The Death Trilogy (Book 2): The Death: Eradicate Read online

  “Is that man here?” Carolyn asked.

  Janine looked at Travis and answered, “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  Janine pointed at Travis. This caused the crowd to mutter and talk.

  “What happened next?” Carolyn asked.

  “I hollered for him to stop and get out of the truck. He did just that, but he kept blinding me with his flashlight. I stepped aside out of the light, and that’s when he hit me with the truck door. The shotgun fired and he ran.”

  The crowd muttered louder.

  “I didn’t know what happened next, but I think he ran into Brent in the street. All I know is he’s on the ground, and Brent asks me what I want to do with him. I, of course, told him that we needed to bring him before the magistrate.”

  “Can Brent Sharrod please come forward?” Carolyn called out.

  Janine turned to leave, but Carolyn stopped her.

  “Janine, please stay put.”

  Brent stepped out of the crowd and walked up alongside Janine.

  “What is your story?” Carolyn asked.

  “I was on patrol; I heard a scream for help. I ran towards it, and this guy here ran full force into me. I asked Janine if she wanted to bring him here, of course she said yes, and I then struck him.”

  The whole time the accounts were being told Travis sat unmoving and staring straight ahead.

  “Why did you hit him?” the magistrate asked.

  “Sir, I hit him because I thought he was a threat, and my intention was to knock him out, which I did, so I could bring him here.”

  “Very well, continue.”

  “That’s about it,” Brent said.

  “Janine, anything else to add?” Carolyn asked.

  She looked at Carolyn and then to Travis again. “Nothing to add.”

  The magistrate looked at Travis and asked, “Do you have anything you’d like to say? This is your time to challenge their testimony.”

  “I didn’t know I was taking her truck. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m a good man, just made a bad decision,” Travis said somberly. He finished by looking directly at Janine and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Very well. Thank you Janine and Brent for your courage and testimony today. You may be excused,” Carolyn said.

  The two walked back into the crowd.

  The magistrate stood and proclaimed, “Seven months ago, an evil descended upon our Earth and gave us the Death. This was not from the heavens but from the hands of man. Out of the ashes I found you and gave you a new system by which to live. This system requires a code to live by. That code states we must love one another and treat them with care. This code also deals with justice. It must be handled swiftly, fairly and appropriately. Will the accused stand?”

  Travis stood.

  “What is your full name?” the magistrate asked.

  Sweat was streaming down Lori’s face, and her body was shaking in anticipation of what was about to happen.

  “My name is Travis Priddy.”

  “Travis Priddy, you have been accused of attempted theft of a coveted piece of equipment. Vehicles are no longer a novelty but a necessity, and in many ways can determine if one lives or dies. By your own admission you did this. So based upon the covenant and codes of Hope, I hereby find you guilty and sentence you accordingly. For attempted theft, your sentence shall be death by hanging.”

  The crowd grew loud as everyone began to discuss the outcome.

  Lori felt her knees begin to give out. She swayed and was about to collapse when Brick steadied her.

  The two men who had escorted Travis out came up alongside him and took him only a few feet away to the base of the gallows

  Travis had given in to his fate and didn’t resist. There wasn’t a thing he could do, and he knew it.

  A third man appeared; he was wearing black clothes and donned a black hood.

  Lori continued to watch and couldn’t believe what she was seeing; the third man looked like someone from the Middle Ages.

  He sauntered over to Travis and stopped just a foot away.

  Travis looked at his dark brown eyes peering from the hood. “Make the rope slack, will ya?”

  The hooded man spoke; his thick raspy voice replied, “It will be.”

  Travis lowered his head as he was walked up the stairs to the thick two-inch rope that dangled.

  The executioner asked, “Do you want a hood?”

  “No, I want to see the world before I go.”

  “Very well,” the executioner said. He placed the noose around Travis’s neck and, just as he said, kept it loose. He walked to a lever and grasped it.

  “Stop, stop! Please stop!” Janine screamed and came running out of the crowd.

  Everyone began to chatter loudly.

  Janine ran towards the gallows yelling, “Stop, don’t!”

  “Janine, this is entirely inappropriate!” Carolyn hollered.

  “I invoke the victim’s code!” she cried out.

  “Too late for that, carry out the sentence” Carolyn responded.

  “No, stop!” Janine screamed.

  “Wait! Everyone please wait a minute!” the magistrate bellowed. He stood and looked at Janine. “Why, why do you wish to invoke the victim’s code? You had your chance, but you presented this case before me knowing what would happen if he were convicted.”

  “I can see this man is not bad, but desperate.”

  The magistrate’s facial expression changed from shock at Janine’s abrupt display to a contentment most often seen on him. “What would you have us do?”

  “I’d…um…I’d have him let go. Let us show mercy.”

  “That, we cannot do. You had your choice at the moment to do that. You know your rights and freely gave him up for us to judge. You know how the covenant works, Janine. If we deviate from it, then our world, the one we all can agree was in turmoil, will return to that. The covenant gives us peace because it gives us a system to follow.”

