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ARMY OF SURVIVAL, IDAHO:
Blackwood stands in the bathroom, looking in the mirror at the dark circles around his bloodshot eyes. It’s the same dream night after night, always waking when the Everex-POW-officer drops human body parts on him. He tries not to sleep at all so he won’t dream, but eventually, he dozes off and the dreams come. If I can just get rid of Everex, maybe the nightmares will end. He knows that as long as Everex keeps his elite guards nearby, he’ll never get the chance.
Blackwood hears a knock on his cabin door and steps out of the bathroom. “Enter,” he shouts as he sits in a chair at his desk. Everex steps in and closes the door, and from the look on his face, Blackwood can tell something is wrong.
Everex walks across the room and sits in a chair across from Blackwood. “We lost seven people last night, Colonel. The trucks are getting harder to find, and the damn drivers are armed to the teeth. They always have someone riding shotgun with them.”
“Did you get the supplies?” Everex indicates no. “No fuel trucks?”
“We had a chance for one, but it blew up during the gunfight.”
“Shit!” Blackwood explodes and slams his fist on the desk. “How can you be so stupid! Don’t you realize we need fuel for the refrigerated trucks? If you can’t do the job, I’ll get someone who can.”
Everex leaps from his chair and grabs Blackwood by the throat, the force knocking the Colonel over backward onto the floor.
Stunned by what happened and unable to draw a breath because of the hand still around his throat, Blackwood stares into the cold, black eyes and the savage face above him.
“Don’t push me, Colonel!” Everex hisses through clenched teeth. “Maybe it’s time the AOS has a new leader?”
Blackwood’s eyes go wide with fear as the face above him grins sadistically as the hand tightens around his throat, cutting off his air. Blackwood has seen that look before, and it still sends a chill down his spine. He knows if Everex says, Now the fun begins, he will die. His stomach tightens into a knot of fear as the seconds drag on, but suddenly he feels the pressure leave his throat.
“What the hell,” Everex says in a mocking tone. “I already run this place.” He stands and stares down at Blackwood. “You’re just a figurehead, Colonel. The people do what I tell them. They kill if I tell them, they steal if I tell them, and they believe what I tell them. Just keep that in mind.”
Blackwood remains on his back until Everex sits back down, then slowly sits up on the floor and massages his aching throat. Using the chair for support, he pushes himself up and sits down across from Everex.
Everex places one dirty boot on the desk. “Now, Colonel, let’s talk about the new recruits.”
Blackwood’s throat feels constricted and it’s hard to talk. “We got thirteen new arrivals last night.”
“Listen, Colonel. I know we decided to take in more people to build up the size of our army, but they look like homeless families, not soldiers. Too many women and children. I think we should change the rules around here.”
Blackwood knows he won’t like the answer, but needs to ask the question. “Like what?”
“If we let them stay, we train only the men and strong women. The kids will do all the domestic work, and the soft women will become camp prostitutes.”
Blackwood’s jaw drops. “What?”
“Let’s face it, Colonel. With the shortage of food and fuel in the outside world, we’ll get more families. They have to earn their keep.”
“How are you going to convince them to do that?”
“They’ll volunteer on their own.”
Blackwood laughs. “Right.” He looks at Everex, sees the menacing smirk, and stops grinning.
Everex stands and walks toward the door. “Come along, Colonel. I’ll show you.”
Blackwood stands and follows Everex down the steps and across the parade ground. Everex finds Sergeant Major Davis and sends him after the special group of ten soldiers he calls his elite guards. They are big, mean men, with little or no morals. Men looking for a fight, and each of them has the same sadistic streak as Everex does.
They all gather in front of the large, temporary tents at the edge of the woods. Most of the new people are sitting around campfires. About two-thirds are family groups, the others a mixture of young to middle-aged men and women. Blackwood estimates there are about eighty people gathered in front of them.
Everex sent a man down to get the people in the RV camp, and when he sees them approaching, he turns to Sergeant Major Davis, who blows a loud shrill from a whistle. The newcomers leave their fires and tents and stand in front of the soldiers.
Everex steps forward and folds his arms across his chest as he stares at the new people. “Now, listen up. These are the new rules. All children under fourteen years of age will report to Sergeant Major Chapman for work details.”
Everex grins in satisfaction as he sees several children move closer to their parents, their faces masks of fear as the parents try to comfort them.
“The men will meet in the parade ground in one hour. The women will go with Sergeant Major Davis. Those women physically able to become soldiers will start training. The rest will be assigned cooking and cleaning responsibilities, and some of the women will be assigned to the special services tents.”
The family groups erupt in mumbled conversations. Cally and Harold look at each other, and Chuck Berry steps past his attractive wife to address Everex. “What do you mean by special services?” he asks, a wary expression on his face.
Everex smirks at him. “The special services tents are where any of the men.” Everex’s grin widens. “Or women, if they like, can satisfy their sexual needs.”
Berry’s face becomes a mask of incredulous disbelief. “What? You can’t order our wives to become prostitutes!”
Everex shrugs indifferently. “That’s the way it is. Take it or leave it.”
Berry stares in stunned disbelief for a moment, then spins around and grabs Joyce by the hand. “We don’t have to put up with this!” he snarls over his shoulder. “We’re leaving!”
Everex shoots a look at Davis, who blows a short blast from the whistle. Chuck and Joyce stop and look back at Everex, whose expression is as cold as a deep freeze.
“No one leaves this camp!” Everex hisses.
Berry hesitates for a moment, then turns and starts walking away with Joyce while the rest of the group watch. Everyone flinches at the sudden explosion and watch Berry pitch forward and tumble to the ground. Joyce stands in numb shock for a moment as she stares at the lifeless body of her husband, then screams and drops beside him, sobbing hysterically. Cally bends down to comfort Joyce.
Blackwood stares at Everex in stunned disbelief as the man slowly puts his gun back in his holster. This isn’t what I expected. He realizes he should have.
Everex turns to Davis, who blows on the whistle again. When he has everyone’s attention, Everex continues. “Is there anyone who doesn’t understand the rules?”
Most of the women look at their husbands with imploring expressions, as if the men can stop this nightmare. The men look at the dead man on the ground, his lifeless body in a growing pool of blood, and the woman sobbing over him. They glance at their wives for understanding before staring at the ground in shame. They have to accept this harsh fate or die.
Everex grins in satisfaction. “Dismissed!” he hollers and turns to Blackwood. “I told you they’d volunteer,” he says as he watches Blackwood’s face flush with rage. He lets out a short laugh and walks back across the parade ground.
Blackwood turns and stares after Everex in disgust for a moment. I’m losing control of my army. He watches the ten men from the elite group follow Everex and realizes it’s too late to stop this insane course of events. He turns back to the group of newcomers and sees a woman trying to comfort the grieving wife.
Harold and Monroe exchange worried looks. Monroe knows his best chance of getting out of here alive is to play the game with this Colonel and his perverted Major. He decides to tell the Colonel about his career and status in the Air Force and hopes he’ll have some kind of status in this crazy army. He decides if he has to stay here, he might as well get some kind of creature comforts out of it. He thinks about Joyce and Cally and wonders what’s going to happen to them. There isn’t much he can do right now, but if he manages to get some kind of high rank out of all this, he might be able to help them.
Jerry hurries across the tent camp and walks beside Blackwood. “Excuse me, Colonel. I’m Captain Jerry Monroe, retired. Maybe I can be of assistance to your army.”