by Ryan King
His men started piling out of the armored vehicle and sprinting to the other tank waiting about fifty yards to the west.
"Alpha Team," said Givens over the radio. "We're getting lots of heat now. Not sure how much longer we'll be able to keep the bridge open."
"Givens. They've got artillery. Took two of us out. Get ready to blow that bridge even if you have to do it with refugees still crossing. If the enemy crosses that bridge, then –"
Another blast lifted the tank up slightly on edge where it hung for a moment and then crashed back down to earth. The inside of the tank went dark as all power systems shut down.
"Damn it," said Beau shaking his head against the disorientation. He pulled out his flashlight and shone it around. At least with the power off he wouldn't have to disengage the halon system. Also, fuel was leaking into the ammo compartment. Beau grabbed a couple of thermite grenades and opened the hatch. The smell of smoke and fire hit him in the face. He climbed out onto the surface of the Abrams and saw the engine compartment was already on fire.
Beau pulled the pins on the two grenades and dropped them into the opening and then leaped off the edge of the tank to roll in a heap. He jumped up and saw he was facing the barricades. No time to run to his other vehicle, he realized when his tank blew he wanted to be far away.
He sprinted up the edge of the barricade and then down the other side just as a massive explosion from his tank seemed to suck the oxygen out of the air. Beau found himself lying on the ground without remembering how he got there. Lifting his head, Beau looked in front of him.
Friendly lines were less than seventy yards in front of him. He had run kickoff returns in high school longer distances.
Pushing himself to his feet, Beau began to sprint as hard as he could toward the opposite barricades. Flash of dirt sprang up around him and he realized someone was shooting at him. He thought at first it was from behind, but saw flashes of gunfire to his front.
Beau waved his hands as he ran. "It's okay, I'm friendly. Don't sh –" A bullet hit him in the stomach and he crashed to the ground.
Rolling over onto his side, Beau raised a hand in the air. More flash of dirt around him and the far off sound of gunfire. An image of Jenny flashed in his mind.I'm sorry, he thought.
The next bullet hit him in the temple and he lay still in the crimson snow.
Chapter 15 - The Ark
As Joshua looked up and saw the water tower above him blotting out the stars, he realized it was larger than he originally thought. It rose on twelve slender metal legs and had a central cylinder about six feet wide running from the center of the large reservoir to the ground. The water reservoir itself was wide and squat, like a donut without a hole in the middle. Joshua estimated that the reservoir measured at least eighty feet in diameter.
The two men carried Nathan to the central cylinder and Joshua followed. They opened a metal door silently. In the dim light Joshua saw what appeared to be a suspended cage large enough for several people to stand on. Beside the cage were numerous ropes and pipes the diameter of his head running up and down the cylinder.
"This way," said Caleb. "They will lift your father up, but we have to climb, otherwise it will take all night for us to get up."
Joshua was torn, then saw how carefully then were placing his father in the basket. He and Jack turned to follow Caleb to one of the tower's legs where he was unlocking a metal gate that led to a ladder. Joshua looked up and saw that it led up to the reservoir and was enclosed by metal safety girders.
"Will you be able to make it?" Caleb asked Jack.
"Now that is a dumb-ass question," said Jack slinging his shotgun over his shoulder beside his backpack and began to climb.
Caleb watched him carefully for a moment as if to ensure the old man did in fact have the strength. Then he turned to Joshua indicating it was his turn.
Joshua slung his rifle and started to climb as well. After a few seconds he heard the cage being locked below and then he could see the man called Caleb climbing up after him.
The rungs of the ladder were cold and icy, so Joshua was glad he had worn gloves. He noticed that he was gaining on Jack and slowed to keep from getting too close.
"We have to keep moving," hissed Caleb. "We don't have Vipers around here, but we do have demons of our own that are as bad or worse. It's not good to stay out too long."
"Just catching my breath," said Jack and then began moving at a steadier pace.
