Rise of the Prepper: A Story of the Coming Collapse (10 page)

              “That’s true. That’s a good idea. We’ll send some people to Atlanta together with the sick. The rest will stay here. Those strong enough and capable will be in charge of patrolling the town and keeping an eye out for raiders. I guess now, our next move will be to notify the citizens about our plans.” Father Alain finished and Seth nodded in agreement.

              After they finished their meeting and Father Alain had finished his breakfast, the priest cleaned himself up and made himself presentable. He rang the parish bell, calling on the people of Boone to gather at the parish.

              Several minutes later, people started arriving at the parish. Seth could see the miserable state they were in. A lot of them looked weak from lack of food. Several were sick. He could tell which of them had lost someone—the ones who did looked lifeless, their eyes were utterly bleak. All of them were traumatized by the wretched fate that had befallen them all.

There were just enough people to have comfortably filled up the parish. “Are these all them?” Seth asked Father Alain.

“Yup, you’re looking at the only remaining people in Boone.” Father Alain replied. He turned to the people sitting on the pews. “Hello, dear friends. We have gathered here not for a mass,” He smiled and a few people smiled too. “But for an announcement. You all know U.S. Marshal Seth Andrews, right?” Murmurs of affirmation echoed throughout the small space. Seth nodded his head at them. “The two of us spoke this morning about the welfare of Boone. He had provided some meaningful insights and we have come up with a plan that we would like to share with you all.”

The townspeople looked up at the priest and Seth with interest. Father Alain could see that he had their undivided attention.

“Seth shared to me the announcement that the government broadcasted on the radio. It seems that there are relief stations set up where we could get food, water, medicine and clothes. They can also provide medical attention to those who are sick.”

The parish buzzed with excitement and for the first time—hope.

Father Alain continued. “We will be sending capable people along with the sick to Atlanta where the nearest relief station is located. The rest will remain here and we will continue patrolling the town in shifts. How does that sound?”

The people erupted with cheers and everyone was in agreement with the plan. After that, Father Alain and some volunteers went around listing down who will go to Atlanta and those who will do the patrolling.

Seth stayed at the sidelines and watched. The crowd that resembled less of humans and more of the undead had finally regained some of their energy. He could see the hope blossoming once again in their eyes. They were finally smiling again. He made the right decision—staying in Boone for the meantime and helping the town become okay again.

He pushed himself off the pillar he was leaning on and met up with the other town leaders. There were still some things that needed to be addressed.

Chapter Thirteen: Executive Order 23245

President Hillary White had gone through a lot as a woman, as a mother and wife, and as the President of the United States. She had been all these roles and each of them had not been easy but being the president of such a large and powerful country definitely takes the cake.

There is no denying that the position required handling sensitive issues and weighing the rewards and risks; the pros and cons of each decision she made. Every choice she made demanded meticulous assessment and great fortitude.

Hillary was no stranger to moral dilemmas. She practically ate them for breakfast every day. However, if you were to ask her which decision had been the hardest for her to make, she would most probably tell you that it was the one she was about to make.

Maybe it was because of her recent losses coupled with the gravity of the problem plaguing the country at the moment that Hillary was in no condition to be making any decision especially not one as important as this.

She was in the throes of depression and both her heart and mind had gone numb. But even through her clouded mind, years of constantly weighing consequences made her wary of making any rash judgment.

Sighing, Hillary placed her elbows on her desk and leaned her forehead against her open palms. As she stared at the document in front of her, her meeting with Mr. Kennedy played back in her mind.

*****

The president’s office was silent save for the sound of the clock ticking which only served to accentuate the ennui.

Hillary was seated behind her desk while Mr. Kennedy was seated on the other side. The president was contemplating his suggestion and Mr. Kennedy could see that she was struggling with it.

Although Hillary looked as neat and well put together as always, Mr. Kennedy could see the telltale signs of her distress. He watched as she got lost further in the jungle of her thoughts. The lines on her forehead had appeared to have become more pronounced in the course of a day since he last saw her. He could see dark circles under her eyes—the way they were puffy and red.

He pitied her, he truly did. But Mr. Kennedy’s sympathy extended only to her outward appearance. He could care less about all those other things. He glanced at his wristwatch. They’d been locked in this room for over an hour now. He still had other things to attend to. He barely held his foot from tapping on the floor in impatience. It would do no good to display anything but compassion right now. If only she would sign those papers already then he could get out and end this farce.

“Are you sure there is no other way?” Hillary asked.

Kennedy looked up at her.
This is the fourth time she has asked me this same question.
He inwardly sighed. “Yes. As I have told you before, this is the quickest and most efficient way.”

There it was again, that look of righteous indignation
, Kennedy thought.

“But they are still
people
. Wouldn’t it be better to just have them be detained until we have found a cure?” Hillary said.

Kennedy shook his head woefully. “That would be ideal but I’m afraid we lack the resources to carry on such a wide scale operation. Besides, who knows how long we would have to keep them locked up until we could find a cure. It could take years!”

Hillary was at a loss for words. Of course, Kennedy was right and she knew it. What he was saying made sense but she couldn’t help but feel at odds about taking such action.

Feeling the need to deliberate the matter on her own, Hillary dismissed Kennedy.

*****

And so it was that Hillary was now faced with a conundrum. If she signed this Executive Order, she would ensure the safety of the people long after the virus had finished spreading. If she didn’t she might as well be signing the death certificate of the entire nation.

With a heavy heart, Hillary made her decision. She took out her fountain pen and scribbled onto the document her familiar elegant signature.

