The Days of Noah, Book Two: Persecution

by Mark Goodwin

  David looked up from his phone. “I explained everything to Becky. She’s happy for us to help out any way we can. We’re all in this together. If everyone wants to come out early on Thursday, we could squeeze in some tactical training also.”

  Noah said, “I’ll be there early. I’m sure the story we’re being told by the media will have progressed by then. We’ll have plenty to talk about. Maybe we should make it an all-day event.”

  Benny smiled. “I agree. In addition to the radios, I can come up with a way for us to all communicate securely online. It wouldn’t require any more hardware than a flash drive, which I have plenty of. Radio communications are a great back-up source of communication, but anyone could listen in unless you’re using a secure channel or encryption, and those are still fairly easy to get past.”. Jim looked at Benny. “Speaking of getting past encrypted signals, have you been able to intercept any information out of Knoxville?”

  Benny adjusted his glasses. “The detention center inside the college stadium is switching over from training protocols to real-world.”

  Jim laughed sarcastically. “What a surprise.”

  Benny added, “And the coliseum is being set up as a relief center.”

  Jim asked, “A relief center? The Army is running that?”

  Benny sighed. “Technically, FEMA, but it’s all under DHS, so other than the insignias, very little distinction exists between entities. In addition to what Noah heard on the radio about people not being able to get in the city limits, after sundown tonight, they also won’t be allowed to leave.”

  “Because of the curfew?” Isaiah asked.

  Benny looked at Isaiah. “I think that order is to remain in effect even after sunrise on the following day.”

  David stood up. “Guys, I hate to cut out on you, but I’m going to see if I can top off my tank at Quick Mart before work.”

  Isaiah stood to walk David to the door. “Before you leave, do you think you might be able to buy a few medical supplies from your job?”

  David put his jacket on. “I have a couple of boxes of stuff. I keep a lot of the stuff they throw out when it expires. Gauze, staplers, chest seals, QuikClot, Betadine, that kind of stuff. They all have expiration dates on them, but they’re basically just like Band-Aids; nothing is going to go bad. It’s a good way to fleece the industry, though. I’ll see what I might be missing and see if the boss will cut me a deal on anything. See you all Thursday around two.”

  Jim also got up. “You be careful out there tonight. If your truck gets in a bad spot and you can’t get a deputy to respond, call my phone. I’ll come right out.”

  David shook Jim’s hand. “Thanks. I always carry a piece on my ankle. I’ll probably throw something a little heavier in the cab with me tonight.”

  Jim said, “Don’t forget, your family comes first. If it gets too hairy, go home.”

  David rarely looked serious, but this time he did. “When I was in Iraq, it got hairy, and there was no going home. I guess I drive that EMT truck with the same sense of duty. I appreciate what you’re saying, but that’s just not who I am. I’m not judging the guys who decided to stay home, but if I sign up for something, I see it through to the end, no matter what.”

  Jim held the door open for David. “Then we’re blessed to have you as part of our team.”

  Noah followed the two men out to the drive. “Jim, I’ve got a turkey for you in the vehicle.”

  “And all I’ve got for you is a dingy old radio.”

  Noah smiled. “I guess we’re officially on a barter system from here on out.”

  Noah and Jim made the exchange and Jim left.

  Noah went back into the house with Isaiah and Benny. “I can’t think of a better group to ride out the apocalypse with than you people.”

  Isaiah chuckled. “We have a pretty good team. We all get along, and we have a good mix of skills among our group. God did a fine job of bringing us together.”

  Benny picked up the remote. “Mind if we see what the latest developments are?”

  Isaiah nodded. “Let’s see what’s happening.”

  Benny hit the power button, and the television sprang to life. Harrison Yates was still leading the coverage on Fox News.

  “We’re just getting information that DHS and the FBI may have a significant lead on a terrorist cell connected to the attacks on the refineries. Up to this point, I think most of us have assumed that today’s attacks were most likely perpetrated by Radical Islamists, but if our source, who works very closely with DHS, is correct, that may not be the case at all.

  “The Secretary of Homeland Security has already stated that he believes the attacks were coordinated by a single group or a consortium of groups that are closely connected and share common goals. So, we can assume that if the attacks on the refineries weren’t committed by Al-Qaeda or ISIL, neither were the other attacks around the country.

  “This assault has been the single largest act of terrorism ever committed, not only on American soil, but worldwide. It eclipses the total amount of terrorist attacks committed over the past decade. And, as the numbers continue to roll in over the next several days, the death toll could easily top one hundred thousand as a direct result of the bombs. There is no way to tell how many people could die from the indirect effects of the attacks. We’ve already had reports of people being shot over skirmishes in gas lines. Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, and LA have already enacted curfews requiring citizens to stay home. The violence in those cities, especially at gas stations and grocery stores, has pushed city leaders to enact some of the first daylight-hour curfews in the country’s history.

