World War III

by Heath Jannusch

  As the vibration grew stronger, Shiloh could hear a distant rumbling which became louder and louder. He reached out and placed his hand on Ian’s shoulder, giving his friend a gentle squeeze. The squeeze was all that was needed, Ian’s eyes instantly opened.

  “Do you feel that?” Shiloh whispered softly, so as not to awaken everyone.

  “Yeah,” answered Ian, in the same hushed voice. “What is it?”

  “I’ve no idea. Ya wanna come with me to check it out?”

  “Absolutely,” grinned Ian, always ready for an adventure. Before standing up, he slowly and gently removed Jessie’s arm, which was draped over his chest. Swiftly and silently he made his way across the room and joined Shiloh, who was already removing the plastic and duct tape from the door.

  The rain had stopped falling while they were sleeping but the ground was still wet. The sky above was grey and overcast and looked like it might start raining again. The two men were about to leave the library when a voice from behind stopped them.

  “What’s going on?” asked Lex, who’d woken up and joined the men at the door, Cleo at his side.

  “What the bloody hell is causing that rumbling?” asked Cleo, holding Lex’s hand in hers.

  “That’s what we intend to find out,” answered Ian. “You guys coming?”

  “I am,” replied Lex, pulling on his t-shirt and jacket.

  “Let’s go,” agreed Cleo retrieving two rifles, one for her and one for Lex. “The level of radiation should be low enough by now.”

  The group of four exited the library and quietly closed the door behind them. They didn’t have to venture out far before seeing what was making the rumbling sound and causing the ground to shake. Before they’d even had a chance to descend the steps to the library, the answer to the mystery was revealed.

  Driving up the center of Main Street was a large column of armored vehicles, including tanks, trucks, and Humvees with mounted machine guns. It was the tanks which were causing the ground to shake. The small group of four stood there silently and watched, as the vehicles rolled by. After a few minutes one of the Humvees pulled out of formation and came to a stop in front of the library. Lex and Cleo immediately cocked the rifles in their hands and readied themselves for trouble.

  “Easy now,” cautioned Shiloh, motioning for them to lower their weapons, “those are our troops.” Lex and Cleo reluctantly lowered their weapons.

  The doors swung open and two men dressed in field uniforms dismounted the vehicle. The first was the younger of the two, in his mid-thirties. He had shrewd, light green eyes and carried a 9mm Glock in a holster strapped to his hip.

  The second man, obviously the higher ranking of the two, had dark brown eyes, laden with worry. He too wore a 9mm Glock in a holster strapped to his hip and on his head a camouflage helmet matching his uniform.

  “Good morning gentlemen, and lady,” he added, after seeing Cleo standing there. “I’m Major Shane Conrad with the United States Marines. I’m sure you’re all aware that we’ve suffered from a nuclear attack and are currently at war.”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” replied Lex warily. He’d never been much for authority or being told what to do. So needless to say he wasn’t a big fan of the military. “Who attacked us?”

  “Well I suppose that depends on who you ask,” answered Major Conrad. “They’re calling themselves the Communist Muslim Coalition. It started several weeks ago when the combined forces of Russia, China, Egypt, North Korea, Iran, Syria and several other Arab nations launched an attack on Israel. The small and isolated nation was able to defend its borders using their laser defense system, the ‘Iron Beam’. Reports indicate that the Israeli military was miraculously able to destroy all incoming missiles. Although surrounded on all sides by her enemies, Israel immediately launched a counter attack.”

  “If all of Israel’s borders are surrounded then at least their military can shoot in any direction,” said Lex with a chuckle.

  “Oh and they are,” replied the Major. “As odd as it sounds the little nation has now become the big dog in the world. They’ve taken advantage of this opportunity and are systematically eliminating their enemies, who so far, have been no match against the incredible Israeli military might. Israel seems determined to annihilate those countries that were bent on destroying her, and they’re doing it without anyone else’s help.”