Joshua looked down and could see they were located in an open clearing with woods around them broken by a huge open area to the north that bordered a major highway. He thought he could see faint flickers of light every now and then if he stared hard enough in the distance, other than that, the moon and starlight, it was totally dark.
"When you get to the top, wait for me," said Caleb. "There are protocols that must be followed to enter."
Jack reached the flat platform that ringed the reservoir and was breathing heavily. "Protocols?" he asked.
"You would probably call them security measures," Caleb answered.
Joshua was breathing heavily himself, but noticed that Caleb did not appear to be even slightly out of breath.Must make this climb a lot, he thought. Climbing up beside Jack he looked at the structure before them. It appeared even larger up close. The platform was located about midway up the height of the reservoir and loomed at least two stories above them.
Caleb climbed up on the landing and started to walk a few feet to their right before stopping and tapping lightly on the metal surface. A small opening appeared framed by faint light.
"Name the time of the tribulation," said a whispering voice from the hole.
Caleb leaned in close. "The first four of the seven seals have been unleashed upon the earth. The fifth is being opened and the souls of the martyrs cry out to God asking 'how long' until they are avenged."
"And what does God say?" asked the voice from the hole.
"Wait a little longer, until all the martyrs had been slain," answered Caleb.
A crack of light appeared in the metal surface and then swung open on a hinge. Caleb stepped inside and Joshua and Jack followed. A small stout man glanced at them cursorily and then closed and latched the door. Warmth and the faint smell of food greeted them. It was still very dim, but Caleb led them through a heavy curtain and into light that blinded Joshua for a few seconds.
"Good God Almighty," said Jack softly from behind Joshua.
As his eyes adjusted he looked around a large domed interior. Various platforms at numerous levels held supplies or sleeping areas. He looked up and saw larger terraces with healthy plants and greenery adjacent to the reservoir's edge which was curiously covered in thick curtains. A large fire blazed on a platform in the center of the room and Joshua looked up to see a small opening in the roof to allow smoke to exit. It was so complex and multifaceted that Joshua's eyes couldn't seem to focus. Every surface was filled with some object or color or moving thing.
Moving thing. Joshua realized that the interior was filled with people. They regarded him more with curiosity than suspicion. He quickly counted about twenty men and about the same number of women. Approximately a dozen teenagers and adolescents were interspersed among them. Numerous pairs of small child eyes peeked out at them from under blankets on suspended sleeping platforms.
"Fellowship," boomed Caleb, no longer seeming concerned about staying quiet. "Welcome Joshua and Jack amongst us. They renounce the Evil One and those who serve him. They are in need and God has brought them to us. Another member, Joshua's father Nathan, is gravely injured and coming up in the lift. Let them be welcome among us."
"Be welcome," several said and smiled.
Joshua relaxed. He pulled off the knit cap in the warm interior. Smiles vanished and several people recoiled. Joshua heard whispers of "he's been marked," "look at his head," and "sign of the beast."
Caleb stepped close and asked him quietly. "What happened to your head, son? Tell me the truth now."
Joshua touche
d his scarred and ruined scalp self-consciously. Most of the time he forgot about it, but he had looked in the mirror. It was hideous. "I was captured by the Missouri Alliance and they wanted me to tell them about my people and my father, so they could hurt them. I tried not to talk, but it was too much."
"You were tortured?" asked Caleb. "You resisted in order to protect those you love?"
Joshua nodded.
Caleb turned back to the murmuring group. "Friends, there is no need for alarm. Joshua here was captured by evil men. In their perversion they did this to him wanting to hurt those he loved. Joshua by the strength of the Lord resisted to the limits of his ability. The scars on his head are a not a sign of evil, but his resistance to it."
This seemed to stop the murmuring although Joshua could feel eyes upon him still. "What about my father?" he asked.
"Follow me," said Caleb and moved them toward an opening in the floor that led to a spiral staircase.
