by J. W. Vohs
“That’s because I’m Major Jackson, the government officer you screwed over this morning. Did you really think I would bother the general to speak with a handful of rebels we brushed off the bridge in minutes? I’m sure he has more important things to do than talk to you jokers.”
Jack smiled as he prepared to play his cards. “Did your fearless leader ever tell you why you were going to Indiana? Did he mention Jack Smith, or the settlement in Fort Wayne?”
There was a slight hesitation from the major before he replied, “He gives orders and I follow them; the strategic goals are his own.”
“That makes sense,” Jack agreed. “Sounds like the Barnes I used to drive around Afghanistan when he was preparing to introduce the virus on an unsuspecting village. Definitely his M.O. to send subordinates into deadly situations without warning. But hey, when I finally do get in touch with him, and I will, I’ll let him know that Major Jackson decided I wasn’t worthy of the exalted General Barnes’ attention tonight.”
Jack imagined the cringing taking place on the other side as all the arrogance in the major’s voice morphed into resignation. “If you can give me another fifteen minutes, I’m sure I can find the general.”
“Well,” Jack quipped, “a rebel soldier does need his sleep. But yeah, I’ll brush my teeth and then wait to hear from my ‘ole buddy before hitting the sack.”
“Fine. I’m sure general will be with you shortly.”
Right on time, the smarmy voice of General Barnes slithered over the airwaves. “Jack, are you still out there my old friend?”
Jack smirked, “I am a little older than the last time you saw me, but I still don’t consider myself a friend of yours.”
“Well, I want you to know that I still have a place for you in my heart.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, General.”
“So what can I do for you this fine evening, Jack? Was that you at the bridge this morning? Lose many friends there?”
“That was me at the bridge this morning, and I did lose some friends. Of course, my soldiers didn’t die by mindlessly pouring into the Ohio River by the thousands.”
“That’s true, they died screaming in mindless terror and agony while being eaten alive. But I’m sure you didn’t go to all this trouble to reach me just to describe such unpleasantness.”
“No,” Jack admitted, “I just wanted to let you know that it was me and my people who dropped all the bridges you were hoping to cross.”
Barnes kept his cool. “Yes, I suspected as much. I must confess that I’d forgotten what a good liar you are, as well as how dishonorable, and I actually waited to discuss your surrender as you asked me to do before I ordered my forces north.”
“All’s fair in love and war, Barnes.”
“Oh, absolutely, and therefore I don’t want to hear you object about the nature of my soldiers and the tactics they employ. I can afford to spend ten thousand infected to kill twenty of your men.”
“You’re probably right about that, and I’m finished trying to provide you with moral guidance. You’ve willingly vaulted past Hitler, Stalin, and all the other mass murderers in history. Congratulations, I guess. When my people write the new history books in the future you’ll have a very special place in them.”
Barnes laughed, “The victors write the history, Jack. Surely you, of all people, know that to be true.”
In his most chilling voice Jack replied, “Of course it’s true.”
“Ah, well, you always were a confident young man, although lacking somewhat in prudence and vision. Still, of all the people remaining in this world, I find you to be the most endearing. I just can’t decide if I prefer you as my final adversary or willing partner in reforming the world.”
“You don’t need to waste any of your mental energy on that, General; in the end the only decision will be mine, and it will pertain to what weapon I use to kill you. Right now I’m leaning toward using my bare hands.”
Barnes sighed, “Too bad . . . we would have made a good team. In some ways, you’re like the son I never had.”
When Jack didn’t respond the general continued, “Enough of the chit-chat, Sergeant, time for you to answer my original question. What can I do for you?”
“You can turn around and take your army of monsters back to wherever it is you call home these days.”
“Why on earth would I do that?”
“You’ll live longer than you will by continuing this war of yours. I mean, don’t get me wrong, eventually I’ll lead an army of humans to destroy you and your abominations no matter where you’re at, but you’ll live longer by retreating now.”
Barnes chuckled mirthlessly, “What you saw at the bridge today has been the last thing so many people who survived the virus have seen when they chose to oppose me, Jack. It doesn’t matter how many humans you recruit into that paltry force of yours, or how extensive your fortifications are. The world has never seen an army like the one I now command. They ARE monsters, that I’ll grant you. My orders are followed mindlessly, with no concern by the soldiery for their own preservation. Even without the overwhelming superiority of numbers my army will enjoy in any confrontation with yours, humans will never fight with such utter conviction as the infected. The flesh-eaters will never stop, and nothing you can do will stop them. Go ahead and fight, but you’re nothing more than a murderer like me if you do.”
“You’re making a classic mistake, Barnes, one that’s been made time and time again by people who think like you.”
“Which is?”
“There will always be people willing to fight to the death rather than submit to slavery.”
“Ah, my naïve young friend, just a few short months ago weren’t they slaves to the wealthy elite destroying the planet through their exploitation of a fossil-fuel-based economy that was unsustainable?”
“Whatever,” Jack flippantly replied. “At least in that world they could choose to live where they wanted and work how they wanted, even if they just wanted to live on a beach and get high all day. I’ll grant you that people can make some pretty bad choices, hell, you’re the poster boy for that, but it’s the ability to choose that’s so important. People like you always miss the point—most humans value free will over everything else, including life.”
