“Pancakes?” he asked with a surprised look.
“Yep, I found some powdered batter. I also found a bag of chocolate chips,” she replied with a smile.
He fully entered the kitchen and walked up behind her. By her composure he felt he could be more intimate, so he placed his hands on her hips. “Good afternoon, a late afternoon at that,” he said and kissed her on the back of the neck.
Lexi didn’t flinch. She arched her back and neck and said, “Good afternoon to you.”
He gave her another kiss and said, “I haven’t had pancakes since I was a kid. I’m not much of a sweets person.”
“Not me, I love them. Reminds me of my daddy.”
“What happened to your dad?” he asked.
“He died when I was a kid.”
“I’m sorry,” Nicholas said and gave her a kiss on the side of her neck.
This time she did flinch. “Take a seat; I’ve got a plate ready to go now.”
He got the message loud and clear: don’t mention Dad. He took a seat and waited anxiously for the stack of steaming hot pancakes.
She placed the towering stack of pancakes in front of him.
He leaned in and inhaled deeply. “Yum, smells so good. I have a confession. I actually love sweets, too much, but I stayed away from anything that could possibly get me fat. You know what they say, skinny tastes better.”
Lexi didn’t reply. She poured several more on the griddle and stood with her back to him.
The sticky sides of the syrup bottle brought back memories for him. He recalled his mother would clean the sides of the syrup bottle with a hot washcloth. She couldn’t stand the stickiness.
“How lucky are we the stovetop works,” he said as he drove his fork in the pancakes.
“It’s not luck, it’s propane.”
He shoveled a fork full of pancakes into his mouth and savored the flavor. “These are amazing.”
Lexi flipped three on her plate and took a seat next to him.
“Aren’t we domestic this morning?” he joked. The second that came out he regretted saying it.
“Last night meant nothing, just two people satisfying their needs, nothing more,” Lexi blurted.
“You don’t believe that, I know it,” Nicholas said.
Lexi stared at him, cocked her head and said, “It meant nothing, so don’t think this will turn into something or that they’ll be some white wedding in the future.”
Nicholas cursed the fact he made a joke. Lexi clearly had trust issues that went far back and was also suffering from post-traumatic stress. He could only imagine that what she’d seen and been through had shifted the person she once was in a way that one night wasn’t going to change. He was foolish to think otherwise. He put his fork down on the plate and reached out for her hand.
She pulled back and said, “We need to think about the plan of attack. We leave first thing in the morning, so eat up, rest and make sure you have your head in the game.”
Sandy, Utah
The soldiers and officers of the Pan American Empire gave Pablo a wide berth as he meandered towards the assembly area. Seeing him naked, covered in blood, adorned in an Aztec headdress, and carrying a long knife scared them to say the least.
Luis drove up alongside Pablo and stopped, “Emperor, please get in. You’ll be more comfortable.”
“No, I’m walking with my men to the formation,” he said.
“Can I get you some clothes?”
“No.”
“Sir, my son is here,” Luis said.
Pablo stopped and barked, “Have him come to me.”
Luis had the vehicle stopped.
Domingo exited and stood just outside the open door.
“Come here,” Pablo ordered.
Domingo walked closer.
When he was in arm’s reach, Pablo snatched him by his shirt and pulled him close. “Do you love your father?”
Domingo didn’t know how to respond to the odd question.
“Do you love your father?”
“Yes, Emperor.”
Luis got out of the vehicle and came to his son’s side. “Emperor, you seem tired. Please get in the truck.”
Pablo pushed him away and asked Domingo, “Why? Was he a good father?”
“Yes, sir,” Domingo replied.
“Good, good boy. Now strip, take your clothes off and walk with me,” Pablo ordered.
“Sir?”
Frustrated that everyone was questioning him, Pablo lashed out. He tore open Domingo’s shirt and yelled, “Strip!”
“Sir, what are you doing with Captain Luis?” Luis asked, concerned for his son.
Pablo walked around Domingo and stopped just in front of Luis. “Leaders must take responsibility for their actions, and your son didn’t do so the other day. Now he will,” Pablo said and continued to walk towards the formation.
McCall, Idaho, Republic of Cascadia
When Gordon spoke, he hated sitting, so he stood and related the events with very specific detail, leaving out the secret elements of their captivity, though everyone knew something had happened. He presented the good news first. After sharing with them that the United States would grant Cascadia independence, the council applauded his diplomatic prowess. He then pivoted to the bad news. When he explained that the newly independent Cascadia was going to war with Western Canada alongside its newest ally, the United States, the raucous applause and happiness was gone, replaced with anger and doubt. Gordon went from being heralded as a brilliant leader to being branded a fool. And this happened all in the span of fifteen minutes. This was why Gordon likened politicians to entitled and spoiled children.
The head of the council, Elizabeth Karen, an ideological ally of Charles Chenoweth, scolded Gordon, “Our enemy is now our ally and our ally is now our enemy. What an accomplishment, Mr. President.”
“Well, shit happens,” Gordon said. He despised Elizabeth and often could be heard saying you couldn't trust people that had two first names.
