Resurrection (10 page)

Chapter 24

June 2, 2026

Two months before Operation Scorched Earth

Mark’s reputation within the unit increased and as it did he and Isabel began to get closer to one another. He saw her children as his own and a relationship flowered between the two of them. Her hard exterior slowly started to show cracks and he was able to find a way into her life

She resisted at first but eventually gave in as she started to realize that this life of hers was uncertain and she may not live to see her fortieth birthday, hell she may not live to see tomorrow the way things were going.

She still had hopes and dreams but they were mostly dependent on a certain normality returning to the world and there was no guarantee of that and in fact in all probability normalcy would never return.

What was normal anyway? The definition of normal varied from person to person. One person’s version of normal would not necessarily be another’s idea of normal. To her this was normal now and she decided to reach out and live again while there was still time.

Mark and Isabel became very close and in fact best friends as well as lovers. Their life together began to seem typical of how anyone’s lives may have been before the plague or as close as one could get and were beginning to relegate life outside the borders of the farm to the back of their minds.

Then the rains returned and washed away the sunlight. Puffy white cumulus clouds and blue skies had given way once again to a gloomy atmosphere. Hours of continuous rainfall had turned into days and days in turn to weeks

The hope had been that the fountains of the heavens had finally dried up and the sun would shine forever were dashed against the rocks of reality. With the rains came the Wasters; they found the camp just as Mark had thought. They found them because they were there; they found the camps because there were people there. The Wasters population always seemed to increase when the rains came and they seemed more able to follow the scent of blood when it was wet.

The fields and the training grounds became a bog and vehicles became hopelessly mired in the mud. Livestock began to die and the crops were left to rot in the field.

Tagging along behind the rain like a dangerous younger sibling was the illness. It crept into the camp’s reality and began the dirty work of reducing the camps population. Having been absent for some time the flu returned with a vengeance increasing the misery caused by the rain.

Thee incinerators became overloaded with bodies and the ones who were not disposed of were reanimated wreaking more havoc within the camp. The heat of summer combined with the humidity created by the rain worsened the distress in the encampment.

Then, at the end of August the rains slowed once again and then stopped altogether. But the damage to the camp was done and the unit was in disarray. There was very little food and despite the deluge clean drinking water was in short supply.

Colonel Martin arrived from the base and toured the camp with the others.

“Well, we’ll rebuild it,” he said. We have to, we have no other choice.”

And so the work of rebuilding began. The camp was in dire need of food and Mark and the others were forced to go on long excursions to distant villages to scavenge for canned goods, medicine, water and other supplies.

Chapter 25

August 6, 2026

The morning broke stiff and hot. Dew covered the ground and at 6:30 a.m. Mark was already sweating profusely as he threw bails of wet hay from the back of a flatbed truck.

Holstein cattle came running from out of the milk barn bellowing and following the truck as it moved slowly through the pasture. Mark snapped the wire that held the bails together and tossed some on the ground while others he threw into the feeders.

“That’s the last of it Nigel, let’s go back to the barn,” Mark said.

Nigel got out of the truck and pushed aside the feeding cattle and joined Mark on top of the bed.

“I’ll certainly be happy when all this moisture dries up this humidity is killing me.” Nigel said wiping his brow with the tail if his shirt

“You English not used to this southern heat huh?”

Suddenly Mark noticed that Nigel was staring up into the sky and turned to see what had captured his attention.

“What do you suppose that is?” Nigel said shading his eyes with his hand.

A huge column rose into the air from several miles away. It grew higher and higher into the atmosphere curling tightly into a mushroom shape as it did.

“I don’t think that’s smoke Nigel,” Mark said.

At that moment they heard a slight rumbling in the air and then a flash of light lit the morning sky.

“Was that lightning?” Nigel said.

“I don’t think so, look.”

A second cloud rose into the sky but this one was illuminated red by a large fireball which rose up into the air with the cloud. This one seemed closer than the first and then a rumble rolled across the farm rattling and shaking the truck. The cattle became frightened and bolted for the barn at the other end of the pasture. 

