Apocalypse Coming

by William Dunaway

  The rest of the so-called protesters were really just looters and lone gunmen that thought the downtown area belonged to them. Televisions, furniture, vehicles, food, and drugs were being stolen. The pharmacies downtown had very few prescription drugs left. The pawn shops that hadn’t set up a strong defense had been emptied. As the mob would run to whichever business was next, they’d run right by bodies on the street without giving them a second thought. To them it was Christmas, and all the gifts were there for the taking.

  All this worked into Jerome’s plan. As long as he kept control until the next day, he would accomplish the first part of his plan.

  Julie Summers was the organizer of Socialists United for the Kansas City area. She had been a very attractive person her whole life, but over the years she had developed a very hard look on her face. She was a radical activist, but she believed in the cause. She had no intention for the protest to become so violent.

  Jerome, on the other hand, was getting exactly what he hoped for. Julie may have been responsible for organizing the protest, but he had taken control of it.

  Both had known each other for years. They met at Berkley. She had always called him JJ. It was a pet name between them. They dated in their younger years, and at one point it became a very serious relationship until they graduated, and their career goals sent them their separate directions.

  She was very aware of his talents, skills, and the reputation that he had developed over the years and even though he used completely different tactics than she usually did, she knew she could get her way with him as she always did in the past. Anyway, he was very good at getting national attention for any cause that he worked for.

  But after only 12 hours of one of the worse riots since the 1960’s, she knew she had to do something.

  Jerome had set up his temporary headquarters in an attorney’s office that had been evacuated due to the riot. It was close to the police department and had a clear view of all the streets for several blocks.

  Julie had insisted on a meeting with him as they’d not seen each other since before the protest had begun. Before the protest, they’d met several times to coordinate the event, but since then, she felt that she had been left in the dark on what his plans were.

  Jerome agreed to see her. Julie entered his office after being checked with a hand-held metal detector. The security he had around him was what you’d expect. He had guards posted outside the building wearing the traditional militant type uniforms that the Warriors usually wear. Inside was more like a military headquarters, with several Warriors doing different jobs, and she noticed one very large conference room was being used for sleeping quarters.

  “JJ, this isn’t what we talked about!” she said in a very agitated tone.

  “Well, hello to you too,” Jerome said sarcastically.

  “Hello.”

  “Now what is the problem?”

  “You know very well what the problem is. I contacted you so that you’d bring attention to our protest. I knew your tactics, but I didn’t expect this. This situation has completely gotten out of control. It has turned into a war zone out there.”

  “This event has gone exactly how I planned it. We have the nation watching us; we’re keeping the police at bay, we control downtown right now, what else could be better?”

  With a look of disgust, she said, “What about all the bodies? There are people shot and hurt, and they can’t get help. Your own people have been shot.”

  “They mean nothing. They’re collateral damage. In all wars, people die.”

  “War? Our job is to wake up the country to the injustices done to our people by the hands of the police. What you’ve done has caused the exact opposite. It’s justifying their behavior. Don’t you see that?”

  “I’m doing exactly what this country needs. I’m going to show America what happens when they ignore the Gestapo tactics that we tolerate. This will also inspire our people to rise up. Even if some of us fall today, this is just the beginning. I’ve begun a new revolution. I’ll show our people how to resist. Our people will see and understand my strategy. They’ll see that I have the courage to bring together an army to stand up to the imperialistic slaughter of our people. I’ll lead our people and teach them that they don’t have to tolerate the modern-day slave masters. It’s our time to rule.”

  She stood there stunned and with a look of horror. She then shook her head as though she was trying to wake herself up from this nightmare, then asked in an angry voice, “JJ, do you hear yourself? You MUST stop this……”

  Jerome slammed his palm down on the desk. “I don’t have to stop anything. I’ve had this planned ever since you called me two months ago. This is my operation. I’ll make the decision on what must be done. Remember you came to me and asked me to do this. And I’m doing it!” he yelled at the top of his voice.

  Julie stood there, staring and in fear and thinking to herself, “He’s gone completely insane!”

  Jerome was looking down at the desk trying to gather his emotions. After a long pause, he looked up and smiled, and in a calm voice, he said, “Listen, Julie, you’ll understand after tonight. I’ve made arrangements to go on MSNBC. After my interview, you’ll understand what all of this is about. I’m going to tell the entire country what this is all about.”

  He then walked over to her, grabbed her chin in a very gentle way, looked her in the eyes and said, “Just trust me.”

  “How are you going to give an interview? They aren’t going to allow any news crews in.”

  He smiled at her with a look like he was talking to a naïve child. “By telephone. We have also downloaded the shooting of the poor people that were on top of the buildings just watching the police department. I’ll explain how the police accused them of having guns, but they were innocent observers just trying to stay out of the way. We’ll also show pictures of the dead bodies and tell the world how these people died at the hands of the police.”

  Julie forced a smile on her face and tried to give a look that she finally understood, “Oh, I see. That makes sense. Well then, I know you probably have to prepare for the interview, so I’ll get out of your way,” She then turned around to leave, taking several steps towards the door.

