by Tim Yingling
“It seems that we will need to educate you like some others that we have already.” He turned to the others. “Educate you three as well for his misguiding. SPC Varner, I know we already did this to you once, but I’m afraid that since SSG Yames doesn’t want to comply we will have to do it to you again.”
I lunged at Brad but didn’t get too far. Two sets of hands took hold of my arms and pulled me back. That didn’t stop me from yelling at him.
“Let them go and only take –”
There was the second time I was cut off. I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden I blacked-out from another hard hit.
* * * *
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown Miles to Pilgrim, Indiana (Unknown Miles to Commerce, WV)
The first time I woke up was completely different than the second time. When I awoke I had no idea where I was. Sure, when I woke up the second time I didn’t know where I was either, but this time was more mysterious.
I had some sort of hood over my head. It wasn’t a bag or burlap sack, but an actual cotton cloth. Not too dark. I could see out of it somewhat. I don’t think Brad had anything to do with this part of the operation. It was too sloppy.
Wherever they were holding me had no light. And it wasn’t a dangerous or bad place. I’ve seen worse in person. Housing enemies of the U.S. in conexes to torture them was one of the worse places I’ve ever seen. No, this place was a kid’s playground to the conexes. That told me they didn’t have the means to properly house me for the time being.
The air was what gave it away. I could feel a slight breeze going from my left to right. There were chains jangling in the distance. I kind of figured I was in the barn near the house, but there was no way I could be sure.
I was awake for close to four minutes before I heard someone. The voice came from behind me. Whoever it was asked how much longer it would be before it got here. I didn’t know what it was, but the way he talked didn’t sound like a good thing to me. The person who answered the first guy sounded more than a little irritated with the question.
I hadn’t heard either of the two voices before. I was hoping I would be able to hear Brad’s voice in my vicinity. At least that way I knew I would still be dealing with the same guy. Since they were the only two talking, I figured there wasn’t anyone else in the building I was in.
And, when I heard them talking, I guess it was time for me to make my presence known. I began to shift from side to side. I wasn’t scared, but I was trying to give off the impression that I was scared. It worked because I heard one the men say, “The one who thinks he’s in charge is awake. Knock him out again.”
WAIT. NO. Don’t knock me out yet. What did he mean by ‘thinks?’ I didn’t think I was in charge, nor would I ever think that. I didn’t have any more time after those two thoughts to think of anything else. I wanted to ask the question, but my mouth was taped shut.
Instead of a hand on the back of my head, this time it was the butt of the rifle. It knocked me out for a lot longer than the first time.
* * * *
Wednesday, 29 June 2016 (Morning)
Washington D.C.
691 Miles to Pilgrim, Indiana (385 Miles to Commerce, WV)
The second time I did know where I was. I woke up as we were making our descent into a city. And of all the places to land, we land at the fucking White House. I didn’t realize that until I was off the chopper, though. They had me blindfolded with the sack still over my head. I wasn’t surprised actually. It made sense with what Brad was saying earlier.
He mentioned someone was trying to rebuild the country by starting with the military. I would have done the same thing if I wanted to. But as you know, there was only one thing I wanted to do. Of course, these people were going about it the wrong way. They were forcing the subject. I wouldn’t have forced it. I would have let it take a course of action. Eventually, people would have received word about this new government and military. Then they would make their own decision based on the information if they had everything in order.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t express myself due to the bag over my head and my mouth taped shut. I didn’t think they would listen to reason in the first place. The way these people acted was not reasonable.
In all my years in the military, I have flown with some shitty chopper pilots. Thankfully this guy wasn’t that shitty. I wasn’t strapped into the chopper (and I didn’t think any of the other people with me were either) and I would have become a bobblehead if the pilot jostled us around. That didn’t happen. The only time I budged on the landing was when I was forced to move.
I was equally pushed from my left and pulled from the right. My right arm didn’t offer that much give because of the way they tied my hands behind my back. They didn’t do it forcefully. It was more of them helping me out of the chopper.
I heard someone yell over the sound of the dying blades, “THE GROUND IS TWO FEET DOWN! WATCH YOUR STEP!”
I knew from experience where the ground would be and the placement of the skids. That experience also helped me know I was on a Blackhawk when I woke up. I didn’t need to keep my head down, but I did anyway. The sack was flying into my face from the force of the blades. They would still run for about another minute before dying off completely.
Whoever it was helping me off the chopper transferred my arm over to another person. This person took me away from the chopper. We went about another two hundred feet, then he stopped me.
“Down on your knees please,” he said. “I’m going to remove your bag. Be mindful, there are men with guns eyeing you. Don’t try to run.”
I nodded to the man. He removed the sack. I didn’t need to clear my eyes. The sun hadn’t come up yet. It was just cresting the horizon behind me to the right. The guy who guided me to the spot positioned me so I was looking at the windows of the oval office. There were men walking the ledge on the other side of the hedge. They looked to be professionals to me. I looked to the roof. From where I was I could see three snipers. A little excessive if you ask me. There were eight men on either side of me. They all had their weapons at the low ready. Additionally, there were numerous amounts of soldiers walking the grounds. I didn’t get a good count, but I had to put it at a soaring number.
