THE WARNING A Novel of America in the Last Days (The End of America Series Book 2)

by John Price

  “Folks, we’ve just heard, about an hour ago, that Hannah’s favorite uncle, Paul, was shot and killed. Paul and Hannah’s Aunt Phyllis, most of you know, live in North Carolina. Phyllis called and left a voice message on our ancient answering machine. As some of you know, because you’ve left messages, it shuts down after about a minute, so we don’t know any more than what’s recorded on the machine. We’ve been trying and trying to reach Phyllis, but she doesn’t answer her cell phone, and like most of us they don’t have a land line anymore.”

  Scott said, “Gary….Hannah, we’re so sorry….so sorry….Do you know what happened? I knew that Paul was active in politics in North Carolina. What was the name of his group….the North Carolina Brigade to Re-claim America, or something like that? I read where the media credited his group with turning the election in the state against the President, even though he carried the state in his first run. Did the shooting have anything to do with any of that?”

  “All we know is what she recorded….if you want, we can play it for you. We’ve listened to it several times, and each time it just leads to more questions.” The group nodded their assent, some of the women crying along with Hannah. Gary reached over and punched the play button.

  “Hannah….Gary….is anyone there?....Paul….Paul’s dead….I can’t believe it….they shot Paul….We were home having an early dinner and….and….these CCC guys just burst in through both doors….ripped them off their frames….must have been six or eight of them….vests on….all carrying big guns….I don’t know why they….one said he had a warrant to arrest Paul… I never did see it, though.….whew….I need to sit down….they just took away Paul’s body….I’m here by myself. Paul didn’t do anything to get shot….he just stood up and asked why are you arresting me? Then the largest guy….he seemed to be in charge….he screamed out something like THAT’S RESISTING ARREST….then….he shot Paul right through his heart…blood spurting everywhere….I can’t….Oh, my dear Paul….this can’t be happening….I’m going over to Natalie’s house….call me. Call me when you can. Oh….Paul….Paul….”

  The small group members were too stunned to speak. By now all the women, and some of the men, were in tears. What they had just heard made no sense. At first. Then Beau spoke up, “If this is what I think it is, it’s part of the government’s ‘kill the Christians’ campaign. You won’t hear about any of this in the mainstream media, of course, but I’ve been hearing about rumors across the country, not just on what’s left of the internet, but phone calls, some letters, they’re saying that conservative bloggers and several leaders of Christian and conservative groups around the country have died in the last few months; some under very suspicious circumstances and some in supposed accidents. I’ve heard of three or four high-profile shootings – very similar to what we just heard about your uncle in North Carolina. Who thinks this isn’t part of what we’ve been studying in Jeremiah….that in the end, in the Daughter of Babylon, there will be blood shed in God’s church. The blood of the saints.”

  Sally interrupted, “Guys, I heard something that in light of what happened to Hannah’s uncle we all need to know about. My cousin in San Antonio called late last night and told me that the whole city is full of rumors that some patriots, with guns, took over the Alamo, and were all killed, shot dead, by federal agents. That’s all I know. There’s nothing in the news, but I’ll check the internet after small group tonight.”

  Max asked, “What else needs to happen to convince us that Christians are being targeted - that our leaders, like Hannah’s Uncle Paul, are being selectively eliminated? When I used to bring up the prophecies here in small group that warned us that there would be blood in the church in the end times, I could see that there was a lot of doubt. Maybe even some snickering.”

  Beau responded, “Max, I’ll admit I thought you were smoking something, but now I don’t dispute that you were right. Who would have ever thought this could happen? This didn’t have to happen. There were plenty of warnings that this President wasn’t what we were told.”

