Fall, Rise, Repeat

by Matthew Schneider

Jaiyana stiffened up and moved away from the female soldier. She shuttered, rubbed her face with her palms, and said, “Crazy how these pieces of flesh once made up the man I was talking to just moments ago. We shouldn’t stay here. We need to go.”

  “Are you okay? Do you need me to stick with you?” asked the female soldier.

  “I’ll be okay. It’s just an unsettling sight, that’s all,” she said, turning her face from the mess. She took a breath in and picked her gun off the ground, positioning the strap on her chest so that the gun was on her back.

  “Let’s get moving. I want silence. Everybody keep their noses up and stay alert.” Jaiyana decided they had gone far enough, so she led them around a corner to head back to the hotel.

  She figured the area was mostly safe, with the exception of the dumbass Russian sitting in the window with a grappling gun meant for a vehicle but used on a human being.

  The location of the rest of the Russians was unknown; it seemed they had retreated to the fallen AON tower or beyond. There were many sounds in the city but no heavy gunfire, so the other group must not have encountered anybody.

  Jaiyana walked back across the first street they had entered and came to a stop when she rounded the corner to the bombed street.

  There were dozens of Russians on the ground, hiding the road almost entirely. And then there were the giant holes in the road, now barely visible under the bodies that filled them.

  Zav brought his group back around the same time, and they filtered between the trucks and walked through the avenue of corpses. With every step there was a splash of someone’s blood, or a dismembered hand or limb.

  The Continental Army had suffered a great loss in this particular area, but there was a light gradient where the majority of the bodies became U.S. soldiers.

  Why the soldiers had shown up was a mystery, especially since it went against the second terms of agreement to give up the central and western states to Russia, but they had fought honorably and successfully assisted in taking back Chicago. The city was still not won, but many blocks had been recaptured and now American soldiers were scattered throughout the city and helping the rebuild begin.

  It seemed their future was very promising.

  The two parties had completely merged, with Jaiyana and Zav next to each other in the front. They trudged through the mounds of bodies, not speaking.

  The discomfort in Jaiyana’s heart forced her to speak. “Xavier. I’m sorry to inform you, your friend, Marx, was killed.”

  Zav continued walking, his eyes drifting towards the ground, his feet dragging against the ground as if they were tied by rocks. He was depleted; maybe it was his physical exhaustion, or the burden of the leadership he had just assumed.

  If there was anyone most like himself, it was Marx. They both pursued leadership, although their methods varied. There was a sting of sorrow in Zav, the feeling that he had lost someone close to him, but at the same time, he felt like a firework that was about to shoot off, full of excitement.

  “Very upsetting, indeed,” responded Zav, his face showing no expression.

  The feeling of excitement came from knowing he had obtained complete control over his people, but there was the weight of a thousand men on his shoulders as he walked cluelessly through this battlefield of lost men.

  They neared the hotel and Zav moved ahead from the group to climb atop a parked car.

  He huffed as he rolled across the windshield and pulled himself over the lightbar on the roof, feeling the aches from his past injuries in his bones and muscles, not to mention his more recent bullet wound.

  He stood up and looked out upon the mass that surrounded the front of the hotel. The numbers surpassed the original Continental Army greatly, but its original members were surprisingly scarce. Nonetheless, it was still an impressive army that filled this street.

  Even with the tremendous casualties they had suffered, the American troops and the remaining Continental Army members, mixed with a couple civilians who had evacuated the city-center for the safe zone, stood jam-packed in front of the hotel, watching Zav.

  Zav cleared his throat, because he had not spoken loudly since he gave the order to advance. “My name is Xavier Starr. I am the leader of the people of New America, and the General of the Continental Army. We came together after the president was assassinated, knowing one thing: we were the last stand against the Russians. We were an uncontrolled people left behind by a corrupt and weak government. However, it was quite surprising that you, American soldiers, came to our aid as the Russians approached. May your superior step forward?”

  Zav looked to the crowd for some sort of answer. He waited for a moment, hoping someone would step forward. But nobody stepped up.

  “Surprising. No Colonels? Then I ask you, here in the front, what happened that you came forward with your brothers to fight?” Zav pointed to a soldier in the front, just a yard from the car.

  The soldier looked up at Zav and took a few steps forward to the edge of the car. “We were a surviving battalion located just north of the city. Originally, the United States Government wanted to populate the city with soldiers before moving the president into the city, but the urgency of their plans required otherwise. After the explosions, we sent several scouts to the area, and they informed us that a legion of Russians was preparing an attack.”

  Zav stepped onto the front of the car and took a knee. He stretched out his arm and offered his hand. The soldier shook it diligently, and Zav returned to the top of the car satisfied. “You all arrived with the mindset to kill the enemies of America. And a horrific battle it was...we lost many people. And if you didn’t learn that walking through the streets of our city, looking at the slaughtered civilians and soldiers of this free country, then I do suggest you reexamine and reevaluate yourself.

  “As leader, it is my job to enforce justice and ensure the safety of every person. We are living in a society of anarchy and chaos, and every time we attempt to rise again, there is always an outside force, or inside, that wants to make us fall. But no longer: for we now have the upperhand! We are fighting the last war – to end all wars! Let our fallen brothers and sisters be a reminder to never repeat history!” Zav, said, his voice echoing between the tall buildings.

