The World Cowers Read online

  “So…” Blake asked after a while, “You’re our… public defender?”

  “Something like that, but more like an advocate,” he said, dragging a metal chair to within a few feet of the bars, sitting down and pulling out a clipboard with a pad of paper.

  “Now, I need you all to fill me in. Start at the beginning,” he said, his pen clicking as he bowed his head down to start writing.

  “The beginning where we met Boss Hogg?” Blake asked.

  “Oh, man… You’re talking about Davis aren’t you?” Cates said, looking up and smiling.

  “Yeah,” Sandra told him, remembering the day they had met him.

  “No, before that. I know Mr. Silverman’s life when the EMP happened, it’s all on record. I want to hear yours, and then we’ll go through what happened with Davis and the mercenaries he sent after your teams and families.

  Silverman sat up in surprise, “They never sent anyone after us,” he said.

  “Twenty men. They never came back,” Cates told him, “That’s one of the charges against you and your men. Twenty men lost or killed by you and yours.”

  “That’s absurd, they sent them against… Oh hell, this isn’t going to be a normal military trial, is it?”

  “No Sir, I don’t believe it is. The circumstances are rather curious, and nothing like this has been done legally before,” Cates told them, putting pen to paper, “Now Blake, would you like to go first?”

  * * *

  Duncan had calmed greatly, but Martha and Lisa were ready to sit on him if needed to hold him down. It finally took Bobby and Sgt. Smith to talk to him, to make him rest. It had been close; the pain in his chest had flared up so suddenly and so hard, it’d started to take his breath away. He’d felt nauseated but, once he sat down, he didn’t quite feel so bad. Chris had immediately taken it as a sign that grandpa wanted to rough house and that was quickly stopped, though it’d made Duncan laugh.

  “Teams are reporting in,” David told them, “their radio equipment was taken and the top men were escorted out by helicopters yesterday. They’re breaking camp and the men are fixing to return to… Greenville? The families that are staying behind have asked if they can join The Homestead.”

  “We can wait for him to get back to get the report,” Duncan said. “Besides, we have to have a meeting.”

  “Who all are we asking?” Lisa said, running her fingers through her husband’s hair lightly.

  “All active and former military and law enforcement. We’ve taken in and absorbed a lot of folks before and after John Davis. We need to find out how many—“

  “Duncan, Mom, “Bobby interrupted, “I’m still doing the census polls as people come in. You know we converted a lot of the barn loft into sleeping space, well, that along with the barracks and trailers has us at close to one hundred thirty men, women and children.” Bobby said.

  It’d been his job originally, when he’d gotten bashed in the head, and had been set up accidentally by his fiancée before they’d become an item. The concussion had left him hurting for days, but meeting and talking to the new people they’d rescued had been what he could do to help. He still did it, and kept his records in a dog eared notebook he’d found in a pile of boxes. He’d been the one who had worked out the shared bed routine, like the old Navy term, ‘hot cot’.

  “How many former or active troops are living with Sgt. Smith’s men now?” Duncan asked.

  Ever since Smith had split off from the rogue unit, they’d set up their own small camp in the wooded area to the west of the big field. They’d done so when it became apparent that they needed a place to stay. They had brought their own equipment, armaments and sleeping arrangements. The numbers in there swelled as single men who had once been in service, found living with them seemed more comfortable and familiar than a basement of a barn.

  “Forty three,” Bobby told him, “Then if you count us, the core group,” Bobby said, motioning to the room….

  “Wow, I never realized that there were so many of us now,” Patty said.

  “There’s more kids and young people up to nineteen years of age than us adults,” Bobby told them, “lots of them lost parents or caregivers.”

  “So we gots new mommies and daddies,” Chris said, and his face fell as the realization hit him. “Do I have to get a new Mommy and Daddy now that—“

  “Shhhh,” Lisa said, pulling him into her lap, “We told you, it won’t be long.”

  “Ok,” Duncan said, sitting up from where he’d been laying on the couch, “Bobby, go ahead and call a general meeting. Whoever’s manning the OPs can stay and I’ll talk to them personally, but we need to figure this out. If Davis is still in charge and the orders are legit, we need to make a decision - and fast.”

  * * *

  “What I’ve been told,” Cates said, “is that this is going to be more like a moderated discussion rather than a civilian or military trial.”

  “Why is that?” Silverman asked.

  “Why are they even giving us a trial?” Sandra cut in.

  “Here’s how I see it,” Cates said, standing and stretching, “you all are somewhat public figures and have put the call out, so to speak, to have people start moving towards the heartland of America. Would you be surprised to hear that many are doing so?”

  “Yes,” Blake said simply.

  “Would it surprise you to hear that the informal network of agents working in the south, in Alabama, Louisiana and other Gulf states, wouldn’t have gotten together if it hadn’t been for Rebel Radio and a guy named John?”

  “Yes,” Sandra said this time.

  “Would it surprise you to hear that most of the police and military personnel in this country agree with what you and yours have done? I mean, in every case it seems like you’ve all gotten the worst of the worst and dealt with it.”

  “We’re just acting as our consciences allow.” Blake told him.

