EMP

by Jonathan Hollerman

  "Well, I'd like to report a crime, Sheriff—a sadistic child rapist. Are you going to just take down a written report and file it away with all the other unsolved rapes in town, or are you going to actually do something about it this time?" Sean asked sarcastically.

  Sheriff Branson stood silent for a while, thinking through his options. "Well, it's going to be difficult for me to come in and investigate with all your men inside, now isn't it? You seriously think I'm going to follow you inside?"

  "I know for a fact that's exactly what you're going to do!" Sean said seriously.

  "And what makes you say that?" the Sheriff asked incredulously.

  "Because one of those women we found in the basement just so happens to be your girlfriend." Sean watched Sheriff Branson's face as a look of horror came over him.

  "What did you just say?" Branson demanded.

  Sean softened his tone, feeling bad for the man. "I said that apparently your boss has had your girlfriend locked in an underground dungeon doing all kinds of awful things to her for who knows how long—all the while smiling to your face every single day. So what are you going to do now?"

  "I'm going to kill him myself! Let me in!" Branson said shaking to the fence furiously.

  "No, you're not! He is our prisoner, and I intend to have him put on trial in town and face every one of his accusers. I want everyone who’s suffered at his hands to get absolution and have the opportunity to see him swing. I won't allow you to steal their retribution." Sheriff Branson was silent and didn't respond. "So here is how I see things progressing. You and your men are going to come inside peacefully and pay witness to what we've found. Tomorrow morning you are going to help us bring him and his men to justice in town, and you're going to give me your word that you are going to quit harassing our community. Do I have your word on that?" Sean reached his hand out and held it there waiting.

  Sheriff Branson looked down at Sean's hand and shook it. "You have my word." He turned back to the tree line and hollered out, "Wyatt, bring everyone up here on the double!" Sean meanwhile turned and gave the signal to Brody that everything was okay. The other six deputies crossed the short distance to their Sheriff at a jog, weapons ready.

  "What's going on, boss?" one of the men asked, confused.

  "Change of plan. I've just received some distressing information about Mr. Andrews. Apparently he's kidnapped a bunch of young girls and has been keeping them inside his basement and abusing them. It also looks like this group of men is innocent and they weren’t responsible for the raid last night either. We are going to go inside, investigate these charges, and arrest Mr. Andrews so we can take him back to town to stand trial. These men are to be left alone and they will be allowed to return to their families. Everyone got that?"

  "We're going to arrest Mr. Andrews?" one of the other men said apprehensively.

  "That's right, Wyatt. No one is above the law and there is no way I'm going to let a crime like this stand, even for Mr. Andrews." Sean could see Branson getting more animated as he finished.

  "Whatever you say, boss." Wyatt said, confused, with the other men shrugging in agreement as well.

  "We cool here?" Sean asked the Sheriff before opening the gate.

  "We're cool," the Sheriff said genuinely, looking Sean in the eye.

  Sean opened the gate and led them inside. At first it was rather awkward with everyone holding their weapons and having been prepared to kill each other only a few hours before. Sean released Richard back to the Sheriff and took them downstairs, showing all ten of Branson's men the room where they found the girls. Their revulsion at just the smell upon entering the room was revealing. Richard was very descriptive and honest in explaining the circumstances they had found the girls in before they returned upstairs. Damian had closed the vault doors before they went down. No one was sure if they could trust Sheriff Branson or how deep his affiliations with Mr. Andrews went.

  Afterwards, Andrew and Sean helped Beth Ann and Luke's daughter prepare some more food for the deputies, and everyone eased up a bit after relaxing around the table together. Sean asked a lot of questions of the Sheriff’s men about how the town was getting along and what their long-term preparations were. Branson hadn't been seen since they returned from the basement. He had gone straight to his girlfriend’s room and stayed there. Sean took a bowl of food upstairs to find him sitting beside the bed with his head down in his hands. The young girl was fast asleep so Sean nudged Branson’s leg with his foot to get his attention, trying not to wake her.

  He handed Branson the plate of food and whispered to him, "How's she doing?"

