A New World: Conspiracy

A New World:
Conspiracy

Published by John O’Brien at Smashwords

Copyright © 2013 John O’Brien

All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief
quotations in review, without permission in writing from the
author.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share this book with another
person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If
you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not
purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com
and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work
of this author.

Cover art by: Matthew Riggenbach

http://www.shaedstudios.com/

This book is dedicated to my father, John P.
O’Brien. A Vietnam War vet and a great man. I didn’t get to know
you as well as I’d have liked to, but the times we did get to share
will forever remain with me. You are in my heart when I stroll
through the woods and always in my thoughts. I miss you.

The New World series is a fictional work.
While some of the locations in the series describe actual
locations, this is intended only to lend an authentic theme. Any
resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely
coincidental.

A NEW WORLD: CHAOS

A NEW WORLD: RETURN

A NEW WORLD: SANCTUARY

A NEW WORLD: TAKEN

A NEW WORLD: AWAKENING

A NEW WORLD: DISSENSION

A NEW WORLD: TAKEDOWN

A NEW WORLD: CONSPIRACY

First thanks goes to my mother, June
O’Brien. She takes first crack at my scribblings and turns them
into something that others can read. Each time I seem to develop a
new quirk. This time I seemed to fixate on ‘begins to’ and ‘to an
extent’. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you for all of
the hours you put in. And that’s aside from publishing your second
book in the series,
The Blue Child Series
. I highly
encourage everyone to read
The North Road
. You won’t be
disappointed.

Thank you to the beta readers who take their
valuable time to read through and correct my many errors. I truly
appreciate all of your input!

I owe a special thanks to Amanda with Cave
of the Winds. She spent a lot of her valuable time answering my
questions regarding the cave systems located in Manitou
Springs.

A thanks goes to Matthew Riggenbach for your
help with the cover art. You delivered once again in record time
with a masterpiece.

And a very special thanks to all of my
readers, thank you!!! Your encouraging messages and support is
humbling. I feel truly fortunate to have such great fans. You
aren’t just fans, you’re friends and part of my extended family.
You have journeyed with me through this story and made it a part of
you just as much as it is me. I said it before and I’ll say it
again, this story is as much yours as it is mine.

If you do happen to enjoy the story, feel
free to leave a review. Reviews are important for two reasons. One
is that’s how the books get up in the listing which of course means
more sales. But more importantly, it lets me get a look at
everyone’s perception. Looking though the online reviews, I feel
that I become a better writer.

John O’Brien

Well, here we are on the eighth book. Who
would have guessed it would have come this far. I, for one, am
absolutely thrilled it has as I enjoy writing about this group of
survivors. They have become more than just characters in a story,
they have become a part of me that I enjoy spending time with. Yes,
the voices in my head. The fun thing about writing about them is
that I never really know what is going to happen. Within certain
set parameters, the tale unfolds as I set the words down.

I’ve had a few messages regarding UV
lighting so I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about that.
I truly wish that UV lighting could come into play and work it into
the story line with teams pushing into night runner lairs. UV
lighting operates on a shorter wavelength than that of the visual
spectrum. It’s really divided into three different UV types but I
won’t go into that. The sun emits all three types and it’s UVB that
is the most damaging. Most of the artificially produced light, i.e.
tanning beds and handheld devices, operate in the UVA spectrum.
This light can be harmful if overexposure occurs but that exposure
takes some time for it to be effective in that manner. I can’t see
that anyone would want to hold a lamp to a night runner for an
extended period of time, and I can’t imagine that the night runner
would be cordial enough to hold still during that time. Well,
enough about that. I’m not meaning to come across negatively, I
just want to mention it and show that it wouldn’t be a very
feasible option.

I’d also like to mention that there is a lot
of planning that involves Frank so there is a lot of interaction
there. I just don’t write about a lot of the pre-planning that goes
on as I’m sure you’d be skipping over those sections just as I
would be falling asleep at the keyboard writing it.

This book is a little different than the
others. There are a few threads going on, and an introduction to a
new one. I won’t spoil it here but you’ll see it. Speaking of
which, here I am prattling on, keeping you from the story. So,
let’s get on with it shall we. I hope you enjoy the continuation of
Jack’s and the group’s tale. And, if you happen to enjoy it, please
head back and leave a review. I’d be forever grateful.