On that day, President Hillary White had signed the Executive Order 23245, officially establishing the Viral Defense Corps tasked with eliminating those that have survived exposure to the virus and are exhibiting side effects—mainly, committing violence and murder against those who have avoided exposure.

Chapter Fourteen: The Proposal of the Frontier Justice

              The assembly had finished and people started leaving the parish. Appropriate people have been assigned for the expedition to Atlanta and arrangements were made for the sick that would be travelling also. The same was done for patrol duties.

The townspeople left the parish with a renewed sense of purpose and hope in their hearts.

Several people remained in the parish after the rest of the residents had left. The town leaders—or those who have taken up the leadership role ever since the outbreak and consequent collapse of order and society—stayed behind in order to hold their own meeting with Seth and Father Alain. There were eight people and among them were Maria and retired Police Chief Charles Harris who had always held some sort of authority in town even before the outbreak. They were well-respected and liked by many.

Father Alain led them to a small room near the kitchen. The room was made up of dark wood just like the rest of the parish. It was simple with virtually no furnishings other than a respectable elongated wooden mahogany table with several matching chairs around it. It served the group's purpose well enough.

After everyone had settled in their seats and had been served a glass of Father Alain's orange juice, their meeting commenced.

"That was a good plan you gave a while ago." Charles said. "Did you come up with that, Andrews?"

"It was a joint effort between me and Father Alain." Seth said.

Father Alain waved the praise away. "Oh, no. All of it was Seth's idea. I just provided him with details on the town and all that."

"Well, in any case, you came up with a sound short term plan. Now, it would be good if we could make long term ones that will aim to rebuild this town." Maria said, if a bit sternly.

Maria was in her thirties just like Seth. Her red hair was as fiery as her temper. She was pretty but the guarded and solemn air around her made people respect and be wary of her at the same time. She was still relatively young but people around town had the impression that she was much older because of her no-nonsense attitude. With Maria, it was either serious business or nothing at all. You better not waste her time. If you're just going to talk about inconsequential matters and exchange dumb flatteries, then you'd better get out of her sight.

Charles was the opposite of Maria. Where Maria was hard and unyielding, Charles was good and accommodating. He was in his early forties but despite his age, Charles' brown hair had not a hint of grey. You would not know it from his jolly nature but Charles was well-known to be one of the best fighters in all of Watauga. He was not only strong but he was also a brilliant police officer. Although he had already retired from service due to certain circumstances, Charles still remained active in keeping the peace and order in the community. In fact, he was one of the first people who took over the role of leader and kept the town from completely falling apart following the outbreak.

Seth was already familiar with Maria's attitude so he didn't mind her tone. She was right, after all. They didn't have any time for dilly-dallying.

"All right then. I'm sure you've got ideas already. Let's hear them." Seth said.

Maria took center stage. "First of all, it would be best if we made a council. Each person in the council will be assigned a specific duty or department, if you will, of which they will be responsible for. I believe a council would help make things more organized."

The others around the table hummed in approval. "Indeed, I think that is quite a good idea. After all, we have different skills and fields of expertise. A council divided into specialized duties would utilize the best of our abilities in the most sensible way possible." Father Alain chimed in.

"Okay, so we'll create a council. What duties will this council have?" Seth asked.

"It varies, of course. I am planning to have five divisions. We can have two council members head one division. The council's tasks will be divided into the following: food, water, daily necessities, maintenance, and security. A council member who heads the food division, for example, will be responsible for organizing meals, gathering food, food sanitation and other related tasks." Maria explained. She took a sip of her orange juice as she watched the others nod and agree with her.

"That's brilliant! It would definitely be a good system to implement in the long run." Charles praised. Maria had a haughty smile on her face.

"Yeah, I agree. Once the town's back up and running, it'll definitely need to have direction and a good foundation." Seth said. "If we set it up now, we'd have lesser problems in the future."

"Okay." Father Alain clapped his hands together brightly. "We'll decide who the council members will be. If I may, I would like to nominate someone to be the head of security." Father Alain sent a sideways glance at Seth and smiled.

"Me?" Seth said looking around the table. "I'm a bad pick."

Father Alain frowned, looking like a sad puppy. His eyes seemed to be asking Seth why not.

Seth offered a placating smile at the priest. "I appreciate the trust you place in me, Father, but there is a better choice for the job. I'd say Charles is the best person to become head of security."

Charles beamed. "Aw, shucks. You think I'm good enough? Well, then, I'll gladly take the position." Beneath the innocent gaiety in his smile, it was obvious that he was fired up.

He must have really missed being on the job, Seth thought.

"Since immediate concerns regarding supplies and medical assistance have already been addressed during the assembly, I think we should turn to the most pressing matter at hand." Charles said. "The raiders."

A serious atmosphere befell the small room.

Maria huffed. "Those pesky marauders. They've been a huge pain in the ass. I can't get a good night sleep because of them."

"They've started killing people, which reminds me, there's a dead kid at the service station. We need to give him a proper burial."

A symphony of dismayed profanities went round the table.

"Goddamn it." Maria hissed. "We have to put a stop to them."

"Yes, we will. Don't worry. I've come up with a plan to counter them in addition to the patrols." Charles said solemnly. "I thought about organizing a group specifically made to fight dangerous elements like the raiders and ensure the safety of Boone. I even thought up a name for it—the Frontier Justice."

Everyone in the room was in favor of Charles' plan.

"I have already selected the person who I think for the position of leader. Seth, will you lead the Frontier Justice?"

All eyes turned to Seth. Seth considered the offer. As far as Seth's other mission of finding his family went, settling things in Boone would make things move faster. Besides, Seth admitted that he was probably the best choice as Charles said.