  “Even though New York was the target of a direct attack, the mayor has decided not to enact the curfew until five o’clock this evening. No solution has been found for the massive power outage in New York yet, but the city manager is said to be working with power company executives to reroute power from neighboring areas. This action is expected to result in rolling blackouts across the Northeast. The move to redirect power from other areas is sure to be a contentious issue for residents, who will have to go without power for four to five hours a day, but it should allow New Yorkers to have power for some portion of the day until a more permanent solution can be found. With the shutdown of several coal-fired power plants over the past several years, coming up with enough power to fill the void left by the Indian Point reactor will be a daunting task.”

  Yates paused a moment, listening to his earpiece, then continued.

  “I’ve just received a message from my producer that Fox News is going to release the information we have received from our source about the identification of the suspected terror cell members connected with today’s attacks. I want to remind you that our source does work closely with DHS, but we have not been able to get any official confirmation from DHS or the FBI. We’ll be right back with that breaking news!”

  Noah turned to look at Isaiah and Benny. “I’ve got to tell Cassie.” He quickly took out his phone and texted Cassie to let her know to turn on Fox. He was sure she was already watching it, but Cassie was more likely to channel surf the news than Noah was.

  A message from Cassie soon appeared on Noah’s phone. “Watching now. Hurry home.”

  Noah messaged back. “Be home soon. Love you.”

  Noah looked back up at Isaiah. “I was sure this was ISIL. Who do you think it is? China, Russia?”

  Isaiah shrugged. “I don’t know. Who do you think it is, Benny?”

  Benny’s face showed no surprise that the suspects were not Muslim. “I don’t know who it’s going to be blamed on, but my money is on the CIA. Noah, this is what your wife has been saying for a while. I don’t know if you believe her, but as someone who worked inside the belly of the beast, I certainly do.”

  Noah scratched his head. “I believe her general premise; I’m just not sure this attack is part of that overall conspiracy.”

  Benny leaned in. “Everything is part of the overall conspiracy.”

 
Harrison Yates reappeared after the commercial break.

  “Folks, as we’ve promised, we are going ahead with the announcement, which we have confirmed now through multiple sources, although not through official channels. The terror cell which is believed to be responsible for the attacks is a right-wing extremist group called American Patriots for Christ. They have reportedly been on the government’s radar for some time. Their website voices extremist views concerning a myriad of political topics, such as the Second Amendment, abortion, immigration, the sovereignty of the individual states, and federal taxing authority.”

  Noah interrupted. “Since when does Fox consider the Second Amendment and abortion to be extremist views?”

  Benny stayed focused on the reporter. “Since these attacks were blamed on people who hold to those views.”

  Yates continued his commentary.

  “The American Patriots for Christ, or APC, are only one of many groups that are closely monitored by the watchdog group the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC has maintained a working relationship with DHS for several years and keeps tabs on several extremist and hate groups. Some of the groups monitored by SPLC include Oath Keepers, the American Family Association, the Family Research Council, the KKK, the Black Panthers, World Net Daily, Aryan Nation groups, Tea Party groups, and many other groups that identify with the patriot movement like American Patriots for Christ do.”

  Noah interrupted again. “I can’t believe he just lumped the KKK, Black Panthers, and Aryan Nation in with the Tea Party, AFA, and Oath Keepers!”

  Isaiah furrowed his brow. “Yes. Very different groups. I suppose they were already lumped together by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Ironically, no radical communist groups are listed on their site. I’ve checked them out before. The SPLC has Chuck Baldwin and David Barton at the top of the list on their Extremist Files, but Bill Ayers, who bombed the Capitol building, the Pentagon, and police stations, doesn’t even get an honorable mention on the site.”

  Benny frowned. “Unfortunately, DHS pays close attention to the opinions of SPLC. This isn’t good. Anyone who holds beliefs similar to the groups listed on the SPLC site is going to be under government scrutiny.”

  Noah looked at Benny. “We all believe in everything the American Patriots for Christ believe in. Does that put us on the watch list?”

  Benny winked at Noah. “We’ve been on that list for a long time, but now DHS will have reason to treat us like the criminals they think we are. The days of fretting over watch lists just ended. We’ll be subjected to complete persecution after today.”

  A loud knock at the back door startled the three men. Noah was on edge from the recent developments on the news. He let his hand rest on the handle of the pistol tucked in the back of his pants.

  Isaiah held his finger to his lips and walked quietly to the back door. Noah and Benny followed close behind, being careful not to make any noise.

  Isaiah turned and whispered to the two men. “It’s Henry Whitaker!”

  CHAPTER 7

  Whether it’s a deliberately planned false flag or whether it is accidental or blowback or an unintended consequence, it’s always used to expand the state.

  Ron Paul - 2015 Infowars interview

  Everett Carol watched the news Monday morning as he was finishing his morning workout on the treadmill. It was 6:25 AM, and the first reports of an explosion at the Indian Point nuclear power plant were just starting to come in. He slowed his pace enough to jump off the treadmill, then moved quickly to the locker room to retrieve his phone and call Courtney.

  “Courtney, are you near a television?”

  Her voice came between labored breaths. “No, I’m running. What’s up?”

  “There was an explosion at the Indian Point Nuclear Plant in New York.”

  “Was it an attack?”

