The Ridge (Book 1): After the Static

by Mihalko, Mark

  I think I am safe in here. Thank God, it was unlocked. I still wish I had my medication or some more shells. I looked through the downstairs rooms, nothing. No guns, no ammo; there is nothing that I could use as a weapon. Hopefully, daylight will arrive soon and I can make my way to one of those stores without running into trouble out there.

  Damn it. I wish you were here with me. As I look out this window, I can’t help but wonder what happened to you. Hey, what is that? It sounds like a Humvee, but I don’t recognize the colors or markings. It does not look like something from our military, between the white color and the lack of identifying flags, maybe it is the police. If that’s the case, it’s about fucking time!

  Maybe it is the police; over the past few years, President Scotereo has gone out of his way to militarize private law enforcement agencies across the country. Could this be some of those armored personnel carriers? I guess it could, but those uniforms I see through the windshield do seem familiar. I wish you were here to see this with me; you always were more up on the happenings and had a better memory of color schemes and fashion. That’s why I always turned to you; I know nothing of those subjects.

  Wow, there is another survivor in the building across the street. She is pounding on the window and waving the men in the Humvee down. Hopefully, they see her and maybe I can follow suit and be saved. They are stopping; they must see her. They are getting out and shining a spotlight in her direction. Funny, I still don't recognize the uniforms, though. White and blue colors, what agency wears those? That tall man seems to be in charge, and it looks like he is giving that gunner an order, I wonder if they are going to send in a rescue team?

  Wait, what, what the fuck are they doing? (Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop) Fuck, they are shooting at her. What the hell, I thought they were going to save me. Quiet, I must stay silent. Fuck, what the Hell!

  V

  White armored vehicles, white and blue uniforms; that could only be the United Nations. All right, the Soviets in the 1980s also had something similar with their winter fatigues, but I am pretty sure that they did away with those after the end of the Cold War. Honestly, this is just more proof that this was a synchronized globalist attack organized by the United Nations. Although some of the details have blurred through the years, there are so many similarities between the responses here on our shores and those put in place during the Malaria outbreaks in Somalia and the quarantine protocols used in Liberia during their Ebola pandemic.

  The bigger question is if it was the United Nations, why were they here in the first place? Think about it. They would have had to know this was going to happen if they already had a military contingent in place. Why else would the armored vehicles be here? They must have been financing the experiments and realized there was a chance of a mutation and that is not right in my book.

  Those bastards should not be on our shores, experimenting on our citizens. I bet that is how the rise of opioid abuse started; we all know that the war in Afghanistan was really over the opium and not terrorism. We have to get those bastards out of our communities and they must be stopped. We must band together and send them back to one of the countries they already destroyed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore…”

  November 5

  Hello again. I’m glad to be back with everyone this afternoon. I have to admit; I feel a buzz that I haven’t felt in a long time. For the first time in what seems like forever, I am excited to continue with our journey. But, who wouldn’t be excited, there is so much to talk about and so many histories to be told. Plus, on a positive note, this makes it almost a week without the visions and voices. It seems that once Halloween passed and all the signs of the militarized police forces disappeared from our streets, I started to feel alive again.

  While things are moving toward a mass awakening, I still believe that we should have all seen through the veil of hypocrisy, and realized the underlying evil inside the New World Orders’ ideology. All of the signs were there; I guess we just didn’t want to know exactly how much the dark globalist state was in control of our every move or the depravity of their agenda.

  Ironically, we were warned about this degeneracy many times in the past. Presidents such as Eisenhower, Kennedy, and even Reagan discussed these issues; hell, even John Lydon from the Sex Pistols warned of the background of Queen and her potential in human origins. At least now, some of us are awake and more people are waking every day.

  I do have, to be honest with you today; I will stop the babbling. After we had wrapped things up, I went back in for some editing, and I realized how much I was rambling. I can assure you that won’t happen today. In fact, I doubt I get more than one or two accounts in before I have to stop; I have a date tonight with that girl I met at the clinic. I know picking up a date at the hospital may sound strange, but she seems so different than many of the others and with any luck, we will keep our discussions off this topic.

  I hope we can stay away from conversations about the blood and despair. She is usually rather quiet, but I know that if I can still see the pools of crimson and the body parts littered through the streets, she can as well. It was like a war zone; except, it was here on our soil. I can only imagine what it the streets looked like during our legendary apocalypse and the aftermath of the bones and bile at Antietam. Well, enough about that I think it is time to get rolling with our next account. I believe that it is time to visit our man of cloth; he is always so forthright and thought provoking.

  I

  From deep within the darkness, the Almighty spoke and the sun wept.

  Open your soul to life and set forth across a new horizon,

  For the signs of life rise,

  And the prophesized one grows stronger.

  (The Revelation of Moloch 9.12)

  Look my children and behold the gospel as we move forward through damnation. As was foretold by the Wise Men of the West and sealed by the blood of our ancestors, unlike Mary, Joseph, and Richard, it is again Thy Father who has again perfected life. A true savior of humanity is again poised to walk among us. We must continue to push forth, to convert the unfaithful, and protect our redeemer from their sinful ways. As our numbers build, the prophecy of Our Father is at hand.

