After The Fall (Book 4): Undercover

by Nees, David

  He dismissed Ernie, who left to follow a brother back to the room where his family was waiting.

  “Jason, you present me quite a challenge,” Father Gregory said when Ernie had left the room. “I can understand vigorous defense. You saw me ready to do that in the courtyard. But killing, assassination, is different. You sacrificed at least two lives for the possibility that your action would disrupt a potential attack on your town. There are two hypotheticals that would have to be met in order for such an attack to happen, yet you took action.”

  “In my mind it wasn’t hypothetical. I was convinced that such action would occur, especially with Roper leading the militia. He wants to get back to Hillsboro. And if we were to wait for the potential to turn into reality, it would be too late. I had to stop the possibility from happening.”

  “You’re comfortable with your decision? No second thoughts? Those men may have had wives, children.”

  “I thought about that. So do the citizens of Hillsboro. I wasn’t going to stand by and let them be murdered.” Jason looked at a cross on the wall, turning his thoughts inward for a moment. Father Gregory waited.

  “It might be a rationalization, but I felt these men chose their path. They lived by violence. It’s one of their tools, and they died by it. They died as they lived.”

  He looked back at the Abbot. “The mob will kill anyone, even their own, if they think some part of their twisted code is violated. It sounds all honorable when they talk about it, but they have no mercy on wives or families, even their own.” He leaned forward. “They were willing to kill a whole town to further their aims.”

  “So, you have become a man of violence. Somewhat like them it seems.”

  “I didn’t set out to be one. I left Hillsboro after the EMP attack to live on my own, away from the chaos and corruption I saw developing. The violence followed me and I had to fight fire with fire, so to speak, in order to save not only myself, but those I had come to love. That loyalty has now grown to a whole town.”

  Father Gregory didn’t answer.

  “Do you know what it’s like out there?” Jason asked.

  The Abbot just stared at Jason.

  “Chaos rose up almost immediately. After the power went out there was looting and starvation. Violence became the appropriate course of action. It seems those who live outside the law are best equipped to deal with chaos and embrace it’s opportunities.”

  “We are the antidote to chaos,” the Abbot said.

  Jason gave him a confused look.

  “I can explain that later. Right now, I see you are very tired. You were probably up all last night.”

  “The last two nights.”

  “Brother Thomas,” the Abbot called out.

  The monk came into the office.

  “Take our guest to a spare room, show him where to wash up so he can get some rest.” Turning to Jason, he said, “We can talk more later. I still haven’t made a decision.”

  Chapter 48

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  T hat evening, Jason was awakened by the faint sounds of chanting, men’s voices in unison, singing ancient Latin words with rhythmic interplay. The sound drifted through the dormitory building. He stretched and let his body relax and sink back on the cot where he lay. It was not soft, but much better than the hard, frozen ground outside. The sound soothed him like a balm spread over his sore body and he drifted back into sleep.

  Later there was a knock on his door.

  “Come in,” Jason called out.

  The door opened and a monk said he should get up. The Abbot wanted to meet with him. Jason quickly put on his boots and followed the monk through the dark corridors, across the church, and into the office building. He gently knocked on the Abbot’s door and then opened it for Jason.

  “Jason. I hope you got some rest. I could see your fatigue when we talked earlier.”

  “I did. Thank you.”

  “I’ve had Brother Thomas bring some food from our kitchen, It’s there on the side table. Please eat. I have already partaken of the evening meal.”

  There was a steaming bowl of stew along with a large chunk of bread. Jason’s hunger again asserted itself and he went to work on the food. The Abbot sat quietly as Jason wolfed down the meal.

  “This is delicious,” he said after mopping up the last of the stew with a piece of bread.

  “We eat simple but wholesome food. Many would find it boring, but we are happy with it.”

  “This would never be considered boring in my opinion. Especially these days, after the attack.”

  “Yes, the attack. With our lifestyle, we were hardly affected. Of course, we noticed the lack of planes in the sky and the missing sounds of distant trains or trucks on the highways. We sent out scouts who came back with the story, somewhat confused and unclear, of how our country experienced an EMP attack and what that meant.”

  He got up and poured two glasses of wine and offered one to Jason.

  “We have a small vineyard and make our own wine.”

  “After the attack we had to deal with the large number of refugees that came to our gates. Obviously, we couldn’t take them all in or the monastery would have been overrun. We gave them food, short term shelter for the most desperate, medical assistance if someone needed it, and then sent them on their way.”

  “Did you experience bandits? They quickly became a major threat, not only to refugees, but smaller towns as well.”

  “Some did come by.”

  “How did you keep them out? I don’t think they would be so considerate of your faith as Vincent was earlier.”

  “No, they weren’t. We kept our gates closed to those who came with evil intent. We have no guns so we used what we had to defend ourselves. Some of the techniques were medieval in style. We could repulse them from the walls. They’re high enough one needs a ladder or platform to get over them. The brothers would push them off. Many got hurt by their fall, so that would put them out of commission. Another effective technique was to throw boiling oil on the ones who tried to climb the front gate.”

