The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  Joe raised his eyebrows. “Pretty much they were. Dean estimates one percent of the population remained, maybe less, but he estimates eighty percent of the survivors are men. The virus was gender prejudice. Males survived. Females didn’t. We’re still having an uneven ratio when it comes to births. Three to one. So go on. I’m sorry. You searched the island?”

  “Yes,” Hal answered. “Four of our group were Islanders, so we searched for their families and for survivors.”

  “All the islands?” Joe asked.

  “No, it would have been too much, just the bigger ones. Anyhow, we were this group and we devised a plan. We grabbed a map of the mainland, charted out a course based on where all of our families were, and we were going to break down into five groups. We were going to travel the country looking. So we got a boat, stocked it with food, a lot of food, and headed to the mainland. At this point, there were close to sixty of us.”

  “You arrived in the main land when?” Joe questioned.

  “Let’s see,” Hal thought. “It had to be August. We devised a central meeting place and a time we would all meet. I didn’t figure for some to return. I knew I would. So we split up with each group going separate ways.”

  Joe tossed his hands up. “Hal, I’m a little miffed. I spent my life beating it into your head about the contingency plan.. Why in God’s name didn’t you follow it? If you would have you would have seen we went to Ashtonville.”

  “Yeah,” Robbie added, “and I made sure dad left word there where we went.”

  “I did.” Hal was insistent. “I remembered the contingency plan, but when I got to Gaithersburg, I figured since there was no note, no one but me survived.”

  “What the hell are you . . .” Joe saw, through the corner of his eye, Robbie standing up. “Robert.”

  “Getting the brownies, Dad.” Robbie hurried into the kitchen. There was some clanking as he took the brownies from the oven. He came back feeling guilty. “All right. When I went with Miguel for a final weapons run around late July, we stopped at Gaithersburg to check on the note. I figured it had been months and Hal was sick so I uh .. . I took the note for a souvenir. I have it, Hal, if you want to see it.”

  Hal’s mouth dropped open. “I wandered the country thinking my family was dead and you took the note? Dad! He wasn’t supposed to take the note! Robbie, you asshole.”

  “Hey.” Robbie pointed at him. “I resent that.”

  “Dad.”

  “I know.” Joe held up his hand. “What’s done is done. Robbie’s done a lot of things through these years he shouldn’t have. I won’t get into it. Anyhow, you went home. No note. What then?”

  “Well, we searched out the other families, picked up survivors, food and such and eventually made it to the meeting place. We were the first ones there and in another month or two, thirty five out of the original sixty had made it back, but we had all picked up people and we were about two hundred strong. Big community. Ten women I think.” Hal nodded. “So at that point we knew survival was an option. I moved us all to Mexico where there are a lot of natural rain forests. We planted, we harvested, and we lived there.”

  “Then what happen?” Joe asked.

  “We got hit, big time. Soldiers in these uniforms raided our town, shooting any of us who fought. I made my escape, me and about twenty other men. The rest . . .dead or taken.”

  “The Society,” Joe said.

  “Exactly. Which I didn’t know at the time. I thought it was another country finishing us off. I mean, what did we know? Another four months go by. It’s winter and this man told us the United States is rebuilding and they needed strong people to work and fight. He told us the President had lived. They had a truck and food for us. Why wouldn’t we believe him? So I went. I was in Tennessee with the Society.”

  Robbie was shocked. “You worked for the Society?”

  “Yep.” Hal nodded. “And I’m not proud of it. I started noticing that some men were like zombies, doing exactly as instructed. Those who were disruptive were never heard from again. Then one day they told us we were making a sweep, looking for survivors. When they said we were to shoot anyone who fought, I knew it was not my game. I mean the world died. Why kill anyone else? So I started to talk to men and one night we left, figuring we can feed ourselves. We don’t need them. I gathered close to fifty and we went west. That’s where the Society was least active from what I knew. And that’s where the Alliance all began. Us fifty decided we would fight what the Society was trying to do, a worldwide take over and through the next couple months, we began a Society of our own. People were joining. Defectors. Those zombie type soldier we would take and train ourselves. The more people that joined, the more regimented we became. We took on a gimmick so we could stick in their minds when we hit them. The world had been reduced to animals. Technology has been eliminated to most. We grew more so recently in the past nine months to our present size. And the bigger we got, the more difficult we knew surviving would get so we really started to pay attention to Beginnings at that point.”

