Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins (25 page)

"We're going through our supplies a little faster than
we anticipated," Laura said. "We'll need to start that hunting you
were talking about to supplement."

Greg nodded and looked at Don. "You're from around
here. What's a good area where our guys can get some hunting done?"

Don leaned over that map and mumbled a bit under his breath.
"This whole area has lots of deer so I think any forested area should
do." He pointed to a spot on the map. "I hunt at least once a year.
This is Freyfield State Park, I usually do my hunting there."

Greg leaned over and looked at the spot. "How's the
setup there? Would we be able to take everyone in?"

Don nodded. "They've got plenty of space for
campgrounds. We'd be able to fit comfortably there and then some."

Greg looked around at the other members of his inner circle.
"Any objections?" he asked. When no one voiced any concerns he
nodded. "That's the plan then." He rubbed his chin in thought.
"Are there any cities close by? Joe could do some scavenging while we're
there. I think I'd like to stay there a few days and give everyone a chance to
rest."

"There's a few small towns in the area," Don
replied. "Nothing major but Joe should be able to find some supplies
there."

"Something is better than nothing," Joe said.

"Anything that adds to our supplies is a good
thing," Laura chipped in.

"Alright," Greg said, "that's settled.
Anything else we need to talk about?"

"There's one other thing," Jackson said with a
disturbed look on his face.

"What happened?" Greg asked.

"One of the women accused one of the men of raping
her."

James sighed. "We have to be on top of this. If we're
talking about trying to rebuild, we can't let this sort of thing happen."

"Who was accused?" Greg asked. "Was it one of
my guards?"

Jackson shook his head, "a father from one of the families."

"What do we know about him?" James asked.

"Seems like a bum," Jackson replied. "Said he
was injured when Richard was putting the guard together. He also had
a convenient excuse whenever it was his turn to do any actual work."

"Definitely a bum," Greg said. "Where is he
now?"

"I've got two guards keeping him in one of the
trailers."

Greg shook his head. "That's no good. We don't have
people to spare for guard duty."

"What do you want to do then?" James asked.

Greg thought for a moment and came to a decision. "I
see two options," he said looking around at the group. "Death, or
exile."

"Whoa," Carol protested, "isn't that a bit
much? And with everything going on, exile is the same thing as death, isn't
it?"

Greg shrugged. "We can't spare people for guard duty.
We have to watch out for infected and not to mention anyone else that might
want to take what we have. Even if we could spare the guards, that means he's
eating and making no contribution to the survival of our group."

James nodded. "It's harsh, but maybe that's the best
way. The old rules don't work anymore. I mean, are we going to put him on
trial?"

"How sure are we about this guy?" Greg asked.

"A number of people saw him leaving her trailer. He had
no reason to be there."

"I don't really have a problem dealing with this guy
but I want to make sure he's guilty. Could this have been an affair or
something?"

Jackson shrugged. "Anything is possible, I suppose. I
find myself believing the girl's account. All the people I've talked to confirm
this guy is a piece of garbage. He has a rep for stepping out on his
wife."

"What happened?" Greg asked.

"The short version is that he helped her escape the
trailer park. She said that she fell and he helped her up before an infected
could get its hands on her. He came around later saying that she owed him.

Greg shook his head in disgust. "Bring him to me,"
Greg said. "Let's see what he has to say."

Jackson nodded and left the room. He returned a few minutes
later with a disheveled man in tow. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a
tank top and stringy hair was plastered over his forehead. Jackson dumped him
on the floor in front of Greg and stayed near in case he tried anything.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Greg asked
quietly.

"Nothin'" the man replied in a weasely voice.
"She's lying. She invited me over, said she wanted to thank me."

"You're married," Greg replied.

The man shrugged. "I'm a handsome man. Am I supposed to
say no if a lady wants to spend some time with me?"

Greg shook his head in disgust. "I'm afraid you don't
understand the gravity of your situation," he said as he took a step
forward. "I am judge, jury, and executioner. If I decide you're guilty,
I'm going to kill you."

The man's eyes widened. "What? You can't do that, I
know my rights!"