  “So why were we nuked?” asked Ian. “What happened to Mutually Assured Destruction? And what do we have to do with Israel? I thought we withdrew aid a few years ago.”

  “We did,” agreed Major Conrad, “but the Communist Muslim Coalition thinks we helped them anyway. They believe there is no way Israel could have designed an advanced weapon system of that caliber, without our help. Not to mention they see this as the perfect opportunity and excuse to destroy us. The United States has never been so weak and defenseless.”

  “So we’re at war with all of those countries?” asked Cleo, in her beautiful Australian accent. “Bloody hell, it sounds like the whole world is at war.”

  “Affirmative,” answered the Major, “the media has already dubbed this global conflict as World War III. There are more countries involved than the ones that I named and the list grows longer every day. What we’re seeing is just the beginning.”

  “What about our allies?” Asked Ian. “Who’s on our side?”

  “The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Canada are the only countries so far that have pledged their allegiance to us,” answered Major Conrad. “Although they’re infrastructures are in just as much peril as ours. Many of the smaller countries that we’ve helped and supported over the years are afraid to get involved. Israel is currently the only alley who’s actively fighting on our side and that’s by default. However, being so far away and surrounded by enemies, it’s doubtful that we’ll receive aid from them anytime soon. The fact is we’re outnumbered and as it stands, we’re all on our own.”

  “What are we going to do?” asked Lex, a worried look upon his face.

  “I realize that you have a lot of questions and there’ll be time for that,” continued the Major. “But right now I need to speak with whoever’s in charge.”

  “I guess that’d be Mayor Samuel Sullivan,” replied Shiloh. “But he’s not here at the moment.”

  “Where is he?”

  “We sent him to my ranch a few days ago when our town was attacked by a raiding party, known as the Enlightened Ones.”

  “Ah yes, we’ve heard of them,” replied Major Conrad. “They’ve been plundering mostly smaller towns throughout the country. They’re notorious for raping and killing their victims before burning the town to the ground. In fact if the Enlightened Ones have been through here I’m surprised that your town is still standing.”

  “We fought them off,” said Ian proudly.

  “And how exactly did you manage to do that?” asked the Major, full of intrigue.

  “We had a lot of help from God,” answered Shiloh.

  “I see. I suppose that explains all of the rotting bodies we passed by on our way into town?” said the Major, with a sarcastic grin on his face.

  “Yes,” answered Shiloh. “We didn’t have time to bury them before the nuclear explosions and the black rain.”

  “Well we need to make time,” said Major Conrad. “Those bodies are contaminated with infections and radiation. We need to burn them and burry the ashes far outside the town. It needs to be in a place that won’t contaminate the ground water you’re drinking. Our orders are to provide help and aid to those in need, re-establish communications and test the water and soil for radiation poisoning as we make our way west. These are actually the topics that I’d like to go over with your Mayor.”

  “Of course,” said Shiloh. “I’ll send someone to get him.”

  “Good,” said the Major. “In the meantime, my men are going to set up a base camp at the west end of town and begin our work.” The Major turned and signaled for the younger soldier to come over. The man had
remained quiet until now.

  “This is my second in command, Lieutenant Jon Sawyer. He’ll act as my liaison officer with your town. If you have any needs or concerns, Lt. Sawyer will be the one to address them. That being said, I’ll leave him to it. Good day gentleman, ma’am,” he added, tipping his helmet to Cleo.

  Major Conrad turned and walked back to his Humvee and climbed in. The vehicle immediately joined the armored convoy, leaving Lt. Sawyer standing alone on the road in front of the library.

  “Johnny?” asked Ian, recognizing the Lieutenant for the first time. “Is that you?”

  “Ian?” said Lt. Sawyer. “Ian St Clair?”

  “Yeah,” laughed Ian, as he descended the steps of the library and hugged the Lieutenant. “Man it’s good to see you! Weren’t you a sergeant the last time I saw you? What happened?”