People wakened by the ratting of their windows ran from their homes and the milkers scurried from the dairy barn to see what had happened. There was a third flash and a fourth followed by low booming resonances that rolled by in the morning breeze.

“What do you suppose that is,” Nigel said a note of trepidation in his voice.

“I‘m not completely certain,” Mark answered. “But if it is what I think it is it is going to be a very bad day.”

Mark ran to the house and found Isabel standing outside with the children. He took her by the hand and stood watching as the quadruple mushroom clouds rose into the atmosphere.

Mark retrieved his binoculars from inside the house and observed them as the tops began to spread out scattered by the jet stream. Isabel put her arms around Mark’s waist.

“What is it Mark?” she said shakily.

Mark let the binoculars fall to his chest and pulled her close. “I think they’ve bombed Dallas and if that is true then at this very moment rockets are raining down on all of America’s large cities; that’s what I think.

Chapter 26

September 11, 2026

One month after Operation Scorched Earth

Disarray ruled the day. The surrounding units which had been loosely connected were now joined together as one unit called the Regulators. The units were forced to abandon their camps which were closer to the fire zones and move into the Black Springs unit which put a strain on resources.

The unit’s power structure began to fail as the leaders from the other groups were selfishly reluctant to release the influence they held. Some refused to acknowledge Colonel Martin or his leadership.

“Mark the colonel is here now and wants everyone to meet at the church,” Nigel said heading to the bunk houses.

Mark turned to Isabel and she put her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.

“Is there something that you’re not telling me?” he said pulling her away and looking her in the face.

“No, nothing, it’s just when I spoke to Colonel Martin he seemed not himself; he seemed concerned and there was a lot of activity at the base.”

Come on, let’s go,” Nigel said. “Everyone’s going.”

Mark took one last look at Isabel; her dark eyes reflected the fear and worry that had entered their lives in the past few months. He placed a kiss on her lips and then took her hand in his and led her out of the house.

The couple joined the crowd of people at the doors of the chapel and waited for Tom to open the doors. They spoke amongst themselves each one quizzing the other about the cause which had brought them all together.

Soon the doors were opened and as many as possible took seats the rest lined up around the walls, stood in back or stood outside the doors on either side of the rostrum. Their voices were jumbled as they spoke but the room became deathly silent as Colonel Martin approached the lectern. He stood at the lectern and looked out over the audience and it was several moments before he spoke.

“The past few months have brought us all much hardship as you know. Word has come down that there are no longer cities named Dallas or Houston or San Antonio.  There is no longer an LA or New York and most horrendous; No Washington D.C. Europe, China, Russia and all the major countries in the world most likely have nuked their major cities as well.”

The crowd let out a collective gasp as the colonel revealed the news.

“The explosions that we witnessed were indeed the result of nuclear weapons unleashed upon these cities under the pretext of destroying the Wasters. The results of this experiment, for lack of a better word are not clear at this time. But what is known is this, that unless those cities were warned beforehand and the living were evacuated then millions died along with the Wasters.

“We are completely isolated now with no hope of salvation. That leaves us and us alone to pick up the pieces and cooperate with one another on a massive scale. We are cut off and no help will be arriving from anywhere; the U.S. Government as we knew it has ceased to exist

“That being said I have learned of a rogue militia unit out of Tennessee which is rolling across the southern states. This unit or whatever you wish to call it calls themselves Confederates. Apparently their goal is to take as much of the south as they can and they are doing a good job of it.

“Their numbers are unknown at this point but what is known is that they have captured a lot of ground from militia units and towns across the south and forced them to pledge their allegiance to the Confederates.

“If the estimates I have heard about their numbers are true and I suspect they may be we are totally outnumbered by them. Also if what I am hearing is true they have not been hindered in their quest by any of the known militias across the southern tier.

“And I want to say this, I do not wish to cause alarm but if the intelligence reports from just outside the incineration zones are correct; they have already arrived on Texas soil. I believe, and this has been a difficult decision to make, but it is my belief that we must attempt to negotiate with these people. I do not believe we will prevail in an all–out fight with them.