Joshua and Jack followed. They descended only a short distance onto another layer. This area was darker and much more cramped. Supplies and boxes were stacked against walls. Joshua even saw what he thought were toilets and showers along one wall. Caleb walked a short distance and pulled up two metal doors in the floor to reveal an open shaft. A wooden platform ringed the opening and two men were steadily pulling ropes through pulleys. A small woman with silver hair and beautiful blue eyes looked up at them.
"This is my wife, Miriam," said Caleb, "and my two sons, Noah and Jonah, raising your father up. Shouldn't be much longer and then my wife can see to him."
"Can you help him?" asked Joshua.
"All things are possible with God," said Miriam. "I will do my best."
Joshua nodded and looked down and around the platform. It was flanked by pipes and mechanical devices. He heard a drip and looked closer, realizing that the platform was surrounded by water.
Caleb saw him looking. "That's our cistern. We collect rain water. There's a hand pump to bring water from a well below us, but that takes a lot of work. Those other pipes there take our wastes out and down."
"Well, I'll be," said Jack. "I'm impressed. How long did it take you to build this?"
"Longer than you would think," answered Caleb. "This land was willed to me by my grandfather. The water tower belonging to the county was in use until twenty years ago when they built a newer one close to town. I bought it from the county after I had a dream from the Lord one night."
"He told you to build this?" Jack asked.
"In a sense," answered Caleb. "I saw a vision of this tower with people living in it. Then I saw fire falling from the sky and death walking the earth. I knew I was being told to prepare to preserve a remnant."
"Like Noah?" said Jack.
"Wait a minute," said Joshua. "You said you bought this tower twenty years ago? N-Day was less than two years ago."
Caleb nodded. "It took many years to prepare the Ark."
Joshua started to ask how he had done it, but he noticed the faint outline of his father appear from below. He sat in the cage, his back against the metal edge. His eyes were wide and confused, but he smiled weakly when he saw Joshua.
"Is this real?" Nathan said faintly.
"It is real and you're in a safe place among friends," said Caleb.
"I've heard that before," Nathan said.
"It's okay, dad," Joshua said. "We're safe for now. These people are going to help. This lady is a healer."
This seemed to bring some sense of lucidity to Nathan. He looked down at his leg and frowned. Turning to Miriam he said, "Don't take my leg, no matter what."
"If it is God’s will, I will do what I can to save your life," she answered. "It is better to lose one leg than the whole should be lost."
Nathan shook his head and clenched his fists.
Miriam nodded to one of her sons, who placed a cloth over Nathan's nose and mouth.
"What are you doing?" asked Joshua in alarm.
"Don't worry," said Miriam. "It's better this way. He won't want to be awake for what I've got to do and I can smell that leg from here. Best not to wait."
"Can you save his leg?" Joshua asked.
"I will try," she answered, "but you had best prepare yourself for the worst. It is not even certain he will survive as it is."
"Come on," said Jack pulling him by the arm toward the spiral staircase. "Let's go upstairs and get some of that food I saw."
"I want to stay with him," said Joshua.
Jack shook his head. "Believe me when I say you don't. Come on."
Joshua allowed himself to be led away from his father.
Chapter 16 - Aftermath
Ethan Schweitzer seethed as he was driven through the ruins of Paducah. He knew logically that he should be pleased they had after all taken the city that had been a thorn in their sides for months, but logic had been more and more difficult for Ethan to master since Reggie Philips' attack that almost killed him.
He admitted that part of his frustration was due to the fact that thousands of the rebels had escaped across the river and then blown up the bridge. Sure there were thousands more prisoners, and Ethan was committed to them suffering terribly, but the victory was not complete. Those damn tanks had also caused havoc and killed hundreds of his soldiers. They had all made him look like a fool and would not be seen as a fool.
Ethan watched as tied up prisoners were marched away toward growing camps on the south side of the city. There were already groups departing to walk south nearly one hundred miles to the internment camps in Tennessee. Ethan knew many of them would die on the way due to exhaustion, cold, and malnutrition and this pleased him. These people had dared to challenge his rule. Had dared to challenge him. Their cancer had to be rooted out completely.