  “I got promoted,” grinned Lt Sawyer. “They tend to do that if you stay in long enough. It’s been a long time Ian, how in the hell are ya?”

  “I’m doing great! I live here in Clearview,” said Ian, gesturing to the quaint buildings around him. “This is my home town that I used to tell you about. I came back after being discharged.”

  “Oh yeah,” frowned Lt Sawyer, remembering the circumstances behind Ian’s discharge from the Marines. “Well,” he said, a smile returning to his face, “we’ve a lot of catching up to do.”

  “That we do,” grinned Ian. “Come inside and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

  Rescue Mission

  World War III – Day Five

  Clearview, Nevada

  Shiloh immediately sent Cole Higgins to the small, hidden valley located on his ranch to check on Mayor Sam Sullivan, along with the remainder of the townsfolk that’d taken refuge in the tiny, custom-built cottages. The once quiet town of Clearview was at peace, for the first time in a long time. It took Major Shane Conrad and his men less than a day to re-establish power and communications throughout the town. The levels of radiation found in the water and ground soil was much lower than originally feared.

  When Sam arrived in town in a few hours later, the first thing he did was organize a town meeting to be held at the Shady Lady Saloon. He invited both Major Conrad and Lieutenant Sawyer to attend the meeting, hoping they could explain to everyone what was happening in the world around them. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 7pm and as usual, Shiloh was late.

  When he opened the door to the Shady Lady, the meeting had already begun. Mayor Sullivan and Major Conrad where standing on the stage where the band usually played. Sam had already introduced the Major and it was he who was now speaking.

  “We’ve re-established your communications as well as all electric and gas power,” said the Major, addressing the people before him. “Our original testing of the water and soil has given us optimistic results. It seems that the rain you experienced for the past couple of days carried with it little to no radiation. The drinking water is completely safe as is the soil. That being said, we do however recommend that you remove the first eighteen inches of top soil before planting any new crops.”

  “Is the soil safe to walk on?” asked one of the women from the crowd.

  “Absolutely,” answered the Major. “Fallout can be dispersed over a time span of minutes to days, creating contamination near the blast zone as well as thousands of kilometers away. The most intense radiation is created by nearby fallout, because it’s more densely deposited and because short-lived isotopes haven’t decayed yet. Of course weather conditions can affect this considerably. In the case of Clearview, you were lucky to be far enough away from ground zero to avoid the actual blast and thermal radiation. And because your town is completely surrounded by mountains,” he continued to explain, “most of the fallout was unable to reach you. I’m sure that we’ll find a much, much different scenario on the other side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The storm clouds created by the nuclear blasts bunched together on the west side of the mountain range, depositing most of the fallout there.”

  The Major paused for a moment before continuing. “So yes ma’am, to answer your question, it’s perfectly safe to walk on the soil.”

  “So then,” replied Sam in his Irish brogue, “it’s safe for us to continue life as we know it?”

  “That’s correct,” answered Major Conrad. “However, if I were you folks I wouldn’t venture out too far from town just yet. We’ve only tested the immediate area and there could potentially be more radioactive isotopes located in the surrounding hills.”

  “What about the raiders known as the Enlightened Ones?” Asked Deputy Mayor, Luke Slater, his broken arm still in a sling. “They’re still out there somewhere. What do you intend to do about them?”

  “When the time comes,” answered Major Conrad, “we’ll hunt them down and they’ll be punished for their crimes against humanity. But for now our military has its hands full with containing the nuclear fallout and subsequent invasion of the Communist Muslim Coalition. I’m sorry, but for the moment your town militia will have to be responsible for the safety of the town.”

  “Does that mean that you and your troops are leaving?” asked Shiloh deep in thought, already planning the town’s defenses.

  “Affirmative,” answered the Major, “we’ve just received our marching orders. Our instructions are to head west and reinforce the front line.”

  “And where exactly is the front line?” asked Ian.

