut up!”

  Everyone obeyed. No one wanted to make him angry.

  “We have been planning this for over five years. The ones who went before us have laid down the foundation. Now, all we have to do is to finish it. We have limited time. We were close but this occurrence- it has ruined everything. If we don’t recuperate quickly, it wouldn’t matter how far we’ve come. The whole plan would be ruined. All I asked was if anyone had a plan of action. Nobody has anything good to say. Of what use are any of you here then?”

  There was silence for a while then a man raised his hand. The man at the head of the table nodded for the other to speak.

  “As I said before, we should just strike immediately anyway. We are in position“

  POW!

  The sound of the gun shot reverberated over the walls of the room and everyone watched in shock as the man fell dead to the floor.

  “Since he refuses to see the folly and short-sightedness of his plan, I think I should just help him out. Now, anyone else with something more brilliant?” the leader said.

  Silence reigned for what seemed like hours, then a lady; the blonde, dark-skinned one, raised a hand. The man at the head smiled. Whenever she had an idea it was good. He nodded for her to speak.

  “Well, if we want full damage, we must learn to bid our time. I have an idea but it’ll require us to get them to trust us long enough and let us in. What better way to do that than to…”

  She spoke for a long time but when she was done withspeaking, the man smiled. It was brilliant.

  Chapter One

  “It wouldn’t be the first time that the government withheld the truth.”

  14th November, 2021

  10:25pm

  West Loop, Chicago, Illinois.

  USA.

  Alexander Michael cracked his fingers and sighed. Getting up from where he sat before his computer, he stretched his arms out and yawned. He had hit a milestone in the proposal he was preparing for his stepfather’s Civil Engineering Company. He was a programmer, skilled in Python and SQL despite being in his third year of college. He studied Computer Science but he was far ahead of his curriculum. Gertrude, his step-father, had asked him to build a database for his engineering company and Xander had decided to commit himself to the project. That was most likely the last project he was going to handle for Gertrude before leaving Chicago.

  He had never really connected with Gertrude on a personal level. His father, Thomas Michael, had died of cancer five years ago. His mother, Alicia, had decided to get married again a year ago. Alexander hadn’t appreciated the decision. He had been happy with things the way they were. He had been working as a freelance programmer for various companies. He earned enough to buy his own Nissan Altima car. His mother had worked as an accountant for Gertrude Engineering. She had been earning enough to feed her family. Needless to say, that was where she had met Gertrude and had fallen in love. After the wedding, Alicia had been promoted to become an executive at the company and the whole family had relocated to Gertrude’s mansion in West Loop. The job got more hectic and she was bent on pleasing her new husband so Xander and Grayson saw her less often.

  Mentally, Alexander barfed. He hated love stories. Gertrude tried to make them look like a normal family. Whenever he came back from work with Alicia, he’d get a pack of chocolate for Alexander and his little sister, Grayson. Alexander found himself rolling his eyes. Apparently, Gertrude hadn’t noticed that he was twenty years old. He didn’t want the relationship with Gertrude. He loved his family without the presence of an outsider. He knew the feeling was probably childish. Even Grayson had opened up completely to Gertrude. However, Xander didn’t appreciate the change.

  He knew that the contract Gertrude had given him was more of an act of goodwill. Obviously, Gertrude could have gotten someone more professional for the project. What bewildered Xander the most was the pay. He hadn’t seen such an amount on a database management system development project before. Alexander had wanted to refuse it but his mother had convinced him to take it and, deciding to only be professional about it, he had taken up the project, working his butt off to ensure Gertrude got maximum satisfaction. Not wanting to stand in the way of his mother’s happiness, he had also decided to move away from Chicago. He didn’t know where he’d go yet but he had made up his mind to leave by next year. He couldn’t keep living under Gertrude’s roof.

  He moved to the mini-fridge in his room and pulled out a bottle of Coke. Gulping a bit, he set it aside and returned to his table. He had a strict policy of not keeping liquids near his computer. Just as he was about to return to work, there was a knock at his door. He already guessed who it was.

  “Come on in,” he called out as he swung in his chair to look at the door. Just as he had guessed, his eleven-year old sister, Grayson, came in. He smiled at her.

  “Hey, Gray. What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be asleep by now?” he asked as she sat on his bed.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be too?” she asked, tilting her chin at him. Xander laughed at her expression. She was growing up fast and was becoming sassy- in a sweet way, though.

