Gregory Norris - Down with the Fallen - A Post-Apocalyptic Horror Anthology

The smile reappeared on Vincent’s face. It was as if he were amused by the evidence presented to him.

Herring continued, “Miss Watson was reported missing on January 2 by her father. We have multiple statements from multiple witnesses. What happened when you went up those stairs?”

Vincent’s demeanor did not change. He merely nodded and replied, “Is that all you have against me, Detective? Some he said, she said?”

“There’s a lot of he’s and she’s. Enough to get you exiled.”

Vincent chuckled. Then, flipping his hair out of his face, he let his bound hands rest on the table. He leaned slightly forward and then whispered, “Are you sure you want to push this matter, Detective? You may not like what you find.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Not at all. It’s simply a statement of fact. I just don’t want you to dig too deep.”

Herring angrily rose from his chair, “Well, that’s my job and I won’t be happy until your exiled. We’re done here.”

Herring was halfway out the door when Vincent spoke up.

Very well, Detective. I killed them.”

The Detective froze. He couldn’t help but look to the double-sided mirror, his eyes desperately asking Pratt if he’d gotten it all on tape. Although he was sure he had, Pratt double-checked the recording equipment anyway. To arrest a Higher was one thing, but to get a confession from one…

Herring looked back at Vincent.

“So, you’re admitting, here and now, to the murders of Derek Bell, Jason Moore, Robert Burkhart, and Abigail Watson?”

“Yes. I killed them. I killed them all.”

Herring raised his eyebrows. He just got him to confess again… It was almost too good to be true. He tried to hide the satisfaction from his face, but he could feel the faint trace of a smirk on his lips as he said, “Okay. Well, tell me everything that happened, give me the locations of the bodies, and any other information you think would be of value and I’ll give you my word that you are not exiled. You’ll be able to live out the rest of your days in federal prison. Good food, TV in your cell, tennis courts. It’s the best deal you’re going to get.”

Vincent didn’t answer, his eyes locked with Herring’s. They were both grinning now, neither attempting to hide their emotions any longer. The Higher straightened up in his chair and cleared his throat.

“Detective, I’m not sure if you know just how powerful a man in position is. Even with my confession on tape, I could very easily buy my innocence. Please, don’t dispute me on this because we both know it to be true.”

Herring’s smile melted into a scowl. He was about to explode, but he didn’t. He couldn’t, because no matter how much he hated the fact, no matter how hard he was willing to fight to prove the contrary, Herring knew the odds were not in his favor. Especially when it came to Vincent Virgo, of all the Highers. To charge a member of the Council with a crime, of any kind, was unheard of. And to convict him could very well be impossible.

Vincent continued, “But, it is not my intention to allow my crimes to go unknown or even unpunished if that’s what’s necessary. I had planned a much more dramatic revelation but I suppose I must settle for this.”

“You wanted your involvement in these murders to be known?”

“Eventually, yes. Tell me, Detective, do you know what Derek Bell, Jason Moore, and Robert Burkhart all have in common?”

“Aside from the fact that you murdered them all?”

“Yes. Aside from that.”

“They were all former members of the Higher Council and political advisors for you.”

Vincent flashed the whites of his teeth. “I see you did your homework.”

“Yeah, you know, I don’t have people to do it for me.”

“Yes, well, if you were more thorough in your research, you’d have noticed they were all members of the Third Council. The Higher society sees these men as heroes. Specifically, for their strides to pass the Salvation Act of 2042. Are you familiar with that piece of legislation, Detective?”

Herring nodded. “I’m well aware of the Salvation Act.”

The Salvation Act of 2042 was considered the final nail in the coffin for social equality in America. From the new millennium on, the gap between the elite and the poor widened. Each year, the poor grew poorer and the rich grew richer, until the schism between the two reached epic proportions. By 2025, the upper class had unofficially taken control of the United States government through a series of empty promises, financial influence, and the exploitation of the desperate majority. America became a modern Plutocracy.

For almost two decades, the self-proclaimed “Highers” focused the country’s resources on technological advancement, specifically the development of Artificial Intelligence. The government employed millions of blue collared citizens to use the internet to feed information into their central AI system. Social media interactions, especially, were used to teach the AI about how the human mind works: our fears, our goals, our emotions, our flaws. All of what makes us, us. Eventually, it gathered enough information to be able to operate itself, making 2/3 of the work force at that time obsolete. Suddenly, millions of people were out of jobs, unable to find work that wasn’t being performed by the system they helped create. Poverty overtook the country like a sort of plague. Most reverted to savagery. Crime of all sorts sky rocketed. So, the Highers devised a plan to construct an entirely new society, separate from the one they destroyed. To do this, they took advantage of the only occupation left for average people to fill: construction.

The Salvation Act of 2042 employed a mass amount of poor, physically capable men to begin work on this new land. In return, they, their families, and future descendants were guaranteed entrance upon its completion. So thousands went to work, building a long stretch of pillars down the East Coast. Atop these pillars, they laid down concrete, built buildings… An entire new society. A Higher society, literally built on top of the ruins of the one they destroyed.

Once the project was complete and relocation began, total anarchy ensued. The Highers were forced to deploy all law enforcement and even military forces to “control” the general population until relocation was complete. It was pure anarchy, in the darkest and purest fashion. People lost their minds when they realized society was leaving them behind. Neighbors were killing each other for food, stealing from each other for luxury, raping each other for forgotten warmth. The cities of the ground soon swallowed themselves, the taste of chaos resonating for years. The wasteland that remained was renamed: The Bottom.

Agitated, Herring continued, “What is it you’re trying to say, Mr. Virgo?”

“I’m saying those men were amongst the most pretentious, amoral pieces of shit I’d ever met. Of all the Highers, the ones behind the Salvation Act were by far some of the most selfish people to ever walk this Earth. They were predators disguised as men in suits. Men who hunted and hunted and hunted until there was nothing left.”

Herring leaned forward. Virgo was losing his composure.

“Okay, so you didn’t like these men. They were pieces-of-shit, so you killed them. That’s what you’re telling me?”

“I’m telling you I killed them because they deserved to die!” Vincent barked.

His outburst resonated through the interview room, through the double-sided glass. Herring and Pratt watched silently as Virgo gathered his composure.

“I’m sorry,” He said, dropping his eyes. “Didn’t mean to lose my head. It’s just so hot in here. Could I please get some water?”

Herring ignored the request.