Compass Call: Survival & Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 3) (15 page)

“What a bunch of crap,” whispered Pete into John’s ear. “That guy’s a smooth operator.”

Precisely at the end of two minutes, Tony raised the large megaphone to his lips, but then he lowered it to address Randy. “Doesn’t this microphone part detach?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. It unhooks right here,” answered Randy. Despite the fact that the megaphone was away from Tony’s lips, it was still broadcasting
the comical exchange. Everyone waited patiently for Randy to detach the microphone for Tony.

“OK, there. That’s much better,” said Tony, as he lifted and spoke into a small square microphone that was attached to the megaphone by a coiled rubber cord. With the megaphone resting on a strap under his arm, Tony continued, “Now . . . where was I? Oh yes, I was about to report on the President of the United States.” He cleared his throat again and said, “First, I received word that the 2016 general election was postponed. President O’Bannon will remain president until such time that Congress can reconvene, and the government reestablish itself and bring law and order back to our country.”

A few people actually cheered, but most either shouted in surprise, or hollered out questions while raising their hand to be recognized. Tony ignored everyone and shouted in reply, “Please! Please! Everyone! Please hold your questions until the end. I’ve got a bit more to cover before we open the floor to questions.” When the turmoil subsided, Tony continued, “Reportedly, social chaos wrought by the disaster has plagued every major city in America.” Tony paused for dramatic effect, “In fact there’s so much violence that martial law was declared in every city along the East Coast . . . but the government is powerless to stop the anarchy.” Many gasps and shouts of concern filled the air. Once again, Tony held up a hand to calm the crowd.

“Therefore, the President has declared martial law. However . . .” more shouts erupted and Tony paused until the outburst subsided to a low rumble, “However, the military is apparently unable to respond to that demand, so under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, President O’Bannon passed an emergency measure that granted all state and civic leaders, to include community leaders . . . such as I, the authority to establish law and order in our respective areas.” To John’s amazement several people in the crowd actually began to applaud. But many others, well more than half the crowd, just stared in stunned and shocked silence.

A man standing next to John yelled boldly from the crowd, “And how did
you
get word of this
authority
?” John turned and was surprised to see that it was Paul who yelled the question. Paul was the first person to directly challenge Tony’s claim of authority, and it earned him several curious glances from nearby people. John was also surprised it came from Paul, but he shouldn’t have been since Paul repeatedly questioned everything John did during the past few days. But for the first time since joining him, John actually appreciated Paul’s disposition for contradiction and debate. John whispered to Paul, “That’s a good lead in, but don’t move too fast. You don’t want to isolate yourself too early in the meeting. If you take it slow, you just might garner enough support to overturn that idiot.”

“Got it. Thanks boss,” replied Paul, without taking his eyes off Tony.

Tony scanned the crowd for the source of the question, but thankfully he didn’t focus in on Paul. Tony was clearly trying to play the crowd, and he apparently wasn’t ready or willing to focus his attention on any one single troublemaker. “That’s a good question,” replied Tony, “And it’s one I’m prepared to answer. The man who owns this property . . . who graciously allowed us to meet here . . . is, Mr. George Freeman . . . George, where are you? Hold up your hand please.” A middle aged black man, dressed in faded Levi’s and wearing a faded Saint Louis Cardinals ball cap on his head, stood from a nylon camping chair and raised his hat high into the air.

Tony waved to George in reply and continued, “Thank you George.” Turning his attention back to the crowd, he said, “And George here is an amateur radio operator . . .”

“That’s Ham!” yelled George from his chair, which raised a few chuckles from the crowd.

“Yes sir. My apologies. George here is a
ham
radio operator,” said Tony, clearly emphasizing the word “ham” for George’s benefit. “And if you’ll look to the water tower behind me you’ll see a large radio
antenna attached to it.” Tony turned to gaze up at the antenna, which prompted the crowd to take notice.

