Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins (32 page)

Reel glanced off screen as if he was faced with an
unpleasant task. "Does that offer still hold for me?"

William let the silence stretch out for a few moments before
responding. "It does, but I have proposal."

"What's that?" Reel asked.

"Given our mutual...animosity, living under the same
roof might prove difficult."

"There's an understatement," Reel replied.

"Indeed. I have a problem you can help me with. In
solving it you'll have another city of your own."

"I see, and what does this problem of yours
entail?"

"There's a group to the north. They're pretty organized
and pose a potential threat to our rebuilding efforts."

"Some would be bandit king is giving you trouble,"
Reel asked with a chuckle.

"This man is no bandit," William replied. "He
survived an assassination and nearly killed one of my best men in personal
combat."

"So I get rid of him and you'll find me another
city?"

"You get rid of him and you take his city. He's in
Wisconsin so that should be enough distance between us." Olson's latest
report had indicated the group was camped somewhere near the middle of Wisconsin.

"That could work. Thank you, Dray," Reel said with
traces of genuine emotion in his voice.

William nodded and explained there were some matters that he
had to deal with and ended the call. He chuckled as the screen returned to its
berth in the ceiling. That fool. He would likely be in for a rude awakening
when he attacked that group. If their leader had half a brain, he'd be building
his forces even now. Jeremy hadn't returned with Olson. That meant that he was
dead or captured. If captured, he no doubt would have revealed everything he
knew to save his skin.

William assumed that the group knew about him. They were no
doubt panicking, impressed by the vast resources at his disposal. They were
surely building up their forces. While they'd be no match for his army, they
might be able to give Reel some real trouble. However the scenario played out
was fine. Reel could swoop in or the group could win the conflict. He could
then send in some helicopters to deliver some ordinance. He won
regardless.

***

Olson made sure to follow the group from a safe distance. At
night, they ate cold rations to avoid any chance of a fire being spotted. It
was grueling but necessary work. He had to admit that we was impressed. In
weeks this group was well on its way to being an organized military force.
Daily, men flocked to his banner with families in tow. Olson used his
binoculars to take a closer look at the flag flying from the center of the
camp. It was a golden lion's head roaring defiantly over a field of white.

"Hey everyone," Greg said as he entered the tent.

"Hey, Greg," James replied. "Did you see the
flag?

"What flag?"

James motioned for him to follow and made his way outside.
He pointed to the new addition flying from the command tent. "You like
it?"

Greg looked at the lion and thought. Weeks ago he would have
felt subconscious about the whole thing but he had seen how his Gregorian Guard
were to bear his name. The lion was fitting, especially the roar. As if they
would stand against whatever came their way. "I like it."

"Good," James replied, “we were gonna keep it
anyway."

Greg chuckled, “Fair enough."

James motioned for them to head back inside and the first
thing he saw was Carols smile. 

"Did you like it?" she asked.

"I did," Greg replied.

"It was my idea. Some of the older women put it
together."

"Tell them I love it then," Greg replied.

Everyone chuckled as Greg joined them at the table. It was
covered in maps. Some had been taken from gas stations and pit stops while
others had been hand drawn. "I think we've got something," Laura said
drawing his attention to one of the maps.

Greg looked at where she indicated and saw a town circled in
red near the edge of Lake Superior. "What's it called?"

"Lakeside," Laura replied. "Looks like the
infrastructure is still intact. We'd literally just have to move in."

"Is that our best bet?"

Laura nodded, “It best matches the criteria you set. It's
isolated, defensible, and has fresh water."

"And the others?" Greg asked.

"They're missing something," Laura explained.
"They might have water but then they're in a bad spot for defense. If we
can hold it then water is scarce. There are one or two that might work but the
infrastructure is badly damaged."

Greg nodded as he looked over the map. "How far are
we?"

"A few hours. It's a good thing too. Gas is getting
scarce and Gio is having trouble keeping some of the vehicles running. It'll be
easier once we're not on the move so much but it's hard right now."

Greg nodded again, "It looks good. I think it'll
work."

"There's just one problem," James said. "It's
occupied."

"What are we dealing with?" Greg asked.

"Just looks like some locals according to the
scouts," Laura said.

Greg thought for a moment, "I don't see the problem. We
need a place and this looks good. We'll offer them the chance to join us."

"What if they refuse?" Carol asked. "Are we
just gonna kick people out of their homes?"

"They're getting a better deal than anyone else would
give them," Shirley said.

