by Robert Brown
“We could head south into California until we get to the Mexico border, but there will most likely be fierce resistance in the heavily populated areas. We could have heavy losses, but we could potentially free many more people. What do you think we should do?”
A booming voice sounds from the sky above them. “Hitler.” Large white flapping wings beat heavily, lowering Cora into the middle of the assembled group. “Hitler was obsessed with territory during WWII. He valued capturing land and many believe his misunderstanding of that point was the saving grace for society.”
“Hitler?”
“Yes, I just absorbed a history professor’s thoughts. Hitler could have captured Moscow and dealt a terrible blow to the Russian people’s morale. Instead of the capital, Hitler wanted territory and thinking it mattered, was capturing tons of farmland. Hitler’s forces ended up spread out defending empty fields and tiny villages instead of capturing the capital and population centers and it cost him his fight on the eastern front. We have to move south and free the cities that are held by dominating vampires. We will free as many people as we can before winter arrives. The land doesn’t matter if we don’t free the people who can live on it.”
Chapter Nineteen
Insurrection
Oregon
Senator Cavanaugh presses his hands against the small of his back trying to push the aching out of his muscles in an unsuccessful stretch. Rolling his head from side to side, he works his cramped neck free of the stiffness he has created with hours of hunching over the paperwork he is reviewing. In a final fit of exhaustion, he stands and walks to the windowed wall of his office and looks out at the Willamette University campus.
Eighty-three days have passed since The Shattering Event occurred, fifty-eight days since he and his group left their impromptu home in the woods and returned to the newly secured city in hopes of finding some form of government in charge.
The secret shelter under Ford Hall on the university campus was intact when they arrived but devoid of any government officials of any meaningful rank. None of the state or federal designated persons of vital importance are here. They weren’t able to make it past the behemoths at the Salem airport or the few streets beyond it. Seventeen DHS officers and some of their families, a few law clerks, eight secretaries, and thirty-six college students were here when the Cavanaughs arrived. The college students gained entry when the officer in charge managed to pull their group into the shelter before he was killed by a mutant and the shelter was sealed.
The vampire army led by Cora and Lloyd have now secured all of the territory north of Portland and into Vancouver British Columbia and have retaken all of Oregon and most of Washington state except for Spokane. Spokane has a particularly nasty group of vampire soldiers holding the city and surrounding towns. They also have some heavy armaments and aircraft from Fairchild Air Force base just outside the city.
The military weaponry still isn’t able to cause irreversible damage, but the tanks, cannons, and larger caliber weapons are a nuisance. The greater worry is the difficulty in stopping the humans being forced to fight while trying not to kill them. In the case of the Fairchild base, there is a vampire in charge of the area that is able to manipulate the minds of the human population. She will be able to have the human pilots from the base fly missions against those who want freedom.
Before moving in, the Northern Army is waiting for reinforcements from the Southern Army that spent the last two weeks securing the Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose cities in California.
Many of the early cities taken in California have required minimal fighting. The vampires in control of those areas either agreed with the idea to free humanity and rebuild society or they fled. Hearing of the strength and success of The Angel's army, some of the slave-minded vampires left the west coast and headed east in search of allies with whom they could build an opposing force.
All of those problems and issues are things Greg Cavanaugh has no control or influence over, but they still occupy his mind because his young son is a general on the front line in that war. The larger issue that is causing Greg’s unease is what he must decide to do about rebelling humans.
In many of the cities and towns that have been freed by the vampire’s, humans are fighting back and causing various levels of destruction. It was hoped rather than believed that the people would get along better once they were again free to travel. This hope has not materialized.
In efforts to minimize animosity, human-run governments were established immediately to deal with security, health, and all other necessities people require. Greg’s role, as the highest-ranking survivor of the apocalypse, is leader of all freed humans until elections can be managed.
The humans who are fighting back are no longer attacking the vampires who remain to guard the towns, they are attacking and killing the humans that are working with the vampires or the government.
Several of the flyers on Greg’s desk that were found posted in an area of Portland state, “Kill the traitors that are helping the vampires enslave us.” “All mutant enablers must die.”
Some part of him understands the sentiment of the people frustrated at the occupation of the cities by the vampires. People are angry that their lives have been destroyed by this mutation event. The nation was filled with people who believed themselves to be important. They had positions of prominence in modern society such as lawyers, engineers, architects, and the many professional classes that no longer exist with society’s new standstill.
They are also justifiably angry at the tremendous loss of life and destruction that has occurred at the hands of the mutants. It is rare to find a town or city that doesn’t have large sections of city blocks destroyed. There are many places that were brought down by fires, crashing planes, rampaging behemoths, or some other destructive power related to the mutants activities. Those destroyed city streets are where people are trying to survive and rebuild what they have lost. Even just the mindset of having to survive instead of being able to live is demoralizing, and people naturally seek a way to lash out in anger.