  He noticed the Sheriff's puffy red eyes when he shook his head side to side. "This is crazy. What has this world come to?"

  Sean knew it was a rhetorical question and Branson didn't really want an answer, so Sean just shrugged and smiled reassuringly. "If it's alright by you, I'm going to have both our men perform joint watches tonight so everyone can keep an eye on everyone. I'll be outside if you need anything." Sheriff Branson nodded back his indifference so Sean quietly walked out and pulled the door shut behind him.

  It was an uneventful night and by late morning they had the hay wagon full of people and supplies heading slowly towards town, leaving two of Branson's men to guard the facility. They stopped at the spot of the ambush long enough to grab their extra gear and the weapons they took from Mr. Andrews and his men. The guards at the blockade leading into town were obviously perplexed, but Sheriff Branson waved them through. They drove straight to the platform built per Mr. Andrews’s instructions in the town square and unloaded the prisoners and men. The girls they rescued, along with Beth Ann and Darren, continued on to the old stone Lutheran church on the corner with Branson and a couple of his men. They were made comfortable for the time being till their families arrived or homes could be found to take them in. Sean and the others huddled around the podium to discuss how they would pick jurors. The church bell at the Lutheran church sounded and Sean looked questioningly at one of Branson's men, who let him know that one ring of the bell signaled the people to meet at the town square. Randy thought it best to get the prisoners out of sight until the trial in case Mr. Andrews had more loyal supporters in town. The prisoners were taken behind the stage where Andrew and two of Branson’s men kept watch.

  It didn't take long before the townspeople had gathered before the platform. Sean estimated that only three or four hundred people remained of the pre-EMP population of nearly seven hundred. The people were obviously confused about what was going on. There was lots of murmuring and whispering, producing a hum like a swarm of bees. It steadily grew louder until Sean finally saw Branson making his way through the crowd from the church where he was getting his girlfriend situated. Sean waved him over frantically, not wanting the crowd to get too restless. Branson followed Sean, Randy and Brody on stage and they stood behind him at the podium. Branson raised his hands to silence the crowd and they eventually grew quiet.

  Sean stepped forward to the podium and projected his voice almost to a yell so everyone could hear him. "My name is Sean. Our families as well as multiple friends of ours have established a small community of survivors not far from your town. We are going through the same struggles as you: trying to stay fed and store up enough supplies to make it through one more winter. We have dealt with looters and brigands just like your town has and we are only trying to stay alive and endure this horrible new world just like anyone else. Last week we were visited by Mr. Andrews and his men, demanding that we turn over a portion of our precious supplies to your town. To do so would have spelled a death sentence to our group this winter. We are not greedy and we are not uncharitable. We have accepted as many neighbors as we believe our supplies will feed through the winter with none to spare. Mr. Andrews has been looting the local farms, confiscating food and supplies for your town and using food as a way to stay in control here. While I understand your plight, those farmers have a Constitutional right to their food and a duty to feed their fami
lies through the harsh winter.

  "We told Mr. Andrews 'no' and turned him away. From the evidence and intel we gathered, we learned that Mr. Andrews was determined to take by force what he could not by intimidation. We have evidence that he created a false flag event two nights ago and used his own men to murder three of your deputies and raid their own storage facility. I and the other two gentlemen beside me were on the outskirts of town when the raid took place. We witnessed the pickup truck speed out of town after the raid and I can assure you that it is not one of our vehicles and our community had nothing to do with it. We were just helping one of your citizens slip back into town after she fled Tionesta weeks ago due to repeated sexual abuse by one of Mr. Andrews’s men, Travis. She was captured shortly after re-entering town, and to prevent her from telling her side of the story, she was beaten, labeled a spy, and sentenced to death by Mr. Andrews. Even after spending only a few weeks in our community, this brave woman had become a part of our tight-knit family and we could not allow her to be executed. Her only crime was risking her own personal safety, volunteering to find out information that would help prevent our community from being railroaded by Mr. Andrews and destroyed.