  “Please show mercy this once,” Janine begged.

  “Where is this coming from? Is it because you lost your husband and son?” he asked.

  The magistrate’s assumptions were like a pinprick strike at her heart. Janine had lost both her son and husband. Not to the Death but to the barbarism that followed. Their story was similar to Travis’s.

  “Magistrate, I believe in the covenant, but I also believe this man can do good if given the chance. You tell us that we need more people so that we can grow and flourish. Our town grows, but every time our hunting parties go out, they come back with fewer able-bodied men. We need more people. We need more men.”

  “Or do you need a man?” Carolyn sniped.

  Ignoring Carolyn, Janine again begged, “I believe this man can be of help.”

  “And how could you even come to a conclusion like that?” the magistrate asked.

  “Because he’s a Marine,” Janine replied.

  “Marine? How do you know that?”

  “The night of the attack, we searched him. On his right arm is a tattoo, a Marine Corps tattoo. Brent can confirm this,” Janine replied.

  The magistrate looked to Brent, who said, “It’s true, his upper right shoulder.”

  “Mr. Priddy, are you a Marine?” the magistrate asked.

  Travis thought about how he should answer. Since it seemed like it could benefit him, he remained honest to a point. “Yes. I was a captain in the Marines, an infantry officer.”

  “Hmm, an infantry officer could be useful. Answer me this, are you a master tactician or an excellent marksman?” the magistrate asked. He had now walked from behind the table and was standing at the base of the gallows.

  “I’m great at both,” Travis replied.

  “Pick one.”

  Travis didn’t know where this was going but answered the one he thought would spare him. “I was one of the top tacticians in my class at OCS.”

  “So you’re better at war planning and tactics
than you are a shooter, correct?”

  “Correct.”

  “Good,” the magistrate said and walked back to the table.

  “You’re not going to let him go, are you?” Carolyn asked, her face scrunched in frustration at the situation.

  “Janine, I agree with you. This man will be more valuable to us, but there are two conditions. One, he has to agree to stay, and second, you must house him. If he steps out of bounds, we will then carry out this sentence fully, no mercy. You will also be subject to the same punishment if he flees. Do I make myself clear?’

  Janine looked at Travis and then back to the magistrate. “Understood, I agree.”

  “Mr. Priddy, oh, wait a minute, we should call you Captain Priddy. Do you agree that this sentence will not be carried out?”

  “I agree.”

  Hearing this, Lori almost exploded with excitement.

  “I protest. Franklin, say something,” Carolyn barked at her colleague.

  “Let all of you here be witnesses. I hereby commute the sentence given to Captain Priddy. You have heard the reasons—”

  “This is not how the system works. Magistrate, you are deviating from the covenant!” Carolyn exclaimed.

  Many in the crowd began to stir and shouted their protests.

  The magistrate stopped speaking. He couldn’t be heard, and he didn’t like being interrupted. He stood waiting for everyone to quiet down.

  Franklin, seeing an opportunity to be on the magistrate’s good side, called out, “Everyone, please stop talking. Let him finish!”

  The crowd grew silent again.

  The executioner removed the noose and walked to the side.

  The two guards took Travis and escorted him from the gallows and back to his chair.

  “I know that the covenant is sacred, and I am not abandoning it completely. I will not hang this man, but he should still receive a punishment for his crime that is fitting.”

  Janine looked oddly at the magistrate, as she didn’t know what he was doing.

  “Janine has agreed to care for this man, and he has agreed to be a part of our community in exchange for not killing him. However, I am sworn to uphold the covenant and must still sentence this man to a punishment that fits the crime.”

  “What’s going on?” Travis asked.

  “Captain Priddy, your life has been spared, but you must still be punished for your crime. Not to do that would jeopardize everything we’ve worked so hard to accomplish.”

  A smile began to spread across Carolyn’s face as the magistrate continued to speak.

  Lori’s previous panic attack started again as she feared the worst was coming.

  “So I decree that Captain Priddy’s punishment will be the amputation of his left hand.”

  The crowd howled in excitement at the news.

  “You said I—” Travis protested.

  The guards grabbed him, but this time Travis resisted; however, they were too strong for him as they dragged him to the side of the gallows. There sat a large log, the top stained with blood and showing the hack marks of past sentences. They pushed him to his knees, grabbed his left hand, and placed it on the top of the log.

  “This was not the arrangement!” Travis screamed.

  “Captain Priddy, I said I would commute the sentence of death by hanging. You must still be punished. It is our way, it is our laws, it is our covenant.”

  The executioner reappeared, but now holding a large axe.

  “This is madness!” Janine hollered.

  Lori watched and wanted to do something but knew anything she did would not matter. Travis’s fate was sealed, and he’d want her to remain silent.

  Travis looked at the axe, the edge gleaming in the sunlight. He then looked at the executioner, who stood ready to carry out his gruesome task. “Please make it a clean cut,” Travis pleaded.

