B.O.K. Part 5

Interstate 95, En route to New Boston

May 6^th, 3027 CE

            Adrian looked out the window into the night sky as the convoy of collecting trucks rode silently down the interstate. The highway, as usual, was empty. Most people generally didn’t have the money to own cars these days, leaving the extensive network of roadways with really no purpose except for providing the Collectors with direct routes to each city.

            He was anxious and worried about going back to New Boston. It would be the first time since he ran away that he’d be coming home. He had always wanted to join the army, to serve the New King and do him proud. While others only saw the harshness and irrationality of the King and his punishments, Adrian had seen strength and power. The amount of respect and fear that the King commanded had always fascinated him.

One day Adrian hoped to achieve those levels of power and respect. Then he laughed at the thought, he was just a soldier and that’s all he’d ever be.

            Adrian leaned in closer to the window. He thought he had seen something. Wait there he saw it again. There was movement off in the distance. But how could that be? It was nearly four in the morning. People rarely left the safety of their homes nowadays, especially not at this time. He reached for the walkie-talkie on the dashboard.

            “This is C-truck 56 reporting, be advised for possible movement to the East. I repeat, possible movement to the East, over.”  A few seconds later Captain Hanson’s rough voice came over the line.

            “Copy that C-truck 56. Ok men safeties off and everyone keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, over and out.”

            Adrian put the walkie-talkie back on the dash and flipped the safety off on his Scar-L assault rifle. It may just have been his eyes playing tricks on him, but it was always better to be on the safe side. He focused all his energy on scanning the horizon. That’s when he saw a flash in the distance and a heavy trail of smoke making its way to the convoy.

            “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” He quickly scooped up the walkie-talkie and switched it on, all in one swift movement. “RPG!! I repeat RP….” The truck in front of him exploded before he could finish the message.

B.O.K. Part 4

Baltimore, East-Central Territory

May 6^th, 3027 CE

             It was rumored throughout the kingdom that Baltimore was one of the few rebel strongholds this side of the royal city. Because of these rumors the King had increased the amount of city guards garrisoned in Baltimore. It was for that reason that many choose to stay indoors whenever possible, to avoid any encounter with the unruly city guards. But even with the increased security in Baltimore the rebels continued to meet in the abandoned warehouse at the edge of the city.

            Tom Greenfield stood on the raised platform at the front of the room surveying the gathering crowd. He liked what he saw. Men and woman of all kinds of shapes and sizes that had come together to accomplish one common goal: to overthrow the New King and his incredibly unjust order.

Tom pulled out the index cards he had in his pocket and for the hundredth time that nigh and rehearsed his speech. He was usually pretty good with speeches, but tonight’s was very important. It would officially mark the beginning of a new era, the beginning of the end for the New King and his Court.

He finished reading the last card and put them back in his pocket.

There was something in the air tonight, Tom could feel it. And he was sure the other three leaders in Green Bay, Tampa, and St. Louis, who were just about to give the same speech, could feel it too.

He watched as the as the remaining few piled into the warehouse floor. It was ShowTime.  Tom walked up to the podium and flashed his famous smile.

“Good evening everyone and welcome. It’s an honor and a privilege to be speaking to you right now. For twenty-seven years now, we have been under the rule of that sorry excuse for a king. Everyday has become a constant struggle for us. I don’t know about you, but I can remember happier times. Times where we could walk the streets without worry, where people were actually able to enjoy themselves, I, I remember those times. I remember when I could go out and have a nice dinner, when I could be with those I loved, when I didn’t have to worry day in and day out about the Collectors suddenly showing up at my doorstep. I remember and I miss those times, and I’m sure many of you do as well.

So tonight, I stand before you to offer you a chance to bring back those times, to bring back the happiness we once all shared. By joining the Knights of the Old you will be given a chance to fight back and to seek the justice we have all been longing for. But I must caution you, the road to liberty and justice will be a long and hard one. Many will not make it. But I believe that the rewards are well worth the risks.”

He paused and gathered the rest of his thoughts. His next few lines would be the ultimate deciding factor for these men and woman, and he didn’t want to mess them up.

“I would like to take the time to again say what an honor this is. Because I’m literally speaking to the history in the making right now, every single one of you is going to help leave one of the largest marks on history the world will ever see. We are the future; we are the ones who will bring the change that this kingdom so desperately needs.”

He began to pace up and down the platform.

“Tonight our mission to create a better world for us and our descendants officially begins. Even as I speak we, the Knights of the Old, are preparing to draw first blood.” He checked his watch. “In five minutes time a group of our men will intercept and attempt to destroy a collecting convoy heading to New Boston.”

He stopped and looked dead ahead into the crowd.

 “Ladies and gentleman, the end has officially begun.”