Elizabeth scoffed and said, “You really do lack the temperament we need in our leader.”
“Elizabeth, I went to meet with President Cruz to secure independence diplomatically and peacefully. Something I thought you’d appreciate. What happened after that was out of my control. We have to be able to be flexible and react to events that are thrust upon us. I don’t have your crystal ball, so I can’t see the future. So please enlighten us with your clairvoyance. What would you do?”
“I don’t appreciate your mocking tone. We trust that you’ll lead us, and once again, we find us at war.”
“We were already at war; the enemy just wears a different uniform.”
“How do we know that after we help the United States win this new war they’ll honor their word and grant us independence?”
“Let me be clear to the council, this isn’t the United States’ war, it’s also our war. Western Canada means to take our land; they feel they’re entitled to it. This fight is as much ours as theirs. We have a common enemy, and the only way we’ll defeat them is together.”
“The United States attacked Western Canada,” Elizabeth declared.
Gordon looked at John, Samantha and Gunny, who all sat behind him. He looked back at Elizabeth and said, “I feel like I’m in a Twilight Zone episode. The aggressor here was Jacques. The United States merely responded to rescue us.”
“But you were captured because you had an unsanctioned secret meeting.”
“Wow, you’re amazing. This spin coming from your mouth is staggering. You must be the dumbest person I’ve ever met,” Gordon barked.
“Enough,” Elizabeth shot back.
“I’m not your enemy here, I have secured our independence, but now we have another fight on our borders, and this person means to take what we just won. I didn’t do this. Jacques is not a nice person. Yes, I underestimated him when I signed—”
“An unsanctioned and unauthorized treaty,” Elizabeth said.
“I made a mistake,
but that treaty didn’t have anything to do with Jacques’ preconceived ambitions. Whether I made a treaty with him or not, he was already preparing to come to our homes and take this as his.”
Elizabeth chatted with several members and asked, “What are your recommendations as commander in chief?”
“We need to mobilize our forces. It’s difficult because of the weather, but we must still anticipate he’ll make a move.”
One of the other council members asked, “He won’t wait until spring?”
“He might or might not. I really don’t know the strength of his forces.”
“How will our alliance with the United States work?” Elizabeth asked.
“Good question, I don’t know. I have a conference call with them tomorrow.”
“One last question, when will we have a formal declaration from the United States?” Elizabeth asked.
“Right now, it’s informal, but I have a letter signed by President Cruz. We thought it best to wait until this latest emergency is over then hold a ceremony to officially declare it to the world.”
“May we have the letter from Cruz?” Elizabeth asked.
“Of course,” Gordon replied. He took the letter from a binder on his chair and handed it to her.
“Thank you, Mr. President, we’re done unless you have anything for us.”
“No,” Gordon simply replied.
“Then we’ll let you go about doing your executive responsibilities.”
“Good.”
The council stood up one by one and left.
Michael Rutledge had taken a seat on the council and thankfully so. His voice helped Gordon and without him the council would consistently have split votes two to two on many decisions. He stepped up to Gordon and put out his hand, “Good to have you back.”
“Good to be back. Let me say, thank God you’re on the council.”
“Elizabeth means well. She just thinks there’s a different approach to getting there.”
“If you say so,” Gordon laughed.
Michael looked at his watch and said, “I’ve got to go. Let’s get the families together soon. Austin is missing Haley.”
Gordon looked at Samantha, who replied, “Sounds good. How about dinner at our house on New Year’s Day?”
“That will be fun, celebrate the new year and the new republic,” Michael said cheerfully.
“Have a good one,” Gordon said.
Michael left the room.
Gordon slammed the door, looked at the others, and exclaimed, “What a bunch of silly—”
Samantha raised her hand and said, “Elizabeth and Tim are clearly not your friends.”
“God, dealing with them is painful; I’d rather have someone stick me with a thousand needles.”
Gunny patted Gordon on the shoulder and said, “Toughen up, Van Zandt, they’re a bunch of suits. You can’t let them get under your skin.”
“Gunny’s right,” John said.
“Glad you’re here. When we have time, let’s talk about what happened to you.”
Samantha gave Gordon a kiss and said, “You know your problem?”
“Not you too,” Gordon said.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re better suited to be a dictator than a president.”
Sandy, Utah
Samuel entered Charlie Company’s camp without anyone stopping them.
“Where is everyone?” Thomas asked.
Dominic rolled down his window, stuck his head out and looked around.
“The camp is so much smaller,” Dominic said.
“They moved a bulk of their forces out,” Samuel said.
“Roll your window up. It’s cold out,” Thomas said to Dominic.
“I see someone over there,” Dominic said and pointed towards a lone soldier.
Samuel spotted the soldier and cranked the wheel in his direction. As he approached, Samuel rolled down his window and hollered, “Hey!”
The soldier stopped and looked quizzically at Samuel.
Samuel pulled up next to the soldier and asked, “We’re looking for Hector?”
“No, Uncle Samuel, his real name is Pablo,” Annaliese said correcting him.
“Pablo, I’m looking for Pablo,” Samuel said.