  “It just happened; the news hasn’t speculated on the cause yet. I’m going to proceed on the assumption that it is an attack until I get confirmation that it isn’t. I usually shower here at the gym, then get coffee at Starbucks and go straight to work from there, but today I’m heading home to get some stuff ready. You should probably do the same. If it turns out to be a non-event, you should find out in plenty of time to still make it to work without being late.”

  Courtney took a deep breath. “Okay. I can flag down a cab and go straight home rather than finishing my run.”

  “I don’t mean to interrupt your workout, but better safe than sorry.”

  “No, I appreciate the heads-up. I’ll call you as soon as I get home and get a shower.”

  “Good. If the lines are jammed, remember, sometimes a text will go through even when a call won’t.”

  “Right, because it uses less data. Should I call your cell or call you at your grandmother’s?”

  Everett and Courtney had worked out a code. Grandma’s phone meant their individual burner phones.

  Everett thought for a second. “Better call me at grandma’s house.”

  He ended the call, grabbed his bag, and headed back to his apartment. On his way, he stopped at the storage locker to retrieve his shotgun, his burner, and his off-grid tablet. He stuck the battery in the burner, so he could receive Courtney’s call.

  Everett turned the television on as soon as he walked in the door. No new reports had come in yet. The screen showed aerial footage of the fire still burning at the Indian Point facility. He turned it up loud enough to hear while he took a very quick shower. Then he dried off and got dressed, took out his suitcase, and started packing the clothes he wanted if the need arose to bug out.

  His burner rang. “Hey.”

  Courtney’s voice was always comforting to him. “Hi, I’ve got you on speaker while I get dressed. Can you hear me?”

  Everett put his burner on the bed next to the suitcase. “Yeah, I’m packing, so I’ve got you on speaker as well.”

  “Are you watching the news?”

  “No. I’ve got it playing loudly enough to hear it all through the house though.”

  “The alert ticker at the bottom of the screen says reports of an explosion at the Atlanta Police Department are coming in but unconfirmed. Think they’re related?”

  Everett zipped up the suitcase and retrieved a large duffle bag from the closet. “It’s a completely different type of attack, but it could be.”

  “I don’t know. They’re both explosions. I’d say it’s quasi-confirmation. I’m going to get my things together and head on over. I’ll wear my work clothes. If it turns out to be nothing, I can leave my stuff there and go to work from your place.”

  “Okay, but you’ll be late if you have to go in.”

  “I can afford to be late one day; I’ve been a good girl all year. But if I wait, I’ll get caught in rush hour traffic going into DC.”

  Everett snorted. “It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?”

  “If I can get out the door by 7:15, it won’t be too bad.”

  “Then I’ll let you finish packing. It’s already 6:55. Call me when you’re on the way.”

  “See you soon.”

  Everett packed his socks, tee shirts, boxers, belts, and shoes in the duffle bag, then took the duffle bag and the suitcase to the car. He headed back upstairs and began gathering his cash and the bullion coins that he still kept at his apartment. He stuck his Sig in a concealable holster, loaded the extra magazine, and sat it next to the pistol on the bed.

  Everett dressed for work since all of his casual clothes were packed. He put the pistol in his pants and left his shirt untucked, so it would cover the pistol handle. Everett put an envelope of cash, his passport, a flash drive containing important info, and the silver and gold coins into his old backpack that he’d carried all through college.

  He went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee while he waited for Courtney and more information from the news. A few minutes later, his primary phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Hey, man. Are you watching this?” It was Ken Gordon.
/>   “Yeah. Looks like it could be an attack.”

  “Seems isolated to New York and Atlanta for now. Lisa is trying to get me to call in to work. She thinks this might be the big one that Jones warned you about. What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve got my stuff packed up and ready to go to the place. Courtney is on her way here.”

  “I don’t know. I think I’ll have Lisa start getting our stuff together, and I’ll go ahead to work unless more attacks happen.”

  Everett poured himself a cup of coffee. “Do what you feel is best. Come on up to the place whenever you’re ready. What time do you have to leave for work?”

  “A little after eight.”

  “Bro, you’ve got almost an hour. Why not spend that time helping Lisa get your stuff together? If it’s a false alarm, consider it a bug-out drill. You’ll know something by then.”

  “Lisa said there was another attack. Supposedly a bomb went off in the terminal at LAX.”

  Everett sighed. “I think that erases all doubt. We are definitely under attack. You two get your stuff together as quickly as possible and head on up to the spot. We’ll meet you there. Don’t dilly-dally, Ken.”

  “You think this is it then. What about work? They’ll need us to come in. We’re going to be in charge of analyzing the data to catch the people who did this.”

  “Ken, we’ve been over all of this. You know I can’t have this conversation on the phone. Forget about work and stick to the plan. This isn’t a joke, and this isn’t a coincidence.”

  Ken took a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll see you there in a bit.”

  “Good. See you in a little while.” Everett ended the call and stuck his phone back in his pocket. He went through his belongings to gather anything else he might want to take. He probably wouldn’t be coming back, ever. He stared at his furniture, television, and stereo. I really liked living here. It wasn’t a bad life at all. Why did this have to happen?