  “But, what were we told? Not much. No college records. No copies of written documents for the last several years. No nothing. Just powerful words promising big things.” Max warmed to his argument, “Y’all know that I’m a big supporter of the Second Amendment, as most of you are….OK, Scott….maybe not you. But I bring it up because it’s all making sense to me now. The big push in the McAlister Act to take away our guns was all about disarming Christians, conservatives, Tea Party folks, everybody on the right - the people who might resist socialism or communism, whatever you want to call it. We represent the only force in America who will resist Godless Communism and the destruction of the capitalistic system and the free market economy. Everybody knows that there are still hundreds of thousands of guns still out there, the ones that didn’t get turned in after McAlister passed.”

  Scott couldn’t contain himself any longer, “Max, with all due respect….You scare me….If Americans, especially Christians, raise their hand against the government, if they use their guns, we’ll all be slaughtered. This government won’t put up with an armed insurrection. A lot of our folks are saying that the car bombings were a false flag, staged by the feds, but who can know? I just don’t want you, Max, or any of us, or any Christians for that matter, to succumb to the spirit of violence and get killed because of it.”

  Max, now sitting on the front edge of the couch, pointed at Scott, saying, “Scott, you know I love you like the brother that you are, my Christian brother, but you’re just wrong. Look at history. If we let the lions eat the Christians, we may get to heaven sooner, but what about our kids, and future grandkids? What does it say to our children that we’re willing to put up with a radical Communist takeover of our country and we don’t lift a finger? I’m not saying that I still have guns. We all know that’s a felony. But, what I am saying is that there are some gun owners who are not going to put up with being selectively picked off and shot dead.”

  Tom, whom most in the small group viewed as a calming influence, decided it was time to jump in, “Look, guys, this isn’t going anywhere. Gary and Hannah just got hit hard. They’re going to need time to mourn their loss. We can talk about all this next time we meet, but for tonight, let’s focus on their needs. We’re going to pray for you guys here in a minute. If you need a place to drop off your dogs while you’re in North Carolina, we can do that. If you need anything else, Gary, Hannah, you know that we’re all here for you.”

  Gary responded, saying, “I think we need to pray. Father….Oh, Father….we’ve been dramatically reminded tonight of the vulnerability of life. We pray for Phyllis and their family, and all those who are mourning Uncle Paul’s passing. We know that Paul is with you, but it’s going to be tough for Phyllis, and their kids. We pray for their son, Kevin, especially, who hasn’t yet received Your Son as his Savior. We pray that you will be very close to them and shower your grace on them as they face the reality of this violent, unbelievable loss….And, Father….we pray for wisdom. You promised to give us wisdom when we ask for it. We don’t know what to do….so we are asking you to guide us. We’ve seen in your Word that there appears that there will be violence, even blood in the church, in the last days, the end times. We want to do what you want us to do, so we pray that you’ll direct us, through your Word and by the power of your Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray.”

  37

  Fort Carson

  Colorado Springs, Colorado

  Doug Hammer, U.S. Army Green Beret, retired, knew what he had to do. It only took him a few seconds after reading the letter from the VA. He’d been called by other vets in the last week telling Doug that they had received the same VA letter, but in his wildest imagination he couldn’t conceive that his government would send him such a notice. But, there it was. The letter to Doug said that the VA had determined that due to his prior experience in combat and his personal injury suffered in combat, that Doug was “not able to handle” his VA benefits “because of a p
hysical or mental condition” and would be rated as “incompetent”.

  As bad as that sentence was, Doug lost it when he turned to page two of the VA letter. The VA informed him that a “determination of incompetency will prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving or transporting a firearm or ammunition.” He was then warned by the VA that if he violated the prohibition against owning firearms that he could be “fined, imprisoned, or both” pursuant to prevailing federal law. What about the exceptions to the McAlister Act, he asked himself, that allowed hunters and sportsmen to retain ownership of firearms?

  When the McAlister Act was affirmed as Constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, Doug filed for a sportsman license and then immediately buried his several firearms and ammo in a waterproof stainless steel container the location of which only he knew. He prayed that he would never have to dig up his cache of weapons though in his heart he knew that someday it would come to it. As he held the VA letter in his hand he knew it would soon be time. Incompetent? He could be held to be incompetent by his government because he fought for his country in combat? And his incompetency meant he couldn’t possess a firearm even as a sportsman or a hunter?

