World War III (27 page)

“Is that right,” smiled Shiloh.

“Yeah that’s right,” said Ian, “maybe I should go?”

“You’ve got Jessie to think about,” pointed out Shiloh. “My families all gone and there’ll be no one to mourn for me if I don’t return.”

“No Senor Evans,” whispered Alfonso, crawling up from behind them, “you’re my family, and I’d mourn if you died.”

“And he’s not the only one,” added Ian.

“Well thank you,” said Shiloh, truly touched by their words of compassion. “That means a lot to me, but I still think that I should be the one to go. Don’t worry,” he added, “I’ll be fine. When I draw their attention get everyone to the truck as fast as possible.”

“Alright,” agreed Ian, reluctantly. He knew that God was watching over Shiloh and protecting him. During the battle with the Enlightened Ones, Ian remembered counting over a dozen bullet holes in Shiloh’s shirt, yet his friend had managed to remain unscathed. Lex on the other hand had not been so lucky, taking one in the shoulder during the very same battle. “But be careful,” he added, “the town needs you more than you realize.”

“I will,” smiled Shiloh, “you too! Ya see those boulders over there?”

“Yes,” whispered Ian.

“Behind them you’ll find a deer trail,” explained Shiloh. “Follow it down the mountain and it’ll bring you directly to the truck. Here are the keys,” he added, handing Ian a set of keys. “I’ll wait till you guys are in position behind those boulders before I draw their attention.”

“Got it,” said Ian. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. Just be sure that you make it to the truck in time.”

“I will,” nodded Shiloh, “but I’ll be coming hard and fast, so be ready.”

“We’ll be ready,” said Ian, before turning and crawling back towards the remainder of their group.

Alfonso patted Shiloh on the shoulder and then turned to follow Ian. No words were needed for Shiloh to know that the old man was worried for his safety.

When the small group from Clearview reached the boulders, Shiloh bowed his head and said a silent prayer to the one true God.

Dear Lord, thank you for always protecting me and providing me with what I need, when I need it most. Please give me courage and strength for what’s to come in the moments ahead. Steady my hand Lord, and guide each bullet to its intended target. Above all, please allow my friends to reach the truck unharmed. If a sacrifice is needed, then let it be mine. I love you Lord, with all of my heart, mind, strength and soul. Amen!

When Shiloh was finished praying he lifted his head and raised his rifle. Looking through the scope, he took careful aim at a Chinese soldier only twenty yards away. He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, before squeezing the trigger. The rifle leapt in his hands, as the bullet hit its mark. He quickly took aim at another soldier and fired. A small wisp of snow lifted from the soldier’s coat, as the bullet struck him square in the chest. Shiloh quickly snapped off one more shot, before dropping to the ground and rolling several yards to his left.

When he popped up again, three soldiers lay motionless on the ground. Beneath them, dark pools of blood soaked into the snow around them. A medic was kneeling down next to one of the soldiers when Shiloh fired again. He took several well placed shots, before once again dropping to the ground. As his stomach hit the ground, he heard several bullets thud into the tree behind him. He quickly rolled to his left, before rising again to fire.

The Chinese soldiers were confused. When Shiloh fired his first shots, the majority of them had immediately charged towards his location, believing there to be only one man. But when he appeared in a new location a moment later, killing several more soldiers, they began to doubt that he was alone.

Shiloh continued to relocate from one position to another before firing, adding to the enemy’s confusion and making it more difficult for them to effectively zone in on his location. In fact the more he moved, the more the Chinese troops began to believe that they themselves were surrounded. Instead of charging towards him, they began to fan out and take cover.

Realizing the effect that he was having on them, Shiloh emptied his rifle in their direction and then quickly turned and crawled towards the deer trail where his friends had headed. After reaching the boulders he stood up and began to run, re-loading his rifle as he did. As he made his escape, he kept glancing back over his shoulder to see if any of the soldiers were in pursuit. In some areas the snow was thin or non-existent and in other areas it was waist deep.

Behind him, Shiloh could hear shouts and gunfire, as the Chinese soldiers chased after him. Rounding a bend in the trail, he saw his truck up ahead and his friends were already inside. Ian was in the driver seat with Sylvia and Kye sitting next to him. Cole and Alfonso were in the bed of the truck, waving for Shiloh to hurry.