  “The only reason we knew about her capture was because another one of your citizens showed up the next morning begging for our assistance. In a brutal home invasion, Mr. Andrews’s men beat up this man, his wife and his two young boys, breaking one of the lad’s arms and kidnapping his fifteen-year-old daughter. From my understanding there are others among you that have been on the receiving end of Mr. Andrews’s and his men's brutality. As men of principle, our group could no longer stand by and do nothing. Yesterday morning we set an ambush and captured Mr. Andrews and his men on their way into town and we marched them back to his retreat to rescue this man's daughter. We found her in his basement, chained to a bed along with six other young girls who had been abused and raped repeatedly over the last months. I cannot describe or adequately put into words the atrocious conditions these young women were found in. Along with the aid of Sheriff Branson, we have brought Mr. Andrews and his men before you to stand trial and face the consequences of their actions.

  "One member of his group, Travis, was killed in a moment of rage by the girl's father upon her discovery in that prison of filth. It could not have been prevented by anyone in our group as it happened suddenly and unexpectedly. We regret his death only because Travis will not be able to face his accusers eye to eye and allow his victims the absolution they deserve. With all that being said, since we don’t know you, my friends will now walk through and pick by random twelve of you to act as jurors. If you are a family member of one of the abused women we returned, we would ask that you recuse yourself. You will hear the accusations against these men, allow them to plead their case, and decide their destiny. This is your town, and you will decide their fate. At this time, if any of you are missing daughters or family members, please come forward and you will be taken by Sheriff Branson's men to see if your loved one is among the six. It is important that only immediate family come forward. These poor girls have been through a lot and need rest, not visitors. I would also request that the head pastors, assistant pastors, and deacons for your local churches come forward. We have need of your services.” Sean walked off the stage without another word while Randy and Brody wound their way through the crowd, picking jurors at random.

  Chapter 26

  Sean, Randy, Caleb, Damian, and Brody sat in the grass a small distance from the stage with Pastor Dan and a handful of other leaders from the local churches, watching the trials taking place. After some discussion it turned out that Pastor Dan was the only head pastor still alive or residing in town. Randy and Sean told them that they would be left in charge for the next week till elections were held to replace the mayor, city council, and sheriff. They staunchly refused, especially Pastor Dan, which is why Randy told them "that is exactly why it must be you." The trials went on for nearly two hours with multiple other people coming forward to tell of crimes and brutality committed at the hands of Mr. Andrews and his men. Brody had gone first, going into more detail of the terrible conditions the victims were found in. Charlie had testified against Mr. Andrews in regards to many orders he was given including the raiding of the store house, but insisted that he didn't know Travis intended to kill any deputies in the raid. In a moment that surprised everyone, Charlie had dropped a bombshell during his testimony and said that Travis had let slip that Sheriff Branson had known about the raid as well. That brought a renewed wave of whispering among the crowd. Lastly, he had pleaded ignorance to the condition of the women that were found in Mr. Andrews’s basement. Mike had testified to the same. Earlier, Sean had briefly spoken on behalf of Charlie and Mike, not to exonerate their crimes, but to inform the jurors of their assistance the previous two days. For the first time in over twenty-four hours, Mr. Andrews had the dirty sock removed from his mouth and was pulled before the town. When asked if he would like to explain his actions, he had refused to speak and just stood there defiantly.

  Nearly the entire town stayed during the trial, and once the jurors retreated to the city building to deliberate, the humming of voices picked back up. The crescendo of whispering grew louder and louder to the point that the original humming sound became a roar as the townspeople discussed and debated the things they had heard. Without any warning, the people grew hushed as the twelve jurors climbed the steps of the platform. A gangly looking older man walked up to the podium with a piece of paper in his hands, which he nervously unfolded.

