by Jack J. Lee
Chapter 33: Art Bingham, May 8th to May 14th, Year 1
Every evening the council gathered for an update from Director Jones about what was happening down south. In April, our men had chased all the FLDS out from Hurricane and La Verkin. Our opponents were used to dealing with small groups of survivors who were unable to leave their fortified homes. The SaLTs had complete freedom of movement and our plane and two PPCs gave our men accurate real-time intel of where the FLDS were.
Our snipers had Barrett 107A1 bolt action rifles. The 107A1 was designed to be used with a suppressor and shot a .50 Browning Machine Gun/BMG round. The round had originally been designed to shoot down aircraft. It could go through an airplane engine like it was made out of cardboard. A typical North American hunting round produced 2000 to 3000 foot pounds of energy. The .50 BMG rounds put out 15,000 foot pounds of force.
Frank Burns and two other snipers started taking out FLDS from over a half mile away. The .50 BMG makes a foot wide hole in human target. A hit anywhere from the head to the upper thigh was deadly. Because of the suppressor and the distance from which they were shooting, our snipers shots were inaudible to their targets. I could imagine how the FLDS felt. One second they were talking to a friend and then in an instant his head was blown into bits by a silent round from an invisible enemy.
The Director told us that he didn’t want the FLDS to feel cornered. Our snipers left them alone as long as they stayed in Hildale and Colorado City.
He waited until May 2nd to tell us how he planned on taking care of the Colorado City FLDS. For a moment I was too stunned to speak. The idea of using zombies as weapons was horrific. I didn’t hesitate to tell him this.
Mark Jones responded by telling us about what the FLDS were doing to prepare for a possible invasion. Whenever the weather was clear, our plane took pictures of what the FLDS were doing from above. They were turning their streets, homes, and buildings into a fortified maze; a maze designed to trap and destroy enemy troops. They dug trenches so we couldn’t use our APCs.
Director Jones went over the cold hard numbers. We had five hundred SaLTs. There were over four thousand people in Hildale and Colorado City; some of them were slaves. He estimated that close to two thousand of them were armed and capable of fighting. If our men tried to invade on foot against those odds, they’d be decimated. There was no hope of our men being able to take those towns without massive casualties.
Even if the SaLTs were able to defeat the FLDS, Mark asked what we would advise when the FLDS surrendered. We didn’t have the ability keep them locked up. Were we willing to execute hundreds or even thousands of people?
I didn’t know how to answer these questions. The council took a vote on whether or not we should overrule the Directors’ plan to use zombies as weapons. Our vote was unanimous to go ahead with his plan. Despite our misgivings none of us could see another way to deal with the FLDS threat.
It had been an unusually dry spring up to now. The weather in April hadn’t been much of a problem for our PPCs. Early May made up for it with heavy winds and extreme temperature swings. On May 8th, the weather cleared. It took two days to get the zombies close enough for the FLDS to notice. As expected they started shooting at the zombies.
Our men used mortars to breach their fortifications. The M-252 mortar shoots an 81 mm round that is accurate from three miles away. Mark Jones found out from Prophet Levin where the slaves were being kept. The Director said those buildings would not be damaged.
The mortars were set up two miles away from the FLDS towns. They were too far away for the men manning the mortars to see their targets. Director Jones actually flew a PPC over the FLDS to make sure that all the defenses had been breached. Within 24 hours there were so many zombies packed inside Hildale and Colorado City that they could hardly move. The SaLTs waited two days and then the zomboys herded the remaining zombies deep into the Arizona desert.
When our men drove into Hildale, the entire town was empty of life. None of the buildings where the slaves had been kept had been breached. The surviving FLDS in those buildings had killed all of their prisoners and fled. The same was found in Colorado City.
Helen asked if the SaLTs were trying to hunt down those FLDS. The Director responded that they were now Prophet Levin’s problem. The Prophet actually met the Director in Colorado City. He brought Hiram and Max with him. Our war with the FLDS was over. On the 13th we sent buses down to Cedar City to transport our men back.