The mutants are the obvious target for retribution, but their immunity from harm and need for human blood after injury taught people to stop attacking the vampires. So humans are once again their own worst enemy and are rising up against their fellow survivors to fight and kill over real and perceived injustices.
Greg Cavanaugh’s dilemma is what he can do about humans that are inciting riots and killing people that are working with the vampires. There are minimal resources available now and no prisons or jails are functioning as a result. Whatever decision he makes will be carried out in every city and town that is freed from enemy vampires. It will be the law until his son’s armies are stopped, or they find a higher ranking official that can take over the decision-making process and the blame for the results.
“Mr. Cavanaugh, you need to make a decision.” The group of human emissaries from various towns arrived to get help for the violence they are dealing with. “We have to allow our people to remain in control of their own towns and cities, but we can’t have humans killing each other the way they have been. Our police forces are not equipped to deal with some of the new tactics being used. There was a suicide bomber that destroyed a food distribution center this morning. It would be one thing if they were trying to kill the vampires or even us officials, but they are attacking the weakest and most innocent of the people that are seeking help.”
“The people you are dealing with, the leaders directing the violence, will mostly come from the families and friends of the vampires that were killed to free those areas from brutal control. It is a problem we have seen from the beginning, but I haven’t found a peaceful way to deal with what’s happening. Are you positive there is no way to set up some type of prison system where we can keep those people?”
“I’m sorry, sir, there isn’t. We have places we could put these people, many of the jails and prisons are intact, but holding facilities aren’t the problem. T
he food supply chain is destroyed. Manufacturing is rare and won’t be able to come back online until the vampires free vast areas. We have no access to the facilities necessary for the production of electricity.
“The mutants are only able to gather a limited amount of supplies for us humans and to have them create an extra supply line to keep an incarcerated population fed will just make the general populace more angry. You can imagine what people would think if the vampires are supplying food to people in prison camps while the rest of the populace is struggling to find food on their own.”
Silence fills the room for a moment, and Representative Cavanaugh’s expression doesn’t change. “Bring them in.”
Three mutants walk in when the assistant opens the door.
“Have you made a decision?”
“I have. The general population is the priority for food and supplies. In all areas we control, the people will be allowed to be as free and in control of their own lives as possible. Mutants will help to find supplies and fix infrastructure where needed but with other items are to help only when humans need it to survive or have specifically requested help as we have already planned.
“Those people that are instigating violence and are killing or destroying property will be captured and incarcerated in central holding facilities away from civilian populations as soon as the food supply situation is organized to the point that there are no shortages for the general population.”
The three exchange glances.
“You know the projections for that aren’t good. With each new city we free, there is a tremendous strain added to the already scant supply of food. It could be months before we have food supplies stable enough to house prisoners anywhere. What do we do with them until then?”
“Until that time, you must kill them. When you take over a city, round up the family members and friends of the vampires that had humans enslaved and have one of the arch-vampires that can read minds search their intentions. Anyone that has sympathy for the evil mutants must be considered a potential combatant from now on, and all of those that will act on their resentments must be stopped before they can cause their destruction.
“I know many of the people fighting back might be under the misguided belief that they are freedom fighters or patriots, but make no mistake that they are the enemy of everything this nation and our constitution stands for. They claim to be fighting against all enemies, foreign and domestic, but where was their spirit to fight back while other vampires enslaved them? They conveniently found their outrage after the violent tyrants were killed. Today’s rebels were yesterday’s leeches, sucking on the fat of our nations oppressors.
“From now on and until we can re-establish a prison system, humans and vampires will be treated equally on the battlefield. No vampire is allowed to remain alive if they are in favor of enslaving humanity and from now on, no human will remain alive if they will act out in revenge over their loss of power after the general populace is freed.
“Send word to all of our soldiers that they must work with our police to make sure the criminals currently out there are found and eliminated. Immediately! No further loss of innocent life or disruption to supply lines or centers will be tolerated. And don’t do this behind a veil of secrecy either. You tell the people who you are executing and exactly what their crimes of disruption were. The sentence for acting out against humanities freedom and survival is death.”
Chapter Twenty
First Snow
Salt Lake City, Utah
The first approach is never easy in a battle. Being on the front lines during this vampire war is no exception. Thousands who follow The Angel run and fly with their swords held high toward the opposing troops assembled at the city’s edge.
The soldiers guarding this territory are organized and regimented. It is a rarity in the fights they have had so far and not a welcome sight in a battle they all hoped would be a quick and easy one.
“You will not take my city,” the leader’s voice booms from the flying wall before them. “Stop your troops and go home.”