  "We find all three prisoners guilty of the crimes they have been accused." The murmuring of the crowd instantly picked up until the man raised his hands, asking for quiet. "We find Mr. Andrews guilty of murder, rape, and child abuse as well as many other lesser crimes against our town and his fellow man. Immediately following this trial, we sentence him to die by way of hanging on his own gallows that he had built. God rest his soul." His punishment didn’t surprise Sean, but the way the man was speaking definitely did. He had obviously watched a lot of court movies in the past with the way he phrased things. "Charles Sullivan and Michael Peterson, we find you guilty of kidnapping and looting. We also find you liable and partially responsible for the death of three of our deputies as well as helping Mr. Andrews keep the atrocities he was committing hidden from view. Your assistance in the freeing of these women does not absolve you of your crimes. We do not feel that execution is warranted; however, we do not have the spare food to keep you imprisoned for the next twenty-five years. Our judgment is that you will be immediately taken and thrown off the First Street Bridge into the icy river waters. You will be given no supplies, aid, or comfort. If either of you survive and return to this town or immediate vicinity, you will be shot on sight. If you survive the river, with no way to protect yourselves on the open road and no means of acquiring or producing food or fresh water, we are placing you into the hands of nature’s god and will allow him to determine your fate.

  "Sheriff Branson, please step forward." There was some murmuring starting again and Sean saw the look of concern on Branson's face as he slowly climbed the stairs to the stage. "Sheriff Branson, we also find you liable and partially responsible for the deaths of three of your own deputies as well as aiding Mr. Andrews in his crimes against this town. It was your responsibility as our town’s sheriff to protect and serve us and you have failed miserably."

  Sheriff Branson tried to speak up and defend himself but the man cut him off yelling over him. "Sheriff Branson, please wait till I am finished. I realize that you were given no opportunity to defend yourself. I recommend you hold quiet and hear the ruling of our group before you ruin the olive branch we are prepared to extend to you. If you would like to explain yourself then and request a trial, we will give you that privilege, but if you do that, our offer is off the table." Branson nodded his agreement and shut his mouth to hear what was said. "While we were prepared to offer you the same fate as Charlie and Mike, that would also be a punishme
nt to Sarah Burgeon who has been through enough tragedy for one lifetime. As she has no other family in town due to her two brothers being killed by Travis and Mr. Andrews, we are prepared to spare you only for her sake. You will be held in a prison cell until she has recuperated enough to travel. At which time you will be given food, supplies and your choice of weapons and ammo in order to escort her back to her family's farm.

  “As with Charlie and Mike, you are also barred from this town or the immediate area and will be shot on site if you return. Sarah, however, will always be welcome here... if she so chooses to return. Now, if you do not agree to those terms, we will be happy to hold a trial for you as well. You will be given the opportunity to defend yourself but others will also be given the opportunity to come forward and present grievances against you. Sheriff Branson, I will leave the final decision up to you. On the other hand, I firmly suggest you take the opportunity we are giving you." Sheriff Branson nodded his head in agreement. "Deputy Richard, please handcuff and escort the former sheriff to a holding cell and keep watch on him till you are relieved." Richard stepped forward uncomfortably and did as he was told, leading the distraught Branson away.

  "Under discussion with various members of the community, I was told to announce that we will be holding elections by paper ballot on Saturday, one week from today at first light. We will be electing a mayor, a five member city council, and a new sheriff. Tomorrow at noon, any individual who has an interest in running for any of the offices will be allowed thirty minutes on stage to articulate why they are running for office. This Friday evening, each candidate will also be allowed another thirty minute speech the day before the election. In the interim, Pastor Dan, Assistant Pastor Robbie, Deacon Kent, Deacon Troy, and Bishop Anthony have been volunteered against their wishes to handle any major decisions that need addressed. Brody from the neighboring community has volunteered to act as Sheriff in the interim and we are happy to have his former military Special Forces experience to help increase the town’s defenses and coordinate our security." Sean looked over at Brody curiously who just smiled back and looked away. Sean figured it had something to do with Beth Ann staying in town for the time being. "Their authority will only be recognized for the next week. The various individuals making this recommendation do not have the authority to mandate this, so we are going to have a vote of hands for the interim governing body. All those opposed?" Only a few dozen people raised their hands. "All those for?" Half of the town raised their hand in support, leaving Sean to wonder that even under the present circumstances, nearly a third of the population didn't vote even though it would have a direct impact on their daily lives. "The motion is passed.