Suddenly, a dozen Chinese soldiers emerged from the tree line about thirty yards behind Shiloh. Cole and Alfonso immediately opened fire, forcing the troops to dive for cover. As Shiloh ran towards the truck, he heard bullets whizzing passed his head. Up ahead, he could see Kye firing from the passenger seat. The 9mm Glock was more accurate for short range, but it was all that the pilot had.

As Shiloh ran across an open field towards the truck, Kye continued to fire a barrage of bullets into the soldiers behind him, sending several of them scurrying for shelter. When his sidearm was empty, Kye quickly replaced the spent magazine with a fresh one and continued to provide covering fire.

Shiloh jumped head first into the truck, as Ian slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The truck sped away kicking up snow and dirt in its wake, with a cloud of dust forming behind it. Using the bodies of the four dead deer for cover, Shiloh, Cole and Alfonso continued to fire at the soldiers behind them.

Death Camps

World War III – Day Nine

San Diego, California

Elizabeth Mancini and the other civilians had been captives in the FEMA camp for less than a week before the food and water ran out. Although many of the people were experiencing malnutrition and dehydration, the Blackwater mercenaries had plenty to eat and drink, and they weren’t sharing it with anyone else. In fact, the brutal treatment of civilians reminded Beth of the Nazi Death Camps that her father had witnessed during World War II.

In a very short period of time the camp had become a cesspool for bacteria and disease to flourish. After rounding up as many civilians as possible from surrounding cities and towns, the mercenaries herded them into the overcrowded compound. The camp’s maximum occupancy was quickly surpassed by more than double. Yet the mercenaries continued to bring load after load of civilians, forcing them into the foul and unbearable living conditions within the camp.

Rumors soon surfaced that the Department of Homeland Security was working hand-in-hand with FEMA, paying Blackwater for each civilian detained. Some of the civilians being forced into the camp came from towns and cities to the east, far away from the front line and the proposed danger. But the Blackwater soldiers didn’t care. Once inside the FEMA camp, the civilians were left to fend for themselves.

Many of the people, Beth among them, had asked to leave the camp preferring to take their chances on the outside, but the mercenaries refused to allow anyone to leave. On the fifth day, a small group of disgruntled civilians tried to escape, only to be shot down in cold blood by the very same soldiers who claimed to be protecting them.

Beth wanted a shower badly, but dare not risk it. The toilets and sewage had become so backed up from overuse that the water had taken on a yellowish-brown tint and now stank of urine and feces. Beth decided that she’d rather stay dirty than bath in crap. Of course there were other reasons why she avoided the shower room, the possibility of rape topping the list. Many of the Blackwater mercenaries, lacking leadership and discipline, had begun watching from the doorway of the shower room as the naked women bathed.

Beth had been a prisoner in the camp for about a week when the incident occurred. She was on her way to the bathing barracks to use the toilet, when all of a sudden a group of half-naked women ran screaming from the shower room. Curious but afraid, Beth stood frozen, watching and waiting to see what would happen next. A crowd immediately began to form outside the barrack’s entrance, but no one seemed inclined to enter. After standing there frozen for a few minutes, Beth realized that no one had the courage to investigate. So with a deep breath, she slowly began to walk towards the shower room.

While still a few yards from the door, Beth heard cries and screams coming from a young woman inside. She realized that if she opened the door and entered she’d likely suffer the same fate, but she couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. After whispering a quick prayer for protection, Beth took another deep breath and slowly pushed the door open.

Lying on her back in the middle of the shower room was Jenae, the same young woman who lived down the street from Beth and whose husband had been murdered right before her eyes. Several of the shower heads had been left running when the other women fled the room and the constant flow was creating a small, yellowish puddle of water at the center of the concrete floor.

Jenae was naked from head to toe with Jasper on top of her. Beth immediately knew what was happening by the way that Jasper thrust his hips forward, over and over. Other soldiers were standing around in a circle, watching and laughing, as the young woman was violated. Several men formed a line behind Jasper, as if awaiting their turn.