"Do you think the old rules still apply?" Greg
asked. "There's no court here. You won't get a day in court while your
victim is forced to relive the event all over again. There's here and now. Your
life is in my hands."

"Alright! I did it! What's the harm though? She gave
nearly everyone in the park a piece."

Carol snorted. "Let me guess, everyone but you
right?"

"Yea. She thought she was too good for me. I risked my
life to save her so she owed me."

"I've heard enough," Greg said in a quiet voice
laced with steel. "Return him to the trailer and ensure that he's guarded.
He will be executed in the morning." He ignored the gasps among the group
and returned to the table to look over the map. A moment passed and no one had
moved. "Is there a problem?" he asked without looking up.

"No, sir," Jackson replied, his voice tinged with
respect. "It'll be done." He grabbed the man and dragged to his feet.
"Let's go you piece of filth. I can't wait 'til the morning."

"Spread the word," Greg said. "I want
everyone present."

"Are you sure about this?" Carol asked.

Greg nodded. "It's necessary."

"Who do you want to do it?" James asked.

"I will," Greg replied. "I am the leader of
the group. I will not give an order that I'm not willing to carry out
myself."

Don and Joe looked at Greg with newfound respect.
"We'll let the people know, sir. I don't think anyone will be sorry to see
him go."

Later that night, Greg stood at the sole window in the
office and looked out at the stars. He and Carol had moved their bedding into
the office rather than sleep in their tent outside. Greg turned his head as he
heard Carol stir behind him.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asked.

"Eventually," Greg replied. "I'm going to
kill a man in the morning, sleep isn't coming easily."

"You don't have to do it," Carol replied.
"Have one of the guards do it."

Greg shook his head. "I won't back down from this. The
men would lose respect if I did that at this point."

"Want to talk about it? What's bothering you?"

Greg turned to face Carol. "I'm bothered because I’m
not bothered. In the middle of a fight is one thing, someone is trying to kill
you. But I'm going to kill this man tomorrow and it doesn't bother me."

Carol shrugged. "You're setting a precedent, right?
Letting people know that they can't do this sort of thing and expect to get
away with it." She rose from the bedding and made her way over to Greg.

"I could become a tyrant you know. I can't help but
feel this power is going to corrupt me somehow."

Carol shook her head. "You're standing here not getting
sleep because it bothers you. A tyrant wouldn't care."

Greg thought for a moment and nodded. "When did you get
so smart?" he asked.

"I've always been awesome," she replied, "you
were too busy being the good guy to notice."

Greg smiled. "Come here."

Morning came and everyone gathered outside of the rest
stop. Greg stood in front of them and raised his hands for silence. Once they
quieted he spoke, "Bring out the accused."

There was some shuffling as two of his guards dragged the
man through the midst of the group. The guards dropped the man and Greg's feet
and took a step back. "This man stands accused of raping one of our
women," he announced. Greg paused as a number of people gasped.

"I have investigated and found him guilty. There is no
doubt in my mind. Before, this man would have been put on trial. If he was
found guilty, he'd face some jail time." Greg shook his head, "That's
not how it's gonna work with us. I will not take away from our defenses to
guard this man. I will not waste our food on a man that doesn't
contribute."

Greg looked around the group and saw that a number of people
were nodding. Greg drew his machete and the group gasped. "This man
confessed his crime but he showed no remorse. He felt that he was owed because
he saved the woman's life. Listen up! No woman is to be touched against her
will. Any man that breaks this will find himself right here."

Greg stepped forward and thrust his machete into the man's
chest. He then placed his foot on his chest to pull his machete free. "We
are attacked on all sides," he said looking at the crowd. "The
infected are one side and scum like this are on the other. We have to stand
together if we're going to survive." Greg walked away and people took that
a dismissal.

He heard snippets of conversation as he went. "Can you
believe that?" "I'm glad he did," their companion replied. There
were several more conversations like this that Greg heard and he nodded to
himself. At least some of the group so the necessity for his actions. He
reached his quarters and used a rag to clean his machete before sheathing it.
He turned at the sound of movement and saw Carol standing in the doorway.

