Red Walker

by Scott Allen

Holding her tightly to him, Dana smiled and said, “Yes, we will. But, first, we need to get the little pieces of plastic out of the back of our heads and necks.”

  “Yeah,” Nance replied. “Me first!” She rushed into the house like a child playing tag. Dana ran after her.

  When they got to her bedroom, Nance handed Dana a pair of tweezers and a hand towel. Then, much to his surprise, she took off her shirt and jeans and lay face down on the bed, in her bra and panties. She looked back at him. He was staring stupidly at the swelling of her buttocks under her pink panties. “Well?” she said, grinning at him.

  Dana straddled her, and began pulling little pieces of plastic from her neck. He could feel her still trembling a bit beneath him. There was little bleeding. His hands were shaking from desire, but if he held his right hand steady with his left, he could manage. The warmth of her body beneath him was almost too much to bear. He began searching through her hair and found a few shards. “You know, Nance,” he said, “I’m no expert, but I would say that you are a very beautiful girl.”

  She laughed, “Actually, I can tell that’s what you think! Your turn!”

  Dana got off the bed and, after a moment of indecision, removed his shirt and pants and lay face down. Nance straddled him, and again, the warmth of her body almost made him crazed. She took her time with the few shards in his neck and scalp, bending over him closely, breathing warmly on his neck. Then, she ran her hands over the muscles of his shoulders and arms, and murmured, “Mmm.” When he felt he could stand no more, she said, “Finished!”

  He heard the rustle of the paper bag, and then Nance was beside him. They rolled over and embraced, and had a long, deep kiss. Nance said hoarsely, “I should get out of this underwear, and you should, too.” She stood up next to the bed, and was quickly naked. Dana quickly reciprocated, unable to take his eyes off her body. She unwrapped a condom, and said, “There’s a trick to putting these things on, according to the book. May I try?”

  Dana managed to croak with his dry mouth, “Yeah.” She knelt over him and put on the condom, then straddled him. She leaned over with her face over his, with her breasts resting on his chest, and looked him in the eyes.

  “We’re both new to this,” she whispered. “Let’s take it slow.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  They were enthusiastic lovers, returning every day, sometimes several times a day, to Nance’s book, looking for inspiration. They worked hard most of the day, took watches at night, and found time for love at odd hours. Dana studied “the Book,” as they referred to it now, for ideas on foreplay, hoping to surprise and delight Nance. She often responded with giggles and some variation on traditional intercourse herself. They were happily wearing each other out.

  The nights began to get cooler, which they enjoyed. Sometimes they made love on the backyard grass as dusk fell, and only untangled their naked bodies and came in when the cooling air made them cold. Then they would run into the house and leap into bed shivering, and re-entangle themselves under the covers, savoring their own delicious warmth.

  They began watching the Spanish language channels, curled up together in front of the viewscreen, improving their Spanish and looking for news. There was a lot of news from Mexico, mostly mundane. There was also news of the U.S. The dollar continued to fall. There were reports of shortages of food, electricity, and other things in the U.S., and some demonstrations and near-riots, although Dana and Nance couldn’t tell if this was truth or Mexican propaganda.

  The date at which the Mexican government was to finally move forward to the border was only two weeks away. That afternoon, a man in black clothing walked up their driveway from a strange massive tracked vehicle, greenish-grey, with what appeared to be a cannon barrel and small rocket launchers mounted on it. Another man watched him, half out of the top turret.

  The man walking up the drive seemed to be unarmed, and dressed in the standard black shirt, pants, and shoes of a man in the U.S. However, his clothes were neat and pressed, leather boots shined, there were two silver bars on epaulettes on his shoulders, and he was wearing a black forage cap with two silver bars. Dana slung his rifle and went forward to meet him.

  “Hello, young man, you must be Dana,” he said. I’m Captain Evan from the Rebellion Army, and I’m here to see if you, or anyone else in your household, would like to join us.” He held out his hand, and Dana shook it.