  Doug knew when he buried his firearms that he could someday be charged with committing a felony under the McAlister Act. Most of his buried weapons had nothing to do with hunting. But, he knew from many conversations and communications that hundreds of thousands of fellow veterans were doing the same thing. To a man, they had each decided that it was worth being accused of a crime for possessing a firearm, not selling it to the government. On the other hand, most did not want to take a chance of being caught and charged with a felony, so they carefully hid their weapons in case they needed them someday. That day had arrived. Besides the offensive letter from the VA, the car bombings of federal buildings didn’t smell right to Doug. As a former Green Beret he knew something about false flags and their use in the military to justify taking action to avenge a purported wrong. Doug felt in his gut that there was something wrong with what the government was claiming.

  For Doug, it was time to unearth his firearms. In anticipation of what he feared would happen, as soon as McAlister was affirmed, Doug began to quietly look up other recent vets who lived in the Colorado area. He developed contacts, in some cases friendships, with tough, battle-hardened veterans of the United States military. By the time Doug Hammer received his incompetency letter from the VA he had developed over seventy platoon leaders, each of whom had recruited between thirty and fifty veterans as members of their individual platoons. In total Doug soon commanded almost three thousand veterans, all of whom were dedicated to fighting, again, for their country, if the call to arms were to come. The over-reaction of the federal government to the purported right wing car bombings almost brought Doug into action. The rumors he heard about pastors being arrested and Christians being interred in FEMA camps almost did it, but the rumors were never reported by America’s mainstream media, so, for many, these things had never actually happened. All of these atrocities, and other efforts to undermine the Constitution, were each another straw heaped on the proverbial camel’s back. But, all it took was the VA letter - the final straw. The camel couldn’t bear it any longer.

  Doug met his seventy platoon leaders in a most conspicuous location. They gathered in a Sunday school classroom in a large church in Colorado Springs. Security was tight as Doug and his fellow veterans discussed what they would do. Unanimously, the seventy one veterans decided that it was time to let the federal government know that it had finally gone too far.

  They didn’t intend to just take a public stand and be slaughtered, as they understood had happened to their fellow patriots at the Alamo. America’s veterans would now send a message that no one in DC could mistake as an amateur effort. These men were trained professional soldiers who could inflict maximum pain, when necessary. They decided that it was now necessary. Their best case scenario envisioned their assault on Fort Carson as the beginning of a nationwide uprising of similarly minded, and armed, Americans. Their plan was to sound the trumpet calling America’s veterans to arms to take back their country.

  Named for famed Army scout General Christopher “Kit” Carson, Fort Carson, a United States Army base, is located south of Colorado Springs. The residents of Colorado Springs were well acquainted with the fact that Fort Carson was the location of hundreds of Russian troops who were tasked to the Army installation, often referred to as “The Mountain Post”. They were also acquainted with the widespread rumors that the Russian troops had been used in the western United States to execute Americans in areas in which American soldiers refused to fire on their fellow citizens. It was decided that the first phase of their armed resistance in Colorado would be to take out the foreign troops. Doug and his fellow leaders were friends with soldiers who were on active duty with the Army and residents of Fort Carson. As a consequence, they were able to obtain details as to which barracks were the location where the Russian troops were housed.

  Working surreptitiously, Doug and his veterans arranged for bombs to be secreted in three barracks in which the Russian troops were billeted. Precisely at midnight three bombs tore apart the three barracks, killing nearly all of the Russian soldiers, except for a handful who were severely injured. Within twenty-four hours word had been passed inside Fort Carson that the bombings were arranged by a large, well-organized group of American veterans, the American Resistance. Word was further spread among the troops at Fort Carson that the veterans were planning to seize control of the Fort the next day and would allow the soldiers on active duty to join the veterans in armed resistance to the federal government. Word was passed into the base that once Fort Carson fell into the hands of America’s armed resistance that other commands in other bases across the nation would soon follow suit, as America’s military coalesced in turning ‘its Communist President and his Communist staff out of power’.

