As James awoke to a splitting headache
compliments from the scarred man. He took his hand to survey the damage to face
and his scalp. Dried blood had solidified on the right side of his head above
the ear plus blood could be found above his left eye brow. He mumbled to
himself, that’s going to leave a scar. James surveyed his surroundings and
found his ankle shackle and the shackle attacked to the wall. A bucket was in
the corner for obvious reasons James had not to think about. The room was dark
but for candles and a couple of lanterns attached to the wall. A table was is
in the middle with two chairs, one for him, and one for his ungracious host. At
the moment he was alone and from the sounds of it James determined he was in a
basement of sound kind. Rumbling and shuffling was coming from above and
heading towards stairs that James could not see till his eyes adjusted.
The
door opens to the top of the stairs; a large shadow blocks the light pouring
in. James becomes apprehensive as the shadow starts walking one stair after
another. All James could hear was thump, then another thump. The shadow grows
more into a silhouette of his capture, the scarred man. At the bottom of the
stairs James begins to study the man more closely and it felt like the man was
doing the same to him. Before a word could be said the scarred man made a hand gesture
to sit at the table. You are wondering why you are here, said the scarred man.
My name is Andrew Skelton and you were found trespassing on my land. James exclaimed
how this land is, this is America, and no one claims ownership.
But the man called Andrew did not agree
with the sudden outburst. Shut up, if it weren’t for me, you’d be dead right
now, Andrew responded harshly. He began to explain that after El Paso fell to
the nukes that he and his family were scarred and maimed from the blast. He
began picking up survivors who didn’t die and made the trek to the border where
the mountains prevented the fall out to follow with the harsh plains winds that
could carry the fall out for miles unimpeded. Andrew also explained that Texas
had taken a beating like in the beginning of the state’s creation but he did
not agree with the politics of Texas and so he would create a new land free for
all, of course under one condition, follow his rule or be kicked out as an
outcast. Speaking of outcasts, James wondered why the treatment?
Andrew replied, I have to maintain
order, without order there is no stability amongst the people. James was not
happy with the response but any more outbursts could get him killed so he
decided to play along although he thought of Andrew more of a dictator than a
governing man. So why keep me? I have no business with you, James asked. With
the question came a calmer tone from his capture. I am keeping you because I do
not know you. I will keep you under observation till I know what I know what
better to do with you, Andrew explain. Keep me, James thought, why observe me I
am no threat. I gave up without a fight. Andrew began to feed on the thoughts
of James. The reply came without warning, I see that your arm says USMC, and I
am former Army, myself. I also see you unscathed when thousands of people died
or were scarred from the blasts. So what is your story, Andrew asked intently,
did you desert from your post, are you a veteran, because most veterans were
rounded up if not killed in the fight after the fallout.
James did not know about the round up. He
had left before the explosion and hid after picking up his gear. Round up, James
asked? What did do you mean? Andrew did not know how to respond, he figured
that this man before was avoiding his questions, and they were soft. Not to the
point of interrogation because he well trained from the CIA to get the
information that he wanted. Did you not hear? They had wellness camps or at one
point FEMA had camps made for illegal immigrants when the border was taken over
throughout the Southwest. Those camps were then turned into processing centers
for veterans caught during the infighting. The government did not an uprising
and the veterans had the means of taking on the government, when both parties
stopped fighting each other in Washington D.C. they turned their sites on the
U.S. Andrew followed the news closely, he blames the government for meddling in
other peoples affairs, which he assumed after all these years led to the
nuclear strikes on his home and to the death of his friends and other family
members.
James was tired of waiting so he finally
told his capture what he wanted to he wanted to hear. I am veteran sir, I
served honorable for eight years and I did four tours split up between Iraq and
Afghanistan. I got out because I was tired of fighting wars that were not of
mine doing. I lived and worked in Albuquerque where my family was. I am not a
prepper nor was I ever. I like many of the thousands of people started to get a
bad feeling about the years to come and I struggled to keep a hold of what I
had and what you just took from me. Andrew watched and listened to his guest.