  Dana had heard of this from their neighbors to the west, but was skeptical. He invited the man into the house. Nance was inside, and he said, “Nance, you might want to hear this.” Then to the captain, “Please have a seat, and tell me what this is all about.”

  The captain explained that the Rebellion Army was eventually going to take over the U.S. government, free all of the men, and give them the option to immigrate to Mexico or anywhere else, or to allow them to live Rule-free in the U.S. Finally, and most of all, to reform the U.S. government entirely.

  “I can’t imagine how you could do that,” said Dana. “Their army is at least a million women, well- equipped. They have heavy weapons, missiles, and aircraft.”

  “Not so well-equipped anymore, down to seven hundred thousand, and with very low morale. Running short of supplies and working equipment.” Replied the captain. “Plus, we have almost two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, including some women, and all the heavy weapons we could want, including armored vehicles, missiles of all kinds, and aircraft. He nodded his head in the direction of the road, where his armored vehicle was parked. Plus, we have a way to turn off the hardware all the men in the U.S. are wearing, when we get close. There’s potentially four million Rebellion Army soldiers right there.”

  “Where did you get all those men and equipment?” asked Nance. “I can’t believe the Mexican government wants to get involved in this insurrection after they have what they want.”

  The Captain turned to face her. “You’re right. The Mexican government is pretending that we don’t exist, with a wink and a nod. They are providing some covert help. But, first, almost half a million men were freed by the rebellion and most joined up, and many of those will re-join, like two of the guys down the road. As we move forward with an invasion, we will free more men to get trained and join us. Second, our rebellion has received support from all over the world. Very few countries, except for some in Europe, want to end up like the U.S. and Canada. Governments and a lot of powerful individuals in countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America have provided us with the money to buy weapons, and sometimes provide the weapons and training themselves, covertly.

  “The U.S. is ready to collapse. Their army is already riddled with desertion, and even occasional mutinies. Their economy is in a shambles, and the women are tired of suffering. Many of them are ready for any kind of change that will make it all stop. They’ve gone along with government policy because everyone else did and life was bearable. Now, it’s not. We are going to promise them stability, prosperity, a return to a democratic constitutional government that protects the civil liberties of everyone, and the right to individual self-determination. Their leaders will scream that we are trying to establish a patriarchy, but we’re not. We are going to clean out the nests of harpies in Washington D.C., the state capitals, and the school systems and universities. We’re going to repeal the Rules, and reform the educational systems to treat everyone equally and quit teaching lies about history and about men. Eventually, we’ll hold fair and free elections. And, heavy-handed state control of business will be eliminated. Companies will control their own destinies, consistent with public and employee safety. We’ll have to clean up the economic mess, too, and reduce the debt.”

  Dana replied, “So, somehow, you are going to march across the entire continent, take Washington and all the state capitals, establish a dictatorship, revise the laws, the education system, and the economic system, and then put power back into the hands of the people? Ninety-five percent of them are women who have been brainwashed. Why shouldn’t they just put the Rules back
in place?”

  “We are going to un-brainwash them. It will take decades. And, yes, we are going to replace one dictatorship with another, at least until we can get things stable. That’s what it is going to take. It took decades for the current dictatorship to embed itself, and it will take that long to tear it out, root and branch. Citizens who want to vote will be required to attend history classes where all the different perspectives will be discussed. Freed men will also be in these classes, not only to broaden their own historical perspective, but also so that the women can see that they are not monsters.

  “Gradually, men and women who have passed the classes will be allowed to vote and run for office, but the ratio of men to women voters will be kept equal at the beginning. After 20 years, children born to couples who chose each other, and who came up through a reformed education system, will begin to vote. We will allow the immigration and naturalization of some honest and capable freedom-loving men from abroad. Things will begin to re-adjust. And, we won’t be tolerating any violence by men against women, or anyone against anyone, for that matter. Nearly all women citizens have just gone along with the anti-male brainwashing, and we’re going to show them that it was wrong. We’re not out for revenge, we’re out to make a better future for the country – what’s left of it.”