Jenae cried uncontrollably and desperately screamed for help, as she fought with all of her strength and might, but her attempts to escape were futile. An evil grin spread across Jasper’s face, as he ravaged the defenseless, young woman.

Beth stood frozen in the doorway for a moment, watching the horrific atrocity. Suddenly, and without thought, she stepped boldly into the shower room and shouted, “Get off of her you evil swine!”

The mercenaries looked up in surprise, noticing Beth standing in the doorway for the first time. A couple of them bowed their heads in disgrace, their faces blushing with embarrassment. Beth was old enough to be their mother. She could see the shame in their eyes, as they considered what their own mothers would think of the hideous crime they were committing. Jasper was the only man who didn’t look up when Beth spoke. He was too close to finishing his monstrous act, to allow for any interruptions.

“I said, leave her alone!” screamed Beth, approaching the circle of wicked men. As she drew near, the mercenaries stepped back creating a path, none of them had the courage to look her in the eye. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves for being involved in such an evil and dreadful act of violence!”

As his men backed away in humiliation and dishonor, Jasper continued his assault on Jenae, ignoring Beth’s presence altogether. Disgusted with Jasper’s insolent lack of conscience, Beth kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could. Jasper grunted from the impact of the kick and rolled over and off of Jenae. Beth immediately bent down next to the young woman, trying to console her. She quickly removed her sweatshirt and covered part of Jenae’s exposed body.

“You’ll rot in hell for this,” spat Beth, as Jasper climbed to his feet and buttoned his trousers.

“Oh I’m sure I’ll roast there for a lot more than this,” laughed Jasper, with the same evil grin. “That’s if hell even exists, which of course it doesn’t!” Jasper looked down at Jenae, who lay sobbing on the floor. “Don’t cry,” he taunted, “you weren’t half bad.”

“I knew you were a corrupt and evil man from the moment I saw you!” hissed Beth, full of hatred.

“Oh yeah,” said Jasper, with a sinister laugh, “and what do you think of me now?”

“I shall think of you as dead, until my son makes you so,” answered Beth, “and then I will think of you no longer.”

“Again with the prodigal son old woman?” chuckled Jasper. “He must not be a very good son to have abandoned you all alone.”

“If he knew I was here he’d come to rescue me,” retorted Beth. “And he’d do the world a favor, and rid it of your existence!”

“Ooh, I’m scared,” mocked Jasper. “Lady, I hope your son is alive, and I hope he does come for you. There’s nothing that I’d like more than to kill him slowly, while you watch helplessly! Come on boys let’s go, I need a drink. That little tart tuckered me out with all of her struggling.”

When the mercenaries were gone and the two women were all alone, Beth helped Jenae to her feet. She saw the younger woman’s clothes hanging from a wooden peg in the corner of the room and quickly fetched them for her.

“Here ya go honey,” said Beth, handing Jenae her clothes, “put these on and we’ll get out of here.”

“Th-th-thank you,” whimpered Jenae, accepting the clothes and beginning to dress, with the older woman’s help.

“I know it doesn’t feel like it,” replied Beth, reassuringly, “but in time, this too shall pass.” When Jenae was fully dressed Beth added, “Come on you precious child, let’s get you out of here.”

The two women left the shower room with Beth’s arm protectively wrapped around Jenae. Walking across the camp with every eye watching, Beth guided the young woman into the barrack where they’d been sleeping since their arrival. She helped her onto the cot and then left in search of water.

Beth was worried about Jenae, and not just because she’d been raped, but she also had a very high fever. She wasn’t the only one sick either, many of the camp’s residents had become ill, and with little to no medicine available, some had already died.

The Blackwater mercenaries continued to assure the civilians that more medicine, food and water was on the way, but it was long overdue. Beth realized that the shipment could have been intercepted by the enemy, but knowing the caliber of her captors, she believed it was even more likely that the supplies had already arrived and the mercenaries were hoarding everything for themselves. Either way, the much needed provisions had gone missing and it was the civilians who were paying the price.

*******

The next two days passed slowly as Beth cared for Jenae, trying anything that she could to nurse her back to health. It pained her to watch the young woman wither away in anguish, but without the proper medicine there was little that she could do. Beth was bringing Jenae some water on their ninth day of internment, when she saw a large military truck enter the compound.