John noticed the antenna, but he thought it was a commercial set-up because it was rather large. He had no idea that someone in the neighborhood was a ham radio operator, or that an operator would need such a big and elaborate antenna system. Long ago, John considered getting into amateur radio as a preparedness related hobby, but after studying the equipment requirements and associated costs, he concluded that his mediocre interest didn’t justify the time, money or effort to pursue it. Even the less expensive shortwave systems didn’t seem to interest him, so he abandoned his plans and stuck with building a collection of hand-held, two-way radios that he could recharge with his solar supply.

“That big antenna up there,” continued Tony, as he turned back to face the crowd, “allows George to talk to a lot of people in distant places. So . . . if you were wondering how I got my information about the President, well, let’s just say George is part of a
ham
communications network,” Tony added single-handed finger quotes to the word, ham, which raised a few chuckles from the crowd. “And he talks regularly with other amateur radio operators throughout the United States, particularly along the east coast and in Washington D.C.” A few of the more patriotic members of the audience applauded when Tony said Washington D.C., and he held up a hand to regain their order.

“Last night, George came to my house and delivered the same message I just read. So . . . what does it all mean?” hollered Tony into the microphone. “It means that we’re . . . on . . . our . . . own!” Many boos, moans, and shouts of discontent rose from the crowd, and John studied the people in amazement. Everyone was focused on Tony. They seemed to be absorbed in his every word, as if they were caught up in some kind of desperate, stupefied, Tony-controlled information fix. Lusting for information and leadership, they literally wanted someone to lead them. They wanted a return to normalcy, to the way things
were. Despite the bad news that the government had collapsed, Tony was managing to satisfy their craving for normalcy, their thirst for hope, and they were loving him for it.

“The government isn’t coming to help us,” he continued. “The military isn’t coming to help. No one . . . is coming . . . to help!” yelled Tony. He had managed to work the crowd into a frenzy. And at that very moment, John had an instant and nearly irresistible urge to shoot Tony, to cut him down and put an end to the growing madness around him. Pete broke John’s momentary distraction by leaning close and whispering, “This is how Hitler came to power.”

John looked at Pete, wondering if his friend could read his mind. He whispered back, “Whatever you do, just stay alert. I don’t know where this is all going, but I know it’s not over yet.”

“I am,” said Pete, “but I think we should get out of here. If I didn’t know better I’d say you were about to shoot that man,” replied Pete, as he gestured towards Tony with a tilt of his head. He noticed John’s surprise and said, “I thought so. Do you want me to shoot him for you?” he added, with a grin.

“No, of course not. He’s building up to something and I want to know what it is,” replied John in a low voice.

Pete straightened and shifted his weight to a more comfortable ready position. John wasn’t sure if Pete would actually shoot Tony if he approved, but he wasn’t about to test the theory. Actually, he would have done it himself if he truly thought it was necessary. As much as the idea of shooting Tony appealed to him, even if it was for the good of the neighborhood, John knew it would result in unnecessary risk to his family. The last thing he wanted was a running gun fight with his neighbors, especially since they were planning to leave the neighborhood anyway. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to slip away if people saw him as their target for vengeance.

Tony continued to mesmerize the crowd with his smooth words, “The disaster wiped out nearly half our country, so that means that
crops were destroyed, waterways were choked and polluted, nothing can fly, and no fuel or electricity for several months.”

Gasps and moans could be heard, but most people, it seemed, were numbed into silence. “But that’s not all,” continued Tony, “lawlessness is rampant across the country. Violent gangs are forming everywhere, and some of them are banning together to dominate all the available resources.”

“What are we going to do, Mr. Marino?” cried a woman’s voice from the crowd.

“Yeah, what are we gonna do, Tony?” yelled an unseen man from the far side of the crowd. John wondered if they were plants, people pre-positioned to garner support for Tony by swaying public opinion. Or maybe they really did like Tony, which was even more disconcerting for John. He didn’t know what it was about Tony they liked, but John couldn’t see it, so he continued to watch and listen. Intrigued, John searched the faces in the crowd, looking for people who felt like he did, that Tony was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do,” said Tony, and he gradually increased in volume up to the end of his sentence, “We’re . . . going . . . to . . . survive!” The crowd erupted in applause, shouts, cheers and shrill whistles.