  Nance asked, “Who’s in charge of the Rebellion Army, and who is going to form the government?”

  The Captain replied, “Our top general is a man named Albert Estevez, who was one of the men who started the rebellion. He gave himself that name when he freed himself. He’s shown himself to be an excellent strategist and military leader, and a man of integrity who cares for his troops. As for the government, it will be a military junta until we can organize the first elections. The top men and women all seem to me to be trustworthy. The plan is to hold the first elections after four years. If you’re thinking that the junta will just decide to stay in power, don’t. The rest of the military wouldn’t support them. Every man and woman in the ranks is expecting to vote, and some of them, like me, are planning to run for office.”

  “It all sounds extremely ambitious and risky,” said Dana.

  “I think someone said, ‘A life without risk is no life at all,’ or something to that effect,” said the Captain. Anyway, according to the guys down the road, you got here through stealth, determination, and ruthlessness. It sounds like you can think on your feet. You shoot to kill, which is half of what separates effective soldiers from ineffective ones. You sound like the kind of man I want for my company, which will operate behind enemy lines. It’s going to be difficult and dangerous, but you and your comrades could do more to make America free again than almost any other men. Do you think you might be interested?”

  Dana briefly glanced at Nance. She looked thoughtful, but not horrified. He said, “Tell me more about the kind of things involved. I’ve already seen enough violent death to last a lifetime. I’ve seen friends and strangers killed, executed, and blown up. I’ve killed four soldiers, three of whom probably didn’t deserve to die. I’ve killed three bandits – Nance killed another - and I cut off their heads. I’ve had enough killing for a long time. I was hoping to live in peace. On the other hand, I want freedom for everyone else. So, whatever this is going to be, it would have to be worth it.”

  The Captain replied, “Yes, I saw those bandit heads on poles while driving up here. Good job. I bet you scared off a bunch of others. I can’t tell you any specific missions, because I don’t know them yet. But, usually, commandos take out communications infrastructure, free prisoners, destroy targets like power plants, ammo dumps, rocket launchers, and air bases, assassinate high-value targets, and things like that. They usually sleep rough, out in the weather. They have to take care of their wounded, or put them out of their misery. They’re always in danger.

  “But, we’d train you. It would take several months. You might wash out of the commando training, and have to choose between quitting and joining a regular army unit. We’d pay you, with a bonus for specialized combat. And there is one thing about the Rebellion Army. Unlike other armies, you can quit whenever you want, or be transferred to a job in a safe zone, once you are out of a combat zone. We are trying to choose men who won’t quit, no matter how tough things get. We want men who are motivated by a common vision of a free America. We need men who will recognize that hard things have to be done. Even though we have the technology to avoid civilian casualties, there are going to be some. You’d have to kill soldiers who’d kill you if they could. You’d probably have to kill high-ranking officers, and maybe even legislators or educational administrators, if they won’t go quietly. You might get killed yourself. You need to be prepared for all that, Dana, otherwise, we don’t want you.”

  Dana sat thoughtfully for a minute. “This is a big decision I didn’t think I’d have to make, Captain. Can you give me time to think it over?”

  “Sure, Dana. I expected to. I see you may have reason to want to stay here,” he said, glancing in Nance’s direction. “I want you to be absolutely sure. I’ll be back in about two weeks, just as the Mexican government moves in. Do you think you can let me know by then?”

  “Yes, Captain, I think I can,” said Dana. “But, Captain, I want to know I’m fighting for a democracy. After the war is won, I would want to see steady progress toward that. If I don’t ... well, I would probably prefer to live in Mexico.”

  “Dana, you and I think alike. I think our leaders understand that we all think alike,” said Evan.

  Before the Captain could speak again, Nance spoke up. “Captain, would you have a place for a woman like me in your army?”