Kate was brought next. The same guy put her down next to me, said the same thing, removed her sack, and then went back for someone else. It was Tom. The blades finally died completely as the guy went back for whoever the last person was. That person turned out to be Stone. The look in his eye was one I’ve never seen in his eyes before. He was scared. Of what, I was about to find out.
The guy who led us to where we were walked in front of us. He started with Stone, then moved down the line removing the tape on our mouths. As he pulled mine off, Brad walked in front of us as well.
I looked at Brad and could think of only one question. “The elderly couple, what happened to them?”
Still, with that politician's smile, Brad said, “They stayed at the house and will notify us if there is anyone else who comes along.”
Well, that was taken care of. Now, I just needed to get out of here. I didn’t have time to ask another question even if I wanted to. Brad turned to look at the oval office when his assistant motioned toward it. I too looked toward the windows.
The person who emerged was not the person I was expecting. She wanted the office, almost had it in the nineties when her husband was the president. But because of her history with continuous lying to the American people, she didn’t get her parties vote. She was irate, to say the least, about it. She honestly believed she was the best person to run the country. The rest of the country, and even her party, thought the better of it.
She walked in a beeline to us, stopping at Stone. “Why is General Stone in with this lot?” she asked Brad.
Brad stepped forward with his arms behind his back to answer her. “I was under the impression that you would want to contain him because he didn’t follow your orders.”
She
shook her head. “That is not what I want.” She turned to address Stone. “Are you going to be with me on this General?”
“Yes, I will Madam President.”
I couldn’t hold my tongue. I had to blurt it out for good measure while they untied Stone.
“She is not the, or even a president. She was never voted in by the people of the country. Which is actually a non-existent country right now. This is called a dictatorship and is considered treason against the American government. How can you sons-of-bitches be so fucking brainwashed?”
Brad backhanded me. It wasn’t that hard of a hit, but enough to knock me to the ground. I got my composure back quickly, moving back to my knees. The blood was slowly rolling down from my lower lip to my jaw. I paid it no attention. All of my attention was centered toward the dictator, Elizabeth Connors.
I addressed Brad but continued to look at Elizabeth. “You won’t be able to do that forever, dipshit.”
Brad pulled back for another swing. Elizabeth stepped forward to stay his hand.
“What is your name, Soldier?” she asked of me.
“Byron Yames. Everyone just called me Sarge, though.”
She turned to Brad.
“He is a Staff Sergeant in the Army. I think, if we work on him we can change him in no time.”
I laughed. When they looked at me, I told them why I laughed. “You used the present tense when you spoke Brad. You should have said, ‘he was a Staff Sergeant.’ I’m not in the military anymore. I’m not in the military because there is no military or government.”
“He’s been spouting this propaganda ever since we left Iraq,” Stone said from behind Elizabeth and Brad. “He says the only mission he has right now is to get back to his family. That he won’t stop until he gets to them.”
Elizabeth turned back to me. “General Stone, you can go get some food and get yourself cleaned up. I will talk with you later.” Stone left. She addressed Brad. “Take those two” – pointing toward Tom and Kate – “to the holding area. Make sure they get some decent food as well. Don’t worry about cleaning them up just yet. That all depends on what SSG Yames and I come to an agreement on.”
The look Tom and Kate gave me broke my heart. They knew my stance. I wouldn’t budge for this woman. Even if she was elected, I still wouldn’t budge for her. There was nothing I could say to give either of them reassurance I was looking out for their best interests. All I could do was nod to them to say I was going to. When Kate cried, I felt ashamed.
They were lifted first and taken toward the front door. Nobody made a move to untie their hands. Once they were out of sight, I was lifted by Brad. He cut the zip ties holding my wrist. I rubbed the spots the zip ties dug into. They didn’t hurt, it was just uncomfortable.
I followed Elizabeth across the freshly cut grass. It felt good on my bare feet. I tried not to look at anything but my feet. I was doing it on purpose. Remember I told you these guys were professionals? They would be able to spot me if I was already planning my escape. Plus, I didn’t want to plan my escape just yet. They had more people in the house somewhere. I would need to find them and release them. Just more added to the fact I won’t be able to get home anytime soon.
Elizabeth walked through the patio doors first. I followed with Brad behind me. She turned to Brad, placing a hand on his chest.
“Thank you for bringing him here, Bradley. I won’t be needing your service for the time being. Someone else will escort him to wherever he needs to go.”
Brad looked at me. I held his glare until he stepped off. Brad wasn’t the one I wanted to hurt. Shit, even Stone wasn’t the one I wanted to hurt anymore. The person I wanted to hurt just shut herself in the oval office with me. Nobody else was in the room. Let alone anyone who would be able to stop me if I wanted to kill her.