  “I was acting under the oath I took,” Silverman told him, “Even though martial law supposedly trumps all of our rights.”

  “I was acting with both,” Sandra told them, “as former military and as a human, I did what I felt was right. Every time.”

  “So I’m going to mark that one down as a yes,” Cates said, “These are all good things in your favor. The panel you’re going to be sitting in front of will include the head of FEMA for the state of Kentucky, two military men and one woman of high rank. I don’t know most of them so don’t ask… oh, and a former Kentucky Supreme court judge. He’s the one I think you’re gonna like, Ma’am.”

  “Why’s that?” Sandra asked.

  “He’s the one who insisted you both be handled with the utmost care, and that your delicate condition not be compromised.” Cates told them, taking his glasses off and rubbing the red mark across his nose.

  “He means the baby,” Blake said.

  “I know that, dummy,” Sandra snarked.

  “Is that what happened with me?” Silverman asked, “They didn’t fire or even attack, just swooped in and demanded our surrender. They took me and a few of my men, but left the rest, including their equipment, with orders to report for duty.”

  “I think that may have also come from him as well. He’s not a fan of John Davis,” Cates said, putting the glasses back on.

  “Where is the Governor in all of this?” Blake asked, “He sounded like we were to be fitted with a noose right away.”

  “He’s… difficult. He’s going to be the star of the prosecution. Hell, he is the prosecution. He’s furious that the President has asked for this panel to do the trial. It was either that or admit he’d been wrong to appoint Davis, and put someone else in charge. There have also been some nasty rumors about him so… Since Davis was… or is… a personal friend of the President’s—“

  “Crony politics at its best,” Blake finished.

  “Yes Sir,” Cates said. “It’s as much for his benefit as it is yours.”

  “When do we… I mean, what… The trial?”


  “You’re in the dark as much as I am. I’m just a criminal defense attorney, one who volunteered to sit in this case.”

  “How does a Texan, a civilian at that, get invited into a DUMB?” Silverman asked, curious.

  “My wife’s rank,” he said, smiling. “My wife’s one of the military personnel sitting on the panel of judges.”

  “So you’re not as much in the dark as you let on?” Blake asked.

  Relief flooded through Blake, and he almost shook in relief. Cates’s easy demeanor and soothing voice had done a lot to put them at ease, but what he said next almost shattered that.

  “She is a stickler for rules and orders. Don’t think that she’s going to go easy on y’all just because I happen to think they should set ya free. I’ve argued your case to her dozens of times and not won one yet.”

  “We’re on our own here, aren’t we?” Sandra asked, rubbing her stomach.

  “We always have been, darling,” Cates told them, putting the chair up against the wall where the others were.

  “Well that sucks.” Blake said, sitting back on the cot and then laying down.

  “When does the trial start?” Silverman asked.

  “Soon,” Cates told them.

  “Lovely,” Sandra said, sitting on her own cot.

  “Food will be brought to you all soon, and somebody will be here for restroom breaks. I’ll have some clean clothing brought to you here - and don’t worry, it isn’t prison orange,” Cates told them, leaving the room, followed by Sherman.

  “That was weird,” Sgt. Silverman said.

  “Tell me about it,” Blake told him.

  5

  “We’ve all heard rumblings about the attacks in the Southwest, especially in light of the folks released from the FEMA camps, many of which couldn’t or wouldn’t return home to the even more dangerous areas,” Sgt. Smith said to the assembled crowd.

  They were gathered loosely in a semicircle around him on the hill. He stood downslope so everyone could see and hear him. Small children were hushed, but even with the news, there was still some playfulness in the air as parents smiled at their antics.

  “It appears that we’ve been repeating a lot of bad information, me included. When the grid went down, so did the communications for a lot of us. Now, I used to be active duty, but had gotten back into the National Guard to finish things out. I was on patrol and had been tasked with helping track down some folks when I had a… disagreement with my commanding officer. I’ll probably face a court martial no matter what, for what I did and my actions, whether they were justified or not.

  The reason I’m sharing this, is that many of you - and myself - are now being recalled to active duty. They’ve given us one week to report in. I do not say this lightly, but I heard the President’s speech with my own ears. I’ve even met the man once, when he was running. Our old comm channels are now back and working and there are no longer strangers with the wrong passcodes and information on them. I’ll never know if they were NATO, imposters or somebody who stumbled across some hardware, but my last communication checks out and it was a legitimate order to return to base.”

  He let that sink in.

  “What about our families?” a man asked from the crowd, not one of Smith’s men.

  “I will have to defer that to Duncan and Lisa, since they took Blake and Sandra for interrogation, though they’ve consented to let the families of Sgt. Silverman’s men come to live here.” Smith said and instantly wished he could have taken it back.

  It was a hornet’s nest issue, and many voices were raised and vile threats made.

  “Why aren’t we planning a rescue?” a woman screamed, the mother of one of the younger women they had saved from the slavers.

  “We don’t know where they are exactly, and honestly, this is a legal and legitimate order. Whether or not we follow our oaths is a personal decision, but it’s one that can affect the group.”

  “If all the former and current soldiers leave, who’ll protect us?” a woman shouted.