The soldier shrugged his shoulders.
“Emperor, donde esta Emperor?” Annaliese asked using a little Spanish.
The soldier pointed and said, “Emperor there.”
“He’s at the new camp,” Samuel said. He rolled up his window and sped off.
Pablo paced back and forth in front of his army, who stood at attention.
Luis stood at attention alongside his naked son. He watched Pablo mumble and talk to thin air.
“Bullhorn,” Pablo ordered.
Luis replied, “I don’t have it, sir.”
“Why not?” Pablo asked.
“I rushed to gather the army and didn’t think about it.”
Pablo ran over to Luis and yelled, “Idiot!”
“Sorry, sir,” Luis said.
Pablo walked around Luis and headed towards the rank and file. “We must hold everyone accountable. I didn’t, but will now!” he cried out.
Luis couldn’t take it anymore; he stepped in front of his son and said, “You will not harm him. He has done nothing wrong.”
Pablo craned his head when hearing this and blared, “I’m your emperor.”
Luis roared back, “He is my son!”
A light freezing drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Pablo stood undeterred and looked up. The sun he had worshipped earlier was gone, replaced with a thick gray sky. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the apparition of his father. He looked and said, “Don’t be disappointed, Father, please.”
Luis grabbed his son and said, “We have to leave.” Together they headed towards the main camp at a jog.
“Come back here!” Pablo ordered.
Seeing what was happening, the rank and file began to peel away. First one by one then in small groups they broke ranks and fled.
“No, stop, get back in formation!” Pablo barked.
For the men in the army, there was no doubt now that their once beloved emperor was a broken man.
Crazed and screaming, Pablo began to chase individual soldiers. He caught one, plunged his knife into him and yelled, “Traitor. You see, this is a traitor’s justice!”
The entire army disintegrated and ran in a dozen different directions.
***
Samuel pulled into the main camp, and like Charlie Company, no one stopped them. He looked around and asked, “Where do you suppose he is?” Samuel turned the wipers on, as the rain was coming down harder.
“The flags, that’s the command tent,” Thomas said.
Samuel leaned over the steering wheel and spotted the flags. He drove there and stopped just outside the large tent.
“I’ll go see if he’s there,” Annaliese said and opened the door.
“No, something is wrong,” Samuel said and grabbed her arm.
“What?” she asked.
“Where is everyone?” Samuel asked.
“Yeah, where the hell are those bean eaters?” Thomas asked.
“Tom, stay here with Anna. Dominic, you’re coming with me,” Samuel said and got out of the SUV. He opened his jacket so his pistol was easier to access.
“Good thing I got picked to stay; I don’t have a door handle,” Thomas said, remarking on the fact the door latch was broken off on his side.
Dominic followed him with enthusiasm. He often boasted about his life living on the streets as a teenager in hopes people would find him tougher, but his stories never seemed to impress. He walked up beside Samuel, a bolt-action rifle gripped nervously in his hands. When he looked at the tent, goose bumps crawled up his spine. It was like his sixth sense was speaking to him. “Are you creeped out?”
“Something just doesn’t feel right,” Samuel said, confirming that he too sensed something was off.
The
y both cleared half the distance to the tent and stopped.
“Hector, you in there?” Samuel called out.
Heavy footsteps came from the far side of the tent.
They looked up and saw three guards running towards a makeshift motor pool.
“Where do you suppose they’re going?” Dominic asked.
“Don’t know, but they’re in a hurry,” Samuel replied. He was growing increasingly concerned and his gut was screaming out that something was terribly wrong.
Another soldier appeared from around the command tent and froze when he saw Samuel.
“What’s going on?” Samuel asked.
The soldier looked terrified; he ignored Samuel and ran around him at a sprinter’s pace.
Annaliese stepped out and asked, “What are you waiting for?”
“Get back in the truck,” Samuel ordered.
She didn’t listen and rushed up to Samuel’s side. “Just go look.” She pointed at the tent.
“Something’s wrong,” Samuel said.
More soldiers came their way. Like the others they were running, and by the looks on their faces it appeared they were fleeing from something.
Samuel wanted to find out why they were running. He marched towards one and got in his way.
The soldier tried to get around him, but Samuel prevented him.
“Why are you running?” Samuel asked.
The soldier pointed behind him and said, “Diablo.” He pushed Samuel out of his way and kept going.
“This is ridiculous,” Annaliese said and went into the tent.
“Anna, no, wait,” Samuel said.
The first thing that hit Annaliese was the smell. When her eyes adjusted to the dim light, the carnage came into focus. She put her hand to her mouth and stood frozen in shock at the bloody scene.
Samuel and Dominic came in right behind her.
“Oh my God,” Samuel gasped.
Dominic put his hand over his mouth, not in shock but to prevent the urge to vomit. Unable to stop it, he raced back outside and started throwing up.
Samuel grabbed Annaliese and ordered, “Come, Anna, come.”
Annaliese didn’t resist. She mumbled something unintelligible as Samuel pulled her out of the tent.
The Razor's Edge: A Postapocalytic Novel (The New World Book 6) Page 21