“I don’t believe this crap. Do they honestly think they can survive on his words alone? Can I shoot him now, John?” asked Pete, in a quiet but very serious tone of voice.

“No, but I think we need to have a little talk with Tony when this meeting is over,” said John.

“What do you think has gotten into these people?” asked Paul.

“I believe they see Tony as their only hope,” replied John. “Think about it. I’m willing to bet most of these people are out of water, and if they’re not already out of food, they’re very close to running out. Not to mention this is the first news they’ve heard about the outside world, which wasn’t good. They’re looking for reassurances. They want hope . . . at any cost.”

“But what’s he going to offer them for hope, manna from heaven?” asked Paul.

John snorted and said, “I think we’ll hear soon enough. Let’s keep listening . . . he’s not done yet.”

Again, with his hands in the air, Tony brought the crowd back to a subdued and attentive posture. “Here’s what I propose. I propose that we immediately consolidate all our food and set up a neighborhood food kitchen.” Cheers went up at the mention of a food kitchen. “We must also consolidate our water supply, and explore ways to collect and store it more effectively.” Again, more cheers. “We’ll form scouting parties, and search for available food, fuel, and anything else we need to survive. And we will survive until help arrives!” yelled Tony into the microphone. He finished by throwing his fist into the air and offering a triumphant whoop of enthusiasm. To John, Tony’s cheer was strangely pathetic, and he winced inwardly at the man’s artificial display of support. He couldn’t believe he was the only one to see through Tony’s façade.

“Wow, what a performance,” said Pete.

“Wait. I’ve heard this guy speak before. He’s not done yet,” replied John.

“As the HOA president of the Cedar Creek development, I propose that we immediately conduct a thorough and complete neighborhood census of all available food, water and fuel. We need to know who
has
what, and who . . .
needs
. . . what! All in favor of a food census, say aye!” Resounding ayes went up from the crowd, which didn’t surprise John. In fact, it only confirmed his previous suspicions that his neighbors weren’t prepared for the disaster. “Any opposed, say nay,” asked Tony. Not a single nay went up.

“Excellent. Now . . . on to the next order of business, neighborhood security. I propose that we also conduct a neighborhood census to ascertain the status of all available weapons and ammunition,” billowed Tony. “We need to know who can contribute to the safety and well-being of our little community.” The second proposal was met
with much less enthusiasm than the first. The ayes were heard, but so were an equal number of nays. In fact, John thought the vote favored the nays, but Tony moved forward with his personal agenda despite the vocal uncertainty, and offered the outcome as he saw fit, “Again, the ayes have it.”

John didn’t vote, and neither did his two companions. They knew where John stood on the subject of survival, especially when it came to his preparedness resources, and they were completely aligned with him. Prior to the meeting, John reiterated his survival position to his companions, that he would never yield to any demands to surrender any resources. With that, Pete and Paul pledged their support. They each knew, having already dealt with their own survival horrors, what it meant to survival, and more importantly, what it cost to survive. Like John, they agreed to fight and protect the group and their resources.

Pete tapped John on the arm and gestured with his head towards the back of the crowd. People were beginning to walk away from the meeting. Apparently, some people didn’t like where the meeting was going and decided to leave. “I think we should leave too,” said Pete.

“Not yet,” said John. “It’s not over yet.”

“Once we collect all the weapons,” said Tony, “we’ll reissue them in an appropriate and fair manner. Then we’ll form a neighborhood security force that can keep the peace, and protect us from any outside trouble.” Tony signaled to Randy with a gesture to bring his clipboard. Randy handed him the clipboard and stepped back. Tony flipped through the attached papers and said, “OK, here it is. I’ve made the following HOA appointments as they pertain to the former and newly configured HOA board membership. I appoint Susan Beal, our current treasurer, as the new census and resource reallocation manager. I appoint Joel Carpenter, our neighborhood maintenance officer, as the safety and security officer. And I appoint Randy Chen, our secretary, as the information manager. He will work closely with George Freeman to keep everyone informed on what’s happening around the country. All in favor then . . . say aye.” Tony spoke the last part like
a command, and to John’s amazement, almost everyone present said aye.