"You okay?" she asked.

Greg nodded, "Yeah, I'm alright. How's everyone taking
it?"

"There are couple that look upset but most of them seem
to think that was a good idea. That man wasn't popular around here."

Greg nodded, "Everyone getting ready?"

Carol nodded, "Laura took over after you left.
Everyone's packing up now."

"Alright," Greg replied, "Let's get on the
road."

***

Undisclosed Location

Nick shoved the door open as he barged into Terrence's
office. He ignore the plush carpeting on the floor and the expensive are pieces
hanging on the walls. He also ignored the plush leather chairs in front of
Terrence's desk in favor of leaning over it menacingly. "What have
you done?" he demanded.

"Welcome, Major," Terrence said, seemingly unfazed
by the Major leaning over him, "please, come in."

"What have you done?" he asked again.

"I've done lots of things," Terrence replied,
"you'll have to be more specific."

"I'm talking about the doctor. I just walked by and saw
him drinking himself stupid."

Terrence shrugged. "Maybe he needed a little liquid
courage as it were. The...experiments can be considered quite horrific if one
doesn't steel themselves to the necessity."

"The necessity? I asked around. You're killing
innocents!"

"No," Terrence replied, "the good doctor is
killing innocents as you put it. I don't tell him how to run his experiments.
And if some of them have been killed in the process...well we're trying to find
a way to stop this infection."

"By killing innocents? There has to be a better
way."

"You misunderstand the situation, Major. I don't tell
the doctor how to solve the problem. I believe I've already stated this. The
doctor told me what he needed and I provide it. If you want to wax on about the
morality of the situation, you should go talk to the doctor."

"This can't go on," Nick said. "I'm reporting
this."

"Alright. You do that. How do you think they'll
respond? Pendleton is the best person qualified to find a treatment. You think
they're going to tell us to just stop? Do you think they care how we come up
with a solution?"

Nick sat in one of the chairs. "How can you be okay
with this? We're supposed to be protecting people, not experimenting on
them."

"Believe it or not, I take no pleasure in this. If
there was another way to do this, I'd happily do it. Doctor Pendleton told me
he needed live subjects so I procured them. My understanding is that he'd
learned all he could from performing autopsies. I don't like it any more than
you, Major. But it's for the greater good. If we can stop this thing, millions
of lives can be saved."

"At what price? How can this be worth it?"

"There are over three hundred million people in this
country. How many are dying right now as we speak? Worse, how many are being
turned? How can we hope to rebuild with all those things out there?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't know that I can be okay
with this."

"You don't have to be. Focus on your job. Keep this
facility secure as long as possible. I can only guarantee one more site if we
have to evacuate again."

"That bad?"

"Communication is breaking down. Some of our bases have
been overrun by the infected. If the doctor doesn't find a solution soon, there
won't be anything left." Terrence nodded at the look on Nick's face.
"So you see, Pendleton finding some sort of treatment is critical.
Hopefully he'll find something while there's still something to save."

Nick sat with a trouble look on his face. He heard what
Terrence was saying but it still didn't sit well with him. They were supposed
to protect the people, not hurt them. Did it really come down to the numbers?
Allow a certain amount of people to die so that others can live? "I hear
what you're saying. It just doesn't feel right."

"I know," Terrence replied softly. "The only
way to deal with it is to focus on the bigger picture. It doesn't help you
sleep at night, but that's the job."

Nick nodded. "Alright, then. I guess I better go do my
part then." Nick stood and left the office. On his way out he stopped by
Henry's lab. He thought about going in but decided it was better that he didn't
He didn't like what they were doing but it seemed necessary. He kept walking
until he was outside and made his way to the building where his office was set
up. He didn't like what was going on, but he'd do his part to keep the facility
secure. Otherwise, all those people would have died in vain. They were doing
alright so far, they still had plenty of ammo and he hadn't lost any men to the
infected yet. He was just sitting down to do some paperwork when one of his men
burst into his office. He looked up and saw Sergeant Lynch standing in front of
his desk breathing heavily.