  “That does sound medieval.”

  “We suffered casualties and some deaths but the attacks lessened as the gangs lost their momentum.”

  “So here you are. You live as you always have, life goes on the same for you.” Jason shrugged in his chair. “I have to ask, at the risk of sounding impolite, what good are you doing cloistered away like this?”

  “Do you remember I said earlier that we were an antidote to chaos?”

  Jason nodded. “I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

  “We preserve. The faith, and with it, our history as a people. We keep order.” He took a sip of wine. “The world is in tension, a battle between order and chaos. It’s been that way since Adam and Eve.”

  “You believe that story?”

  “That story may not be literally true but it is foundational.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Jason asked.

  “It’s a tale of lost innocence.” Father Gregory hunched forward. “What if we were created in the image of God as the Bible says? What if we were created in innocence and then lost it?”

  “The apple?”

  “Precisely.” He sat back in his seat now with a hint of a smile on his face. “We chose at that moment to become self-aware. To know the difference between good and evil, to become like gods. And when that happened, we were thrown into struggle between order and chaos.”

  “Good and evil.”

  “Right. Ejected from the garden, and history began at that moment.” Father Gregory folded his hands in front of his face. “The odd thing to me is that we seem to need both order and chaos. I think, and this is my opinion, not the church’s, that too much of one or the other is not good for us. Not, at least, in our fallen state.”

  “So, we need some evil along with the good?”

  “This where the equivalency breaks down. Good is not identical to order and evil is not quite the same as c
haos. Think about it. If we have only chaos, it’s hard to survive. Structure, civilization break down. Humanity can go nowhere. It can’t build on chaos. But,” he pressed his hands down on his desk, “if we have only order, we become petrified into structure, nothing new breaks in and order can easily become tyrannical.”

  “Now you’ve got me really confused,” Jason said as he sipped his wine.

  “New things come out of chaos, but order is needed to develop them. Chaos will tear the new apart before it can be developed. The best of us, the creative ones, have to inhabit the border between order and chaos.”

  Jason followed the Abbot’s point but didn’t understand how it related to the situation in which they found themselves.

  “So, me stirring things up is good? Like bringing in some chaos to help create new things?”

  The Abbot shook his head. “You are an agent of chaos. That is what you sow, you even said it yourself.”

  “Then what’s this story about?”

  “Our role, the monastery’s role, is to maintain the order. But too much of us would petrify humanity’s progress. As I said, we seem to need both in our fallen state. Utopias always go bad in the end. You can’t create them in our fallen world. We were banished from the garden eons ago and we haven’t found our way back.”

  He pointed to Jason. “You’ve seen attempts to build utopias I’m sure. At least someone’s personal idea of what one should be. They wind up being tyrannical, don’t they?”

  Jason nodded. “I’ve had to fight against a number of them. Charlotte is the latest.”

  “My point is that I’m on the side of order while you inhabit the world of chaos…or maybe that border region I talked about. Even though I think you are a man of violence and I should send you away from here immediately, I recognize that we need some of you, humanity needs some of you. You step out of the ordered parts of existence to slay the dragons, the dragons of chaos if you will.” He paused. “Dragons have been a symbol of chaos since humans first began telling stories.”

  He now stood up and started towards the small window looking out at the back part of the courtyard.

  “If we could create the perfect utopia, someone would come along to tear it down. Humanity would do that, because we seem to need some chaos in our lives, even if we don’t recognize it. We are still rebels, even as we strive to find our way back to God.” He turned to Jason. “You are one of those.”

  The Abbot went back to his seat. “Are you married? Do you have a partner?”

  “Yes. I have a wonderful wife and a son, now three. And I have two beautiful step-daughters, both now married.”

  “I am sorry for your wife.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you are destined to not sit at hearth and home, in the midst of order. You thrive on stepping into chaos and engaging the dragons. She will never have you to herself.”

  “You don’t know me or my personal life,” Jason said. His voice had an edge to it.

  The Abbot smiled and stood up again.

  “It’s getting late. I have to make my rounds and then I have much to pray about. You should sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring for either of us?

  Chapter 49

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  J ason awoke to the sound of men’s voices in the church sanctuary. It was still dark. He lit a candle and, in the flickering light, could see his breath in the air. He quickly put on his boots and pulled his watch cap over his head. After slipping on his coat, he opened his door and started through the hallways. He found himself outside. Looking through the front gate he could see the shadows of the military vehicles arrayed in front of the monastery. There was no movement from the camp.

  Father Gregory is going to wait them out. They didn’t come prepared for a siege. He knew his pursuers would need shelter and more food in order to wait. But would they? Roper hadn’t shown any inclination to respect the Abbot and his monks. It seemed he would be willing to gun them down and when he’d killed enough, crash through the gates, kill him, and raid the supplies. Jason wondered if Father Gregory understood what the man was capable of doing.