  “Do you have any women?” Joe asked. “We have eighteen.”

  Hal whistled. “Eighteen out of a hundred and some? Wow. We have thirteen, but we weren’t concentrating on finding women for reproduction. We want the country back and we needed soldiers. When we found out through Sgt. Ryder what the Society does with women, we sheltered them.”

  “What does the Society do with women?” Joe asked.

  “Lobotomizes them and farms them. They are shells of women reproducing manufactured embryos. It’s like something out of a horror film as Sgt. Ryder put it.”

  Joe swallowed harshly. “I didn’t know that. So you shelter your women. You mean protect them?”

  “Always,” Hal said. “They’re near extinction. Our women have lived rough lives. Attacked, raped. They have a hatred for men I cannot explain, but it is understood. They deserve to be treated special. They don’t work. They stay in this huge house and when they come out, the men stay in. They call a lot of shots on how they get treated. None of them are very nice though. But . . . I guess I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. I’m sure you have the same problem.”

  Joe was surprised. “Our women for the most part are nice. You don’t require your women to pull their own weight?”

  “No.” Hal shook his head. “They wouldn’t do it even if I asked them too. They’re far too spoiled. Don’t tell me you make your women work, Dad.”

  “Hell, yeah,” Joe said proudly. “Christ, if I made them stop they’d bitch. Our women are very important. But pampered?” He fluttered his lips. “They are protected by our walls. They don’t need a house to protect them from our men. Rape is against the law here. You get shot for raping a woman. We screen our people carefully before we let them in then they go through an entire processing before living in this community. Robbie, could you imagine what the men here would say if, let’s say Jenny, wanted to take a walk and we made all men go inside?”

  Robbie laughed. “They’d stay out just to irritate her.”

  Hal was shocked. “That isn’t right. There aren’t that many women. How can you not treat them special? That’s wrong. Anything they want, they should be given. They’re women. They’re few.”

  “Yeah, and they get away with a ton around here,” Joe told him. “But I’m not making them stay in a goddamn huge house. They need their freedom.”

  “I don’t make our women stay in a house,” Hal corrected. “They want it that way.”

  Robbie laughed again. “Wait a second.” He held up his hand. “You have thirteen women living in the house alone. They have no contact with the male community at all?”

  “No.” Hal interrupted Robbie. “Once a month, they present list to me of men they want to . . . well service them. And I’ll tell you, it’s like pulling teeth to get those men to agree to have sex, I mean, I’m sorry Dad, relations with these women.”

  Robbie’s laughter increased. “Oh my God! Once a month. A selected few?
Our women look like whores com . . .”

  “Robert.” Joe cringed.

  “Whores?” Hal questioned. “Please don’t tell me you made your women into whores?”

  Joe huffed at Robbie. “See what you started. You have to start him on a righteous movement. You know all his life he argued the opposite way. No Hal, we didn’t make them into whores. The women have a share program here. They’re called understandings. They have one primary relationship and then one or two secondary. It works here. Very little competition or tension. It works.”

  “Wow.” Hal blinked several times.

  “Yeah.” Robbie noticed the look on his brother’s face. “Our men get it. A lot of them. You have thirteen women locked together . . . oh wait.” Robbie snickered. “Wait. Bet me they turned into lesbians.”

  “Robert!” Joe yelled.

  “They did!” Robbie pointed. “Look at his face. In a world with limited women, Hal has a group of lesbians.” Robbie’s high pitch laughing grew out of control. “Oh my God.”

  Joe rubbed his face, watching Hal’s irritation. “Robert, knock it off!”

  “O.K.” Robbie stopped laughing. “Sorry, Hal.”

  Hal swayed his head. “They just hate men, Robbie. They do.”

  “Well, keep them away from our women. No wait. Let’s get them together and watch them fight.”