  “Well, I’m not the one with a ten o’clock curfew on my head. I get to sleep anytime I want actually,” he said, raising a brow at her. A smile broke out on Grayson’s face and her lips split revealing her gap-tooth. She was the only one in their immediate family who had it. Thomas had said that she had gotten it from his father.

  “I’m just so excited. I can’t believe tomorrow is my eleventh birthday. I think I’m gonna be up till
midnight so I get to be the first to wish myself a happy birthday,” she said.

  “Just as you do every year, huh?” Xander said as he turned and started typing into his laptop again.

  “Yup,” Grayson said as she got up, went to his mini-fridge and took the half-empty bottle of Coke. Xander heard the sound of his fridge opening and he glanced perfunctorily over his shoulder.

  “Hey, I didn’t tell you to open my fridge, Gray. You’re gonna pay for that,” he said as he continued to type.

  “Mmhmm,” Grayson said as she came to stand by him. “What’s all this junk you’re writing? One would think you were doing something meaningful that brought you all that money. They wouldn’t know you’re writing stuff that even kindergarten kids would call crap.”

  Xander rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Grayson. It’s called a programming language. Kindergarten kids aren’t supposed to understand it. Neither should you. And get that drink away from my table, will you? You know my ‘No Drink’ policy,” he said as he pushed her head away from his table. She giggled.

  “Oh, please. Spare me your stupid policy. We’re still going out tomorrow with Prim, right?” she asked as she stood behind him and placed her neck on his shoulder. He could perceive the scent of coke from her breath.

  “Not after you just called my world-class safety procedure stupid and said my programming is really dumb,” Xander said as he continued to type. Grayson ran to stand in front of him so that he couldn’t see his screen anymore.

  “Oh, come on. I’m sorry. It was a tongue slip. It’s my birthday and you promised me you’d take me out if mum can’t,” she said, pouting and blinking her eyes rapidly. When Xander tried to look beyond her to his screen, she moved to stand in his way again. “Oh, come on, Xander. Please.”

  Xander sighed as he looked at her finally. “You know you’ve got adorable puppy eyes, don’t you?” he asked.

  “I know. My teacher says I should be imprisoned for being cute,” Grayson said and Xander laughed.

  “Shut up, liar. Okay, so I’ll still take you out. However, I’ve got this small presentation to handle in the morning therefore, Nia will take you and Prim out in the morning to the amusement park so that you guys don’t have to deal with the rush then I’ll come in when I’m done and take you both out for lunch at any fancy kids restaurant around. After that, we could go see a movie,” he said. Nia was Prim’s mother. Grayson’s and Prim’s birthdays were only a week apart and so they usually celebrated their birthdays together. That year, Xander’s mother was too busy to go with them so Xander had taken it upon himself to be in charge of the celebration. Grayson beamed.

  “Thanks, big bro,” she said, hugging him tight around the neck. “You’re the best.”

  “Yeah, sure. I hope you say that too when I tell you to go do your homework. Now, get to bed and let me get back to work, would you?” he said, trying his best not to sound emotional.

  15th November, 2021

  9:54am

  West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

  USA.

  “I researched the models most companies use for their staff, clients and inventory management databases and I decided that this model would be best for Gertrude Engineering,” Xander said as he pointed to the images that were projected on the wall. “It’s a relational model. I programmed the system so that your database managers could easily locate information based on relationship…” he went on to describe how the software model he had built would ease the operations of Gertrude Engineering. When he was done, the executives and technicians asked him questions, all of which he answered satisfactorily. His gaze was on the face of his mother and Gertrude. His mother never stopped smiling while Gertrude kept nodding his head. When there were no more questions, Gertrude spoke.

  “Well, we have all heard what Mr. Michael has offered. Do we all agree to his proposal or are we sending him back to the drawing board?”

  Murmurs rippled across the conference room. A lady spoke.

  “I think I like it. Personally, I’m excited about its automation. Finally, I get less stress putting in data that could just find its way to the right column.”

  Then another man spoke.

  “I think it’s great.”

  Gertrude spoke again.

  “All in favor raise your hands,”

  Xander watched in satisfaction as every hand, including Alicia’s and Gertrude’s, went up. He smiled.

  “Well, then. I guess you have a go-ahead. You’re doing a great job,” Gertrude said and Xander nodded.

  “Thank you all,” Xander said with his palms clasped together.