  Noticing Ian and Jessie holding hands, Shiloh smiled. Ian observed his smile and turned red.

  Major Conrad hesitated, not sure how much information he should share with the townspeople. A firm believer in government transparency, he knew that the bitter truth was always better than the sweetest lie. Besides, it’s not like the information was classified or anything. “The front line was the coast of California.”

  “What do you mean was?” asked Lex, a concerned look on his face. His mother lived in San Diego and she’d be right in the middle of the fighting.

  “Well,” the Major cleared his throat, “the most recent reports have the enemy just outside of Escondido, California and heading east.”

  “Escondido,” repeated Lex, “that must be about ten miles from the coast!”

  “That’s correct,” agreed Major Conrad. “The enemy has overrun our coastal defense positions and the frontline has been pushed back.”

  “What about San Diego?” Asked Lex, worried for his mother.

  “The city of San Diego is now behind enemy lines,” replied the Major. “Although many of the citizens were evacuated before the city fell.”

  “It doesn’t make since for the enemy to have attacked only one area,” commented Mason. “Have they breached any of our other borders?”

  “You’re absolutely correct,” agreed Major Conrad. “The Communist Muslim Coalition has divided their forces into three separate divisions. In addition to the assault on the west coast, there have also been attacks on both our eastern coast and our southern border with Mexico. Needless to say our forces are spread thin, very thin. So far we’ve had more luck with holding the defensive positions along our border with Mexico.”

  “Why do you think that is?” asked Shiloh.

  “Well,” the Major hesitated once again, knowing that the government wouldn’t approve of what he was about to say, “I believe it’s because of the help we’re receiving from all of the armed citizens in the Border States. Texas, New Mexico and Arizona are all States that allow open carry, whereas California has far too many gun restrictions. The laws in California prevent many citizens from owning firearms, and because of this a lot of people were caught un-armed and un-prepared. And the same goes for a lot of the States along the eastern coastline. Most of the civilians on both the east and west coasts have been fleeing into the heart of the country, away from the invading troops. However, when the fighting started along our southern border most of the civilians grabbed their firearms and joined our soldiers in the fight. They weren’t about to abandon their families or their homes.”<
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  “What about the east coast?” Asked Mason. “How far in has the enemy penetrated?”

  “The Chinese secretly landed an armada of twelve luxury cruise ships on our eastern shore, before the nuclear bombs were even detonated,” replied Major Conrad. “Each ship, capable of carrying thousands of troops and hundreds of vehicles in its belly, snuck in under the guise of humanitarian relief. The port authorities, believing the vessels to be nothing more than cruise ships carrying food and supplies, allowed the Chinese to dock at ports in several major cities along the coast.”

  “And then what happened?” asked Cleo.

  “When the ships were securely docked,” continued the Major, “the roll-on-roll-off ramps located at the stern of the vessel where dropped open. But instead of finding food, water and other humanitarian aid, tanks and soldiers disembarked. I can only imagine the look of shock and horror on the faces of the poor souls working the docks that day.”

  “Has the military been able to hold the east coast?” pressed Mason.

  “Parts of it, but not all,” answered Major Conrad. “The last report that I received placed the foreign army east of the Appalachian Mountains. Our soldiers, with the help of thousands of armed civilians from Tennessee and Kentucky, were able to prevent the Chinese from crossing over the mountain range.”

  “So the troops assaulting our east coast are primarily Chinese?” asked Mason.

  “Mostly,” replied Major Conrad, “but not entirely. We can’t be sure but we think China is leading the eastern assault while the Russian’s are leading the western assault. Both armies are comprised of Russian and Chinese troops.”

  “And who’s leading the assault on our southern border?” asked Shiloh.

  “That’s a good question and to be honest, we don’t know. It seems that a lot of the enemy troops fighting at the southern border have been speaking Arabic,” said the Major. “But that could mean just about any country from the Middle East.”