  “Robert.” Joe grew tired of yelling at him. “Enough of the women. Sorry about him, Hal.”

  “No problem, Dad. I missed him.” Hal winked at Robbie. “I’m just amazed that your men all get along and share women.”

  “It’s a rarity that a problem occurs,” Joe explained, “except between Frank and Dean. Them two just fight and fight over Ellen like . . .” Joe saw Hal’s expression drop. “What’s wrong?”

  “Did you just say Frank?” Hal asked. “My brother Frank?”

  “You don’t know.” Joe said. “Yes, Frank.”

  “Wait.” Robbie again, spoke up. “You didn’t know? How can you not know? You sent his clothes back here. Didn’t you look at the pants? Geez.” Robbie stood up and aimed his rear-end at Hal as he pointed above his own back pocket. “How can you miss the name?” Robbie sat back down.

  “I . . . I didn’t look at the clothes fully. They belonged here. Frank is . . . shit!” Hal yelled. “Frank’s the man we were searching for? He’s the man the Society now has?”

  “Yes.” Joe nodded. “They have Frank. He’s alive and well and we’re gonna get him back.”

  “Do you know where?” Hal asked.

  “We will. George, he called Dean,” Joe explained. “See there’s someone else in Beginnings working for George. We don’t know who it is. George has used Dean’s kids as a bargaining tool. Either Dean leaves and joins him or something happens to one of Dean’s kids. So, Dean’s going to leave, but not without us tracking him. Dean agreed and in that agreement to go with George, it was decided he’d be at the same place as Frank.”

  “So when you track Dean, you’ve found Frank,” Hal stated.

  “Yes,” Joe answered.

  “Then you tell me where they are and I will send every one of my men to that camp. We will ride in and get them back.”

  “We can’t do that,” Joe told him. “I won’t let you do that. What? Your gonna go and send every man you have to go after your brother? Christ Hal, you said it yourself. The purpose of your army is to get our country back. It’s selfish to use that for your brother. No. I won’t let you. We’re sending a scout after Dean. He will run surveillance on the area and get as much information as he can. We will then sneak attack in and take them back, synchronizing the attack with the protection of Dean and Ellen’s children. That way, this inside person can’t touch them. If they do, we’re ready for them and we’ll get them. Otherwise, if we make a big move, George will see it coming and by not knowing who the inside person is, we may not see it coming if they go after one of the kids. It’s better this way. He has the upper hand as long as we don’t know who his person is. I’m sure you know how big the Society is.”

  “I know exactly how big the Society is,” Hal said. “That’s why we only man this side of the country. We have to wait until we’re bigger to go over there. But Dad, you have to let me go with you. You have to let me be a part of this sneak attack. I want to. Please.”

  Joe thought about it, but not for very long. “I would be honored if you’d go.” He heard Robbie whine. “Robbie, you have to stay here. You have Ellen and the kids to watch, and this community. Besides you get the glory of staging the whole thing.”

  Robbie nodded with an arrogant smile. “Yeah I do. Hal, you have to remember, in order to keep up the plan we have to act as if we believe Frank’s dead. Aside from us, there are only two others that know . . . Dean and Ellen and they’re playing along. Not even Frank’s own son knows.”

  “What?” Another shock to Hal. “Johnny? Johnny lived too. How old is he now. Twelve?”

  “Nineteen,” Joe told him. “And a spitting image of Frank. Wait until you see him.”

  “No.” Robbie stopped Joe. “A spitting image of how Frank used to look.”

  Hal was confused. “What? Was he burned in a fire or something?”

  “No.” Joe shook his head with a laugh. “Your brother has pretty much gone through a metamorphosis if a human beings can. Bigger, meaner looking, scarred. Cold. He looks scary at times.” Joe shuddered. “But don’t tell him I told you that. He thinks he’s quite handsome.” He smiled, “But I have to say, Frank is Beginnings’ hero. He is the strongest man I have ever met in my entire life. Always was, but now . . .” Joe whistled.

  Robbie interjected. “I saw him toss a savage so hard the head of the savage actually severed from the body.”

