After the Republic (25 page)

Armando sat silent for a moment, staring off into space. “I don’t know.”

***

The following Tuesday Joshua called the camp meeting to order. “Folks, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching since last week’s meeting. I’ve met with many of you this week and heard your insights. In particular, Jim pointed out that many of you – him included – came here with the assumption and understanding that I would be in a leadership role. He didn’t say it, but the implied message is that I would be letting you down if I just stepped away from the chairmanship at this point. That is the
last
thing I intend to do. With that said, I will remain as chair for this year if that is what the council desires.”

Applause rang out from the crowd.

“Before we move into the council meeting and elect a chairman, there are a few things that I think need to be said,” he continued. “We’re a small group, and we have done remarkably well over the past year. Things have gone downhill at a dramatic pace all over the country, but we have been relatively unscathed. We’re virtually self-sufficient. Unfortunately, I worry that we have become complacent. We’ve done well when we have been united, when we have put our differences aside and worked toward a common goal:
survival
. This week, I’ve seen some dangerous cracks in our unity. We have seen infighting, and that infighting worries me. It’s okay to disagree -- in fact, it’s healthy
if done properly
-- but at the end of the day we must stick together if we are going to survive. We must not let honest disagreements become personal. We are too small and too vulnerable to be divided among ourselves. We must be united, and that unity has to start with those of us who are on the council. If you elect me as your chair again, this is something I will push every day.”

Another round of applause rose from the crowd.

“With that said, let’s move into the council meeting,” Joshua said. Perry immediately nominated Joshua for chair and Bob seconded. Drew moved to close nominations and elect Joshua. The motion carried unanimously.

“Thank you for your trust,” Joshua said. “We have a good thing going here. We just have to keep it going, and that will require all of us working together.”

***

Attired in a green and khaki service uniform, Major General Cloos leaned back in his high-back leather chair and kicked his feet up on the expansive cherry desk, which was flanked by an American flag and a U.S. Marine Corps flag. The desktop was clear apart from a bankers’ lamp, notepad and silver pen. “Where do we stand, Major?”

“Sir, all of the terrorists have retreated to the port and we have them contained there,” Major Michael Chinn said. “We have established a blockade to prevent them from escaping by boat.”

Cloos brushed his fingers along his chiseled chin, which was adorned by a dark five o’clock shadow. “Well done, Major. What is our timeline for retaking the port and eliminating the terrorists?”

“We--"

A young woman in uniform stuck her head in the doorway. “Major General, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a video conference call coming in from Abdar Al-Haziz.”

Cloos pursed his lips. “Who the hell is that?”

“President Armando’s acting chief of staff.”

Cloos let out an audible grunt. “Put him through.”

The video screen on the back wall of Cloos’ office flared to life. Abdar appeared on screen along with President Armando, a young woman and two men.

“Major General Cloos,” Abdar began the conversation.

“You’ve got him,” Cloos responded gruffly.

“I am joined by President Armando, Adilah Hassan, Anthony Russo and Benjamin Leibowitz. The President and our entire team are gravely concerned by your refusal to follow our direct order to stand down.”

“Can you tell me why in the hell you would want to let these foreign invaders push inland on American soil without fighting back?” Cloos cocked his eyebrow.

“It is not your place to question our strategy!” Abdar raised his voice.

“What strategy?”

“You are out of line, Major General!”

“Abdar, or whatever the hell your name is, I don’t report to you and don’t give a rip what you think,” Cloos growled. “Mr. President, who is calling the shots? I see no evidence of a strategy and no indication that your administration has any plan whatsoever to purge these terrorists from American soil.”

President Armando remained silent. Abdar stood up and waved his fist at the camera. “Who do you think you are?”

“I am a Major General in the United States Marine Corps, and I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic. I just never thought the ‘domestic’ part of that oath would seem so relevant. Mr. President, it’s apparent you have nothing to say. Call me when you do.”

Major General Cloos motioned for his team to kill the video connection. As the screen went blank he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his fingers across his face, his brow furrowed. “Colonel Brookhart, put all defenses on high alert. Be on the lookout for a drone attack. Also tell our IT staff to increase our security against intrusions from anyone outside of this base, including those who are affiliated with the U.S. Government. Tell them to block any intrusions or cyber-attacks and trace the source.”