A soldier struck a boy in the face that resisted being separated from his mother. Ethan looked back and saw both the boy and the mother huddled together in each other's arms before being shot. Ethan wished he could have videotaped that scene and broadcast it everywhere.People needed to understand the consequences of their actions, he thought.
Although the victory was not complete, there was a prize awaiting him. This prize was enough to offset his disappointment in General Vincent Lacert...at least for now. The car stopped in front of a large hotel along the river with a sign that read Executive Suites of Paducah. Ethan waited for a soldier to come open the door for him and then he slowly stood. He took his time and looked around at everyone, making sure they marked this occasion in their memory.Forty years from now they will tell their grandchildren how they were there and saw President Ethan Schweitzer, he thought.
Ethan climbed the steps leading into the hotel and was grateful his hip was not bothering him today. Vincent met him at the door with a broad smile.
"Why Mister President," he said loudly. "So very glad to have you here at our hour of victory."
"Yes, thank you," Ethan answered just as loudly and then more quietly, "Lead me to him."
"Of course," answered Vincent turning to the right.
Ethan was silent until he was sure they were alone. "It was a costly victory."
"No more costly than others," the general answered casually.
"You lost a lot of men," Ethan insisted.
"Men can be replaced. Besides, you've seen the estimates. The fewer people we have to feed the better."
Ethan would not admit he was right. "What about all those prisoners? How are we going to feed them?"
Vincent shrugged. "Who knows? Worse case, we won't. We're only keeping them as a bargaining tool with New Harvest. Maybe they'll be willing to surrender if we agree to pardon them."
"No pardons," said Ethan.
"Or...we can always publicly execute them. Set an example."
"Maybe," nodded Ethan. "But there is one I definitely intend to make an example of."
Vincent opened a door and held it open for Ethan. He walked in to find a small black man tied to a chair, his face and shirt bloody and cut.
"I told
you not to harm him," said Ethan angrily to Vincent.
"We didn't," Vincent answered. "He was captured this way. Two of my men died in order to take him alive."
Ethan smiled, his tension gone. He walked up slowly to Brazen and gazed down at him. "Why, Timothy Walker. I had hoped we could be allies, you and I. We share a certain pragmatic ruthlessness, but it seems you have chosen the wrong side."
Brazen lifted his head and grunted. "Piss off."
"No," answered Ethan. "I am afraid it is you who will piss off. As a matter of fact very soon you will vanish. There will be no one to remember you or mourn you. It will be as if you never existed. Except...for what I want people to remember of you.That they will never forget."
"You're all talk and inside you're still scared and sad a little man," Brazen said smiling.
Ethan's calm slipped slightly. He turned to Vincent. "Are those that escaped still watching from across the river?"
Vincent nodded. "They're setting up camp there."
"Good," answered Ethan. "Bring all the prisoners that haven't been marched south down by the river right here by the hotel. I want them to see what I'm going to do."
"And what areyou going to do?" asked Brazen.
Ethan grinned charmingly. "Why, I'm going to grant your greatest wish. You see, I've known people like you. Tragic figures fated to struggle and never know peace. The only peace they ever know is in death."
"In that case you could be really mean to me," said Brazen. "Just let me go."
Shaking his head, Ethan looked out the windows across the river. "No. I'm going to do something better. I'm going to grant your greatest wish."
"A pony?" asked Brazen.
"I'm going to make you a martyr," said Ethan.
*******
Brazen didn't want to be scared. He'd known that he wouldn't escape Paducah, although he could have if he had really wanted to. There was nothing for him to leave for. The only thing that had kept him going after Pastor Lancourt's murder was the pressing need of all those who depended on him. He was ready to let go of that burden.
They walked him outside toward the river. It was cold without a jacket, but he suspected that would soon be the least of his worries. He saw hundreds of faces lined up and watching him. Their eyes were wide and sad. Knowing what was coming and that they would witness something terrible.