After Brad left, Elizabeth shut the curtains before taking a seat behind the desk. She offered her hand to the chairs on the other side of the desk saying, “Please, have a seat SSG.”
“I’m tired of saying that I am not a SSG anymore,” I said taking the seat. “But what should I call you?”
She smiled. “You can call me President Connors or Madam President.”
I looked away as I answered her. “Yeah, that shit ain’t gonna happen, Elizabeth. Just because you see yourself as the leader of this land doesn’t mean you are.”
I looked back at her to still see the smile. She wouldn’t be wearing it much longer.
“But there does need to be a leader of the citizens in this country. Since I was running for President and everyone else who was up for the job, or was in line for the job, is dead I took it upon myself to assume the responsibilities of this office and lead the country back into living.”
“Sad to say, that is not your decision to make. It’s the decision of the people to put you in this office.” I put my hand up before she could speak. “Now, you were taking out of the race for a reason. You did the country, and a lot of the citizens, wrong. Nobody wanted you in that seat. You know it, and you just took the opportunity to jump in it. I bet if you would put it up to a vote, still nobody would vote you in. They would find someone else to run this so-called country you speak of.”
I finally let her speak. “Just because you see it that way doesn’t mean others will agree with you. I already have a following here…”
“You make it sound like a cult.”
“It’s not. It is a following. They are simply playing follow the leader. You need to do the same if you want to survive.”
“I was surviving just fine. I thought I found a place where Kate and Tom could survive, so I left them there.”
“Kate and Tom were the other two with you?”
“Yes. The ones you told to have fed, but not cleaned up.”
“Well, the reason for that is that they will need their strength if you don’t come to an agreement with me.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I have to get to my family. First my daughter in West Virginia, and then my wife and two children in Indiana.”
“Tell me where they are and I will send someone to go pick them up.”
I shook my head. “Not gonna happen. I need to be the one to get them. And I’m not bringing them back here, I can tell you that much.”
“Oh, you don’t want to bring them back here to someplace that is safe?”
I stood up. The conversation was coming to an end. I could see it even if she couldn’t.
“Wherever I am is a safe place. I will protect them, and anybody else that decides to side with me. You can have all the firepower you want from the military to assist you, but you still won’t be able to stop me.”
The smile finally faltered but didn’t go away.
“Why do you say that?”
I pointed behind her as I walked around the room. “Those men you have out there are professionals, yes? But they won’t be able to locate people all the time. You may have lookouts, but they won’t be able to spot for you much longer. Gas and power won’t last too much longer with the way you’re running things. There is only a finite amount of ammo in the areas around you. People can’t keep an eye on everything. You will eventually lose your eyes in the sky as well. Lest we forget one of the most important things.”
“And that would be?”
“The more people you put in a confined space, like wherever you are holding the others, the greater the chance of an outbreak in that spot. Let me ask you this. What do you think the percent of the population was taken out by this zombie virus so far?”
She considered the question for a second. “I would have to say about seventy-five percent.”
“You’re lowballing and you know it. I would go upwards of eighty-five to ninety.”
“If you say that, then you should know that the chance of your wife and kids surviving this long is slim.”
I nodded. “Yes, I do realize that. But that’s not going to stop me from getting to them to
find out for myself. I’m not going to leave them to fend for themselves.”
Elizabeth stood and placed her hands on the desk. “Then allow us to help. In return, I want you to stay here. You won’t be a lowly dog like the others you have seen so far. You will be one of my close councils. You have proved that you can work the system and get what you want. Here’s what I can do for you.” She walked around to my side. “I will give you your weapons back. Just yours. And I will also give you a squad of my men. They will be under your command. Go get your family and come back here. If I help you, will you help me for at least a year? It shouldn’t take us that long to get things back up and running.”
I made myself look as if I was considering the offer. In truth, I was concocting a plan. She gave me the chance with saying she was going to send me off-site. I just needed to get one more thing out of her first.
“I’ll give you six months. That should be more than enough.”
“Deal.”
I shook my head. “Not yet it ain’t. Remember I mentioned the more people you have in a confined space the greater the chance that someone could have the infection?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you’re going to have to do something with those people.”
“Like what.”
I sat on the arm of the sofa. “Let them go.”
“That’s not going to happen. I need to build an army here to protect us.”
I had to laugh at that. “For someone who has been so against the military for most of her years, you sure seem to want a lot of people in one right now.”
“That’s not the reason why. And I don’t think I need to explain myself on the matter.”
I didn’t care for the reason, so I didn’t continue with that part of the conversation. Instead, I was going to give her what she wanted. Sort of.
“Alright. Here’s how this is going to work. You give me five guys. I will go get my family. My family only. I will not, nor will I allow the soldiers to, bring back anyone else. From here on out, you give the people a choice. If they want to join you then they can. If they don’t, then you let them go about their ways. Once I get back, we will discuss the people you already have.”