  There was some meager cheering from the crowd; it seemed people were not in the mood for a restless mob, but instead were searching for someone to shine light upon the darkness that blanketed the city – he was not receiving the energy he was used to.

  Zav put his hands on his hips and evaluated the mood of the people. They were motionless, tired maybe, and certainly not taking any action to get back into the action.

  Zav decided to continue. “We have enough food in the hotel to feed everyone for one, two days at most. You are all welcome to stay here. After that, we will need to rely on imports or scavenges to obtain rations. We will serve everybody, but it must be orderly. Enter the hotel, grab your food, and then move back outside. I will give orders now so everybody can get right to work.”

  Zav held out his arms with his hands flat, parallel to one another. He pretended to make cuts in the crowd. “We will split into three groups. Just assume my arms mark thirds. Alpha—” Zav pointed to the third on the far left, “Your duty is to protect this sanctuary. I want you spread out across the blocks we have retaken and fortify yourselves by whatever means necessary. It will also be your duty to uphold any policies or laws that are put into place. Attempt to balance your numbers when dividing.

  “Bravo,” Zav called out, pointing to the middle, “I have decided that you will continue working to expand our territory. You will collectively move throughout the city and retake the streets and buildings. This may put you into combat, but once you take a block you will be responsible for holding it until it becomes part of the safe zone.

  “And finally, Charlie. You will be our laborers. While we are out fighting for and defending the homeland, you must work to rebuild the city. I have blueprints for exactly how the city will be la
id out. And obviously, because we are a safe haven, we can expect a few civilians to join us. It will be your duty to care for them only until they can work for themselves. And I mean that in this way: this is a tough world to live in. So we can only let nature do her part by eliminating the weakest. But we will do ours and care for the refugees. But we are not rich enough, nor is it realistic, to provide a ‘public healthcare’ for everyone.” Zav licked his lips and clapped his hands together. “Nonetheless, let’s eat!”

  Chapter 16

  Zav stood alone in the unlit room on the third floor. There was complete and utter silence. Small dust particles made their journey across the room, glinting in the sun, flowing with the movement of the air conditioning.

  Zav opened his mouth to speak to Marx. His eyes darted to the ground next to him, embracing his lonely, embarrassing moment, and slowly returned to watching the movement outside – no words could be spoken to this ghost. His hands cupped one another behind his back, his elbows bent slightly, his shoulders broad – puffing out his chest.

  It was as if all of life followed a cycle – struggling through organized chaos until an unruly death. Some call it the circle of life; but life in society followed a different cycle. There once was a time when humans were always in anarchy, not deciding on a ruler, or not having the intelligence to do so. And yet, in this present day, man makes the same mistake – murder, greed, anger – and everyone falls into this anarcho-capitalist society. And then, everyone figured out they have to work together to survive. And thus, democracy was born again – the cycle always repeats.

  Lost in his thoughts, Zav closed his eyes and yawned, his legs growing tired as he stood tensely. He rolled out a cushioned chair from a tall wooden desk perpendicular to the giant window.

  He felt his muscles instantly rejoice as he sat down. He began people watching.

  Everyone was following orders exactly as they should be: labor, defense, and offense. But now, there was a greater interest at hand: with Zav as the lone ruler, it was also his responsibility to establish rules, laws, and policies for the land – not to mention the militaristic role he now assumed with Marx‘s passing. Not that this was entirely difficult, but there was the struggle of choosing to run the city based on his personal political beliefs or on realistic policies that would stay in the center of everyone’s ideologies.

  Zav tapped his fingers against the armrest of his rolling chair. Thoughts entered and left his brain as he inattentively considered actions and outcomes.

  His hand fumbled for the cell phone in his pocket and gripped it between his fingers. He felt something else hidden behind the phone.

  Zav pulled at the chain of his pocket watch and flipped it open. It was a shiny little relic, but more importantly it pulled Zav into a storm of sudden memories. All of this fighting had, arguably, allowed the people to settle down and finally solve their problems diplomatically. If all was ruled well, then no more fighting had to ensue.

  He swapped the watch for the phone. It was not his. His phone had been in his last pair of pants, which had disappeared back at the White House when he swapped for suit pants taken off a civilian, and by the looks of it, that civilian was probably rich: the brand embroidered across the waist was rare and expensive.

  Zav looked down at the cell phone. To imagine people had lived before this spectacular technology was simply amazing...but he had also gone a week without his phone and had completely forgotten about needing one until now.

  He searched the network for other local users and found Jimenez’s contact. He pressed the small button with a simplistic drawing of a walkie-talkie, and the phone started buzzing as it rang for Jimenez.

  “Loud and clear, Xavier,” the voice answered, and Zav smiled to himself.

  “Roger that, small Mexican man, I’d like to get your opinion on some basic politics. Crrk,” Zav made a static noise with his mouth, “Meet me on my special floor, over.”

  “I’ll be right over,” replied Jimenez.