"Shirley's right," Greg said. "We play by
different rules now. Lakeside works so we're going to take it. I don't care if
that makes us the bad guys. We need to be able to defend ourselves before Dray
comes looking for us. I'm not gonna put us in a bad position to spare a few residents."

Jackson nodded, "We need fresh water and a location
that's easy to defend. That's so much easier if the infected aren't breathing
down our neck."

"I know," Carol said, "I just feel bad about
it."

"We do what we have to do," Greg said. "I
have no intention of being a slave to Dray or anyone else. We'll give the
residents of Lakeside a chance to join our ranks. That's the best we can do for
them. And as far as that goes, I don't think any nation was forged without
displacing someone else. I need you guys with me on this," he said as he
held their gaze for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, let's move. I want to be there before
nightfall."

The camp burst into a flurry of activity as everyone began
packing up. The news about finally finding a place spread like wildfire. Soon
enough, the entire camp was packed and headed toward their final destination.
Several hours later the group reached the outskirts of Lakeside. As the group
set up camp, Shirley headed into the town to speak with those in charge. She
was escorted by a dozen of the Gregorian Guard. This wasn't what she wanted to
be doing right now, but Greg had insisted. She thought back to their
conversation the night before. 

Greg had come to their tent and reminded them that they
didn't keep prisoners. Shirley understood that he was referring to Jeremy and
went to take care of the deed. Jackson had offered to do it but she felt doing
it herself would give her so much needed closure. They'd taken care of it
quickly. Jackson had dragged Jeremy outside the camp and Shirley had put a
bullet between his eyes. It didn't give her the closure she had been looking
for though. She still didn't feel safe. How could she? Men had entered their
heavily armed camped and taken her. Later she approached Greg and informed him
that she wanted to be part of the scouts. She didn't like feeling unsafe and
felt that was the best way to get over but Greg had refused. Even after
explaining her reasoning he still shook his head. He'd told her that he needed
her as an ambassador of sorts. He wanted her to be make first contact with any
survivor groups they found. The one concession to her desire was that the roads
were still unsafe so there would probably be plenty of time for her to gain the
skill she wanted.

As she began walking through the town she thought this would
be a good place to set up. To her right there appeared to be a farm. She
guessed it was such due to the livestock she glimpsed milling around. She
didn't think one would have a farm so close to a town but who was she to judge?
She'd lived in the city all her life. To her left a street headed towards what
looked to be a residential section. Everything appeared to be intact just as
Laura had said. There group would easily be able to fit in here. After a few
minutes of walking, she entered the town proper. On either side of the street
there were various stores where one could spend their time. As she neared the
center of time she noticed a group of people standing in the street. They
leveled their rifles in their direction as she stopped at a respectable
distance.

A middle aged man stepped forward from the group. He was
slightly overweight but bore a stern expression. "That's far enough,"
he said. "Who are you and what do you want?"

Shirley bowed her head respectfully. For this initial
meeting, she had adopted the uniform of the guard. The group had reasoned that
this would put forth an image of professionalism. Hopefully the town would see
them as such rather than merely a group of bandits and this could all go
peacefully. They had discussed what she'd say beforehand but she wasn't
particularly pleased to have them pointing rifles at her. She spread her hands
to her side as if to indicate that she meant no harm. 

"My name is Shirley O'Hara and I represent
Gregoria."

"I'm Brian Hicksel, the mayor. Gregoria?" the man
asked. "What's that? You some type of foreigner?"

Shirley shook her head, "Not at all. We're a group of
survivors that banded together for safety. We've named ourselves after the man
who's kept us safe all this time."

"What do you want with us?"

"We've been looking for a place to resettle and your
town looks to be a perfect fit. Our leader was hoping you'd be willing to meet
to discuss a possible arrangement." Shirley hoped this went over well. If
the roles were reversed, she wouldn't be pleased about some random people
showing up and saying they wanted to move in.

"I see," Brian said thoughtfully. "And if we
refuse to come to an arrangement?"

"I can see that you need some time to consider. That's
understandable. I'll give you some time to think. I'll come back around five
this afternoon. If you decide to meet with us, there'll be fresh venison,"
she said with a smile.

"I see," Brian replied. "Haven't had fresh
meat in some time. I'll have your answer then." She nodded and Brian
watched as she led her escort back towards their camp.

Brian turned to the group behind him. "We're alright
for now, guys. You can head on back to your chores." The group dispersed
until David Renner, the town's sheriff, was the only one remaining.

