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    Homefront
    Homefront
    Homefront
    Ebook133 pages1 hour

    Homefront

    By James Loscombe

    ()

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    About this ebook

    When the power goes out and society unravels, Vincent must become as ruthless as the gangs ruling the streets if he hopes to reunite with his wife and children.

     

    An inexplicable power outage triggers widespread chaos, Vincent finds himself separated from his family—his wife and children stranded more than twenty miles away in their secluded village.

     

    As he embarks on a treacherous journey through a desolate and perilous landscape, Vincent encounters not only the ravages of a crumbling society but also the disturbing reality that humanity's worst inclinations have risen to the surface. Faced with marauding thugs and opportunistic criminals, his mission to reunite with his family becomes a daunting battle for survival.

     

    Yet, the true challenge lies not merely in traversing the devastated terrain, but in shielding his loved ones from the unforgiving brutality of this new world. Can Vincent navigate the lawless wasteland and protect his family from the relentless turmoil of the apocalypse?

     

    'Homefront' is a riveting narrative that plunges readers into a relentless quest for survival, resilience, and the unwavering determination to shield one's family amidst the chaos of a post-apocalyptic reality.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJRV Press
    Release dateFeb 24, 2019
    ISBN9781386543350
    Homefront
    Author

    James Loscombe

    James Loscombe has been publishing under various pen names for the last five years. He lives in England with his wife Tamzin and their sons Jude and Oscar.

    Read more from James Loscombe

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      Book preview

      Homefront - James Loscombe

      1

      Vincent’s wrist vibrated. Without conscious thought, he reached under the duvet and pressed the button to stop it. He repeated this three more times, before realizing that the vibration meant it was time to get up.

      When he opened his eyes, the room was still dark. He could hear Abigail breathing beside him. The time on his watch said 05:33.

      He didn’t dare sigh or even turn towards his wife. He pulled back the covers with as much care as he could muster, climbed out of bed, and crept across the room to the door. It was cold, but he didn’t want to risk waking Abigail by going back for a jumper.

      He showered, then dressed in the suit that he had left hanging on the back of the door the night before. The final dregs of sleepiness left him as he made his way down to the kitchen. He switched on the coffee machine and got his travel mug out of the cupboard.

      There was no sign of Abigail. He knew she’d had a rough night. She’d still been tossing and turning at three when he’d woken and asked her if she was okay. He’d fallen asleep before hearing her answer. He didn’t want to wake her up by saying goodbye, but he wouldn’t leave without looking in on Jane and Peter.

      They were both still asleep, but he stood by the door and looked at them in their cots for a moment. He forced himself out of the room and back down the stairs before the desire to wake them overcame him.

      It was still dark when he closed the front door behind him at 06:04. The air was still, but it had a chill to it. He hurried to his car and got in. It wasn’t much warmer in there. He switched on the engine and let it warm up while he put his travel mug in the cup holder and his bag on the seat beside him.

      As the car moved forwards, Vincent wondered whether he shouldn’t stay at home today. This wasn’t a thought that he often had, but today it hit him like a lightning bolt. He told himself that it was only tiredness, and the desire to spend a little more time with his wife and children. But later, after it happened, he would wonder whether it had been more than that.

      Chester Street was silent as he drove through. Only a few of the other houses had lights on. The village was quiet. He saw fewer than half a dozen sleepy faces before he hit the motorway and headed towards the city. Glancing at the dashboard, he saw he needed petrol, but he had an early meeting that he couldn’t afford to miss. There was enough to get to work and he could stop and fill up on his way home.

      Vincent looked at the projector screen at the other end of the conference table. It showed an Excel spreadsheet, which looked as if a clown had vomited on it. He couldn’t read what was in half the cells and was struggling to remember what the meeting was about, anyway.

      His phone vibrated, and he looked down at the table to see a message from Abigail come through:

      Wish you were here. Xx.

      A moment later, a picture of homemade blueberry muffins came through. A moment after that came a picture of the twins with it smeared all over their faces. Vincent stifled a laugh.

      What do you think, Vince?