I’ve been praying for Mark for months. He’s a passionate man who is deathly afraid of showing emotions. Once I got to know him, it was easy to see behind his mask of not caring. The flatness in his voice as he described the destruction of the Colorado City FLDS worried me.
Chapter 34: Ari Levin, May 9th to May 11th, Year 1
I dealt with Hiram by telling him the absolute truth. I had chosen to let his men die when I could have saved them. I gave him a loaded gun to take revenge. I was tempted to load his gun with blanks. I didn’t. I judged that the odds were good that he wasn’t the kind to kill a defenseless man. There’s always a huge rush when you take a chance and it goes your way--the larger the bet, the bigger the rush.
The next morning, I heard explosions in Colorado City. It sounded like they were being shelled. I went immediately into my sanctum and started listening to what Rachel and other FLDS leaders were doing. The SaLTs had herded hundreds of thousands zombies into town and then used artillery to breech the zombie proof walls. The Director continued to impress me. I listened to five FLDS leaders die.
My hopes for Rachel were not fulfilled. Shortly after the artillery assault began, she ordered her bodyguards to escort her to one of the FLDS prison buildings. She predicted that the Salt Lake forces wouldn’t shell these buildings. She started the journey from her house to the prison with twenty men. Only five of them made it to the prison. Once she arrived, she ordered all the prisoners killed. Her men were moving to follow her orders when her cell phone battery died. I guess she had been too busy to keep her battery recharged.
I could still hope that she had been eaten by zombies or would be captured by the SaLTs. I wasn’t counting on it—that would be too easy.
Chapter 35: Helen Hansen, April 14th to May 20th, Year 1
Emma Dietrich was one of the strongest willed women, I’ve ever met. She effortlessly dominated most of the men she came across. Yet, she would have been offended if anyone ever called her a feminist. She and I worked closely together because of the Valkyries. On the surface we shouldn’t have gotten along. She was born to be called god-fearing, and I wasn’t. She’s become one of my best friends.
When I told her I was pregnant, the first question she asked was if Mark knew. I didn’t have to answer. The expression on my face was enough. She gathered me into her arms. She decided that Mark shouldn’t learn about this from anyone but me.
As a member of the city council, I spoke to Mark every time he gave us an update by radio. Each time, I was tempted to tell him what was going on. I didn’t know how to start. His honesty worried me. Most men are willing to say white lies. I couldn’t see Mark doing that. There was a chance he would say that he didn’t want a baby, that he wanted me to get an abortion. The conversation we needed to have was too important and too private to have over a radio.
I saw the horror in Art’s and the other councilors’ eyes as Mark described what had happened to the Colorado City FLDS. They had no right to judge him. He was doing what was necessary. There was no other way. Mark had taken a force of 500 men and defeated an armed force that was likely four times larger and had only lost two men. There was no one else in Fortress Salt Lake that could have matched him.
When I found out that he would return by late afternoon on the 14th, I almost started crying. It had to be my hormones. I’ve never been so weepy before in my life. I waited for Mark to arrive with all the rest of our citizens in our town square. As soon as he got out of the APC, our eyes met. Then I watched him as his eyes travelled lightly over my bo
dy and saw him stiffen in surprise. He knew I was pregnant. His gaze snapped back to meet mine. I nodded. He ran to me and lifted me up into the air, twirling me like I was a small child. He let me down slowly, gently and then he kissed me in front of everyone.
I was so relieved and happy that I didn’t hear the short speech he made to the people. I just remember laughing as he pulled us through the cheering crowd until we finally reached his house where we tried to make up for all the time he’d been away. Afterwards as we lay in bed together, I asked him what had happened down south. I didn’t ask as a city councilor. I asked as a woman who loved him. His answer broke my heart. He tried to make light of what he had to do but he wasn’t able to hide his pain. His only consolation is that his men were spared having to witness the carnage brought on by the zombies. He was the only one to see the actual devastation as it was happening from the air.
I’ve slept with Mark every night since his return. Sometimes he wakes thrashing and in a cold sweat. I asked him once if he wanted to talk. He just hugged me and then placed his hand on my growing tummy. I saw the pain and stress leave his eyes as he touched the life that we had made.
