across the Innerbelt and I’ll tell you why we’re heading that
way.”
“I ain’t leaving until I find my wife.”
“If she was in the Heights area, she’s dead.”
John stepped into Alex and seized him by the collar.
“John! Is that going to help us? I’m not trying to be
cold, just realistic. She’ll be the first we come back for, okay?”
“Alright, alright. I’ll meet you in two minutes.”
The two men set about their tasks while the dead soldier
waited for them in the back of the truck.
Chapter 13
“Sons of Liberty rise and toss the Covenant to the fire.
They are not doing God’s will.”
“You heard it twice?”
“Yeah. I stood by the radio for as long as I could, and
that’s what I heard.”
“And you say you heard something else a bit later?”
“Hail the riff. You know where, Sons of Liberty. Get there
soon. Two horns up.”
John looked out the window as the dark, empty eyes of the
houses stared back at him. He considered the broadcasts, turning them over and
over in his head.
“Is there a radio in this thing?”
“No, but I grabbed one off my receptionist’s desk.”
“Turn it on and see if you can pick up anything.”
Crackling static filled the cab as Alex turned the knob on
the old AM/FM radio, a safecracker searching for riches in the form of
invisible airwaves. The blip of a man’s voice broke the wall of interference.
Exultant, Alex backed the dial until the voice popped through again.
“…nothing more than sadistic murderers in a bizarre Holy War
of the 21 st century. Rise up with the Sons of Liberty!”
The static took control once again. Alex turned the knob,
ready to fly further up the dial.
“Wait. If it isn’t a live broadcast, it’ll probably
repeat,” John said.
An angry down-tuned guitar roared to life from the puny mono
speaker, then faded back into nonexistence as the voice returned.
“Citizens of Cleveland and the United States of America,
lend me your ear. The situation is dire. Monsters slaughter friends and
families while our way of life stands on the brink of extinction. Within the
past week, a right-wing Christian Fundamentalist organization took control of
our national forces. Led locally by a priest known simply as ‘Father’, they
mobilized the entire US military in an attempt to eradicate any that do not
subscribe to their rigid beliefs. The destruction is probably happening in
every major city of our great land. They call themselves the ‘Holy Covenant’.
The Holy War is designed to root out and destroy anyone that is not part of the
Covenant. We believe that the first phase of the takeover is coming to an
end. Nobody knows for sure what will follow the ‘First Cleansing’, but rest
assured, they will not stop until all of America is under their heel. The
church labels us of different faiths, or no faith, as Infidels. They break
into our homes and murder our families in the name of God. The red pentagram
signifies the residence of an Infidel.
“Brothers in the cities closest to us, such as Pittsburgh
and Columbus, have shared similar stories. The military has usurped
communication and transportation. In addition, they have taken over the major
electricity feeds, with the Covenant controlling the switch. Our scouts
estimate 70 percent of our citizens killed or imprisoned by the First
Cleansing. We gained scraps of intel from soldiers and priests captured in the
fighting. Although they refuse to divulge much, even under extreme torture, we
do know that the Holy Covenant thinks it is fighting the Final Battle of good
vs. evil. In their eyes, when Jesus returns, they will go with him and leave
the Infidels behind in a burning, smoking ruin of a civilization.
“However, we are not ready to lie down and die at the hands
of the demented faithful. A band of resistance has formed and is organizing.
We have sent cryptic messages out in the hopes that the
way.”
“I ain’t leaving until I find my wife.”
“If she was in the Heights area, she’s dead.”
John stepped into Alex and seized him by the collar.
“John! Is that going to help us? I’m not trying to be
cold, just realistic. She’ll be the first we come back for, okay?”
“Alright, alright. I’ll meet you in two minutes.”
The two men set about their tasks while the dead soldier
waited for them in the back of the truck.
Chapter 13
“Sons of Liberty rise and toss the Covenant to the fire.
They are not doing God’s will.”
“You heard it twice?”
“Yeah. I stood by the radio for as long as I could, and
that’s what I heard.”
“And you say you heard something else a bit later?”
“Hail the riff. You know where, Sons of Liberty. Get there
soon. Two horns up.”
John looked out the window as the dark, empty eyes of the
houses stared back at him. He considered the broadcasts, turning them over and
over in his head.
“Is there a radio in this thing?”
“No, but I grabbed one off my receptionist’s desk.”
“Turn it on and see if you can pick up anything.”
Crackling static filled the cab as Alex turned the knob on
the old AM/FM radio, a safecracker searching for riches in the form of
invisible airwaves. The blip of a man’s voice broke the wall of interference.
Exultant, Alex backed the dial until the voice popped through again.
“…nothing more than sadistic murderers in a bizarre Holy War
of the 21 st century. Rise up with the Sons of Liberty!”
The static took control once again. Alex turned the knob,
ready to fly further up the dial.
“Wait. If it isn’t a live broadcast, it’ll probably
repeat,” John said.
An angry down-tuned guitar roared to life from the puny mono
speaker, then faded back into nonexistence as the voice returned.
“Citizens of Cleveland and the United States of America,
lend me your ear. The situation is dire. Monsters slaughter friends and
families while our way of life stands on the brink of extinction. Within the
past week, a right-wing Christian Fundamentalist organization took control of
our national forces. Led locally by a priest known simply as ‘Father’, they
mobilized the entire US military in an attempt to eradicate any that do not
subscribe to their rigid beliefs. The destruction is probably happening in
every major city of our great land. They call themselves the ‘Holy Covenant’.
The Holy War is designed to root out and destroy anyone that is not part of the
Covenant. We believe that the first phase of the takeover is coming to an
end. Nobody knows for sure what will follow the ‘First Cleansing’, but rest
assured, they will not stop until all of America is under their heel. The
church labels us of different faiths, or no faith, as Infidels. They break
into our homes and murder our families in the name of God. The red pentagram
signifies the residence of an Infidel.
“Brothers in the cities closest to us, such as Pittsburgh
and Columbus, have shared similar stories. The military has usurped
communication and transportation. In addition, they have taken over the major
electricity feeds, with the Covenant controlling the switch. Our scouts
estimate 70 percent of our citizens killed or imprisoned by the First
Cleansing. We gained scraps of intel from soldiers and priests captured in the
fighting. Although they refuse to divulge much, even under extreme torture, we
do know that the Holy Covenant thinks it is fighting the Final Battle of good
vs. evil. In their eyes, when Jesus returns, they will go with him and leave
the Infidels behind in a burning, smoking ruin of a civilization.
“However, we are not ready to lie down and die at the hands
of the demented faithful. A band of resistance has formed and is organizing.
We have sent cryptic messages out in the hopes that the
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