Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins (33 page)

"What do you suggest then?" Roland asked with a
sneer. "That we just turn over the village to them? That's
preposterous!"

"They mentioned an arrangement," Brian explained.
"It's worth hearing what they have to say. If we play our cards right we
might still be able to have some influence over what happens here."

"Influence? This is my town!" Roland shouted.
"I pulled it from the gutter and kept it afloat. I'll be damned if I'm
just gonna turn it over to some lowlife who shows up with a gun."

"The woman mentioned resettling," David said.
"That means they want the town intact. It's not a bad deal. Assuming they
leave us alone, the next group might not be so generous."

Roland shook his head fiercely, "I still say no. I'm
not turning over my town!"

"It's not your decision," Brian said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Roland asked.

"It's not your decision," Brian repeated.
"I'm the duly elected official and I'm going to meet with this man. If he
has good intentions, it's in the best interest of the village to hear him
out."

"How dare you talk to me like that?" Roland
demanded. "What if he doesn't have good intentions? What then?"

"Then it's in the best interest of the village to hear
him out," David said. "We'll lose if we try to fight. We've got a few
pistols and some hunting rifles. They were packing assault
rifles."

"This is happening," Brian said. "What will
you do? Withdraw your financial support as you've threatened every time someone
questioned you? Your money is worthless now."

Roland's face turned beet red at Brian's words.
"Fine," he said. "Let's have the meeting. But I'll be coming as
well," he continued, trying to maintain some sense of authority. "I'm
not just gonna turn this town over to anyone."

"Thank you for your vote of confidence," Brian
said sarcastically. "The woman said she'd return around five p.m."

"Fine," Roland said. "I'm going to go change.
We'll need to impress this would be warlord." The Three stood and left the
council chamber while the remaining village officers remained at the table.

Brian waited until the door shut and laughed. "That
felt great! I've been wanting to tell that man off for years."

David chuckled, "I could tell you enjoyed that."

"Do you really think it's gonna go well?" Mary
asked.

"It can't be much worse can it?" Brian asked.

"There's some hope here," David said. "They
want to resettle so they're not looking to raid the village."

"If you can trust what they said," Mary replied.

"True," David said nodding somberly, "that's
the kicker isn't it?"

***

Brian waited as the woman and her escort approached them.
Brian nodded as she arrived. "We'd be happy to meet with your
leader," he said. I have all of the village officials with me, I hope
that's alright."

Shirley nodded pleasantly, "That's completely fine. If
you'll follow me?" Brian nodded and followed Shirley as she led the way
back to the camp. 

The walk was fairly short, these people were nearly camped on
their doorstep. He had to admit he was impressed as they arrived. All of the
tents were set up in a neat and orderly fashion. Everyone appeared to be busy
in some way, the whole place had an atmosphere of discipline. He also noticed
more guards, a lot more. He relaxed a bit as he realized he had made the right
decision. However this went down tonight, he'd saved the lives of his people.
There was no way they would have been able to stop these guys if they had come
in using force. 

"I neglected to mention," Shirley said as they
walked, "if you're armed you'll be permitted to carry within the camp. You
will however be searched before your meeting. Your weapons will be returned to
you when you leave."

"That's perfectly understandable," Brian replied.
He hoped that Roland would keep his mouth shut. Now that he'd seen some of
their camp, the last thing he wanted to do was antagonize these people.

Shirley led them to a large tent that stood in the center of
the camp. Brian noticed white flag waving in the breeze and took note of the
lion printed on it. "It's not much to look at," Shirley explained,
"but we have to make do with what we find. If you'll excuse me for just a
moment." She nodded to the guards standing on either side of the entrance
and stepped inside.

She returned a few moments later and smiled. "We
weren't expecting so many so while they're making arrangements I wonder if you
might like a tour of the camp?"