Chapter 36: Mark Jones, May 14th to May 20th, Year 1
On May 14th, we drove back up to Salt Lake City. A celebration had been prepared for us when we got back. I saw Helen. She’s always been a little too thin. She wasn’t any longer. I now understood the weird looks that I had been getting from the men who had been bringing us supplies. She was pregnant. I ran to her and lifted her up into the air. As I kissed her, my men and our citizens cheered. They wanted a speech.
I stood in front of them with my arm around Helen until the crowd calmed down.
“I’ve got to tell you that I’ve never been so glad to be back in Salt Lake City. I’m too damn happy to spend much time making speeches. I think Helen and I need to do some talking.”
I took Helen by the hand and started walking to my house. All the while the people screamed and shouted. As we made our way, well-wishers shook our hands and said hello. It seemed to take forever but we finally got to my house and got some privacy.
“Mark, I…”
“Helen, I know the baby’s mine.”
For the next hour, neither Helen nor I said anything coherent. I think I convinced her that I was glad to see her. We had finally calmed down and were lying in my bed when she asked me a question.
“Mark, what happened?”
“I proved I’m a military genius.” I’m sure my smile was crooked. “I killed over four thousand men, women, and children and only lost two SaLTs. I figure most of the people I killed deserved to be torn apart by zombies.”
Helen didn’t say a word. She leaned her head into my chest and held me tight. Ever since then, I’ve woken up in the middle of the night. The only way I can get back to sleep is to put my hand on Helen’s tummy and try to feel our baby. I’ve been told that we probably won’t be able to feel him for another month but I try anyway.
I’m not a good man. I don’t have a strong sense of what is right or wrong. The only reason I’m not a criminal is that I’ve never needed to be one. I don’t lie because I’ve never had to. I’ve been able to get everything I wanted while telling the truth. I became a leader at first to save my life and stayed one because it kept me from being bored.
I’d finally done something that I regretted. I killed thousands of men, women, and children. You can’t use the word ‘execute’ when you kill a child. The only word that works is ‘murder’. I’d been clever enough to shield my men from what I had done. Death from a distance, death that you can’t see or hear isn’t real. I watched families die. I saw men and women try to shield their children from the zombies and fail.
I could go over all the reasons I had decided to use zombies to take out the FLDS; all those reasons were still good but it didn’t change the fact that what I did was evil. I didn’t have what it took keep doing this—to make decisions to murder thousands out of ego or as a way to keep from being bored. On the way up from Colorado City, I decided that I would step down from my position of being the Director as soon as I could find a replacement.
I was committed to this decision until I saw Helen. I realized then that I was in love with her. Even though I know that love is just a stew of hormones and neurotransmitters designed to make human males willing to sacrifice themselves for their families, I feel it as strongly as any 17-year old chump. I’m a man with a disease and I like it. I don’t want a cure.
As I lay awake at night I ask myself, ‘What are you willing to do to protect your woman and your child?’ and every night I answer, ‘Everything.’