“Will do, sir,” Colonel Kenneth Brookhart responded. “But do you
really
think President Armando would authorize an attack against his own military?”

Cloos clenched his teeth. “Better safe than sorry. And I’m not sure Armando has control of his own government.”

***

Benjamin unlocked the door to his small apartment in Virginia Beach, the city which had served as the Armando administration’s base of operations since the attack on Washington a year earlier. As he did every night, Benjamin drew his pistol and went room-to-room searching for intruders or other signs that something might be awry. Terrorists might want him dead because of his job with the Armando administration. Or because of his Jewish heritage. Or someone might simply break in looking for food, which was nowhere to be found in the now-empty stores in and around the Hampton Roads area. So far, he had not encountered problems.
So far.

Benjamin opened his refrigerator and surveyed the full supply of milk, food and other conveniences. They were conveniences to him, but they were necessities that many on the outside would kill for. Benjamin felt a pang of guilt. He only had a full refrigerator because he worked for the President of the United States.

***

Joshua sipped his coffee as the TV flared to life. The newscaster offered a sobering report.
AIS appears to have once again struck at the heart of the U.S. Government. Richard Webb, a top Homeland Security staffer and member of President Armando’s inner circle, was reportedly captured and beheaded in Virginia Beach this week. We have not seen a video of the purported beheading, which supposedly happened overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.
Joshua shook his head and planted his face in his palm.

President Armando condemned the killing.
Joshua again focused on the television as Armando came on screen.
Our prayers go out to the family of our fallen colleague, Richard Webb. This attack against the U.S. government will not go unpunished. We will find his killers and bring them to justice.

CHAPTER 10

A week later Joshua, Perry and Jack made the trip past the dam to the local exchange. This was an outdoor area where farmers and others set up shop and traded goods. Given that the dollar was effectively defunct, nearly everything was traded on the barter system. If you wanted to obtain something of value, you had to have something of value to offer.

After arriving at the market Joshua, Perry and Jack unloaded the valuables with which they would trade: eggs, venison from one of Bob’s kills and several jugs of gasoline. In return they secured coffee, vegetables, ammunition and sugar. Joshua thought about asking the trader how he was able to obtain coffee, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The three men loaded their acquisitions into Perry’s truck and began the trip back to camp. They perked up as they rounded a curve.

“Look!” Joshua pointed at the plume of thick, black smoke billowing through the otherwise clear blue sky.

“I see it.” Jack drew his Glock .40.

Perry gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands as they rounded a curve and came upon a pickup truck engulfed in flames. He stopped about a hundred feet from the inferno. “Let’s check it out.”

The three men cautiously approached the burning vehicle. There was no trace of another human being, dead or alive.

“No sign of people, but this fire is still fresh,” Jack observed. “That’s strange.”

WHOOSH! The three men turned in unison as a fire-propelled streak shot from the mountainside. A thunderous boom consumed Joshua’s ears. He felt himself flying backward through the air, then crashing to the ground on his back with a painful thud that took his breath away. When he opened his eyes a shadowy, masked figure in a black robe stood over him. Groggy and struggling to regain his senses, he saw the butt of a rifle descending toward his face.

***

Rebecca nervously twisted her hair as she paced impatiently in front of the warm, cozy fire.
It’s been three hours. They should be back by now.
She jumped, startled by a knock on the door. She opened it to find an equally worried Caroline.

“Any word from Joshua and Perry?” Caroline asked.

“None!” Rebecca felt a lump forming in her throat. “I’m worried. We should send someone to check on them.”

Caroline nodded. They rushed up the path to Drew’s cabin, where they found Jim. Rebecca explained the situation and Jim headed off into the woods, returning thirty minutes later with Bob and Kane.

Bob twisted his cigar between his fingers. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Winston, we’ll find them.” Stone-faced, Kane nodded. The two soldiers retrieved a stockpile of weapons and sped off toward the gate in Bob’s Yukon.

***

Joshua slowly regained consciousness, not sure where he was or how he got there. As he struggled to open his swollen right eye he realized he was on the floor inside a small church. The church’s white walls were adorned by dark, stained crossbeams and ornate stained-glass windows. A large cross hung behind the dais and a smaller cross emblazoned the front of the pulpit. The stained wooden pews looked as though they could be hand-me-downs from centuries past.

