Zero Sum: A Post-Apocalyptic Economic and Societal Collapse Thriller (Civil Strife Series Book One) by Matthew J O'Connor

Author:Matthew J O'Connor [O'Connor, Matthew J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-24T23:00:00+00:00

Josh stood at the doorway to the house, awaiting a response. Beside him stood Carl Williams, a deputy in his third year of service to Jackson County. Josh had briefed him during their drive to the house. He was honest with Carl in his suspicions, as well as the fact that his suspicions were largely founded on nothing more than a gut instinct.

The two had concocted a simple ploy to gather information that involved a non-existent investigation that they would use as a pretense for asking questions, as well as potentially entering the residence. Josh knew the situation the county, state, and country were in and was willing to bend the rules somewhat, knowing that he was unlikely to draw much scrutiny considering the backdrop of current events.

The door opened.

“Officer, two visits in two days. What can I do for you?” asked Mitch.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I was hoping you could be of assistance,” said Josh.

Mitch opened the door somewhat, as he continued to stand in the doorway.

“There’s been a string of burglaries on a few of these back roads lately, and I just had a few questions that might help us out as we try to get to the bottom of it.”

“I sure hope you’re not accusing me of anything,” said Mitch.

“No, it’s not like that. These started several weeks ago, well before you would have been in town. Last night, there was another one about a mile down the road.”

“I don’t know anything about that, wish I could help,” said Mitchell, with a smile on his face.

The smile sent a shiver down Josh’s spine. It took every fiber of his being to not allow this emotion to show.

“Would you mind if I came in out of the cold for a minute? There’s just a list of questions I’d like to go through, just for the sake of procedure.”

“By all means,” replied Mitch.

Carl followed Mitch and Josh into the house. Right inside of the doorway was the living room. A few family photos lined the walls, but the house’s appearance was that of a house that had not been inhabited in several years. There were no newspapers, magazines, or pieces of mail sitting out. As Josh sat on the couch, he noted an old, musty scent. Carl sat beside him, and Mitch sat in a chair opposite the room.

“Can I get you anything?” asked Mitch, in his best attempt at a hospitable host.

“No, thank you. I’ll try and make this quick,” replied Josh.

He pulled a small, yellow notebook out from his back pocket, and a pen from inside of his winter coat. He began asking his questions he and Carl had written down on the way to the house. As a whole, they were routine questions, crafted with the intent of not arousing any suspicion to their motives.

“Ok, let’s see. Last night, around 11 P.M., did you notice any suspicious activity outside? A car pulling into your driveway, or maybe driving by more slowly than usual?”

“No, I didn’t notice anything like that,” replied Mitch.

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