"That would be appreciated," Brian replied.
Shirley led them around the camp and Brian quickly noticed most of the sights
were military in nature. This was planned no doubt. A subtle way of showing
that they had no chance if this turned to open conflict. One of the last things
Shirley showed them was a training session. Brian noted that it was an all-female
class and was impressed. Not only did they have a sizable fighting force, even
their women were capable of fighting. They looked pretty vicious too. Brian had
little doubt that any of them would be able to take him down. 

Shirley led the way back to the tent and Brian realized he
had little choice in what happened tonight. The tour had the cemented the fact
that these, what'd they call themselves? That these Gregorians could simply
take their town if they were so inclined. But he took some comfort in the fact
that this could happen peacefully. At least his people wouldn't be killed if
their leader kept his word. When they arrived back at the tent, each of them
was thoroughly searched. Fortunately, no one had tried anything
stupid. David was the only armed with his pistol. Once they were cleared, the
guards nodded and Shirley led the way inside the tent.

It was an open area dominated by a large table in the center
of the room. The table was arrayed with a number of dishes and Brian's mouth
watered and the cut of venison situated in the center of the table. He also
noticed several bottles of wine. He might lose control of his city tonight, but
at least he would eat well.

"Please have a set," Shirley said. "Gregory
will be with you shortly." Shirley seated herself and looked at them
expectantly. 

Brian found a seat and got comfortable. Gregory, huh? That
was the first time he'd heard their leader's name. David and Mary sat on either
side of him and he smiled pleasantly. "At least we'll eat well he whispered
quietly. David nodded and glanced towards the venison. He couldn't
remember the last time he'd been able to eat this well.

Roland and his wife sat near the head of the table, no doubt
in an attempt to ingratiate themselves with Gregory when he arrived. Brian
really hoped they wouldn't do or say something stupid. The tent flap rustled
and Brian turned to see who entered the room.

***

Greg entered the tent and looked around the table. He looked
around until he saw the man fitting Shirley's description. This was the mayor,
Brian Hicksel. Who were these others? The man next to him had the look of a
fighter. He was probably the sheriff or some such. He hadn't let himself go
either but stayed in shape despite working in so small a town. He had no idea
who these others were. How had Shirley described them? Village officials?

"Hi everyone," Greg said, "thanks for
coming." He made his way to the head of the table as the rest of his inner
circle entered the tent. "How about some introductions?" he asked as
the group made their way to the table.

He gestured towards James and Laura, "James Ruckley
here is in charge of my personal security. Laura is my Director of operations,
that's probably the best way to describe everything she does." He gestured
towards Jackson and Shirley next. "Jackson is our sheriff and Shirley is
our envoy."

He smiled as he nodded towards Carol. She was a few seats
away due to the way the Three had chosen their seats. "Carol here helps me
keep everything organized. We haven't come up with a fancy title for her
yet," he finished with a chuckle.

Brian smiled and began the introductions on his end.
"Brian Hicksel, mayor," he said indicating himself. This is David
Renner, our sheriff. Next we have Mary Higgins, village treasure and the rest
are the village board of trustees. Roland and Kerri Apple, Oliver and Patricia
West, and Timothy and Wendy Scala."

Greg nodded once the introductions were complete.
"Great. I thought we might eat first before getting down to
business."

Brian nodded appreciatively, "I have to admit part of
the reason I came was the chance for fresh meat."

Greg chuckled, "You won't be disappointed. My huntsman
keeps me well fed."

"You have your own huntsman?" Brian asked.

"I do," Greg replied. "Helped him out of a
jam some time ago. The man is an amazing hunter. He could probably keep us fed
all winter if we had a way to preserve the meat. Hard to do that on the move
though."

Brian nodded as he took his first bite of fresh meat in
weeks. "Wow," he said after swallowing. "I don't know if it's
the fact I haven't had real meat in weeks or if you also have a personal
chef."

"A bit of both, maybe. I will admit our cooks have been
doing a great job given the circumstances."