  Gertrude turned to the rest. “Thank you all for being in this meeting. This meeting is now adjourned. You may all return to work. Do not forget that you all have a deadline of this weekend to submit your weekly progress report. I want them all on my table before midnight, Saturday. Have a great day,” he said and they all got up from their seats. As they milled out of the office; Alicia, the beautiful blonde haired woman that she was, walked up to Xander and hugged him. He had gotten his dirty blonde hair and blue eyes from her. It was one of the things that reminded him that they were still family even when he wanted to stay mad at her for remarrying.

  “I’m so proud of you, son. I’m speechless. You really are a prodigy,” she said in his ears. He knew she was close to tears. That was the voice she used when she tried to hold back tears.

  And she had called him a prodigy. That was what his father used to call him before. It was Thomas who introduced him to computers. His father had never ceased to praise his abilities, even when he’d had none.

  Alicia pulled away.

  “So, I need to get back to work now. You heard Gertrude’s instructions. He can be quite a bossy head at times,” she said, knowing Gertrude could hear her. “Take care of your sister, please. And remind her of my weekend promise to her. It’s going to be a ‘girls at the beach’ one,” she said before leaving the hall.

  Xander managed to mumble a ‘yes, mum’. By then all the people who had been in the meeting had left. Xander looked up to see Gertrude still leaning casually against the wall.

  “You did a great job back there, son. I’m so proud of you,” Gertrude said, peering at Alexander with his deep grey eyes. Unlike Xander, Gertrude had dark brown hair that was greying at the temples.

  Xander sighed, wishing Gertrude hadn’t called him son.

  “While I’m grateful for this opportunity you’ve given me to work for you, you’re not my father. Stop calling me son,” he said. He needed to keep the boundary lines clear so that no one crossed it.

  Gertrude seemed hurt for a second but his look changed to a pleading one.

  “Come on, Xander. We’re a family here. I’m not trying to take the place of your father but you’re the closest person I’ve ever had to a son. I just find myself wishing you’d let me in. I’d do anything, Xander.”

  “My name is Alexander. And I’ve really got to go. Grayson is waiting for me. Thanks for the job. I promise not to disappoint you,” he said as he turned to leave.

  “I know you won’t,” Gertrude said. “Would you need anything? I could have some money sent to you for Grayson’s celebration. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it today but we are planning something for the weekend.”

  “Don’t worry, Gertrude. I’ve got it all covered,” he said without stopping.

  By the time he got to his car, it was twenty five minutes past eleven. He had to take a deep breath to ease out the tension. He knew Gertrude was trying. He saw it every time Gertrude spoke to him or made a gesture. However, he couldn’t bring himself to accept Gertrude. Maybe it was because he still missed his father a lot. It had only been five years, after all. He sighed. Deciding to push the thoughts away, he started his engine and drove into the car lane from the garage. He needed to be happy for Grayson. He couldn’t allow anything mess his mood up. He looked forward to seeing Nia again. Nia had been their neighbor while they had lived at West Town. Her husband had left
her when Prim had just been born. Xander still didn’t understand why. He remembered his conversation with Nia in the morning when Nia had come to pick Grayson up. As usual, her dark hair was pulled back into a neat bun. Her dark skin was still clear and wrinkle free despite her being in her late thirties. Warm, brown eyes were always present on her face and she had worn light make up to bring out her youthful features.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the girls more enthusiastic,” she had said.

  Xander had grinned.

  “You’re probably right. Thank you, again for agreeing to take the girls out now. I didn’t know how to fix it all into my schedule for this morning,” he had said.

  “Oh, I have no issues with that. As long as Prim is in your hands for the rest of the day, I’m happy. And I should be thanking you. I must warn you, though: twelve noon is her most active hour. She’d get so energetic, you’d be tempted to whoop her,” she had said. Her words had made Xander laugh as he shook his head. For as long as he’d known her, Nia had always been this way. She’d always been warm, gentle, and funny.

  “Besides, I don’t think there’re many people that I'd trust more than you with my daughter,” she had said finally.

  “Really?” he’d asked.

  “I don’t know what you think about yourself but I think you’re very responsible. It isn’t hard to tell just how much you love your sister and how much you’d be willing to do for her,” Nia had said as she looked towards the girls who were talking about what they planned to do once they got to the park. She’d let out a deep breath then.

  “We just need to be careful these days, you know. You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?”

  The reality of their situation had made Xander nod his head.