  “And what about . . .” Joe added. “That guy Don last year in containment? Frank rammed his face into that wall with such a force, I didn’t think a human face could make such a hole.”

  Hal closed his eyes. “And he shoots each man in the head to make sure they’re dead, doesn’t he?” He saw Joe and Robbie agree. “He sounds rather sick.”

  “He is.” Joe had a hint of pride to his voice. “That’s why we’re safe with him around. He fears nothing and goes after anything that’s a threat. Ask anyone. I’m sure they’ll have a story to tell you. If you want to know who your big brother is now, ask around.”

  “I will.” Hal leaned back on the couch. The shock had to set in. “So many in our family lived.”

  “We’re cool,” Robbie commented. “What can I say?”

  Hal needed to get things straight. “O.K., so you have to get Frank back. You’re fighting the Society and savages. You are trying to find the inside person working for George. And now what about this new group of enemies. Tell me about them. I know nothing.”

  Joe looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “This . . . Mathias group. I’ve sent out . . .” Hal stopped talking when Robbie laughed. “What?”

  “Mathias? You listened to our radio transmissions and you thought Mathias was real. Oh shit.”

  Hal began to see red. “What are you talking about? I sent men out looking. You guys talked like they were . . . Robbie quit laughing.”

  “I can’t help it.” Robbie tried to stop. “Sorry. Mathias is a code name for George. We got it from the movie Omega Man. We all want to be Neville. Did you hear that too? It’s like the big competition. Shit,” Robbie taunted. “And you sent men out looking for him. Wait until I tell . . .” Robbie saw the seriousness on Hal’s face. “No one.” Robbie held up his hand. “This goes no further than this room.” Robbie sneaked out another snicker then went silent.

  “O.K.!” Joe slapped his own thighs then stood up. “Hal? Hal?” he snapped his finger in front of Hal. Hal kept staring at Robbie. “Hal, we all want to kill him at times, but right now, you have your nephew to see again.” He moved away from the sofa.

  Without taking his views off of Robbie, Hal stood up. “I lied. I didn’t miss you.”

/>   “Yes, you did.”

  “No.” Hal shook his head violently. “I didn’t. I really don’t think I did, especially since you failed to grow up.”

  “Yes you did. You missed me. How could you not. I’m your baby brother. Hal? I’m lovable.” Robbie tilted his head and held out his arms.

  “Robbie, I didn’t miss you,” Hal insisted. “Let’s go Dad.” He walked to Joe.

  “I would have missed you if I knew you were alive. I missed you, Hal. Hal? I missed you. Hal?” Robbie was ignored as Hal joined Joe. “Hal?” Robbie stood up calling as Joe and Hal walked to the door. “It’s great to have you . . .” The door slammed. “Here.” Robbie chuckled in amusement at himself. He then decided he was in the mood for one of Andrea’s brownies, just one. He went into the kitchen to steal one, Andrea would never know.

  ^^^^

  With Andrea busy making a dinner and Jason out at the quantum lab, Dean had no other choice. He had to be the one to exam Bev’s neck to check the final healing and conditions for skin grafting. So leaving word with Patrick that if Ellen shows up to get him for their meeting with Reverend Bob, do not tell her he’s examining Bev, Dean walked to room two.

  He cringed when he stepped inside, setting the chart at the end of the table near the feet of Bev’s nude body. “I’m looking at your neck. You didn’t need to get undressed.”

  “Yes I did. I heard you were examining me.”

  Dean could have left, but instead of wasting the time and having to make her get dressed and return, Dean just wanted to get the examination over. So he walked to Bev who laid back some, her left leg opening and closing slightly. He grabbed hold of her shoulders and pushed her to a sitting position. Dean stood behind her and lifted her hair.

  “Hey Patrick.” Ellen walked up to him as he wrote in a chart. “Where’s Dean. We have to see Reverend Bob.”

  “He’s in room two with Bev.” Patrick looked up. “Shit. I mean, did I say room two . . . Ellen?” Wincing, Patrick watched Ellen storm downed the hall, and then figuring what was Dean gonna do, fire him? Patrick went back to work.