James continued, I am no threat to anyone, and I gave up to you without a
fight. My business is north in Colorado Springs and I trying to find the last
part of my family praying that they survived too. So I ask you politely sir,
where is my gear, I want to leave, and I will leave you alone and not bother
your little village of nut cases.
Enough! Andrew exclaimed. Do not insult
me for I have control over you and I can bury you just as quickly as my village
took you over. James worried; maybe he bit off more than he could chew. Now
would be a good time for some cavalry to arrive but James new those times have
come and gone he was truly on his own. Time to play this mad man’s game, so
what is it do you want me to do sir? James asked trying to make up for his
boldness.
Outside a young child was digging into
James rucksack when she found a cell phone. Given her age she did and did not
know what the device was so she took it and put it in her pocket. The child
began dumping other things out when she was caught by a guard, very quickly the
guard began shooing with his rifle was balancing James rifle on his back and
adjusting his pistol to his hip. The child scurried off outside with new
treasure tucked away. Back downstairs the meeting seemed to end in more of a
stale mate between James and Andrew. Two egos bumping together neither one were
right or wrong, but James being the prisoner, will remain wrong till proven
guilty by Andrews shot gun.
As James returned to his bed, Andrew
left him in Silence. Andrew had to figure out what to do with this boy. Should
he kill him or make him work in the fields to make another example of him to
the locals. Of course chains would have to be added and a guard or two could be
taken off other details to watch him.
Andrew wondered if could turn this boy
into an ox and make him blow fields with a yoke around his neck and a blade in
tow. To his credit he loved torture and thinking of ways to makes someone’s
life miserable was a reason for living. There was no crime, there were no jails
or court system, and there was only his rule with an iron fist. Andrews only
reason for living was getting even with the human race with chaos and torment.
In the center of town the little girl who stole James cell phone went to a
power station set up by Andrew with wind turbines and solar panels, the girl
went to visit her father in charge of the site. With a small power grid set up
Andrew found a way to have a freezer and refrigerator running for the town, but
also he had short wave radio and other forms of communication that were rebuilt
after the blast. The girl excited showed her dad the little device, what is
this daddy, the girl asked her dad. The man wrapped up in calling out to
survivors stopped from transmitting and looked down to her daughter. Juliet
that is or was a cell phone, people used to talk into them to talk to family or
friends, the father replied. He also showed her by taking the device and
putting it to his ear and pretended to talk and joke with the ghost on the end.
The curious father waited till her
daughter ran away to create more mischief for herself. The man pulled out a
power cord and checked the connection to see it would fit the cell phone. You
know what they say curiosity killed the cat. Well the man wanted to see what
was on the cell phone and waited for it charge to turn it on to see if it still
worked. A few hours later the father who appeared to never sleep was mulling
around his communication room. Andrew walks in from taking a tour of the village;
he would do it every night before he went to bed to make sure his people were
safe. Armed men followed after Andrew in
the communication room. He always had people trail behind him for safety. Well,
Andrew asked, any news from the outside, asking the father. Caleb, Andrew
called the man by his name, we need to grow our numbers, the father now called
by Caleb responds, I have been listening to static for hours and I got nothing.
However my daughter did come to me with this, Caleb shows the cell phone to Andrew.
It appears to be function as far as taking power. Do you want me to turn it on
Andrew, Caleb asked.
Andrew curious like a child wanted to
see if the device worked. Every time his search parties returned from gathering
supplies and hardware of any kind the men would be bring cell phones mostly
fried from the attack. Occasionally a TV or satellite would be brought to
Andrew as an offering but none of the items worked. The EMP blasts destroyed everything if it had
a CPU or a computerized brain the waves fried it. Or so would you think. The
government had black sites shielded and hidden from the public would come back
to haunt this post-apocalyptic world.
Till now Andrew, Caleb, and James go to
sleep. The morning is yet to come, the morning may never come but hey optimism is
in the eye of the beholder. A creature lie and wait, these men do not know that
evil men have created something that god would disapprove of and the devil
would lay with in delight.
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