John O’Brien

Prologue

A Past Remembered

A Sighting

All Good Plans

Bird’s Eye View

A Bird in the Hand

Payment Comes Due

Taps

Show and Tell

Into the Sunset

Last Legs

Another Try

Hung Out To Dry

Shattered Dreams

Epilogue

About the Author

Connect With Me Online

Tired from a night of hunting, and with the
bright light bringing an end to his time outside, Michael eases
down to the hard, wooden floor of his lair. The noise of the pack
jostling to find places to rest echo in the large arena, eventually
settling to a few grunts and groans. Michael wants to slump down
and sleep with the rest of them, but thoughts, racing through his
mind, keep him awake. With the two-leggeds occupying the top
position, anxiety about his pack fills most of his waking moments.
They are by far the most dangerous threat to the pack’s
existence.

There had been a chance to destroy the
two-leggeds when Sandra had somehow managed to get into their lair,
but then she inexplicably left with one of their females in tow.
However much he has tried to make sense of that move, he hasn’t
arrived at anything that adds up. Now his worry extends to what the
two-legged’s response will be. Michael has no doubt that they’ll
react, but he isn’t sure of what that will entail. He has warned
his groups heading out on the nightly hunt to be alert for the
sounds of the thing in the sky that rains down death; but so far,
nothing has materialized.

Through images from some of her followers
leaving and arriving on their hunt, he knows where Sandra has
laired the remains of her pack. Thoughts circle through his mind
about eliminating her as she has endangered the whole pack through
her actions. Instead, he has purposely kept a wide separation
between their two packs. There is no telling when the two-legged
ones will react, and he doesn’t want to be caught in the middle or
in any way draw their attention his way.

Michael knows the two-leggeds must be
destroyed if he and his pack are to have a chance at surviving and
that Sandra’s actions are now likely to make that a more difficult
endeavor. His choices are to attack the two-legged lair and hope
for the best, destroy Sandra and hope that his own pack isn’t
discovered, pull farther back until things resolve themselves, or
keep things as they are. Each time he thinks of one of the options,
it seems to be the right choice, but the problems associated with
each one quickly appear and he discards the idea.

Attacking the two-legged lair would decimate
his pack in the process, and he doubts he would be successful. That
would bring about an even larger retaliation. Attacking Sandra
would accomplish very little unless he recovered the captured
female and released her, but what would that really solve? There is
nothing to be had there except for destroying Sandra and the danger
she keeps bringing. Pulling back to another location could possibly
bring them to an area with limited food sources. They are able to
sustain themselves where they are for the time being so moving
might bring on additional problems. No, he will watch from a
distance in the hopes that he can learn more about the two-leggeds
from their reaction.

* * * * * *

He sits bolt upright, coming out from a dead
sleep and into a panicked awakening. It has been several nights
without any sign of a two-legged reaction to the intrusion of their
lair. Michael wondered if there is going to be any retaliation at
all. The image that flashed through his mind and brought him from
the depths of sleep makes him think that the time of the two-legged
reaction is at hand.

The mental image that startled him awake
fades as he becomes more aware of his surroundings, but the essence
of the message remains etched in his mind:
“I’m heeeere…and
coming to get each and every one of you, you backwards-ass
motherfuckers.”

Looking around at his immense pack laying in
all corners of the vast arena, some twitching as they sleep, he
feels confused by the message. It feels both similar to the images
he is used to, yet foreign at the same time. It’s one he has felt
in the past from time to time, but now he’s certain it’s from one
of the two-legged. The fact that he sees an image sent by one of
them both scares and puzzles him. He wasn’t aware that any of the
two-leggeds could communicate in this manner. Although he isn’t
certain, Michael senses that the image was sent from the proximity
of Sandra’s lair.

As the image fades, another takes it place
almost immediately. This one is more directed, “I’m coming for you.
I’ll be along shortly, so save a place.” The ‘voice’ of the image
instantly vanishes from his mind.

Yes, the two-legged ones are reacting.
Michael rises and ventures closer to the entrance as if this will
allow him to “see” the upcoming events more clearly. He sits and
watches for images floating from the direction of Sandra’s
lair.

It’s not long before he feels a couple of
his kind from far away vanish from his mind. That in itself isn’t
all that unusual; it happens from time to time, and the ones who
fade from his senses usually reappear shortly thereafter. However,
the timing of it this time causes him to believe that these won’t
be coming back. He senses some in the other lair become more alert.
He knows that opening up to fully sense them will cause him to
become ‘visible’, but as long as he doesn’t transmit anything, he
will be just another presence – albeit a stronger one.

Another vanishes. He senses two pack members
become alert, aware that an intruder might be in their midst.
Michael wonders how many the two-leggeds have sent in to such a
large lair, but as yet, no visual images of them emanate from the
pack. Feeling that will be a short-lived thing as the others react,
he continues to watch, looking for two-legged weaknesses that he
might exploit in the future.