 

B.O.K. Part 3

Captain James Hanson filled his mouth with a handful of sunflower seeds, he had recently given up chewing tobacco and he found that sunflower seeds helped with the cravings. He watched the ordinary tax collecting procedures with mock interest.

He had gone through the same monotonous routine many times before.

 The KDOTC or Collectors as the general population had come to call them, would pull into a town and demand the king’s taxes. Those who couldn’t pay would be gathered into the center of the town and one by one they would be executed, while they made the others watch.

That way they’d make every attempt to pay their taxes again the next time. The same process had been going on ever since the New King had taken over and demanded large amounts of taxes from the general population.

Hanson watched as the last of the tax evaders had been gathered into the town square and were beginning to be eliminated. He leaned back onto the grill of the truck and exchanged the empty shells in his mouth with fresh seeds. He let out a sigh, he felt old. Hell, he was old, at forty-seven he was past his prime, but he enjoyed his work and didn’t want to give it up.

His thoughts were interrupted by some commotion going on in the square.

“Well maybe this won’t be as ordinary of a collection as I thought” Hanson thought about intervening but the discarded then idea, He’d let his newly promoted Corporal take care of it. “Fiore, get your ass over there and figure out what’s going on!” He barked.

 Hanson watched as Fiore ran over and assessed the situation.

Hanson liked Fiore; the kid had a lot of potential. The boy possessed determination and a desire to prove himself.

All good qualities if he hoped to advance in the rankings. Hanson smiled as he saw Fiore take control of the situation and handle it appropriately. He looked towards Hanson for the order to continue. Good the boy knew who was in charge; it’d keep him out of trouble in the future. Hanson nodded and a few seconds later the man lay on the floor dead as Fiore took a step back.

“Well I better get over there and congratulate him on a job well done” Hanson thought aloud. He stood with some effort, noticing that age had also brought some extra pounds.

****

Adrian felt someone put a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see the grizzled face of his Captain.

“Good work Corporal, You did a fine job.” The Captain barked.

“Thank You sir, I did what I felt was right.” Adrian replied.

“Well then you got the instincts for this line of work.” The Captain turned and began to issue commands to the other soldiers to load up. Adrian watched the Captain with some interest; he radiated authority even though he didn’t have the look of authority. He was short, old, and somewhat plump, yet all these men hinged on his every word, waiting for an order. It wasn’t just his ranking that caused everyone to act that way but his background and the stories of what that man had done.

 Adrian had heard one such story a few months ago at a bar. Supposedly Hanson had been given the responsibility of tracking down and killing the last surviving royalty of the Kingdom of Old.

He had been in charge of taking down Princess Isabella and her newborn son.

Hanson had managed to get the princess but somehow he never managed to find the boy. It became a rumor that the only reason Hanson had never been more than a captain was because of never finding the baby.

Adrian found that to be incredibly interesting, not the fact that Hanson was never promoted past captain, but the fact that most likely that baby was still alive. That somewhere a prince was alive and most likely didn’t even know it. Adrian shook away the thought and moved toward the convoy of trucks that were lined up on the road, climbing into the second truck. He sat in the passenger seat and grabbed the clipboard that was on the dash.

He slid his finger down the line of cities and towns that they’d be stopping at until he reached Richmond. Adrian made a mark by Richmond and noted the amount of money they had collected and the amount of tax evaders. He then scanned the next few lines to see where they would be heading. He stopped when he saw New Boston listed a few cities down. It looked like he’d be going to his hometown, for the first time in ten years.

B.O.K. Part 2

Richmond, Carolinas Territory

May 5^th, 3027 CE 

Joseph White had to cross his eyes to be able to look at the barrel of the gun that was pressed to his forehead. Beads of sweat ran down the man’s face, his breathing had become labored, and he trembled slightly.

 He also had a greater awareness of his surroundings; he noticed the slightest of details. The silence of the crowd, the icy cold barrel of the gun, the shuffling of nervous feet, and most of all the rivers of tears on his wives face. His wife, once so strong and beautiful, was reduced to being weak and helpless. She stood there incapable of doing anything for her husband. All she could do was fight the tears that kept forming at the corners of her eyes.

Joseph then transferred his gaze to the man holding the gun. He was of average height, dark haired, and solidly built. He looked into the man’s piercing blue eyes. On any other day they may have been regarded as handsome or nice, but right now Joseph could see the fire in those eyes.

The burning desire to prove himself to his supervisor and further beneath that he could see peace? Yes that’s what it was, peace; the man was incredibly calm and at ease, that and the fact that he was so young unsettled Joseph. It scared him that someone so young could possibly hold the reputation that all collectors carried upon their shoulders.

Something inside Joseph wanted him to cry out to the man, to tell him that he didn’t have to do this. But he knew better, holding his tongue would bring him a few more seconds of life.

His thinking was interrupted by a sharp click. It took him a few seconds to realize that the sound he just heard was the trigger being pulled.

