feeling I had back in ‘88, just before the balloon went up.”
“All we can do is keep an eye on them,” Juan said.
“We’d better,” Mark said. “You all notice how they’re singling out the younger troops to talk with? I don’t like that. I get the feeling something … evil is in the wind.”
“I’m with you, partner,” Ike said.
“When do we tell Ben?” Dan asked.
Ike looked at him. “When we get to Georgia. No point in gettin’ him all stirred up now.”
Ben experienced a form of mild depression as his eyes swept the land on either side of Interstate 24. The scene greeting him was one of almost total deterioration. Ben knew living beings were out there, knew many had survived not only the bombings of ‘88, but also the plague and the horror that followed a decade later. But the survivors did not appear to be doing anything.
Ben thought: How in the hell do these people expect to pull anything out of the ashes of destruction and despair if they just sit on their butts and do nothing?
Gale glanced at him. As if reading his thoughts, she said, “They don’t have a leader, Ben. Someone to put their faith and trust in.”
Ben shook his head. “Uh-huh, and hell, no, lady. Not again. Not this ol’ boy. I’ve had my shot at running the show.”
“Then why are we moving to Georgia, Ben?” she challenged him. “Just to see the countryside?”
“It’s one thing to build a small following of people, Gale. It is quite another to try to pull together an entire nation. I thank you, but no thank you.”
She thought about that. She stuck out her chin. “You did it before,” she reminded him.
“No,” Ben contradicted her. “I attempted to do it. And for a very brief time, if you are speaking of my short tenure as president of this battered nation.”
“Ben-was
“No, Gale. No. Another Tri-States, perhaps, something on that order. Perhaps, Gale, if I-we-could do that, and make it work, then others would follow our example. That is my hope. But only time will tell.”
“All right, Ben.” She knew that particular subject was, for the time being, closed. She gazed out the window. Nothing moved, no sign of human habitation, much less human progress toward rebuilding. “It just looks so … barren, Ben.”
“It is, to some degree. But it’s a dangerous illusion, Gale. I think many of the survivors have formed pockets of defense around the nation. Probably many have slipped back to the medieval fortressstvillage type of existence.”
“This nation-or what is left of it-put people on the moon. We were reaching for the stars. Now-this.”
“It was inevitable, Gale. All people had to do was study history to find out where any nation is heading. Unfortunately, most people were too busy protesting this or that-whatever served their own special interest group or union-or were too busy glued to a television set watching the most asinine pap ever made for insulting the human intelligence. In short, the majority didn’t give a shit.”
“That’s harsh, Ben. Perhaps too harsh.”
“I don’t think so. It isn’t too harsh for me to say the nation’s morals slipped to zero. It certainly is correct to say in our courts it became not a matter of guilty or innocent, but guilty or not guilty-and not guilty came, more often than not, as a result of some minor breach of technicality. Fuck the victims of crime and turn the punks loose. And as for my remark about TV, after a time, I just quit watching television.”
“Come on, Ben-what did you watch? Stuff with a lot of violence, I’m sure.”
“No. I bought a VCR and watched screw movies,” he said with a grin. “Come on, Raines! Get serious.”
“What is this, Gale-psychoanalyze Ben Raines time?”
“I would like to know a little bit about the man I’m living with,” she said, adding primly, “and the guy who got me pregnant.”
“Takes two, you know?”
“Give, Raines.”
“I watched what I personally enjoyed, Gale. High drama or low shoot-“em-up-and-stomp movies.
I watched good comedy-as I define ‘gd.” Most of the comedians I enjoyed never used one word of profanity in their routines. A good comic doesn’t have to. Just like a good actor doesn’t have to rely on gimmicks. Their very presence emanates talent. And dancing should be graceful, Gale. Not leaping about like a pack of savages in the throes of a pre-sexual orgy.” “Ah-huh,” Gale whirled on the seat-and cracked her noggin on the sun visor. “Shit!” she said, rubbing her head. “I always knew you were a closet bigot. Admit it, Raines.”
“I’m not a closet anything, Gale. How’s your head?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“You asked for my opinion, Gale-I gave it. Others are entitled to theirs, as well.”
“I know,” she said, smiling. “I just wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of you.” She glanced at his strong profile. “I read every one of your books I could find, Ben. I didn’t like some of them, but I read them. You really got down on the American people. I used to think what you wanted was a nation of clones, all patterned after yourself.”
“And now?”
“I was wrong.”
“My God! Let me stop and find a hammer and stone tablet. I want to preserve that last remark for posterity.”
Gale stuck out her tongue at him.
“How’s the kid?” Ben asked.
“Plural, Ben. Two. The twins are doing just fine, thank you.”
“In nine months I’m going to prove you wrong, Gale.”
“You really know a lot about the reproduction system, don’t you, Raines? Where are you getting this “nine months” crap? Try about six and a half months.”
He looked at her midsection. “I can’t tell any difference. You look just as skinny and malnourished as ever.”
“Thanks a lot, Raines. I’ve gained a few pounds. Hey! Look over there.” She pointed.
Ben looked. He radioed the column to a halt and got out of the truck. Uncasing his binoculars, he focused them and then began cussing. “Bastards,” he said. “Dan! Over here.”
The Englishman appeared at Ben’s side. “Sir?”
Ben handed him his field glasses. “Take a look, Dan.”
Dan’s face went white with rage. “Damned barbarians.”
“What do you make of it, Dan?”
“They seem to have constructed some sort of miniature Stonehenge, General. And they are burning someone alive in the open center of it. My word! What has this nation come to?”
“It’ll get worse, Dan,” Ben said. “I assure you of that. Let’s go take a look.”
“Ah … General? Why don’t you just let me take a team over there? We’ll-was
The look on Ben’s face stopped Dan. Ben said, “I believe I said let’s go take a look, Dan.”
“Right-oh, General,” Dan replied cheerfully.
“You will permit me to lead the way, I hope?”
“Carry on, Colonel. Oh, Dan?”
The Englishman turned. “Thanks for your concern, Dan. But when I require the services of a nanny, I’ll want one who’s a hell of a lot better looking than you.” Ben softened that with a smile.
Dan laughed, taking no umbrage at Ben’s remark. “I certainly can’t blame you for that, sir. I am a bit worse for wear.”
“Be careful, old man,” Gale called from the truck.
Ben waved at her and followed Dan and his scouts across the rocky field. The screams of the man being burned alive at the stake grew louder as the Rebels approached. The smell of burning flesh was offensive to them all.
“Jesus Christ, Ben,” Ike said.
“I know, Ike,” Ben said, then cautioned them. “You people step easy now. We don’t know what we’re facing
