Roman Cesaro - Fallen Into Darkness

“Shut up, fat ass!” commanded Ramirez. “Now get your fat ass on the ground. Face down. Now!”

Ramirez stood over Richard and straddled his body. He began to poke Richard’s head, neck, and back with the barrel of his rifle. Ramirez was debating aloud to Richard exactly where he should shoot him before he threw his body over the dam. As the rifle barrel slowly worked its way down Richards’s spine, Ramirez noticed the pack of cigarettes in Richard’s back pocket and took them. He lit a cigarette, pulled the smoke deep into his lungs, and slowly exhaled.

“Thanks, fish bait. I needed a cigarette,” Ramirez sneered mockingly at Richard.

Still standing over Richard’s prone body, Ramirez did not notice the second soldier returning with the colonel.

“Ramirez, what are you doing?” barked the colonel.

Ramirez jumped at the sound of the colonel’s voice. He flicked the lit cigarette into the air, dropped the pack of cigarettes, and nervously stood at attention. “Sir, we captured intruders, sir.”

The colonel turned to the second soldier. “You said you captured terrorists.”

The colonel was a short, stocky man with a shaved head, camouflage hat, and sunglasses. He stepped in front of Robert and Kyle to get a look at the captured men. He stared at them and tilted his head to the side. He kept looking back and forth at Richard on the ground and the two men standing, and then he took a step back and began to laugh loudly as he removed his hat and sunglasses.

“Colonel Sheppherd?” asked Robert.

The colonel laughed louder and slapped Robert and Kyle on the back.

Ramirez’s disposition totally changed. He kept glancing at the other enlisted soldier with a confused look on his face. The other soldier tried to ignore Ramirez staring at him, because he had just realized that they must have made a terrible error.

“You ladies made a dumbass mistake here,” the colonel said, looking at both soldiers.

The colonel stepped closer to Robert and lifted Robert’s shirt enough to reveal the pistol in his beltline. “If this ‘terrorist’ wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Go find your sergeant. Both of you are relieved from patrol.”

“Am I glad to see you,” said Robert.

“Now that you’ve been captured, do you want to be interrogated in the mess hall?” the colonel asked, laughing.

“Food?” Richard asked, still prone in the dirt.

“Yes,” the colonel replied, but then he corrected himself, “a ration of food.”

The colonel leaned down close to Richard’s ear and whispered, “You might as well get up now. I already know you pissed your pants.”

Colonel Sheppherd escorted the men into the mess hall for an early lunch. They each got a ration of cold food, and sitting at a small round table, they devoured it. They told the colonel about their plan to get home and what they had seen so far. He nodded with approval at their plan and reminded them that they needed more practice at not letting the bad guys catch them. The colonel started to tell how he made it to Great Falls, but was interrupted.

“Sir,” said a young soldier, standing at attention.

“What is it?”

“Sir, the general needs to speak with you right now, sir.”

Colonel Sheppherd reflexively looked at his wrist to see the time and was embarrassed when he realized that the digital watch was no longer there. It had stopped working, along with all the other computerized devices he owned, and being useless, he had already thrown it away. He sent the soldier on his way with orders to let the general know he would be right there.

“Duty calls,” said the colonel. “Follow me. I’ll take you to my room on my way to meet the general. You can get cleaned up there. When I come back, I want to trade some more stories before you go.”

The colonel’s room had a small window facing in the direction of the river. The window allowed adequate light for the three men to see as they cleaned up in the bathroom. They took quick showers, washing their dirty clothes in the shower with them. Robert opened the window and they spread their clothes out to dry. The men, overcome with fatigue, promptly fell asleep.

The men awoke later to the door swinging open and the colonel’s loud voice commanding them to, “Rise and shine.” The light through the window was much dimmer now. After Robert rubbed his eyes, he realized that they must have been asleep for hours and that the colonel was not alone.

The general had told Colonel Sheppherd to meet them in the cafeteria. They would discuss business over evening meal rations.

“Get dressed,” ordered Colonel Sheppherd. “General Matthews has business to discuss with you.”

“What could he want from me?” asked Richard.

“Actually, all of you. Meet me back where we ate lunch. It’s more like a favor, so don’t worry about it.”

Robert was the first to get dressed. He looked out the little window toward the river. It was late in the day and he realized that it was too late to get started around the dams. The river valley reminded him of what he needed to do and that his only objective was to get back to his family and protect his children. He wanted to leave now, but felt obligated to stay and listen to the general.

The three men walked back into the cafeteria. They immediately noticed Colonel Sheppherd with the general and several other officers sitting at a long table. The general was at the end of the table speaking. The colonel looked up and saw the men standing at the entrance to the cafeteria. He motioned them over and several people moved away from the table so the three men could sit together. With a few quick hand gestures from the general, a young soldier hurried off to the food line and brought back three rations of food for their new guests. The general stood, and in a southern accent, addressed the three men.

“Colonel Sheppherd has explained your quandary to me. I commend you for adapting, and overcoming this crisis facing us Americans, if not the entire world. Those of us who have grown accustomed to and dependent on high technology will be affected the most. I fear a dire outcome. However, like you three gentlemen, we are also going to adapt and overcome.”

The general exhaled with a sigh. “We need food. There are thousands of people in town and on this base. The trucks are not going to show up with food anymore and the high-tech machinery used to harvest the crops is obviously not going to work. Ironically, farmland and cattle ranches surround us. We need help from the communities surrounding us. Our city population can provide manual labor to help harvest the crops. This base can supply an organized force to provide protection and security. The country is going to Hell in a hand basket, and soon organized gangs will form and have the power to terrorize the small communities that surround us. If we can get those communities to cooperate, everyone benefits.”

The general sat down and leaned forward as he continued to speak. “I would like you gentlemen to deliver a message to Fort Benton from the people of this base and the city of Great Falls. I understand your chosen route is to take the Missouri River back to your homes. Fort Benton is right on your way. I have a handwritten message signed by the members of the city council and me, promising protection for their community, and workers to harvest the crops. All we want is food in return for that protection and security.”

“Forgive me for asking, but why don’t you have your men do this?” Robert inquired.

“We are all working double time to keep things orderly around here. There are a few vehicles… older and maybe unreliable vehicles… that our mechanic crew has been able to get operating again. We have a lot of people on patrol to deter impending chaos, civil unrest, and all that comes with it. A contingent of personnel is currently heading westerly to rescue the missile launch officers in the Minuteman silos. Our resources are spread thin. In a nutshell, it’s on your way and we need your help,” said the general, now leaning back in his chair waiting for a response. The general had noticed that Robert and his two companions were nodding their heads as he spoke. He did not doubt that they would cooperate.