  “No, No. I think for your safety, you need to stay here with me. It’ll be a couple of hours before the broadcast,” Then in a very seductive voice, he continued, “You know, it’s been a long time since we’ve been alone, other than business of course. Maybe we should remember what it was like during our college days.”

  Downtown Police Headquarters: Kansas City, Mo.

  Major John McDaniel, the regional commander of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, called a meeting of all commanders and support staff of the multi-department task force. While highlighting all positions on a widescreen monitor mounted on the wall, the major stated, “The perimeter has been secured, and all exiting intersections are being manned and in operation. KCPD is in command of tactical operations. As you know, the National Guard is in route but won’t arrive for another 24 hours. Until their arrival, our main focus will be on containment. Captain Davis will now update us on current tactical operations.”

  Captain Phillip Davis, the tactical commander for all Swat Teams, then rose to speak. “We have two operations currently taking place. They had three shooters positioned here, here, and here” while pointing out the locations of the snipers that Jerome had in place, preventing the police from moving the vehicles that blocked the police department exits. Captain Davis continued, “Our Alpha-TAC Team has eliminated the shooters, and the team is now securing the buildings. Bravo team is currently on a reconnaissance mission of the Hubert Law Building. We suspect that it’s being used by the aggressors as a headquarters. Obviously, this isn’t just a protest that got out of hand; it appears to be a planned and organized operation.”

  At that moment, Captain Bill Evans, commander of KCPD’s Intelligence Unit walked into the room looking at Major McDaniel and holding up a folder as though he
had important information to share.

  “Captain Evans, do you have something for us?”

  “Yes Sir!” he responded and moved to the laptop that was tied into the monitor. While pulling up a picture of Jerome, he said “We think we know who’s in operational control of this protest, and obviously is directing the hostile action. This is Jerome Jackson, currently a leader in the Urban Warriors. He has been tied to several violent protests around the nation, most recently, the Ferguson protests. He has a reputation for being notorious and won't hesitate to “lead his sheep to the slaughter” as long as he achieves his primary goal. He was suspected of being responsible for the Detroit bombing last year that killed 24, but no charges could be brought against him, due to lack of hard evidence.”

  Suddenly the Major’s phone rang. “McDaniel…...Yes sir…... On the way. “Ok, we’ll continue this in 45 minutes. Please continue with your current operations. Capt. Evans, Capt. Davis, could I please see you for a minute?”

  The three walked into an adjoining office. “Bill, I know this son of a bitch Jackson. He was directly involved in the Ferguson mess. We could’ve taken him there, but due to political bullshit, our hands were tied. I want this son of a bitch.” The major said to Captain Evans. He continued, turning to Captain Davis, “Bill, if you concur, I’d like to see you tentatively set up a breach operation of the Hubert Building. If we can capture that bastard, I think we’ll be able to tie enough together to charge him.”

  Captain Davis smiled, “Roger that. I’ll have the operation ready for you by our next meeting.”

  Major McDaniel’s expression then turned a little disgusted and said “I have to join in on a conference call with the governor’s office. I’m sure it has to do with the National Guard. Don’t have your hopes up on them being allowed to do anything other than rear security. In Ferguson, they weren’t allowed to do their real job.”

  Hubert Law Building:

  Jerome grabbed Julie aggressively. He kissed her, and his hand immediately reached down to her right breast.

  “No JJ! I don’t want this. Stop!” she pleaded while struggling.

  He ignored her pleas.

  “JJ, STOP!” she yelled out as his hand reached down to unbutton her pants.

  She pushed him back. Jerome just smiled and grabbed her again by both sides of the face and forced a kiss. He suddenly reached down violently and started tugging down on her pants, ripping the button off at the waist.

  She screamed and dug her fingernails into his face right below his eye and ripped down.

  Jerome leaned back and yelled “You bitch!” and reached back and hit her right in the jaw.

  She flew back against the wall, slamming her head against it and slid down to the floor.

  A bodyguard busted into the room with his gun drawn. He looked around the room seeing Julie laying on the floor with Jerome standing over her with a look of rage.

  Before the bodyguard could say a word, Jerome yelled, “GET OUT!”

  The bodyguard immediately left the room.

  Jerome looked down at her while holding the deep bleeding scratch with his hand.

  In a low voice, he said, “You bitch!”

  He grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her out from the wall. Julie didn’t move. He grabbed her pants at the ankles, lifting her legs into the air and pulled off her pants.

  He then ripped off her panties yelling, “Now bitch, you’ll learn not to say no to me.” He spread her legs and plunged himself into her.

  After he was done, he got off her and walked over to the small sink next to a bar that the attorney had in his office. He turned on the water and started rubbing it into the scratched area.

  The entire time he was washing out the wound, he was mumbling “I can’t believe you did this to me bitch. Who do you think you are? Nobody does this to me.”

  He tucked in his shirt, ran some water through his hair, and grabbed a drink and gulped it down.