  Zav smirked and shifted his weight to one side. “You’ll be right what? Over.”

  “I’ll be right over, you smartass,” spat Jimenez, and ended the transmission.

  Zav chuckled softly and spun around in his chair, using his foot on the ground to propel him faster. He felt the dizziness rise from his stomach to his head as the room blurred around him.

  The door burst open and Zav, startled, flipped out of his chair. As he crashed to the ground, the chair rolled away, and Jimenez walked forward as if he hadn’t seen anything.

  Zav rolled to his side and sat. “Shut up. Let’s get to work, shall we?”

  Jimenez grabbed a chair and placed it close to where he assumed Zav would be sitting. Zav grabbed the rolling chair and plopped himself in it, then scooted away from Jimenez and placed himself in front of the large window.

  Jimenez grunted and repositioned himself.

  “I’ve always considered myself to be a Centrist. Centrist in that on a political alignment chart, I lean neither right nor left, avoiding socialism and capitalism as a whole. I also don’t agree with a libertarian society entirely nor an authoritarian one. However, seeing the world fall and change around us has made me change my ideas quite a bit.

  “Maybe it’s due to the dire survival situation or the fact that I enjoy being in charge – nonetheless, we need rules for a functioning society – and the fact that communism has killed yet another fifty-fucking-million people, but I’ve noticed I lean economically right and authoritarian now. This being said, my judgement may be a little skewed in the process of determining laws that will not only benefit our newborn society but ensure that people will want to live here. I have to ask, what is yours?”

  Jimenez looked at his feet and folded his arms. He slouched back in his chair and bit his lip. “Well, I’ve been a Secret Service agent for many years. Which means I’ve had to protect a lot of presidents with a lot of different viewpoints. For the most part, I avoided politics, but there are some things in particular that I supported strongly. Nothing related to whatever this political alignment stuff is but things that I think should or should not be regulated.”

  Zav cocked his head. “That’s an interesting answer, you know? ‘I avoid politics’, they say. But they always support some sort of politics whether they realize it or not; it’s all around us. It is life. It is democracy. It is the freedom we live in. It is the air we breathe. It determines whether you are born, how you will die, what you do in your free time, what you think, how happy you are...it’s all politics. It’s like life is a board game and politics is the challenge. How do we approach? What gets us to the end fastest? What will surely make us lose?”

  Jimenez nodded his head slowly. “Okay, Aesop. How does this relate to your request?”

  “I want balance in our congressional group. Of course, I still am in charge, but I think a little bit of variation on the political spectrum can benefit decision making.”

  “Zav, I’m going to propose an idea, and this is only because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You know that female, Jaiyana?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I know for a fact she is left wing. Not just because she’s a woman, which is a stereotype I usually disagree with, but because she acts very humanitarian. Especially after all the government brainwashing that happened. But I propose you elect governors to rule different parts of the city. Four people, four sectors, and put the four political ideologies to the test. I know there are many other political stances but this is a good start.”

  Zav turned his chair to face Jimenez directly. “I rose to power, and I expect to stay in charge, and I’m not going to let people cripple my infrastructure because of their flawed ideologies. I know what I believe in will work; otherwise, I would not believe it. And if you doubt me, then you are doubting the history of success and the logic of science.”

  “Zav, that was the most arrogant and stupid thing to ever come out of your mouth,” Jimenez said, sighing.

  Zav crossed h
is arms and puffed up his cheeks. “I’m just saying. It’s too radical of an idea, that’s all. I simply want some people to work together in deciding laws.”

  Jimenez rubbed his chin. “And consider that somebody proposes a bad law. People die. And now the blame goes to you because you’re in charge instead of that individual. Now your utopia is ruined at the fault of somebody else.”

  Zav slowly looked up and locked eyes with Jimenez. “What an...impressive argument you make. And the more other people fail, the better I look. And as the leftist ideology slowly cripples itself until people reject it completely, then I win again. I triumph no matter the outcome.”

  Jimenez placed his hand on Zav’s knee. “Zav, I think you need to look yourself in a mirror and consider if this role is right for you. But I have to get back to work. I’ll keep my eye out for candidates, though.”

  Zav watched Jimenez stand up and leave the room. Once again, he was alone, sitting in the darkness. He sensed a shadow growing, carrying a coldness, a winter wind. A newfound eclipse that would slowly cover the light he fought to find.

  Zav stood up and looked out the window and down upon his army of obedient workers – almost like minions. He clenched his fists and huffed, his breath forming a small circle of moisture on the window. His heartbeat was slowing, as if turning to stone, and his body was becoming cold. The only thing keeping him alive was the fire of fury that burned inside him. He was nothing but an old furnace with embers somewhere deep inside. The smoke polluted his mind just as the world outside hardened him.

  Zav pressed his forehead against the glass and closed his eyes. What was he doing? He was a lone peg in a blue car on the game board, slowly moving around, as if his life was predetermined. But he followed a path that could only lead to power, and was that not what he desired?

  He once was a hero. Xavier Starr was the young man who could step up from the darkness and produce a light that lit others’ candles and gave life. But now, he was a cool breeze, slowly pushing himself into the flames until the darkness consumed everything.