"What do you think, David?"

David shrugged, "I think we might have to consider
their offer. As it stands, they could simply come in and take over. If they're
willing to play nice we should at least hear what they have to say."

Brian nodded, "Alright, let's call a meeting. We'll
have to run this by the Three."

About half an hour later Brian walked into the council
chambers. It was a fairly simple affair. A dais as the head of the room boasted
a long table with several chairs. The floor of the chamber held several rows of
chairs the citizens of Lakeside could use if they felt inclined to attend a
meeting. Not that there was much point of that for years. Today everyone was
seated around the long table. All the major players were there. David was there
along with Mary Higgins, the village treasurer. After that there were the
trustees. They were "elected" officials that were supposed to manage
the village's assets in the best interest of the people.

For years there hadn't been an actual election. Years ago
the village had hit some hard times. A significant portion of their population
had left and the village had little in the way of income due to the lost
property taxes. They had a single tourist attraction, a mock farm on the edge
of town. It had been popular at the time but hadn't generated nearly enough
income to keep the village solvent. Enter the Three, as they had come to be
called. North of the village the wealth had taken to building lavish summer
homes. For the most part it had been a good arrangement. They paid a
significant amount in property taxes and weren't that disruptive to village
life. They'd show up for two to three months in the summer, throw a few parties
and then go back to wherever they had come from. That changed about fifteen
years ago. Three of the families, the Apples, the Wests, and the Scalas decided
to help the village.

They opened their wallets and the village's money problems
disappeared overnight. In exchange however, they had themselves appointed to
the village board of trustees. No one argued at first. These people had
literally been the saviors of the town. Soon however, they began making
decisions that weren't in the best interest of the village. They main goal was
trying to look good so they would vote for policies that raised the profile of
the village. It didn't matter if the policy was sound or not so long as it made
the village look good. They had a brand new high school built that
they didn't have nearly enough people to fill but it looked good so
it happened. He could go on and on, he hated them fervently. All that influence
and they just worried about themselves. When people complained and thought to
elect someone else to the board, the Three implied that they'd withdraw their
financial support. That quickly put an end to anyone interested in running
against them. It wouldn't do to get rid of them only to find themselves back in
financial straits. 

"What's going on?" Roland Apple asked. "I
don't appreciate being summoned outside of regular meetings.

Apple, such an innocent sounding name that concealed a
complete snake. Roland's irritation did improve his mood somewhat. With the
power out, the Three had to suffer along with everyone else. They probably
didn't know what to do with themselves without access to their bank accounts
and everything else that made their lives so easy.

"There's been a development," Brian said as he
took his seat.

"Well? What happened?" Roland demanded. "I
don't really care but anything is better than this incessant boredom."

Roland's wife, Kerri, laid a comforting hand on his
shoulder. Roland's life of indulgence meant that getting overly excited
probably wasn't good his blood pressure. Roland was basically the leader of the
Three. Brian didn't know what he held over the others but they hung on his
every word as if it were gospel. Even now they were laughing as if his comment
was the funniest thing they'd ever heard.

Brian waited for the laughter to die down, "An armed
group showed up today. They're camped near the edge of town."

"What do they want?" Roland asked. "We're cut
off from our funds. There's little we can do for them."

"I think they want the town," Brian said.

"The town? Well they can't have it!" He glanced at
David, "Do your job and get rid of them!"

David chuckled. He'd come to work for the village about six
years ago and never toed the line like everyone else in Lakeside. This made
Roland hate him. He fancied himself as the real leader of Lakeside and the
thought of someone not bowing and scraping around him drove him insane.
Unfortunately for Roland, David was good at his job. As much as Roland hated
him, the village bylaws didn't allow firing someone because you felt they
didn't show you the deference you thought you deserved. Roland couldn't get rid
of David without risking a lawsuit and that would have been bad for the profile
of the village.

"I've got three deputies under my command," David
said calmly. "Their spokesman had an escort of twelve armed men. We're
already outnumbered right there."

Roland waved a hand dismissively, "Then have the people
of Lakeside fight. That should even the odds."

David shook his head, "We have no idea how many men
they have in their camp. In addition, they had the look of being well
trained."

"What do you know?" Roland asked.

David smiled, the way you would at a small child that was
having trouble understanding you. "I spent most of my career working the
streets of Chicago. I know the difference between an organized group and a
bunch of thugs. These guys are professional. If we try to fight, we'll lose and
they'll take the town anyway."