  The sacred papyrus bleeds tears of truth and the sinners flee from their deeds. Their faith wavers as they prepare for the rapture. Come with me; help me tempt them with the purity of flesh. And, through that flesh, all of their sins will be forgiven. We must stand tall to complete our sacred passage. As Thy Father states in heavenly scripture, our journey to deliverance will be painful. But through that agony, our place in the Kingdom will be reserved for eternity.

  Let Us Pray

  Lord of Light

  I am humbled by the bestowed responsibility

  Our hearts beat in unison with your Wisdom

  And our minds are open to your guidance

  We bow before you in awe, awaiting your blessing

  Fill our souls with light and our bodies with strength

  Lead us to the gates of temptation

  And we shall justify your faith

  In your name, we pray

  Amen

  II

  Mary, Joseph, and Richard, who are they? What do they have to do with our dilemma, anything? I am going to have to step up my research. I know I have been slacking over the past few days. I don’t think I have sat down at my computer to do anything except write. I know it is something that I have to do; I just can’t seem to stay focused on the smaller details.

  Damn it; look at the time and she’s still not here. I was holding out hope that she would have been here by now. I guess she hasn’t left work yet. Maybe I should call her. No, I don’t want to seem impatient; I want everything to go smoothly tonight. You will have to forgive my excitement; it has been quite some time since I went on a date. Honestly, it’s been a couple of years. It’s been so long that I don’t even remember how to act or what
to do with a woman. I know, I know, just relax, and be myself. What could go wrong with that?

  I just hope everything goes smoothly and the night isn’t awkward. I do wonder if she will like me or if we will get along by ourselves. I will admit I think that things are a lot simpler in a group setting where the focus is spread between everyone involved in the session. I can only hope that same comfort carries over to our date when we are alone.

  I guess it is the time that I get back to writing. It looks like I have a few more minutes before she arrives and this will help me pass my time. Where should I go? Which one of our characters will give me some pleasant thoughts before I depart? I think our lonely lover in search of Gabrielle would be fitting. I bet she is beautiful, at least I know he thinks so.

  III

  (Click) Beloved darkness, where shall I search from here? If only you could open your arms, embrace my remains, and guide me to my absent maiden. I am lost within this haunting maze and my mind is consumed by the thought of her beauty. This disease may have destroyed my flesh, but it is her, charming Gabrielle, that has stolen my soul.

  As every second passes, I shamble through the night searching for that sparkle of an eye. Through the moonlight, I can taste her sanguine scent. My thoughts long for the delights felt in the gentle caress of our bodies near or the satisfaction held in the pulsating veins. Please, Gabrielle, I call to you. I long for you to entice me with the pleasures of your flesh and guide me through every inch of your being. Only together, can we illuminate the flame of hope and make this dream become a reality.

  Gabrielle, can you hear me? Why are you so quiet? Do you not share the same thoughts and passions that I hold dear? Is there someone else out there sharing the warmth of your bed? Soon, the chilled gloom surrounding me will overtake sanity and the brisk winds that howl across the empty moonlit field will lead me into oblivion. Everywhere I look, the shadows tease my senses, overwhelming the brilliant sky with the blackness from the stars, and now the blanket of white drowns the sea of green.

  Another hour has passed, another day grows short, and the cold leads to shivers with the thought of your touch, but a dream. I know you are out here somewhere. Are you cold? Shivering? Please wait for me, and invite me into your heart. I fantasize of the time when you will open the satin depths I want to call home. The thought of the eternal warmth of our love is leading me into temptation and I know the scarlet river that harbors forever awaits my arrival. (Click)

  IV

  Such powerful words and meanings, I hope that one day I can again experience a love like that. Knock, knock, knock… That’s my door! She’s here! I’m sorry, but I must cut this short, I don’t want to keep Miss Natalie waiting. Please, wish me luck. I am sure I am going to need it tonight.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth…”

  November 7

  It’s a beautiful day outside today, and better yet, I feel so alive inside. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this good, let alone pulling up to the computer before dark. I guess these new drugs are working or maybe it was the time I spent with Natalie last night. No matter what it is, I am extremely motivated today, and I want to get back into this project.

  I am a bit worried about Natalie though. I don’t know what to think or expect right now. Overall, I believed that our date went better than I would have expected it to go. We had a quiet dinner and a couple of drinks at this local Italian restaurant, and we followed that with a trip to the local theater to see an adaptation of Clue. And no the outbreak did not come up once during our evening. Although, we did have an interesting conversation about Monsanto and the devastating effects of their GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) based crops.

  GMOs are such a great subject to discuss, and unless you have been living under a rock, you should know how controversial they are. Natalie is concerned about the mysterious mass execution of bees across the globe. If you have not heard, bees by the millions are unexplainably dying off with the only viable connection between the location and the deaths being Monsanto GMO crops. I’m not joking; this phenomenon is so sad that some countries have banned the production of GMOs and went as far as barring Monsanto from distributing their seeds within their borders.