  “Get up and get out of here! GET UP!”

  Julie laid there motionless. He walked over to her and started nudging her with his foot.

  “Julie, wake up.”

  Again, she didn’t move. He kneeled beside her head and started slapping her on her face lightly. No response. He then reached down to her throat checking her pulse.

  Julie was dead. The impact of her head hitting the wall had killed her instantly.

  Chapter Four

  I was sitting on the floor listening to the news and sorting through my bug out bag. Whenever I was nervous about any disaster or event that was going on, checking my bag seemed to help me think and calm me down. I think it just kept me occupied.

  Kim and I both kept a bug out bag in the trunk of the car. In our backpacks, we both carried a three-day supply of MRE’s, an emergency cooking stove, a knife, fire starters, a mess kit, items to make an emergency shelter, a two-way radio, emergency water packets, a canteen, flashlight, a compass, spare batteries, spare ammunition and a change of socks, and underwear. We even had some personal hygiene items.

  My bag, which was much heavier, also contained an ax, a saw, emergency fishing equipment, a “Jump and Go” emergency battery pack, that can charge cell phones, and they even say it will jump-start a vehicle. I also carried an 8’ X 10’ tarp, a tactical knife, and a short wave solar and crank radio.

  Since retiring, one of my hobbies was setting us up for emergencies and longer-term survival. I started right after Hurricane Katrina. Many times, I said, “If those people would’ve had any type of bug out bag, they wouldn’t have suffered nearly as badly.”

  Over the years, I tried to prepare for most events. My priority was immediate food, water, electrical power source, long-term food, future sources of food and protection.

  Most people today don’t prepare for any emergencies. They’re used to running to McDonald's 24 hours a day and use their debit card to pay for their purchase.

  But if suddenly they lost all of that, they wouldn’t know what to do.

  I’ve seen enough in my life as a police officer, and in the military to know how people turn ugly if suddenly they don’t have food, water, or electricity for a long period. Look how they act when they’re just scared. They panic, and some lose control.

  Today, even if the cell system went out long term, people would become frantic.

  It’s also a fact that most people don’t carry much cash on them. If for some reason banks would close, and their ATM and credit cards didn’t work, they wouldn’t know what to do.

  A lot of people would call me a “Prepper.” I hate the word “Prepper.” To me, that word represented the nut jobs that you would see on reality television shows. Most of them didn’t care how bad the television show made them look, just as long as they got to be on TV.

  The worst thing was they had shown the world what supplies they had and where they had it. One of the first rules of survival isn’t to let everyone and their brother know what supplies you have, because if things go to hell and they know what you have, guess where they’re going to show up.

  We did have a good supply of emergency food and can goods, equipment, generators, a small solar grid, and of course, the means to protect ourselves.

  Then of course, the farm itself. It has plenty of deer and turkey on it, two ponds we can fish out of, a stream, and three wells that can be used for emergency water.

  In normal circumstances, all the food we had stored was also used to help other people in emergencies. After the Joplin tornado, we contributed cases of canned food to the victims. We also made large yearly contributions of food to the local food pantry, which distributes food to people that are going through a hard time.

  I also convinced Kim that she needed to learn some of the basics. At first, she just went along with it as she knew it was one of my hobbies and I enjoyed it. But after a while, she became a believer.

  There was one year that we had been snowed in for about a week and the emergency food came in handy.

  There were also
times that she wanted to bake something and would realize she was out of an ingredient, so I’d go to the storage area and usually come out with the item she needed.

  Kim decided to get involved as well. She had learned how to bake several types of bread from scratch and also got into canning vegetables and meat.

  We also had a good size garden which supplied many of our vegetables for most of the year.

  I talked her into learning how to deer hunt as she has her own .243 rifle.

  The first time she went deer hunting, I think she was just doing it to please me and to do something different with me. But after she got her first deer, she loved it.

  After that, I insisted that when she got her 2nd deer, she had to field dress it. She learned how to but actually doing it by herself, she somehow always talked herself out of it and I’d give in and end up doing it for her.

  I was shocked the first time I saw her shoot. She was deadly with a rifle. I had no doubt that in a crisis she could “hold her own.”

  Both of us have our concealed carry permits. I carry a .40 caliber Glock 27, and we bought Kim a Sig Sauer P938 9mm. We also kept a 9mm Glock 26 in the console of the car.

  Over the years, I’ve collected several rifles, handguns, and shotguns, but my pride and joy is my M-4 carbine. I added several little toys to it; like two lasers, one which had been developed for the military. A Tac-light mounted on a free-floating handguard and an EO-Tech holographic sight.

  For Kim, originally, we ended up buying her a Hi-Point Model 995 9mm carbine. She always had the desire to have a special addition M-4, called “Muddy Girl,” as it had purple and white camouflage. I almost bought it for her several times, but with an $800 price tag and the fact that she rarely wanted to go out and just shoot, we decided on the High-Point which we had painted with the Muddy Girl pattern. The logic being that it was cheap, with a base price of only $275 and used the same ammunition as her handgun.