  “I will,” he said as he raised the axe high.

  Travis lowered his head and closed his eyes.

  The crowd continued to howl with excitement at the spectacle.

  The executioner held the axe high in the air and with a swift and forceful blow brought it down on Travis’s wrist.

  Denver International Airport

  The candles flickered, casting long shadows across the large dining room. Horton tossed the linen napkin on the table and leaned back in his cushioned high-backed dining chair. A pleasant expression graced his face as he looked at Wendell and his family sitting around the table.

  “How was everything?” Horton asked.

  “Very good, thank you,” Mrs. Wendell replied.

  “Good, I personally loved the dessert, nothing like a mousse done right. My chef is the best. I’m blessed to have him.”

  “The pudding was the best,” Wendell’s young daughter blurted out, a bit of chocolate on her chin.

  “So glad you liked it,” Horton said, smiling.

  Wendell had left earlier feeling apprehensive; that feeling still lingered. The hours in between his meeting and the dinner were torturous for him. One horrific image after another entered his mind, and having his family sent there unexpectedly scared him the most. He was willing to suffer, but the thoughts of his family being harmed sent chills down his spine. Deep down he knew what he was doing for the chancellor and the Order was nothing short of genocide, but surviving himself was his top priority.

  Horton stood and said, “I want to thank you all for coming. If you don’t mind, I need to meet with your husband a bit longer. I’ll have one of the guards escort you back to your residence.”

  Mrs. Wendell smiled and said, “I hope to return the favor, and by the way, our accommodations are amazing. I’m honored that you thought of us. I just know Tom appreciates this and will do his best in his new position.” She reached out and touched Wendell’s arm and caressed it.

  “I’m sure he will. Till next time.”

  Mrs. Wendell and her daughter stood and left.

  “Let’s go to the lounge and have a drink,” Horton suggested.

  Wendell watched his family leave before joining Horton. While he was still extremely nervous, the fact that he had survived dinner meant something positive for him. He entered the lounge and found Horton looking at a map on the large leather ottoman.

  “Sit down. I want to show you something,” Horton said.

  Wendell did just that and looked closer at the map before him.

  “Nice family you’ve got there,” Horton said.

  “Thank you.”

  “Now let’s get to why I’ve called you out here,” he said, waving his hand over the map. “This map is the area I’m responsible for managing. You know it as North America, but that is the name of old. It is now called Arcadia, and our capital, which will sit here, will hold that sacred name too. Now everything we’ve accomplished started out as an idea many years ago. A group of us came together with a vision for a better world. It took us many years to put it all together, but we finally executed that plan seven months ago. Now that vision is being jeopardized by some in that group who have maintained their greed and lust for the pleasures from the past. I need to build a new core that will ensure the vision is completed, and I think you can be part of that core group. You see, you did as you were told and you believe in our plan.”

  “Chancellor, what is it that you need me to do for you?” Wendell asked, getting right to the point.

  “I’ve been accused of being too verbose, and I can see that critique is holding true. Tom, I need you to continue the cleanse, but I need you to cleanse some traitors.”

  “Who are these traitors?”

  Horton hesitated saying it, but after all, he felt he had the leverage on Wendell with his family being at the DIA. “We are going to remove the other chancellors.”

  “But, I, um, I’m not a killer. I don’t think I’m the right person for this.”

  “Yes, you are, without a doubt. You killed every person I asked you to.”

  “But I never killed anyone before.”

&nb
sp; “Tom, I don’t expect you to actually kill them personally. I expect you to create a team that will accomplish this.”

  Wendell sat hunched over the map, his mind lost in thought of the new responsibility he had just been given. Not only did the task seem extremely difficult but impossible. “How do you want this to happen?”

  “Glad you asked. I’ll give further details later, but assemble a team of six people. I need them ready to deploy in thirty days.”

  “Can you give me any more details outside of this? Something that will help me pick the best candidates for the job?”

  Horton paused and thought it a good question, “Just between us, this mission will be a suicide one. You should expect these people to never return.”

  “Oh.”

  Horton stood and said, “Great dinner tonight. I expect we’ll have more over the coming months.”

  Wendell stood and responded, “I hope so, sir, and thank you for the honor of fulfilling the dream that is Arcadia.”

  Day 224

  May 13, 2021

  Pine Bluffs, Wyoming

  Travis sat on the porch, staring at the rotting wooden fence that ran the perimeter of Janine’s property. The wicker rocking chair had become his daily sanctuary from his new life, but even when he would lose himself in thought, the phantom pain from his absent left hand would remind him of his new existence. It was hard for him not to feel like a prisoner even though Janine did her best to make him feel at home and comfortable. All he did each day since his sentence was carried out over two weeks ago was mope around and sit out back staring. He did think of Lori, but his mind was eased that she had taken shelter with a loving family and her true identity or connection to him was still secret. Immediately after losing his hand, he worried for her, but as each day passed, he came to realize that Lori was a very self-reliant person.