  What happened next was later described as the “Battle of Fort Carson”. Hearing a high level of encouragement from Fort Carson active duty personnel, Doug and his platoon leaders made plans to besiege Gate 20 southeast of the Fort, roll into the Fort and grab control of the command headquarters. Wording had been drafted for the public video announcement that would be beamed to the world from Fort Carson. Doug Hammer had been selected as the leader of the American Resistance who would read the statement. He had practiced and was prepared to say:

  I am Doug Hammer, U.S. Army Green Beret, retired. I served my country in two wars, in combat and received the Purple Heart for my war wounds. Until recently, I was willing to put up with my country imprisoning conservatives who did not agree with the President. I was willing to accept the imprisoning of pastors and others who were not favored by the White House. My thought was that America elected the President, so we get what we deserve. However, I have concluded that the President is not legitimately in office, that he has the worst interests of the country at heart and that he is attempting to destroy the capitalistic system and install a socialist, even Communist, system in its place. I finally concluded that rumors of Russian troops, stationed at this base, being used to execute Americans were true. Our band of veterans, which we have named the American Resistance, has taken out those foreign troops. We take full responsibility for doing so. We are now in control of Fort Carson, along with the command structure of the active duty troops stationed at this base. We call on all American military personnel, wherever located in the world, to join with us in resisting this illegitimate administration, rebuking them and removing them from office, by force of arms, if necessary. May God bless America.

  Doug’s invading resisters were initially successful as they drove their Hummers and pick-up trucks in a caravan to Gate 20 of Fort Carson. The six soldiers on duty laid down their arms as soon as the caravan approached the Gate. They smiled at the incoming veterans and waved them on into Fort Carson. Things were going exactly as I thought they would, Doug thought, as he motioned for the caravan to head for the com
mand headquarters. What Doug did not know was that his caravan was squarely in view on the monitor screens of drone controllers at nearby Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base. Fifteen controllers at Cheyenne were watching the live feed from their individually controlled drones, each armed with high impact Hellfire missiles.

  Command of the drone controllers was in the hands of an Air Force General who was thoroughly committed to defending his friend the President, whatever the cost. The General was on a direct line to the White House. The person on the phone in the Oval Office was the Attorney General, seated across the desk from the President, both watching a desk monitor displaying a live drone feed from Colorado.

  The Air Force General asked the Attorney General, “General, can you see the caravan on your drone feed?”

  The Attorney General responded, “Yes, General I see the lead Hummer and the following vehicles. Great technology.”

  “Mister Attorney General, do I have authority from the President to take out these rebels?”

  The Attorney General looked over at the Commander in Chief and asked, “Okay to launch? The General wants your authorization….well, here,” he said handing the phone across the desk, “you can tell him yourself.”

  The President, without taking his eyes from the monitor, grabbed the phone and said, “General, you are good to go. Take them out. Now.”

  Within seconds fifteen high-flying drone aircraft had fired their Hellfire missiles. One missile took out Gate 20 and the soldiers who had failed to resist the caravan. Eight missiles violently exploded into the motor vehicles of the entering caravan, flinging burning men and metal in all directions, the exploding gasoline of the vehicles adding to the conflagration. Three missiles tore apart the command headquarters of Fort Carson, throwing bricks and glass across the area surrounding the command center. One missile powered from the sky into Interstate 25 north of Fort Carson, with another striking the interstate south of the Fort, in an effort to isolate the base from any other resistance troops that might be planning to assault the base. The final Hellfire missile deviated from the paths of the fourteen missiles which were centered south of Colorado Springs. The fifteenth missile flew northwest of Colorado Springs into a suburb in which was located the home of Doug Hammer, destroying his home and over twenty houses surrounding it.