The rope felt prickly against Joshua’s wrists as he tried to move, and the piece of cloth used to gag him tasted like stale bread. Perry and Jack were tied up beside him, along with two other prisoners whose identities were unknown to him.

A tall man in a black robe and mask was seated in a chair across the room. Joshua’s heart sank.
AIS. We’re in a fix
. The man sharpened a foot-long knife using slow, ominous strokes, glaring at Joshua and the other prisoners.

***

“Martin, be alert,” Bob snapped.

“Yes, sir.” Kane pumped a round into the chamber of his Kimber .45 and re-holstered it.

Bob stopped his Yukon about a quarter-mile from the charred remains of two vehicles: one of which had burned, another which had been blown to bits. He studied the scene and surrounding area through binoculars while Kane stood ready with an AR-15. Once convinced that whomever or whatever had caused the damage to the two vehicles was no longer an imminent threat Bob moved his Yukon closer. The acrid smell of smoke permeated the area as Kane walked into the still-smoldering debris and silently held up the remnants of an object.

“RPG,” Bob said. “Not good.” He picked up a piece of dark blue shrapnel from one of the vehicles. “This does appear to be from Mr. Edwards’ truck.”

After surveying the area Bob and Kane returned to camp.

***

Joshua, Perry and Jack watched helplessly as five masked terrorists scurried around within the church. They tore down the cross that stood behind the dais and covered the pulpit with a sheet. The militants hung a flag featuring bold blue, green and white horizontal stripes and red Arabic lettering underscored by a black sword in front of the pulpit, then set up a video camera and tested the sound. They communicated in Arabic.

Joshua clenched his teeth and balled up his fists as two of the militants rushed over and grabbed one of the other prisoners. The man kicked and tried to scream as they dragged him across the floor, his helpless cry muffled by the gag. They forced him into a chair facing the camera with the flag behind him. Joshua’s heart sank as the terrorist who had been sharpening the knife positioned himself behind the imperiled hostage and removed his gag.

Another militant turned on the camera and began recording. The terrorist with the knife spoke in near-perfect English with a neutral Midwestern accent. “Are you a Christian?”

The hostage gulped. “Yes.”

Joshua closed his eyes and swallowed hard as the militant grabbed the hostage by his hair, violently yanked his head back and savagely cut his throat. The man’s blood-curdling scream quickly faded into a low gurgling sound. The terrorist severed the man’s head and held it up for the camera as the slaughtered hostage’s torso collapsed onto the floor.

“These infidels will meet the same fate if they do not renounce their Christian faith and their loyalty to the American government.” The terrorist pointed toward Joshua, Perry, Jack and the other hostage.

***

When Bob and Kane returned to camp a crowd had gathered around Joshua’s cabin. Rebecca rushed to meet them, followed by Caroline. “Did you find anything?” Her voice quaked anxiously.

“We located the remains of Mr. Edwards’ vehicle,” Bob said. “It appears to have been destroyed by a rocket-propelled grenade. There was another burned vehicle nearby. We did not see any sign of Mr. Winston, Mr. Edwards or McGee. There were no bodies in the vehicles, so we have to assume they are alive. We will search the area and find them.”

As Bob finished speaking Keri emerged from Joshua’s cabin, appearing troubled. “You guys need to get in here and see this.”

Rebecca’s heart raced wildly as she rushed inside, where the television was tuned to a national news channel.

Disturbing images from western North Carolina today
.
A group of AIS militants have seized what appears to be a small church and taken several people hostage. They have just uploaded a video in which they beheaded one man for simply saying he was a Christian and are threatening to kill the other hostages if they do not renounce their Christian faith.

The screen showed a clip of the lead militant speaking. A cold chill overcame Rebecca when she spotted Joshua tied up in the background. “Oh my God!” She clasped her hands over her mouth and collapsed to her knees on the floor in front of the television, trembling violently. Caroline let out an ear-piercing shriek.

“I’ve been to this church,” Thomas said. “It’s right up the road a few miles.”

“How do we get there?” Bob asked. “We don’t have much time.”

While Thomas explained how to find the church Rebecca rose to her feet and disappeared down the hall. She returned with a .22 rifle in her hands and her Beretta .380 on her hip.

“Mrs. Winston, what do you think you’re doing?” Bob asked.

“Going with you.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Ma’am, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. These people are crazy, and they
will
kill every one of us if they have the chance. They won’t spare you or show mercy because you’re a woman. I shudder to think what they would do to you.”

