Charlie's Requiem: Democide (15 page)

Natasha’s face darkened again but John quickly continued.

“She’s not for me.” He started, then suddenly realizing that his choice of words wasn’t too skilled, he continued.

“No, not that. I don’t mean that she wasn’t for me, or anyone else. She’s the girlfriend of a friend. A guy who isn’t in the camp with her and doesn’t want to be.”

“I don’t understand.” Natasha said.

“Don’t you know that once someone checks into these camps, they can’t leave? At least of their own volition.”

Natasha sat there stunned. Obviously, she hadn’t been filled in on that little detail.

“I had no idea,” she finally admitted. Recovering her composure, she tried to justify her work and beliefs.

“But why would they want to leave?” She asked with an attitude to her voice that questioned the sanity of anyone that didn’t want to be safe in the camps.

“Well,” John started. “Let me fill you in on some of the things going on in our camp.” John said.

Then he described the conditions of the facility, the sexual harassment and the uncertainties of the residents’ futures.

Finally, after reminding her that most families were being torn apart as they segregated the sexes and their children, allowing for minimal visitations between them all, Natasha began to understand.

“Oh John!” She started. “I had no idea.”

“None of us did, even though all of the signs were there.” John replied. “Why would we think differently? We’ve spent our lives protecting others, and we assume that everyone else wants the same thing we do.”

“But why is the government doing this?” She asked, pain beginning to creep into her voice.

John thought for a moment. He had always struggled with the problem of power and control. As a cop, he recognized that his power carried a lot of responsibility. What is it that Peter Parker’s uncle said in that first Spiderman movie?
With great power comes great responsibility
.

Unfortunately, too many wanted or needed the power, and then cast aside the obligations that go with it. But in this case, John doubted that the government had abdicated its responsibility. There were a ton of resources appearing out of thin air and the “recovery” was too organized to dismiss the idea that the government didn’t care.

When it all came down to it, the basic problem was that too many in control felt that only
they
knew how to fix things. It was a narcissistic and fool-hardy attitude that always ended in failure. The problem was that those that wielded the power considered themselves infallible. They were blind to their own shortcomings and were incapable of change. It was their way
only
; and if their strategies weren’t effective, then obviously it just needed more time and money to allow their solutions to work.

“They are doing these things because they think that their way is right, and that the ends justify the means. If that involves lying, hiring thugs or forcing people to do stuff against their own will, then that is valid. In the long run, it’s the results that matter.”

Natasha sat in silence. Finally, the bedroom door opened and Mike joined them.

“Mike, this is Natasha.” John said.

“Pleasure, ma’am.” Mike replied. “Glad you two quit yellin’ at each other.”

“I am too,” Natasha replied. “And I’m sorry, John. I didn’t have a right to barge in on you like that.”

“No problem,” John said. “But I guess you slipped a bit there.”

“How so?” She replied with some confusion.

“You said last night that your woman’s intuition could tell what kind of guy I was.”

“Well now,” she started. “I guess I was right about you after all. You are one of the good guys.”

“Then why the drama?” John replied, egging her on.

“Because,” she said as she moved closely to him. “I knew you were good; and when I heard about the girl at the Fairgrounds, I thought you had tricked me!”

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down.

“And, I’m never wrong!” She whispered as she deeply kissed him.

She released him after a few moments, turned and left the two men in stunned silence.

“That was hot and all,” Mike started. “But I got to tell you. That was just messed up on so many levels.”

The big guy shook his head and turned to go to bed. John, for his part, stood where she had left him, his head twirling with emotions.

“Be careful of that one,” the young agent said to John. “She’s psycho!”

“No,” John replied. “She’s just a woman.”

“Tell me you didn’t just say that!” Mike chuckled.

“I’ll never admit to it,” John jokingly responded.

“Hmmph,” Mike grunted, shook his head and shut the bedroom door.

After turning off the lights, John lay down on the couch, his head awash with the day’s events. Finally, after a fitful few minutes, the physical and mental exhaustion of the day took hold and he drifted into a deep sleep. Even the rumbling of the bedroom doorframe from Mike’s loud snoring didn’t wake him as he dreamt once again of a corpse and its ominous foretelling of their future.

