The New World: Book 7 of the After The Event Series Page 14
“Just because I’m not willing to let my people die in order to give peace a chance doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. Yes, we could have waited and let him burn more of your fields or kill some of your men and then we would have been justified in doing what we did. Or we take a stand and stop bad things from happening. We make hard choices to protect our people.”
“We’re done,” Alec said through gritted teeth. “We don’t want to be a part of what you’re building. No more deals.”
Noah’s eyes turned cold. The welcoming smile disappeared and his face turned to stone. “I know a lot about you, Alec. I know your story; I’ve heard about your loss. Things like that change a person. You either become tougher or you break, and you’re still here so I know which road you chose. But I’ve got to warn you, you think you’ve experienced loss? I can show you what it’s like to truly lose everything.”
Alec started to stand but the world continued to wobble and he fell back down onto his seat.
“You have that wonderful little settlement with all your friends and loved ones. They may not be your direct family but they are the closest thing you have to it. I will take everything you hold dear.” Noah took another sip of his drink and stared deep into Alec’s eyes. “I will make you watch as I take the life from everyone you know. I will make you stand in your settlement as I burn it down around you. Then when all you have left are the ashes of your home and the dead bodies of your friends to keep you company, I will end your life as painfully as possible.”
Noah got up and stood over Alec. Gently he placed his hand on his shoulder. “Now go back to your people and tell them whatever you want but understand this: the deal continues.”
Ben
Ben was on his way to General Wallace before his Helo had fully touched the ground. He walked past the soldiers that had come to congratulate him; he didn’t look for Elly; he went straight into the mountain. As he walked inside Wallace was already standing there.
“General, if I can have a word?” Ben asked.
The General stood there looking down at some papers for a moment, then looked up and saw Ben. They walked into one of the storage rooms and Wallace closed the door behind him.
“Something you need to say, son?”
“I fought with those men. They saved my life and the lives of my unit,” Ben said, trying to remain calm.
“Those men also disobeyed a direct order. Listen, son. You are a good soldier and the President likes you. We are teetering on a knife’s edge here. All it takes is for one group to break off and the entire order collapses.” Wallace looked him over. “Do you know how many power grabs there were after the war started? We lost entire squads because a single General thought he was more fit to defeat the enemy or win the war.”
“And Carter?”
“She was acting President before she was killed. The Chinese attacked the West Coast just like they attacked the East Coast. We sent scouts and tried to contact the remnants of that army but they were lost. Banner and his men were out of contact for a very long time. If they had been willing to come back and be properly debriefed they would have learned the truth, but they were on their own too long. It can be hard for some people to resume taking commands after they have been giving them for so long.”
“What are you going to do with them?” Ben asked.
“For now they will be sent to a prison we have set up for POWs and criminals.”
“With all due respect, sir, they are not any of those things.”
Wallace stared at him for a moment. “It will be determined in due time. For now we can’t have them here in our base.”
“Where is the prison?”
“It’s actually in your old stomping ground, if I remember correctly. We took back control of a prison on the outskirts of Springfield, Missouri. It operated as a prison prior to the Event so we are just opening it back up.”
Ben remembered going to Springfield once when he was younger to watch a minor league baseball game. It had taken a number of hours to get there but it wasn’t far. “Why there, sir?”
“Prison labor. There is a lot of farmland in and around there. Those found guilty work on the farms to support the rebuilding effort.”
Ben knew he was walking on thin ice and picked his next words carefully. “If I had been gone on this last mission for several months and then returned and was told someone else was in charge, I would probably question it at first as well. It wouldn’t mean I was a traitor.”
Wallace shook his head and let out a sigh. “The person they are likely talking about is not the actual Sylvia Carter. I can say with the utmost certainty that Carter was killed during the Chinese War.”
“So who are they talking about?”
“An imposter. Someone that likely knew her or of her, but not actually her. They have used her position to put themselves in a place of power and are trying to take a piece of the pie. We have known about this person for a while but until recently didn’t have any idea where she was.”
“But you do now?” Ben asked.
Wallace nodded. “Soon we plan on sending a few units to their location to get to the bottom of the situation. Interested in being a part of this Op?”
“Yes sir. The sooner it is figured out, the sooner Banner and his men can be released.”
“No promises, but I should be able to arrange that,” Wallace said sternly. “Now I need to meet with the rest of my men.”
“Yes sir,” Ben said, but Wallace had already walked out of the room.
For a moment he just stood there, unsure of what to think. After some time he walked out of the room and past the gathered men. He walked out of the mountain and into the cool, clean mountain air. Elly found him and jumped into his arms. She felt so soft and smelled so good. Ben tried to focus on the moment but Elly picked up on his concern instantly.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” she asked, running her hand over the bandage on his head.
“I’m…I’m ok. I’m alive.”
Elly looked into his eyes. “Was it that bad?”
“It was bad,” Ben said, gathering himself. “Not everyone made it.”
She dropped her head and then raised it back up, a look of determination in her eyes. “I know you did everything you could.”
Ben nodded.
“I saw them bringing in prisoners. Are they the ones that attacked you all?”
Ben looked out at the empty helicopters. Banner, Thomas and the rest of the men who survived were gone. “It’s a long story.”
“But things are ok now, right?”
He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wanted to believe they were but part of him knew that dark times were coming.
Only Two Books Remain…..
To Be Continued in After The Event Book 8
About The Author
T.A. Williams is the author of the After The Event Series. He lives in middle-America, USA with his wife, son, and daughter.
http://www.TheTAWilliams.com