  Both Dana and the Captain looked a little astonished. The Captain replied, “Yes, indeed. Women can take any role in the army that they can qualify for. Anyone can. The original feminism was all about equal opportunity, and so are we. I’m sorry, Ma’am, if I assumed that you wouldn’t be interested. You just have to let me know, and we’ll interview you.”

  “My name is Nance,” she said, “And I’ve been a farmer all my life. But, I have university degrees in history and agriculture, I’m fluent in Spanish, I know how to treat simple wounds, and I think it’s long past time that things were put right.”

  The captain began talking into a small viewscreen tablet that he pulled from his pocket, giving Nance’s details. “I will send this up the chain of command, Nance. Can I get back to you in about two weeks?

  “Yes, Captain. But, please understand that this farm is all I have. It’s been passed down in the family for many generations. I have no assets other than the farm, and somehow it would have to be preserved, with its buildings and equipment, against my return, if I were to join up. Rented out, perhaps. Or, it would have to be sold.”

  “So noted, Nance,” said the Captain, whispering into the tablet some more. “Someone will get back to you.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  The Captain departed, and they heard the engine of the large war machine come to life and disappear down the road. Dana and Nance looked at each other for a long time. Finally, Dana said, “Nance, we each have to do what we think is right. You have to do what is right for you, and I have to do what is right for me. Not only what is best on a personal level, but the most meaningful things we can do with our lives. I’m not sure yet what is right for me.” He waited for her.

  “I know, Dana. I hoped life would be stable, living through the seasons with my husband and children, and finally watching grandchildren grow up. I wanted intimacy, warmth, and laughter. Do you remember seeing those paintings by Norman Rockwell in that big book on the shelf? That’s what I wanted. It’s what my grandparents had. I didn’t see how it was possible under the American administration. Then, I really thought it was possible under the Mexican administration. I had hope! Now, I might be able to help make it happen for people in America. But, it will cost me. It might cost me all my dreams.” She started to sniffle, and tears ran down her cheeks. “I am … I am a student of history. So many p
eople have been faced with a choice like this, going as far back as history goes. Sacrifice yourself, if necessary, for the sake of future generations. Your choice is even harder!” She said the last word with a sob.

  He rose and went to her, and took her in his arms. He stroked her back, and made soothing noises. She sobbed into his chest. “We don’t have to decide anything tonight. Let’s sleep on it,” he whispered.

  They made love very tenderly that evening. Afterwards, Dana held Nance until her breathing showed that she was sleeping, then rose and dressed to stand watch.

  The night was uneventful, and Dana took the entire night watch, thinking. As the first rays of dawn appeared, Nance showed up at the foot of the ladder in her nightdress, disheveled, sleepy, barefoot, and said, “Dana, you dope! You let me sleep all night. Why didn’t you wake me?”

  Dana laughed and descended, and embraced her. They swayed together in the cool morning, forgetting everything, enjoying the sensations of each other, oblivious to all else. Finally they broke apart. Her eyes were bright with tears. “Young lady, I believe I am going to take a nap,” Dana said, chucking her under the chin. “Here’s the alarm button. Wake me if you need me. Don’t forget to carry your rifle.” He kissed her and walked into the house.

  Dana was conflicted. His life with Nance here in northern Texas was full of delights. He could imagine himself staying and living like this the rest of his life, and enjoying it, although perhaps getting a little bored. It didn’t seem like quite enough. There was a big wide world that had been denied to him. He longed to explore it. His thoughts began to coalesce, and he realized that the core of his desires was to do something “big.” He didn’t know what, just something beyond a quiet life, something that he could look back on with pride. There would be time for a comfortable life later, maybe, with children he could raise to be exciting, capable, and upstanding people. But, if he was going to do something big, it would have to be now – and how could he raise children if he had no life lessons to teach them? How could he look other men in the eye if he let them go to war and stayed home himself? They would be heroes and he would be … nothing. He realized he wanted to be a hero, to be admired. He had been having daydreams of himself in heroic battle actions, mostly replays of scenes from old movies, with himself in the hero role. Yes, he wanted to be a hero.