****

Adrian Fiore held the pistol tightly in his hand as he pressed the barrel of the gun onto the man’s forehead.

How pathetic, he thought inwardly, here was this man facing death in the eyes because of a crime against the king, and he didn’t have the dignity to go down like a man; to at least die respectfully in front of his family and friends. Instead he cried like his equally pathetic wife. But what annoyed Adrian the most were the feeble whimpers that escaped from the man’s mouth. How sad he thought again, but there was a bright side to all of this, Adrian was getting the privilege, hell, the honor of wiping someone so weak off the face of this planet. Because when it came down to it, only the strong survived.

He looked towards his Captain who was leaning against one of the armored trucks. The Captain gave a slight nod. Adrian turned back to the man kneeled down before him and smiled. There it was, the familiar feel of the adrenaline rushing through his system, the greatest feeling in the world. Adrian’s hand tightened on the gun and his index finger twitched.

He pulled the trigger once and felt the kick of the M9 as the bullet erupted out of the gun and drilled itself into the man’s head. The bullet shredded both bone and brain as it went through and exploded out the back. Adrian replaced the gun and took a step back as the man fell forward into a puddle of mud with a large splash.

 

B.O.K. Part 1

New Boston, New England Territory 

September 16^th, 3000 CE

            The woman held her son tightly as she ran through the woods; she needed to get to New Boston as quickly as possible.  The safety of her son depended on it.  She risked a glance behind her and found that she had a fairly large lead on the trackers, but even still she didn’t let her pace falter. The woman needed to drop off the baby and circle back without giving the pursuers any idea of what she had done. That way they wouldn’t be able to find the baby.

            She crashed through the tree line and sprinted as hard as she could to the outskirts of the city. Already she could see the abandoned church where she had arranged to meet her friend.

“Please be here, please God let her be here.” She muttered as she arrived at the church.  Her prayers were answered when a dark shape emerged out of the darkness. “Joanne!”she called out as she ran up to the older woman and embraced her.

“Hello my darling, is the baby alright?” Joanne asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

“He is now,” She handed the baby over. “But I need to leave before they catch up and catch us together.”

Joanne took the baby carefully and brushed a hair out of his dreaming face. “Just be careful, run hard my dear, run hard.”

The woman gave a wry smile. “I intend to.” She hugged Joanne and kissed the baby on the head one last time. Then she took off heading into the direction in which she had come.

Her eyes glistened with tears as she made her way into the forest again. She knew she wouldn’t make it to the border in time. That was the reason why she had left her baby with Joanne in the first place. Her only goal now was to lead her pursuers as far as possible from New Boston before she was caught.

She began to hoot and holler to attract the attention of the men following her. Apparently it worked.

In the distance the trackers swung their lights into her direction. Already she could hear the heavy motor of the trucks gaining on her. The lights around her grew brighter and brighter with each step. She knew the game was up. And as if on cue a blinding flash of pain hit her out of nowhere and she went flying face first into the ground.

She had been shot in the leg.

The woman crawled to the nearest tree and managed to prop herself up on it.  From where she sat she could she the entire pursuit party as they began to circle around her. She counted three trucks and twenty men in all. As she pressed down on the wound, she leaned her head back and looked into the heavens; she’d be with her parents soon and that thought made her smile. She looked back at the line of soldiers around her and her smile faded as the line began to part.

A grizzly, shorter than average man appeared, he walked slowly and calmly towards her. He came to a stop a few feet away from her and whistled. “You really gave us a run for our money missy, Corporal James Hanson at your service.” He held out his hand. The woman just sat there holding his gaze.

“Not one for customaries I see, I woulda thought differently judging by your background. But that’s all the better,” Hanson spat out some tobacco off to the side “cause I’m not one much for customaries either, I like to get right down to the nitty gritty also.” Hanson squatted down in front of her. “Now you gonna tell me what you did with that baby of yours or am I gonna have to get it outa you?” The only thing that came out of her mouth was the glob of spit that landed square on Hanson’s face.

“Well I’m gonna take that as a no.” Hanson reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off his face.

“You leave me with no choice, cause honestly I really don’t need you. We’ll find that baby with or without your help; I was just trying to be a gentleman by giving you a few more days.”

“I don’t need your charity and you’re certainly not a gentleman!” she retorted.

“Well I tried.” Hanson reached down to his side and pulled out his custom Berretta 9mm. He then leveled it with her head. “I’m sorry misses but you and your baby are the only people left between the New King and his New Order.”

“Go to hell.” She said evenly.

“I’m planning on it” Hanson pulled the trigger. The woman’s body fell with a dull thud as Hanson spat out the last of his chew. Already a trio of soldiers had come forward to retrieve the body. Hanson watched as the men put her into a body bag and loaded her into the back of one of the trucks. As the truck began to pull away Hanson whispered. “Goodbye Princess Isabella”