Without delay, two of the mercenaries began to unload unmarked boxes from the bed of the truck. Beth watched as they carried the mysterious cargo into the medical barrack and then returned for another load. On one of the trips, while the soldiers were still inside the medical barrack, Beth seized the opportunity to inspect the cargo. Each box had a white label attached to the lid and on each label were the words…FLU SHOT. Apparently there wasn’t any food or water included in the shipment.

Shortly after the truck was unloaded, Jasper and his men rounded everyone up and herded them into the center of camp. There was a long, rectangular table set up with syringes full of the flu shot resting on top. A man in a white lab coat sat behind the table with a clipboard in his hand. Beth noticed Jasper whispering something into the man’s ear, as she and Jenae joined the crowd of people.

It was strange, thought Beth, that none of the soldiers were being inoculated. Usually Jasper and his men helped themselves to everything before giving anything to the civilians. Once all of the people were herded together, Jasper sent some of his men into the barracks to ensure that no one had been missed. After his men reported back that all of the people were accounted for and present, he stood up on a chair so that everyone could see and hear him clearly.

“May I please have your attention!” he shouted, above the commotion coming from the crowd of concerned civilians.

“As you all know,” he continued, after the turmoil had subsided, “we’re still waiting for the shipment of food and water. However, we have received a shipment of medicine. I know that many of you are sick and our doctor believes it’s the flu causing all of the reported symptoms. The medicine inside of these syringes will make you feel better. We’re now going to start administering one to everyone. Don’t worry, there’s plenty to go around, so please, no pushing or shoving.”

“If we’ve truly run out of food and water then why are your men hydrated and well fed?” shouted a voice from the crowd.

“And why aren’t any of your men sick?” asked another voice.

A flood of questions and accusations began to erupt from the angry mob of civilians. Beth saw Jasper nod to one of his men, as he raised his hands to calm the crowd of concerned citizens.

“Please understand that my men and I are here to protect you, and for that we need our strength. I know that there have been unfounded rumors that my men and I are hoarding supplies for us alone, but I assure you, these rumors are false.”

While Jasper addressed the crowds concerns, Beth noticed the soldier who he had nodded to standing behind the man who’d asked the first question. The soldier was whispering something into the man’s ear. From where Beth stood there was no way of hearing what was being said, but judging by the man’s reaction and the paleness of his face, Beth knew that he’d been threatened into silence. The man immediately bowed his head in submission and henceforth kept his mouth shut. Beth however, did not scare so easily.

“Now,” continued Jasper, “if I could please have everyone form a single file line. We’ll take care of you one at a time.”

“Why haven’t your men received a shot?” asked Beth, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Because,” smiled Jasper, trying to remain cool, “contrary to the rumors, we provide you, the civilians, with everything first.”

“Well, I don’t believe in the flu shot,” declared Beth, “and I for one don’t want one. I’ve read about people becoming infected with incurable and fatal diseases because of receiving the flu shot.”

“I can assure you,” said Jasper, with the same smug smile, “that the shots are designed to strengthen your immune system, not the contrary, as some conspiracy theorists might have you believe.” He shot an ugly look towards Beth.

“Then prove it!” shouted Beth. “Why don’t you take one right now for everyone to see?”

The color of Jasper’s face turned to a dark shade of red, as anger boiled up inside him. He’d had just about enough of Beth’s defiance. After witnessing Jasper’s reluctance to receive an injection himself, the crowd of civilians once again erupted in protests. Jasper whispered something to one of his men, and then raised his hands in an attempt to quiet the people.

“I’m not going to ask you again,” shouted Jasper, over the commotion, “everyone form a line and shut up!” He signaled to his men, who immediately stepped forward with their guns raised, as they began forcing everyone into a line.

Beth was about to speak her mind again, when all of a sudden, two of the Blackwater mercenaries appeared next to her on either side. Without a word of warning they seized her and quickly escorted her away from the others and into a barrack, labeled Command Center. Beth tried to resist, but her frail, old body was no match for the two large soldiers. Once inside the command center they forced her down into a chair. A moment later Jasper arrived with an evil grin on his face and a syringe in his hand.