I am willing to do anything to keep them safe. There are so many men who are better than me, men like Art Bingham and Jim Wright, but they aren’t ruthless enough. They couldn’t protect our people as well as me. If there is a God, on Judgement Day he’ll probably send me down to Hell. There is no other place for a murderer. When he does, I’ll tell him that it was worth it
*******
Table of Contents
Prologue #1: Hiram Rockwell, May 2nd, Year 1
Prologue #2, Dalak Naar, 40.62 Million Years Ago
Chapter 1, Mike Kim, September 11th, Year 65
Chapter 2, Ari Levin, March 12th, Year 0
Chapter 3: Ari Levin, March 16, Year O
Chapter 4: Mike Kim, March 13th, Year 0
Chapter 5: Mike Kim, March 14th to August 25th, Year 0
Chapter 6: Mike Kim, September 11th, Year 0
Chapter 7: Helen Hansen, February 28th, Year 1
Chapter 8: Mark Jones, February 28th, Year 1
Chapter 9: Hiram Rockwell, March 2nd, Year 1
Chapter 10: Mark Jones, March 2nd, Year 1
Chapter 11: Mike Kim, September 11th to September 14th, Year 0
Chapter 12: Ari Levin, July 14th, Year 0
Chapter 13: Ari Levin, July 14th to September 11th, Year 0
Chapter 14: Ari Levin, September 22nd, Year O
Chapter 15: Mike Kim, September 15th to October 10th, Year 0
Chapter 16: Art Bingham, April 9th, Year 1
Chapter 17: Hiram Rockwell, April 10th and 11th, 2010
Chapter 18: Ari Levin, September 22nd to October 7th, Year 0
Chapter 19: Helen Hansen, April 10th, Year 1
Chapter 20: Mark Jones, April 11th, Year 1
Chapter 21: Mark Jones, April 11th and 12th, Year 1
Chapter 22: Ari Levin, October 9th and 10th, Year 0
Chapter 23: Ari Levin, October 10th, Year 0
Chapter 24: Hiram Rockwell, April 13th to April 28th, Year 1
Chapter 25: Mark Jones, April 13th, Year 1
Chapter 26: Ari Levin, April 11th, Year 1
Chapter 27: Ari Levin, April 12th, Year 1
Chapter 28: Ari Levin, April 13th, Year 1
Chapter 29: Ari Levin, April 28th, Year 1
Chapter 30, Ari Levin, May 2nd, Year 1
Chapter 31: Hiram Rockwell, May 4th to May 11th, Year 1
Chapter 32: Mike Kim, April 12th to May 8th, Year 1
Chapter 33: Art Bingham, May 8th to May 14th, Year 1
Chapter 34: Ari Levin, May 9th to May 11th, Year 1
Chapter 35: Helen Hansen, April 14th to May 20th, Year 1
Chapter 36: Mark Jones, May 14th to May 20th, Year 1
Table of Contents
Prologue #1: Hiram Rockwell, May 2nd, Year 1
Prologue #2, Dalak Naar, 40.62 Million Years Ago
Chapter 1, Mike Kim, September 11th, Year 65
Chapter 2, Ari Levin, March 12th, Year 0
Chapter 3: Ari Levin, March 16, Year O
Chapter 4: Mike Kim, March 13th, Year 0
Chapter 5: Mike Kim, March 14th to August 25th, Year 0
Chapter 6: Mike Kim, September 11th, Year 0
Chapter 7: Helen Hansen, February 28th, Year 1
Chapter 8: Mark Jones, February 28th, Year 1
Chapter 9: Hiram Rockwell, March 2nd, Year 1
Chapt
er 10: Mark Jones, March 2nd, Year 1
Chapter 11: Mike Kim, September 11th to September 14th, Year 0
Chapter 12: Ari Levin, July 14th, Year 0
Chapter 13: Ari Levin, July 14th to September 11th, Year 0
Chapter 14: Ari Levin, September 22nd, Year O
Chapter 15: Mike Kim, September 15th to October 10th, Year 0
Chapter 16: Art Bingham, April 9th, Year 1
Chapter 17: Hiram Rockwell, April 10th and 11th, 2010
Chapter 18: Ari Levin, September 22nd to October 7th, Year 0
Chapter 19: Helen Hansen, April 10th, Year 1
Chapter 20: Mark Jones, April 11th, Year 1
Chapter 21: Mark Jones, April 11th and 12th, Year 1
Chapter 22: Ari Levin, October 9th and 10th, Year 0
Chapter 23: Ari Levin, October 10th, Year 0
Chapter 24: Hiram Rockwell, April 13th to April 28th, Year 1
Chapter 25: Mark Jones, April 13th, Year 1
Chapter 26: Ari Levin, April 11th, Year 1
Chapter 27: Ari Levin, April 12th, Year 1
Chapter 28: Ari Levin, April 13th, Year 1
Chapter 29: Ari Levin, April 28th, Year 1
Chapter 30, Ari Levin, May 2nd, Year 1
Chapter 31: Hiram Rockwell, May 4th to May 11th, Year 1
Chapter 32: Mike Kim, April 12th to May 8th, Year 1
Chapter 33: Art Bingham, May 8th to May 14th, Year 1
