The Apocalypse

Chapter 17

Sarah

Danville, Illinois



When the military left Danville the first time they left a town, which had once been thriving, on the brink. It wasn't just the food, it was the attitude the soldiers had displayed. It left no doubt that they saw the people as little more than servants in the best of cases and slaves in the worst.

Sarah's parents had their vast larder pared down to a week or two of food, and they were some of the lucky ones. A few people were arrested for resisting and had everything taken from them. And while an unknown number of women were rumored to have been raped, two other people were actually shot.

With all the killing in the world, those two deaths caused reverberations out of all proportion. Thousands of people panicked and fled the town, thinking incorrectly that they would find things better somewhere else. Among those that stayed a strong majority felt the overwhelming need to fortify the town and all remaining fuel was used to operate a bulldozer night and day, digging what was in essence a huge moat around Danville. They even redirected the waters of the North Fork River into it, making a tremendous muddy mess out of the eastern side of the city.

And then they sat around passively waiting. Nothing in their staid, dull lives had prepared them to do anything else. Within a few days the moat proved its worth when the first real wave of zombies came at the town. The alarm sounded and the men went off, while the women, save for a hearty few, watched from the eastern buildings.

The firing went on for a long time as the men were slow to catch on that only headshots were effective and hundreds of rounds were wasted in a time when every shot counted. Eventually the moat was breached in a number of spots and the farmers fled to their homes, where they proved far more effective. Firing down from second floor windows where they were safe allowed them to aim with far greater accuracy, and though a number of homes were broken into and some two dozen townsmen were slain, the town lived to fight another day.

“Was everyone checked for bites last night?” Denise asked at breakfast the following morning. In order to pool their dwindling recourses, Gary and Denise Rivers, had moved into their daughter's much smaller house. It was easier to heat and had only two entrances to defend in case of an emergency and one of these was blocked with a now useless refrigerator.

They were eating cold oatmeal with only a spoon full of sugar to sweeten it. Since the army had left, their meals had been dreadfully bland and Gary sighed with his spoon halfway to his mouth. “Yeah. Johansson and Cargrave went around after the fight. Found a couple.”

“Who were they?” Denise asked taking a small nibble of the grey paste.

“Please,” Sarah said, shaking her head. She didn't want to know who they were. The list of dead and missing in her life was beginning to grow in length and just then she'd rather just believe her friends were alive someplace else; someplace nice.

“Well what did they do?” Denise demanded. “We can't have people turning into monsters smack dab in the middle of Danville!”

“Trust me, it was taken care of. In a respectful manner.”

The room went silent as the two women pondered what a “respectful manner” entailed and in the silence the dread bell began to go off again. Denise's mouth started to quiver; she stared down at her bowl and said, “You better get going, dear.”

He had only just opened the door when someone ran by and yelled, “The army's back. Hide what you can!” They didn't have much to hide, so it only took a few minutes, and that was all the time they had.

“What is that noise?” Denise asked hurrying to the window and peeking out. “Oh my lord! They have tanks. Why would they have tanks?”

They found out moments later as a loudspeaker began issuing orders: “Residents of Danville, remain indoors. Resistors will be shot. Remain indoors until further notice. Anyone on the street will be shot as a resistor. All weapons must be placed just outside your front door. Anyone found with a weapon indoors will be shot.”

This was repeated up and down the street.

Gary had gone upstairs to get a better look around and he came down in a sweat. “They've got four tanks and all sorts of armored humvees. They...” A tat-tat-tat of machine gun fire began. It ended quickly and everyone stood frozen, listening for more. Gary swallowed hard and asked, “What do we do?”

“Put your gun outside!” Denise cried.

“But they'll take it,” Gary said, clutching his shotgun with both hands, like a toddler with a toy. “We'll be defenseless.”

Sarah felt her insides cave as she said, “They won't. I know the commander. Um, he uh...we have an understanding.”

Her father seemed puzzled by this. “What sort of understanding?”

“Just put the gun outside,” Sarah said, going to sit down at her kitchen table. She didn't think her legs would hold her up for long. “And hurry. They seem trigger happy and I couldn't stand for anything to happen to you.”

He did and then the three sat at the kitchen table with their oatmeal hardening in front of them. The tanks systematically went down each street, stopping at every house where their presence made the people feel small and vulnerable. When they finally came to Sarah's house and a knock sounded at the door each of the three took a great fearful breath. “Come in,” she said and her voice cracked.

Two soldiers came in pointing mean looking assault weapons at the three and right behind them came the colonel and now his nametag was visible: Williams. He spoke pleasantly, “Good morning. Don't get up, enjoy your breakfast.”


“Are you going to take my gun?” Gary asked quickly.

The colonel's eyes went to Sarah first and she found that she couldn't look him in the face. “That all depends,” he said, slowly. He then raised his eyebrows to one of the soldiers who had come in with them.

The man read aloud from a piece of notebook paper, “By command of the military governor in compliance with Executive order 7249. Section one: In order to fairly and properly defend the people of Danville, all weapons and ammunition are to be turned over immediately. They will be redistributed as warranted by circumstance.”

Sarah's father gasped and began, “That's outrageous. You can't take our guns! Our second amendment rights...”

Williams held up a hand and cut Gary's words off with the simple gesture. “I can actually. Forget the executive order, those tanks out there say I can.”

“You'll leave us defenseless!”

Colonel Williams sighed and nodded. He pointed to the two soldiers. “Wait outside please,” he ordered and when they had left he went on, “I wish it weren't so, but the cold reality is that many of you will die. Hell, all of us may die for that matter. It's a sad truth. Our lines were broken in four spots and most of my men are dead or run off. The remainder, about two-thousand are on an island in the Illinois river, fortifying it as we speak.”

“But how are we supposed to live?” Gary demanded. “Taking away our guns is the same as murdering us!”

“Right now I have to look out for the greater good,” Williams replied. “Communications with my superiors have ceased, we're no longer supplied, and every major city is categorized as black. That's the paradigm in which I have to base my decisions. America has fallen. That's the truth. And even if I let you keep your guns, you'll all die, very soon. This town is essentially defenseless and now that the army has failed, there's nothing between you and close on a million stiffs. From my point of view it makes no sense not to take what can be saved and leave the rest.”

The room went quiet at the news and from outside screams could be heard. Sarah listened to them and they sunk in, going right to her heart; they were the screams of Mrs. Hayes, one of her neighbors. The sound made her oatmeal want to come back up.

She swallowed hard, forcing the sensation of nausea from her mind and then stood. With a forced smile she went to the colonel and put her hand out and he took it. “Thankfully, the colonel and I have an understanding.”

Her father had been ghost-white and staring blankly, now he came alive. “That's what you said before, and I ask again, what sort of understanding?”

Williams glanced down at Sarah and then put an arm around her. “Nothing nefarious I assure you. I am somewhat smitten with your daughter and I can't stand the idea of something happening to her. Somehow she was able to pick up on it.”

“Somehow,” Sarah agreed with a barely repressed shiver. The colonel's hand had slid down her back and now he was gently massaging her ass. “And you'll bring my parents with us back to this island?”

“How could I say no?” he replied. “Though I have to warn you, I'll expect a lot out of you on a daily basis.”

“You won't be disappointed,” Sarah said, agreeing to become his whore.