Chapter 13

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight

— Sun Tzu

I
know that things will work out in the end. John said, before he left earlier this evening, that no battle plan ever survived first contact and that we shouldn’t despair. Because after all our planning and good efforts, everything we had expected to do this night was in the toilet.

I’m now sitting in the apartment building, it’s my turn to take watch, and it has left me with too much time to think. Janice and Garrett reclining nearby on the couch of our 2nd floor sanctuary, the two of them have drifted off to sleep.

It’s after midnight, and I can hear the quiet snores from Jorge coming from the bedroom down the hall. Originally, Jorge and Maria were going to leave after dark and head through southeast Orlando, following his journey that brought him into town the other night. They figured that if they retraced his steps, they would be outside the city’s sprawling neighborhoods in a slow and careful two-night trip. Then, once past the urban clutter and pushing hard both day and night, they could make it the last 40 miles and get to the ranch south and east of St. Cloud as quickly as possible. The huge spread was the largest cattle ranch east of the Mississippi. It was so large, in fact, that it stretched across Orange, Osceola, and Brevard counties, from the Atlantic Ocean to the middle of the state.

He and Maria have decided to stay with us another day or two to rethink strategy. John promised to get more information on the government’s new plans for the city; and until we got a grasp on our potential obstacles, it was too dangerous to go wandering about. If there was one thing that we were certain of, it was that DHS lacked resources outside the city. So it was assumed that if we could move away from the highly populated areas around downtown, once outside the city proper, we could avoid the government agents and then just worry about normal looters, rapists and murderers. At least they didn’t have military grade weapons and a highly coordinated army behind them.

“Just fantastic!” I thought to myself. Catching a break in today’s world means only fighting through thugs and gangbangers, and not an adversarial government agency.

I got up to do my patrol of the building. John had made it clear that we were to set our patrol schedule at random times to prevent someone from timing an attack based on a set schedule. It wasn’t so much for the DHS guys that we did this, but we had to recognize that we weren’t the only refugees trying to survive in the city. Many eyes were out there, and ignoring this fact could be fatal to us all.

We planned the timing and route of our patrol in the building before we all retired for the night. Each evening, another unique patrol pattern would be planned and implemented. Tonight, I was on watch from midnight until three. Garrett would take the three to six shift, leaving Janice, Jorge and Maria time to recover, and in the case of the happy couple, time to reconnect. Janice still wasn’t up to the task of being in a responsible position or for us to be able to trust her judgement. Who knows how long her PTSD would last; but until I was sure that she was competent, I wasn’t going to put my life in her hands just yet. She could spend her nights sleeping and I would patrol until I felt she was ready. Of course, Garrett was all for this, protecting her had become his life’s work.

On the fourth floor, I could just make out “the Tower” thrusting up over the tops of the adjacent building. The light pollution it gave off was amazing, and was a reminder of the electric footprint that the city had emitted just a few weeks ago. When I went to the opposite side of our building, I could look up into the night sky and see the faint haze of the Milky Way. Normally, I would have to move almost 50 miles out from the city to have the unpolluted view I was enjoying through the east-facing windows.

Shaking myself out of my stupor, I scanned the streets and other buildings, looking for signs of human life. Once, I thought I could see a dim light in a window to the east, over near Lake Eola. But that soon disappeared, leaving me unsure whether I was having hopeful illusions, or that there were others hiding out in the city just like us.

Moving to the lower floors, I saw mostly the same bleak picture. Darkened streets, deathly silence and an unshakable pallor of lifelessness were the common sights and feelings I witnessed and felt.

Just over 45 minutes later, I initiated my second patrol, this time in reverse order. The lower floors were clear, including the basement (my least favorite part of any patrol). But when I got back up to the east-facing windows on the top floor, I indeed confirmed that a faint light was present in a window in one of the high-rises to the east. It was a dim glow that lasted over two minutes before someone extinguished it. I got out my notebook and catalogued its presence, making a precise log of which window and the appropriate building it emanated from.

“Well, fellow denizen of the City Beautiful,” I said out loud. “Friend or foe?”