“They also won’t show mercy to Josh.” Rebecca felt her blood boil. “If he goes, then I go with him and I take as many of them out as I can.
I’m going
, and you’d best not try to stop me.”

“Yes ma’am, but I still think it’s a bad idea.” Bob puffed on his cigar. “So it’s Martin, Mrs. Winston and me.”

“And me,” Tommy interjected.

“Son, you can’t go with them,” Thomas said.

“Dad, I’m an adult now, and I think I showed I can handle myself last year,” Tommy insisted. “Besides, Mr. McGee saved my life last year, and I’m not going to sit here and let these people kill him.”

“Son--” Kim cut him off, leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

“Mr. Page, McGee says that your son is a fine fighter and that he has lots of potential.” Bob walked over and put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “Son, I understand that you want to go with us, but someone has to stay here and guard the camp with Jones. I think that needs to be you. If you’re willing,
I’m counting on you
to stay here and keep these folks safe.”

Tommy paused for a moment. “Yes, sir. You can count on me.”

Bob nodded at Thomas, then did an about-face and headed for his Yukon. Kane and Rebecca joined him.

“I still don’t think you coming is a good idea,” Bob said.

“It’s
not
your call.” Rebecca pursed her lips.

“Well, I learned a long time ago never to argue with a woman,” Bob said with a chuckle. “Let’s go.”

***

The stench of blood hung over the church sanctuary as Joshua waited, helpless to escape. After what seemed like an eternity the terrorists re-entered the church. Without explanation they moved the prisoners, flag and video equipment outside.

The small, white church was perched near the edge of Lake Fontana, which along with the mountains provided a picturesque backdrop. The steeple was topped by a cross that stretched toward the heavens. The property was encircled by a picket fence and a small family cemetery sat behind the building. As the militants set up the camera equipment it became apparent that they wanted to use this scenic backdrop as the setting for their next gruesome production. Joshua shuddered as one of the militants began recording. Another removed the American flag and church flag, threw them on the ground and raised the AIS flag in their place.
They want to show that they can strike deep into the heart of America and that no one is safe anywhere. God help us.

Joshua’s heart pounded as the terrorists huddled in a group, then abruptly dispersed. His blood boiled as three of the militants walked over to the other unknown prisoner, picked him up and dragged him toward the camera. The man had a look of horror on his face and tears streamed down his cheeks, but he did not resist. The terrorists positioned him in front of the camera and removed the gag.

The terrorist leader positioned himself behind the poor soul. “Are you a Christian?”

“Yes,” the man said sheepishly.

“Renounce your Christian religion or die, infidel.”

The hostage hesitated before answering. “I… I can’t do that.”

    A potent combination of rage and terror pulsed through Joshua’s veins as two militants kicked the hostage in his ribs. The man bowled over in pain, screaming in agony. The terrorists forced him back into an upright position.

“Again, renounce your Christian religion or die.” The man again refused, and they kicked him again. The third try was the charm: the man renounced his faith. And then the militant leader beheaded him anyway.

As the man’s lifeless body fell to the ground the terrorist leader held up his head for the camera like a trophy. “Now these infidels will meet the same fate.” He tossed the man’s head onto his lifeless body.

Joshua’s stomach twisted into knots as the same three militants who had dragged the most recent prisoner to the place of his death walked toward them. He looked down and closed his eyes.
God, if you’re up there, please help us.

***

All Perry could think about was the fact that these so-called “people” had launched the attacks that killed Charlie and Allie. His precious children. Every ounce of his being hated these pieces of sub-human scum. He thirsted for revenge. If there was any justice in this world, this seemingly hopeless situation would somehow turn in a way that allowed him that revenge today. Rage boiled within him and hate pulsed through his veins. He could not help but make eye contact with these men, if they could be characterized as such, whom he so desperately wanted to kill.

The moment Perry made eye contact the militants grabbed him and dragged him toward the camera. He briefly made eye contact with Joshua, who struggled in a futile effort to break free from his restraints. Perry kicked one of the terrorists in the shin and twisted his body in an effort to escape, but his resistance was short-lived. He cringed in pain as the inhuman beasts punched him repeatedly in the head and abdomen, but refused to be broken.
If they kill me, I will go out like a man.
I will not cower before these animals.