“Hmm, you may be on to something there. Of course, most people willingly chose to obey the laws and join the system that was oppressing them in the old world. But, you are right that they could always hold on to the belief that they were free to do as they wished. I suppose that’s why television programs about violent motorcycle gangs and crazy meth dealers were so popular; they allowed the sheeple to engage in the fantasy that life outside the system was possible, even rewarding.”
“And now you’ve reawakened that spirit of defiance in the hearts of survivors all over this country,” Jack replied. “You’ve managed to reduce life to an existential struggle, and humans have proven to be the most vicious animals on the planet when faced with the demise of their group. Now that group is the entire human race, faced with a common enemy set on their destruction. It’s a classic ‘us’ versus ‘them’ battle, with ‘them’ being a hideous abomination that wants to eat ‘us.’ There will be no surrender.”
“That’s fine with me,” Barnes admitted, “such people would fit poorly into the new world order I’m implementing. Better to herd them all into one place and finish them off.”
“You have to catch us first.”
“True, but I have all the time and resources in the world with which to do that. You and your tiny band of fugitives, on the other hand, will sooner or later run out of places to hide.”
“Bring it on, Barnes. People keep joining our tiny band every day. You know as well as I do that Kentucky and Tennessee are full of lakes and rivers, and the small towns out here didn’t die as fast and hard as the cities. I’m finding a lot of survivors in the region, and they’ve all heard about the ‘government’ tactics you use against the communities in your pa
th.”
“Okay, Jack, I suppose the die is now cast. My army will eventually pin your band and destroy them, no matter how many bridges you blow. Your little resistance might buy you a bit of time, but what good is that? Who’s going to plant the crops next spring, or harvest them in the fall? I can afford to leave this horde in the south and raise new ones beyond the Ohio and Mississippi. We’ll keep you on the run until starvation and exhaustion bring you to bay, then I’ll capture you and make sure you enjoy the opportunity to see all of your precious people eaten alive. Sound fun?”
“I’m not so stupid as to allow that to happen, Barnes. Once we’re strong enough, and find a defendable position, we’re going to fight and destroy your army. And you.”
Barnes didn’t respond to Jack’s cocky statement for a long moment, and when he did, he still couldn’t mask the gleeful satisfaction behind his sarcasm. “You wouldn’t dare . . .”
“Try me,” Jack taunted. “If you follow us, we’ll blow bridges and do our best to slow you at every possible point. One by one your monsters will slip away or be killed, and when you’re weakened enough, we’ll kick your ass.”
“No, you won’t,” Barnes retorted, “although you are more than welcome to try. I’ll take your little dare, Jack. I’m going to chase you till you turn and fight.”
Jack did his best to sound desperate, “Why hurt your forces and mine? You have the American south and east. You can grow all the food you want and set up your own kingdom. Why waste resources on my people, who, as you know, number only a few hundred?”
“Because I want to and I can. You are the one loose end I’ve never been able to tie up, and now there’s nothing really stopping me from doing so. No matter where you go, or what you do, or how many misguided souls join your little resistance movement, eventually I’ll put an end to you. It’s sad, really. We could have accomplished great things together, though, I must admit, in some ways we already have. I suppose you’ve played your part well enough, but your final curtain call is near. ”
“Fine,” Jack quietly replied with mock resignation. “Go ahead and play out this little vendetta of yours to the bitter end, but my people aren’t throwing in the towel. Tomorrow we’ll kill more of your hunters, and the next day, and the one after that. We’ll kill them until you go away and leave us alone.”
“Of course you will, Jack.” Barnes continued to sound quite pleased with himself. “Lately I’ve been thinking that once I’ve pacified the entire continent, running the place might be boring compared to what I’ve been working on for so long. I must admit that I rather enjoy the war, and suspect that the peace won’t be nearly as much fun. So by all means, run, fight, build forts, whatever it is you think might present me with a challenge. In fact, let’s make this official: I hearby declare that a state of war exists between the United States, and the Confederacy of survivors led by the outlaw, Jack Smith. There, doesn’t this sound like fun?”
Jack gritted his teeth and answered, “No, but since you’ve declared war on us we have no choice but to fight. You have your fun trying to destroy the human race, we’ll try to save it.”
“Deal!” Barnes happily shouted. “And may the best man win; or flesh-eaters, or whatever you call them. See you on the field of battle, my old friend!”
With that gleeful outburst the transmission ended, and Jack smiled broadly as he reached up to turn the radio off. Barnes had always been a bit off, but nowadays he seemed downright insane. Almost as if they were two ancient enemies agreeing to a time and place to violently settle their feud, the mad general was apparently happy to follow Jack’s force through the south until they turned and gave battle. He had willingly fallen into the trap Jack had hoped to spring on him, but, Jack had to admit, he couldn’t blame the general for believing that anything planned for him would be quickly and absolutely overwhelmed by the massive army at his disposal. Barnes was crazy, but not stupid. He had to know that Jack was egging him on, hoping to lead him on a chase to the west, probably just to divert his attention from Fort Wayne. But to the general none of that mattered. He wanted to play the game, fearing that once his enemies were all gone he would grow bored. He could chase Jack for now and destroy Fort Wayne next year, or the year after.
