Jeremy Chikalto and the Demon Trace (Book III of The Hazy Souls) by T.S. DeBrosse Page A

Five rows of people
separated them from the stage, where Tina's father stood
barrel-chested and proud, holding a mic. A cluster of soldiers
stood behind him with arms crossed, with one stooping low in front
of an amp, adjusting the volume.
    “Testing, testing,” said Tina's father. He
tapped the mic and then cleared his throat. “Hello, I'm General
Grant Forero. Welcome to your new home, everyone. We'll be
expanding the compound and securing the perimeter further out and
right now we're looking at a square mile of safety. Bunkers are
being built over to your left,” he pointed, “and we're also busy
working on a common area, which will go up right behind me. More
structures will be built as our community grows. We're working
twenty-four-seven. A big thanks to the men and women who've pooled
their resources together to make this happen.”
    Everyone cheered.
    “My work in aviation has taught me how
useful it is to get a bird's eye view of things, so be sure to
check out the guard towers which'll be up in the next month or so.
You might even take a shift at watch.” He pointed again. “It's a
war zone out there, make no mistake about it. With the explosion in
population, basic necessities will be scarce. The entire economy is
crumbling, and law and order has broken down.”
    The crowd roared, and a big man with a thick
neck stood up in the center of the dirt field and waved his arms
around belligerently. Those beside him pulled him back down.
    The General lifted his hand up. “We're going
to rebuild a society, right here. The first priority is to secure
these borders. We can't let more people in than we can support,
unfortunately. From now on, no one is to leave the compound without
authorization. If you do, I can't guarantee we'll let you back in.
We have scouts further out, but in the off-chance that a group of
outsiders make it to the fence, do not engage with them. All
communication with those outside will be by a commanding officer.”
He held up a military uniform with a blue zigzag stitched across
the chest. “This blue pattern on the jacket is our flag, so take
note. We'll be hoisting one up shortly on that flag pole over
there.
    “We can only hope and pray that order is
restored for the folks on the outside, as we give thanks for our
own good fortune. On our last run into the city, one of my sources
informed me that a catastrophic earthquake has destroyed much of
southern California.” General Forero paused and allowed a pregnant
silence to fill the night air. “And not only that, but in Japan
too, right near Fukushima. Chemical warfare has broken out in the
Middle East. Every government is now rotting from the inside.” The
General slammed his fist into his hand. “But not here! So keep the
spirit, folks. I'll speak to you all soon. And goodnight.”
     
    Jeremy and Maren made their bed in silence
as they digested the news. Their room was large and inviting, with
a Queen-sized bed, a dresser, a nightstand, and a small, round
marble table in the corner. Two bright yellow benches were at
either side of the table and Jeremy was content that Tina had not
had a hand in the decorating. But no matter the warmth of their new
home, the truth remained that their parents were out there,
possibly in Japan or Iran, without shelter, food and water. Maren
tucked the bed covers in snugly and then smoothed her hair down.
“We can play house for a little bit, but soon you're going to have
to answer your calling.”
    “I want to be incognito for a while, you
know?”
    “Why?”
    Jeremy stared at her. “I'm not ready.”
    Maren gave him a small nod.
     
    The next morning, Jeremy slept in.
    Maren sat up in bed and attempted to brush
her hair with her fingers. She discovered she had massive knots.
“Ugh!” She tiptoed past Jeremy and went to go find Tina.
    “Tina!” She rapped on Tina's bedroom door,
but jumped when Tina tapped her from behind.
    “Looking for me? Great! 'Cause I'm looking
for you!”
    “Have a