They continued to make small talk until everyone had eaten
their fill. Greg looked around the table to ensure that everyone had eaten and
nodded to himself. "Alright, I think it's about time to discuss the reason
for your visit."

"I believe that Shirley told you why we were
here?"

Brian nodded, "She mentioned that you were looking for
a place to resettle."

Greg nodded, "That's true. We've traveled a long way
and I have to say that your town suits our needs perfectly."

"Why us?" Brian asked.

"You've survived the Collapse relatively unscathed. Your
infrastructure is intact and your isolation is a natural defense against the
infected. You're also sitting right on the edge of Lake Superior. The location
of your town also makes it easy to defend."

"I suppose I can understand that," Brian replied.
"I went on your tour and I believe I understand the message you were
making loud and clear," he said cutting to the heart of the matter.
"What can we do to keep our people safe?"

"Now hold on there," Roland protested, "you
can't just hand out my town like that!"

Greg raised an eyebrow and glanced in Roland's direction.
"I find myself a bit confused," he said as he addressed Brian.
"I thought you were the mayor."

"I am" Brian replied. "Roland here bailed the
town out of some financial difficulty years ago. Since then he has used the
threat of removing financial support to influence town policy."

Greg nodded in understanding. "Do you own any land,
Roland? Farmland specifically."

"What do I need a farm for?" he asked.

"Do you have orchards, or livestock?" Greg asked.

"No," Roland replied wondering where this was
going.

"So you don't have anything actually useful to me. Your
wealth isn't tied to the land but to a currency that no longer has any value.
As such, you're useless to me. I really don't understand why you think you have
something useful to say."

"How dare you?" Roland said, his face turning red
with rage. "I am Roland Apple! I saved this town when everyone abandoned
it-"

"Shut up, Roland!" David yelled. Roland cut off
mid-sentence, surprised at David's outburst. "I'm sorry," he said
looking at Greg. "Roland's an idiot. He's so used to being able to throw
money around that he doesn't know when to be quiet."

Greg waved his hand dismissively, putting the matter from
his mind. "You asked what you can do," he said looking at Brian.
"Simply put, I want your town. It'll become my capital. I want you to sell
the idea to your people. I'll need men to swell my army as well as help with
rebuilding. Everyone will be put to work."

"I see," Brian said thoughtfully. Not that there
was much for him to think about. Agreeing to the terms kept his people safe.
"I agree to your terms."

"Thank you," Greg replied, "I mean
that."

"Thank you," Brian replied. "I know how this
could have gone. So what happens now?"

"Break the news to your people tonight? I'll give you
all day tomorrow to get them used to the idea. The following day we'll having a
ceremony where you officially hand over the city and take the oath."

"The oath?" Brian asked.

Greg nodded. "Remember the pledge of allegiance as a
kid? Same thing, only to Gregoria and myself as its head."

"Alright, I understand. After that, we'll have a feast.
Assuming the hunt goes well everyone should get a chance at some fresh
meat."

"That'll help the sell for anyone that has a
problem," Brian said. "We've been eating out of cans these last few
weeks."

Greg nodded, "That was the idea. I'm gonna tell you
what we're up against. After I do that, you can tell me if you want to keep
your job or not." At Brian's nod Greg proceeded to tell him about Dray and
his plans for conquest. Brian listened intently, amazed that one man could be
responsible for so much destruction.

"These are my people," Brian said when Greg was
finished. "I want to help however I can."

"It's gonna be hard work getting order established,"
Greg said. "I'll be out bringing others into our fold and building
alliances with those I can't. I'll need you to run the city. You'll report to
Carol when I'm not here. We'll go over the details later, I just wanted to give
you an idea of what we're up against."

Brian nodded and the group made small talk for a bit before
breaking up for the night. As they were leaving, Greg pulled Brian aside.
"Tell me about Roland," he asked once they were alone.

"He's wealthy," Brian said, "well he was before
the power went out anyway. He's used to getting what he wants. He's been
bossing everyone around in Lakeside for years."