  At this point, you may be asking why you should care. That answer is simple; no bees equal no pollination, and no pollination equals death. Consider that for a second and think about the outbreak that I am documenting. Did you come up with anything? I did, a certifiable link between Monsanto and the globalists’ population control agenda. Did you see it? I should be quite clear.

  Sorry about that, I think I am beginning to ramble off topic again. Just believe me, it was an engaging conversation that was certainly in my wheelhouse. I was just a bit surprised that Natalie wasn’t at the clinic today. Last night, she said we could make plans for our next date after our group session. Hopefully, she wasn’t just cordial, and I screwed something up during the evening. It has been quite some time since I was out on a date and I guess it could be a possibility. I wonder, was I too shy? Or is it feasible that she just doesn’t like me? I hope that isn’t the case.

  I think that this would be a great place to visit Gabrielle and her unborn son Eli. When we last saw her, she was about to take a much-deserved nap. I wonder how that went. I hope one of the foul beasts did not stumble upon her hiding spot.

  I

  February 15 (Continued),

  Baby, that was such a great nap. I don’t think I have slept that comfortably in a long time. I know we both needed that to help replenish our energy during these dark days. I would have probably slept longer, but your tumbles and kicks woke me from a dead sleep. Plus, I was starving. Unfortunately, I found out that we have a problem. As I walked through the house, I discovered that there is nothing here for us to eat. Well, at least for me to eat. There is absolutely nothing here, nothing at all!

  I can’t believe this is happening to us. We finally find someplace where we can be safe from these beasts and there is no food. What are we going to do now? I did take my vitamins, but I imagine you figured that out with the way you have been kicking all morning. Even now, as I write this, you are beating my insides up. At least I have a few vitamins with me, so you will be able to get some nourishment while I figure something out.

  What should I do now Eli? We are safe here in this house, but I have to find some food. I won’t last long if I don’t, especially eating for two. All I know is that the longer I sit down here writing to you, the less motivated I feel to leave this place. What should I do? I know I need to eat something, I know I need your father. I just don’t know what to do. Just the thought of dealing with these creatures petrifies me.

  I think I am going to try to get a little power nap in so I can think. It's funny; it seems as though my best ideas come to me when I nap, something that you have certainly helped with. I find myself napping every day since you were conceived. Wow, you are much more active today than usual, those kicks are brutal. At least one of us is having a good time today.

  II

  I have to say, that would suck! I don't know what I would do if this happened to me. What are the odds that you would escape the city and find a haven from these beings and then discover there was no food? Talk about fucked up! I would die. I love food; I love to eat. By the way, snack cakes and cookies are my biggest weakness if we ever meet outside these pages.

  I am starting to worry. I still haven’t heard from Natalie. I know it has only been a little over 17 hours, but still, I hope this is not a sign of her feelings for me. I did enjoy our date last night and had been planning our next date all day. I am probably paranoid about this; she is likely to be busy with work. I mean, she did come back to the apartment after the play last night for a drink and stayed until around midnight. Oh well, I am sure I will hear from her at some point today; at least, I hope so.

  Speaking of women, I think I will jump back into the story of out anoth
er feminine hero. I am interested in hearing what happened to her after her encounter with those militarized forces. I guess I left off with her in quite the predicament. From the rest of her accounts, she seems pretty resilient; I would bet she was able to pull something out to keep herself safe.

  III

  Holy shit! What did I just witness? Did those bastards in that security force really just kill an innocent? I so hope that they are gone. I want to get the hell out of here, but not if those butchers are still out there. I want no part of them if they are still here or in the area. Damn it; they are still fucking out there. What are they doing? It almost looks like they are inspecting the perimeter of that building where the wasted that woman. Fuck, what are they doing? What is that man telling them in that formation? No, they can’t be. They aren’t clearing that building; they are dowsing it with gasoline.

  God no, how many more people are inside? Fuck, they are burning that building. Oh my God, the cries. The screams coming from inside that building are deafening. What are these bastards doing, those people didn’t do anything, and they weren’t infected. Who gives them the right? Who are they? I still can’t make out what that emblem says. I have to find out, and I have to let the world know what I witnessed here today. They can’t get away with these atrocities. We are citizens, and we have rights. What the fuck? What am I going to do now, I have to find a way to escape.

  Esther, I wish you were here with me. You always had a way of keeping me calm in the darkest times. Damn, I could use some of that strength right now. My pulse is racing, sweat is pouring off me, and I am becoming dizzier with every passing second. I have to get out of here soon. I need bullets; I need my medication. You know how I get when I run out of my pills. I feel alien, and it makes me uncomfortable inside my skin. It makes me want to kill myself. I just can’t stand it.

  Why won’t these bastards just leave, haven’t they caused enough destruction? It looks like they are stalking someone. At least they haven’t made their way toward this building. I don’t know what I would do if they did. All I do know is that I have to get the hell out of here and would rather face a horde of those vile beasts than this security force. I should find a place to hunker down and hide; maybe they will be gone soon.