I would let John know about this sighting, and maybe he could investigate. But that was for tomorrow night; and right now, I needed to concentrate on the job at hand. Keep searching for threats and anything unusual that could affect us.

I patted my Hi-Point handgun which was strapped around my waist. John had been kind enough to bring a universal holster that evening that could be attached to my belt. I was adjusting to the reality that I was always going to be armed, at least until sanity returned to the world. But wearing the heavy semi-automatic pistol constantly made my right hip hurt. And even then, I vowed to myself,
when this is all over, I am going to get my concealed carry permit and always be armed
.

As a group, we decided to hold here for at least a few more days and nights. John was pretty sure that the inspections we saw were a one and done event, given that no other buildings were being inspected like the three apartments we were a part of. He was going to check with Beth, who had her ear to the ground at DHS headquarters; and unless we heard otherwise, we should be safe. As a precaution, we would be making some hiding spots in the basement if someone approached again.

Scanning the street to the north, a sudden movement caught my eye. Squinting into the darkness, the moon, a thin crescent just a day into its new phase, I could see little detail. I focused my eyesight to the right of the movement, using my peripheral vision to scan the area, and noticed a number of bodies running down the street.

I gasped as the figures began to coalesce, finally recognizing a pack of dogs running down the road. I quickly realized that they were chasing something. The animals appeared and disappeared as they came closer, their pack temporarily hidden by adjacent buildings. Eventually, they hit the side street that ran next to our building and they turned east away from me, the seven or eight animals in hot pursuit of something I could just make out. It was a large cat or raccoon.

I smiled at the sight, until I realized that these animals were desperate for food. They were starting to run in packs; and how many of these packs were out there was anyone’s guess.

This was disconcerting, to say the least. Now, not only did we have to deal with DHS, gangs and other unsavory types, we now had to deal with packs of dogs. I wrote down in the notebook that we needed to come up with a way to protect ourselves from these animals, grateful that the Central Florida Zoo was all the way up in Sanford. Who knows how they are doing, but the thought of the zoo’s big cats being released into the Florida swamps sent shivers down my spine. Even though the zoo didn’t keep any lions or tigers, they had their share of predatory cats. I know for a fact that they keep a clouded leopard on display, as well as traditional leopards, some cougars and cheetahs. Come to think of it, Disney’s Animal Kingdom was just down the road as well.

If we don’t get our act together
, I jokingly thought,
we’ll have a regular African Serengeti out there. Won’t be too much fun with a cheetah or leopard stalking us.

The rest of my shift was uneventful with no further sightings of man, beast or far-off lights in the night. Having noticed the light in the other tower, it was obvious that light discipline was critical, and that one misstep or moment of carelessness could cost us all our lives.

More and more, it was evident that surviving in this new society drained a person physically, mentally and especially emotionally. There was never a time you weren’t on guard, planning your next three steps and alternatives to those steps based on what life presented you. The days of zoning out, of living life on autopilot were gone.

As Garrett struggled to extricate himself from Janice’s embrace without disturbing her slumber, I sadly thought of the things I missed the most. It wasn’t the food, the parties, the job or even my family. It was the loss of innocence, my mindless life that seemed to just happen without any effort. Don’t get me wrong, I worked hard at my job and earned every penny I made. But the effortlessness of life beyond the daily stresses of work was no more. Jump into the car and hit the local Publix, throw on my workout clothes and take a stress-releasing run, pick up some gas on the way to a friend’s house to watch the latest Netflix release or even to stop at Starbucks and have a skinny Café Latte… all gone!

Garrett finally looked capable of staying awake after a shot of warm energy drink and a quick brushing of his teeth. I took him into one of the other apartments and let him know about the light I saw, as well as the dog pack running down Magnolia Avenue. We quickly reviewed his patrol pattern and I stressed the need for good light discipline. By the time I had finished, he seemed alert and ready for his assignment.

I found my way into the guest bedroom, Jorge and Maria having taken the king-sized bed in the master, and lay back. I don’t think I remember my head hitting the pillow before I was out.

When I awoke, the sun was well into the morning sky. I stretched and did my morning business before joining the others in our communal apartment.