As Jack sat in the now quiet vehicle, he considered the situation from Barnes’ perspective. He could understand the general’s attitude. He wanted Jack dead, or better yet, captured, and now his elusive enemy was willing to play cat and mouse with him in spite of the fact that he was hopelessly outnumbered and probably just a few mechanical breakdowns away from being trapped. Sure, Jack’s handful of troops could and would blow bridges and do other things to slow the horde’s progress, but eventually they would catch him somewhere. If not, Jack had openly declared his intention of fighting the flesh-eating army somewhere along the Mississippi. He figured that Barnes saw him as a deluded, would-be messiah, who actually believed he could defeat the enemy forces just because he’d won a few battles early on. The bottom line was that Barnes believed that he had Jack right where he wanted him, and Jack was relying on that belief.
Jack knew that there was no quick end to this war, and he wasn’t hoping to destroy Barnes with one master stroke. He planned to slowly degrade his enemy’s forces and supply lines, and hopefully use the weather to his advantage as winter set in. Once he stopped or destroyed this horde, the survivors around the country would have even more time to settle islands, peninsulas, and mountain fortresses. Rail and water transportation would allow for the movement of troops and supplies with a speed and efficiency Barnes couldn’t hope to match. The general had millions of hunters to form into armies, but he didn’t have nearly enough human allies to modernize his tactics or strategies. Jack wasn’t sure if the advantages the resistance forces enjoyed would be enough to win the war any time soon, but they would hopefully allow the humans to fight back while infected-free enclaves, especially on fertile islands, developed a system that would ensure their existence. That fact, he realized, was definitely worth the sacrifices he was asking of the river peoples and Utah; the survival of the human race depended on them.
CHAPTER 16
While Jack was preparing Chad and the others for conducting the retreat across Kentucky and Tennessee, Carter was back on the same boat that had brought him to Vicksburg. The only difference was that he had just David with him now, and they were speeding north back to Cairo. Bobby and Gabe were staying in Vicksburg to help in any way possible, with their main purpose being to teach the soldiers there how to improve the quality and usage of their armor and weapons. Carter also felt a lot better knowing that he had people he could trust with his family in the event of another forced retreat by the settlement. He figured that T.C. would stay with the community he’d become so invested in, but hoped to eventually convince his sister and niece to join his mother in Fort Wayne.
He tried to grab a few hours’ sleep as the boat pounded its way over the choppy, freezing Mississippi, too exhausted to do anything more than flop on one of the bunks in the cabin and wrap himself up in a poncho. He’d slept in much worse conditions during the wars, and learned there that even a few fitful hours’ rest could really improve his condition. David was tired too, and neither of them had enjoyed a decent night’s sleep since leaving Brandenburg more than five days earlier. But they had to find Jack as quickly as possible and set him to working on cementing the fledgling alliance with Vicksburg and the other river people. The last time they’d talked they’d agreed to a protocol on how to conduct the attempt to reestablish contact, and Carter was pretty sure they were now faced with one of the worst contingencies they’d discussed: a defeat at the bridge with Jack’s force on the run.
After learning from Andi during the radio conversation with Fort Wayne that contact with Jack’s force had been lost, Carter decided to proceed under the assumption that the retreat across Kentucky was under way. He’d check in with home base again once they got to Cairo, but fully expected to discover that they had no new informati
on to pass on. At that point Carter and David would begin a methodical physical and radio search for Jack. The first step was to motor up the Green River, just west of Owensboro, where Jack planned to blow bridges that would force Barnes’ army to the south. Once on the river they would try to reach Jack by radio, or possibly even luck out and run into him or one of his patrols at the bridges. If they failed to locate him on the Green, they would then retreat to the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, where they would start the process all over again. Sooner or later, if the plan worked, the two parties would stumble across one another.
Suddenly Carter felt himself being shaken and looked up to see David’s haggard face staring down at him. “Get up . . . the beauty sleep didn’t work.”
Carter pulled himself into a sitting position on the bunk and wiped his eyes. “Wow, what time is it?”
“Nine AM, and we’re only a few hours out of Cairo.”
“Damn, I ain’t slept for seven straight hours since we left Fort Wayne.”
“Yeah, me too. The pilot just woke me up. Said he was tired of listening to my snoring.”
“Well, do we eat MREs for breakfast or wait for whatever Cairo has to offer?”
David shook his head, “You know we have to head up the Ohio immediately.”
Carter nodded and sighed, “Guess I was hopin’ we could pick up a couple a hot McMuffins before headin’ out.”
“I’m thinking about asking the mayor if we can borrow a faster boat than the one we have waiting there, our electric motor will take a long time to get to the Green River running against the current. Maybe you’ll have time to locate a quick drive-through.”
“Naw,” Carter said, patting his stomach, “I promised Deb I’d leave off the fast food, ‘cept the MREs of course.” He tore open a packet of freeze dried something. “I like yer idea ‘bout a faster boat; noise control ain’t exactly our biggest concern anymore.”