  “I don’t have answers at this time, I just wanted to inform you of the broadcast and leave you with the information I got so you can all make your decisions. I suggest we meet tomorrow night and discuss this further,” Smith told them, trying to wrap things up before it got ugly.

  Blake and Sandra had personally helped or save many within the group, and had almost become cult leaders of a small tribe. They didn’t want it, but it was eerie and scary to Smith and Duncan who’d discussed just this at length.

  “So why not—“

  “I’m sorry, I do not have answers. I’m wrestling with these things myself. I just happen to have the loudest mouth in the group tonight,” Smith said and walked uphill through the crowd. Many tried to pause him, to engage him with more questions, but he kept going.

  He didn’t even know what he wanted to do himself. He was torn and, if he didn’t know what he wanted to do, he couldn’t even begin answering for others. He was out of his element and wished he had Sandra to help guide and direct. Duncan was good, but he’d had a close call and Smith didn’t want to pressure the big man more than he already was. He was going to sleep on it, and then ask his friends in his unit.

  * * *

  “I still feel like we’re walking to our execution,” Silverman griped.

  They were being led down a nondescript hallway by Sherman, with Cates walking within the group. They’d gone over their basic timelines again and he’d told them to just tell the truth. It seemed so simple, but no matter what they said, Davis’s words loomed over them and they were scared. It wasn’t even the fact that it wasn’t a real trial, it was the uncertainty of it. Would Cates’s wife hold her husband’s defense of them against the trio?

  “It’s unreal,” Blake said.

  “What?” Sandra asked, putting an arm around him and hugging him with one arm.

  “We were sitting safe, thinking that everything was ok in the world, or at least our little part. No more bad guys, no more rogue agents… We even got the harvest in. If Hogg hadn’t kept attacking us, we would have had tons of food to share. Metric tons. Heck we still do… and to have three helicopters come and swoop us up with no warning?”

  “I never planned for that,” Sandra said softly, “one maybe… if we played dirty, but not three. If they were going to send that much force… I just hope Davis didn’t flip flop on his word and level the Homestead,” Sandra said, her words hitching in her throat.

  “He didn’t. He’s got somebody watching his actions for the time being,” Cates told her. “We’re almost there. Is there anything I can say to put your minds at ease? My wife assures me that they’re all going to judge this fairly, and it’ll take a majority vote to convict or acquit.”

  “That in itself is actually comforting Sir,” Silverman said quietly.

  “Then let’s get this dog and pony show over,” Blake said as they paused at a door.

  Sherman’s keycard let them in and they were surprised to be led into a utilitarian-looking conference room with a large oval shaped table. At one end sat the four men and one woman, three of them in uniform. On the other side of the table on the right was John Davis, accompanied by a man and woman. The three of them were dressed in expensive looking suits.

  The woman sitting next to Davis looked to the group as they came in and gave them a weak half smile before turning to gaze at the judges.

  “Here we are,” Cates said, putting his notepad on the seat towards the middle so Silverman, Blake and Sandra would be to his left, buffering them from Davis.

  Davis gave each of them a death glare, conveying all his thoughts with one foul look.

  “Please, be seated. Tank, make sure we’re not interrupted,” the woman wearing a military uniform instructed their guard.

  “Yes Ma’am,” PFC Sherman closed the door behind them after giving Silverman a smile and a whispered ‘good luck Sarge.’

  The electronic lock clicked closed and everyone turned and stared at each other. />
  “This is going to be the most difficult case I’ve ever heard. I’m Justice Stevens, formerly of the Kentucky Supreme Court, retired. To my right is Major Roberts, then Lt. Commander Sola, Commander Cates and Director of FEMA for the state of Kentucky Mr. Franklin Hines.”

  “Sirs and Ma’am,” Cates said, tipping an imaginary hat at them.

  Commander Cates frowned at him and then turned to look at the Governor, “This trial or hearing has been set up for two reasons: first, to clear the air. I understand you went to school with the President and consider him a friend,” Cates said to Davis. “That has no bearing in this hearing, nor will the good old boys system sway me or anyone else here. You’re charging that the Jacksons and Sgt. Silverman committed an act of treason, causing you and your men loss of equipment, life and property.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Jackson,” she continued, “we’ve monitored your broadcasts from almost the beginning, being sequestered in this base. You’ve become somewhat local celebrities, even more so than you realize. Your call to action in discussing the Governors actions was highly inflammatory and we’re starting to see civil unrest across the nation. If we do nothing about you, we’re seen as going along with what you’ve done. If we are to execute you, you die a martyr and the civil unrest becomes overwhelming across the nation.”

  Those words sent a shiver down Blake’s spine and he tried not to look at his wife, afraid of showing her how much fear he felt.

  “Furthermore, your call to action also alerted us to the fact that government offices may have been abused, something we’d not read about in our weekly reports from Mr. Davis. When we got word that Sgt. Silverman had split off and left with his unit’s families, we became interested in the truth of the situation. Gentlemen and women, it’s time to get to the bottom of this and move forward, hopefully in a direction the country can manage to live with.”

  “Mr. Davis would like to speak,” the man sitting next to the Governor said, and the panel nodded and waited.