When I arrived in our kitchen, several boxes of Pop Tarts were sitting on the counter, with the rest of our supplies packed properly in our bug-out bag. I was pleased that they were taking the threat of a sudden inspection seriously. Looking at the rooms we were occupying, I could tell that we could be packed and out the door in under a minute. Beds were left bare, each of us using a blanket or throw from our basement stash. No crumbs were found; and if we threw our food supplies into its bag and grabbed our blankets, we would leave no trace behind.

I shook my head at the effort it was taking to stay off the radar.
What a way to live,
I thought.
Actually, this wasn’t living, it was just surviving.

As the days passed, we said very little because we had no new information to discuss. All we could do was quietly wait for John to visit tonight and plan accordingly. As it turned out, six more days went by; and those were the most boring of my short life.

I am sure there will be times in the future when I wished life were this mundane; but in its own way, the inactivity and ignorance of what the outside world was experiencing created its own form of hell.

“John should be here in a bit,” I said to no one in particular.

It was nearing dark, and our standard daily get – together had recently turned into an every-other day meeting. John had been reassigned to escort postal census takers in an attempt to get a handle on how many people remained in the city. I had no idea that they had this power, but apparently there was some obscure law from the Kennedy administration that let the postal workers do census work to take an accounting of all citizens.

John had described it as Executive Order 11002 – Assigning Emergency Preparedness Functions to the Postmaster General. I guess when we were concerned about a nuclear war, and the government needed to find out how many had survived, that made some weird kind of sense. But now it sounded like someone had figured out how to use this to Homeland’s advantage; and tonight would be John’s first meeting with us after days of census babysitting.

It wasn’t too much longer before John appeared at our door. The evening sun had long since set, and the night sky was dark with clouds that threatened rain and blocked the quarter moon from giving us any illumination.

I could tell from his demeanor that the last few days had not gone well. He was short with Garrett when first greeted and he insisted we all sit down and plan an exit strategy, the sooner the better.

We made our way to the stairwell; and after closing the doors, Garrett used a battery-operated lantern to provide us with some light. We spread our maps on the cold, concrete floor and John brought out a notebook where he had taken notes and drawn his own diagrams. He took a marker from his pocket and outlined the areas where the DHS contractors had taken over.

“OK, guys.” He started. “I’ve outlined all the no-go areas you need to avoid. The areas marked with cross hatches are out. They are saturated with these DHS goons, and there’s no safe passage in these areas.”

Looking at the map, all of south Orlando was now out of bounds. The west side was close to being shut off as well, and areas of Apopka to the northwest and Union Park on the east side had tentacle – like projections enveloping these areas. It was like an Amoeba projecting pseudopods around an unsuspecting prey, enveloping it for eventual digestion.

“My God,” Garrett whispered as we stared at the new map. “Where do we go?”

“North,” John said with a sigh. “It’s the only way. DHS has hired, for lack of any better term, thugs and gang members to clear out these no-go areas. I’ve seen what they have left behind; and it’s genocide. I’ve escorted the postal workers into zones “cleared” by these people, and there isn’t a block or neighborhood where I haven’t seen entire families wiped out.”

I put my hand on John’s arm and squeezed. How he could deal with this was beyond me, yet here he is persisting in helping us.

“I am so sorry,” I said. “You must feel so powerless.”

John smiled weakly at me and nodded. You could see the depression, the helplessness in his eyes.

“You have no idea,” he said back.

He got up from his kneeling position and stretched. He walked to the top of the stairs and stared into the landing wall. The Coleman battery-powered lantern cast a steady dull light that illuminated the landing around us, but quickly faded as it searched out the depths of the stairwell. A dark, uninviting abyss stared back at you when you looked down to its lower levels.

I got up and stood next to him, staring at the wall in front of us. The silence was complete, only our light breathing breaking the stillness.

“It almost flickers,” he quietly said.

“What?” I gently asked.

“The light,” he replied. “If you stare at the wall long enough, I would swear the light was dancing, almost like a flame.”

I looked but didn’t see it. Something was deeply bothering him and I could sense that he didn’t want to give it up. His eyes betrayed a soul in turmoil, and his posture showed a man at war with himself.

Finally, he turned to us and spoke of what had been happening. But best I let him tell that story himself.