      He looked up, not sure who’d said his name until he saw Robert Oliver looking at him. Vincent put his phone down and glanced at the projection again, but it made no more sense to him than it had done before. He needed to get more sleep if he was going to keep this up. But, he was the Junior Vice-President of Sales in Europe. There were only a few things they would ask him about.

      We had a good quarter, but we’ve got some gaps in the east that we need to look at, he said.

      Gaps? Robert said. He was a big man who looked as if someone had sewn him into his expensive suit. His jowls wobbled as he spoke.

      Vincent nodded. We’re losing a lot of business in Poland where Comtex is stronger. They don’t have as good a service, but their standard package is a lot cheaper than ours. We need to consider competing with them on price.

      Robert grumbled about not competing on price, but Vincent guessed there would be another meeting in a few days to reconsider that. They had to accept that some markets needed to be less expensive.

      Feeling as if he was on a roll, Vincent continued. We could cut a few of the premium features, set up a dummy business, so it doesn’t conflict with our other interests.

      Thank you Vincent, Robert said. He turned away and continued to talk through the spreadsheet.

      Vincent waited until his back turned and then looked down at his phone again. Another message had arrived:

      Saved you one. Hope you’re having a good day. Xx.

      There was a picture of a muffin on a plate. He looked at it for a moment and then gave up resisting the pile of pastries in the middle of the table.

      After the meeting, Vincent took out his phone and started writing back to Abigail. He looked up and saw everyone with their heads down, tapping their phones. They filed into the corridor like zombies with glowing faces.

      Could I have a word?

      He hit send and then looked up. Sandra King was walking beside him. In her heels, they were almost the same height. He smiled. Sure.

      They found a spare room, and she closed the door behind her. She was wearing black heels and a dress that was too short.

      What can I do for you, Sandra? he said.

      I wanted to talk to you about Poland.

      Poland? For a moment he didn’t remember what he’d said at the meeting. Poland, sure.

      You’ve got some good ideas. We should put together a proposal to show Robert. What are you doing at lunch?

      Getting some sleep, he said and then laughed to show that he was only joking. The idea was nice, but to get through the morning, he’d already drunk enough coffee to keep him awake until midnight. No, that sounds good. Do you want to grab a sandwich in your office and I’ll come over?

      Looking forward to it, she said.

      He smiled, but she said nothing. They stood there for a moment and he forced himself to think about Abigail. He loved her and would never consider being unfaithful, but sometimes he worried his wife was becoming the other woman. In any given week, he spent far more time with Sandra.

      I’ve got another meeting, he said, taking a step towards the door.

      Sales Forecast for Q4? she said.

      Vincent nodded.

      Me too.

      She didn’t move. He tried not to look at her cleavage, even though she seemed to be pushing it in his face. After a moment, Vincent shook his head, cleared his thoughts and took a step towards the door. She opened it for him but didn’t move away, so he ended up rubbing against her as he squeezed out.

      He could feel her next to him as they walked along the corridor towards the kitchen.

      Do you want a coffee? Sandra said.

      Sure, he said, although coffee was the last thing on his mind. He closed his eyes for a moment and composed himself. Yeah, we’ve got time.

      Sandra finished making her drink, a tea that smelled like perfume. Vincent took a cup and put it under the dispenser. He pressed the button to select his drink and waited.

      Nothing happened.

      He was about to see if he’d done something wrong when then the lights went out.

      2

      F uck, he muttered.

      It’s alright, Sandra said. Her lips were close enough to his ear that he could feel her breath.

      He stepped away. A fucking power cut, he said. He walked to the door they had come through and couldn’t see anything through the glass panel. He walked to the door that led out to the lobby, where he could see the rest of the building and its lack of lights. Looks like the entire building’s out.

      He opened the door without needing to use his card. He held it for Sandra and they walked out together.

      A bright light came bobbing towards them, and Vincent had to raise a hand to shield his eyes.

      Vincent, Cassandra, there you are.

      Michael Goldspring was the Senior Vice-President of European Sales, both their bosses. What’s going on? Vincent said.

      The light shook back and forth. "Who knows, they were doing building work when I got in this morning, probably cut through the power cables. Come on, we’re

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