  Maybe I better slip out and give Roper a moving target so he’ll leave the monastery alone? The thought stuck in his mind. He didn’t relish being on the run, so far from what he considered to be the sanctuary of the mountains.

  He was deep into thinking about his next move when the morning service broke up and the monks streamed out to head for the dining room. Father Gregory came up to him and grabbed him by the arm.

  “Come along. We’ll eat and then we have more to discuss,” he said.

  Jason went with him into the dining hall. The warmth of it, fueled by the meal preparation and the assembled bodies was a welcome relief from the cold outside. There were steaming bowls of what looked like oatmeal to Jason. Slices of cured ham were loaded on plates along with loaves of dark bread. There were also pitchers of beer to pour into one’s cup.

  Jason was directed to sit next to Father Gregory. No one moved until all were seated. They bowed their heads and Father Gregory gave a blessing in Latin. At the “amen”, the monks eagerly dished out the food. Jason noted that there was no rush and no one stuffed too much into their bowls. The beer had a strong malt taste.

  “Beer so early in the morning?” he said to the Abbot.

  “You’ve tasted it, you know it has very little alcohol in it. We drink water, beer, and wine. Not so different from most people except for the lack of processed sodas. Of course, no one gets to drink those now.”

  After the morning meal, Father Gregory led Jason back to his office. On the way they looked out at the vehicles spread in front of the gate. Men were just getting up and gathering wood to start fires. They looked cold and damp.

  “We are far more comfortable than those poor fellows outside,” the Abbot said.

  “That worries me a bit,” Jason replied.

  The Abbot looked at him as they walked to the office building.

  “I don’t think Roper has any inhibitions about attacking you. Not like the man, Vincent, that was standing with him yesterday. Roper could unleash a massive amount of destruction. Far more than the unorganized bandits you encountered after the EMP burst.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of that fact and that Vincent’s ability to hold him back is uncertain.”

  “I think I should leave before they do you any damage.”

  “We’ll see. Let them be uncomfortable a little longer.”

  Roper got out of the Humvee he had slept in. He had to sleep sitting up and was quite stiff. He was not in a good mood. He saw Vincent getting out of another vehicle and started towards him.

  “Vincent, I want to talk with you,” he called out.

  The two of them walked away from the others.

  “You undermined me yesterday. Do you have a plan or are you going to cave in to this monk?” Roper asked.

  Vincent gave him a long look. “You act so outraged. That man killed members of my family. I don’t take that lightly, but we don’t do it by wiping out a monastery.”

  “I’m not looking to wipe it out. Hell, I don’t give a crap about these monks. They can sit here and garden all they want. But I want that son of a bitch and I won’t let anyone stop me.”

  “So, you’re ready to invade the compound? Kill monks?”

  “You got a better plan? Any plan at all?”

  “It might help if I talk with the Abbot. I could get a sense of what he’s thinking. And I have you as a threat in the background. That could put pressure on him.”

  “You’re okay with pressuring the Abbot?”

  Vincent nodded. “Just not killing him…or his monks.”

  Roper looked around the collection of vehicles and men.

  “We’re not set up for a lengthy stay. I’m going to have some of my men go return in one of the Humvees and bring back food and shelter.”

  “If the Abbot sees that, he’ll know we’re here to stay. That coul
d be good.” Vincent paused for a moment. “I want one of my men to go back with you.”

  Roper gave him a sharp look. “You don’t trust me?”

  “I want to find out what’s going on back in the city. The other capos will be jockeying for taking over since Al and Joe were shot. I’m not about to be caught off guard while sitting out here.”

  “You’re at each other’s throats already?”

  Roper started thinking about possibilities for him. Forget South America. If the mob started fighting one another, he could play power broker and put his forces behind a winner who’d owe him. It could be a chance to become the real boss of Charlotte.

  Vincent stopped walking and stared at Roper. “I know what you’re thinking. You think we’re stupid enough to give you all that power without some control on our part?”

  Roper stared at Vincent, giving him an innocent look. “What do you mean by that? We’re on the same team.”

  “We are. But just to be sure, the family has visited your top officers and showed them the pictures we have of their wives, families, and girlfriends. If you’re stupid enough to make a play, and they support you, we’ll be paying them a visit.”

  Roper stepped up to Vincent. “You threatening me?” His voice was sharp with anger.

  “Don’t get all worked up, Larry. You didn’t think we wouldn’t look out for ourselves? You and your men have nothing to worry about if you do your job and remember who’s running the show. I’m doing you a favor by letting you know, so you don’t make a big mistake and find you’re out on a limb all by yourself.”

  “You sons of bitches,” Roper swore.

  “Just looking out for our interests. It’s all about leverage, Larry.” Vincent stuck a finger in Roper’s chest. “Something you need to remember.”

  Roper studied the man for a long moment. He’d figure out if Vincent was bluffing later. For now, he’d have to go along.

  “Pick one of your guys. I’m sending my men out now. I’ll give this monk two days and then we act.”