Cora’s soldiers press on.
“Free your humans and we can end this war,” Cora calls back.
The great distance between the army is closing fast.
“The humans had their time. We will treat them well, but they belong to us. It is no longer their planet to rule.”
Uncertainty begins to spread in Cora’s ranks as they approach their targets. Their enemies are standing and flying at attention with arms behind their backs. No weapons have been seen and no bullets have been sent at The Angel’s rushing forces.
“I do not wish to harm fellow vampires. Call a stop to your advance and leave our city.”
“We will leave when the people are free.”
Seconds before impact, the defending soldiers bring their arms forward and present shields and sledgehammers. The defending forces of Salt Lake were able to take advantage of two manufacturing foundries to supply their weapons. Before the blue haze arrived, the facilities made construction tools and military armor plating. The strength of the mutants allows them to use the large two-inch-thick metal plates as shields and swing the heavy hammers with ease.
The edges of the battle line make contact before the center. Ringing resounds along the line as metal strikes metal with swords hitting shields. Hammers swing back in return, crushing chests and skulls, causing limp bodies to fall to the ground to begin their healing process.
In the center, another force impacts Cora’s soldiers. An invisible blast pushes out from a single spot, throwing The Angel’s fighters away from the front line. The blast radiates out along the line from center to end until Cora’s fighters have all been pushed back by twenty feet. The Salt Lake forces move forward but do not break ranks to engage. The fighters retain their line and move over the fallen vampires, leaving them on the ground as they pass.
With the next impact, the line returns twenty feet again. More soldiers fall, and no ground is gained.
*
The battle for Salt Lake City has been a brutal stalemate. For two days, fighting has raged as Cora’s forces attempt to free this territory. The Interstate 80 corridor through this part of the Rocky Mountains lies on the city’s eastern edge.
The controller of Salt Lake has two main powers they have detected so far: telekinetic push and power sharing. She can force things away, and she is able to share her gift with others. She has been able to create invisible walls to keep Cora’s army from entering the city.
The constant yet miniscule shifting of the front line is demoralizing to troops on both sides of the fight. The Angel's army is battered and exhausted. Even with the quick healing of physical wounds, a healed battlefield injury does nothing to protect the wounds a mind endures in war. For months, the battles have waged across the western United States. With each victory, the army has gained new followers, new mutants to join the ranks in the efforts to free humanity.
With each victory also came the emotional turmoil of seeing new friends and allies die. In this battle, the former children fighting in it are witness to the ultimate futility and depression a conflict can produce when neither side is able to gain an advantage over the other.
Brian flies up and nods to Cora.
The plan for the final assault begins taking place. The ground troops and fliers begin to spread out and up instead of advance. In all previous attempts to go around or over the front line, the defending leader would use her power of force to knock the advance back. This time, The Angel’s forces are posing less of a threat as they continue spreading out. The winged vampires are the key. Cora has four times as many arch-vampires as her opponent and is now having her troops fly higher into the sky than ever. They are forcing the defenders to stretch their defensive line in return.
Confusion and then laughter spread among the Salt Lake forces when Cora's forces reveal the weapons they chose for this stage. Firearms are aimed but not yet fired by every other winged soldier of Cora’s line. As ine
ffective as those weapons are, it is the assortment of other items that cause the laughter. Hands are holding flares, hastily made torches, and bows of various styles with flaming arrows and bolts.
“Are you getting desperate? Is this the best the famed Angel has in her arsenal?”
The only reply is a rumbling sound in the distance behind The Angel on the frontline. Cora chose to keep the giants out of most battles. They don’t have the ability to heal the way vampires do, so she uses them only when necessary or when they insist because they have been prevented from helping for so long. In this moment, they are necessary. Each giant is carrying the final stage of this fight.
Industrial and manufacturing centers are great places to find or make weapons for war. In this particular battle, the problem is being able to advance through the line. The way to open this defensive formation is on its way. It is a simple design of four basic parts; industrial strength glue, lawnmower blades, propane tanks, and fire.
Thousands of lawnmower blades have been glued to hundreds of propane tanks. The blades will increase the shrapnel that will rip through bodies when the tanks explode. The Angel's vampires are carrying twenty-pound tanks, and the approaching giants are running up with one-hundred and five-hundred-pound tanks. A loud whistle is emitted and in unison the tanks are all propelled at the currently impenetrable wall.
The force with which the giants are able to launch their large tanks causes the enemy line to break before any explosive damage even occurs. Bodies are smashed out of their place in formation by the impact. Then come the bullets and the flame. The explosions destroy the defending leader’s army, and she is knocked unconscious by a blast as well. Half of her soldiers lay in pieces on the earth below, the other half are in dazed confusion or shock from the explosive concussions they’ve received.