Ben glanced behind him at the horse he had kept on a lead, which carried the body Ben had brought with him on his journey. The body was wrapped in a tarp and hung limply over the saddle.
Buzzards circled overhead against the blue morning sky, the birds catching the scent of death. It was just one of the countless casualties in the war that had raged since the EMP attack had brought the country to a standstill.
People had lost their homes, their livelihoods, and their families. The past few months had been the most difficult anyone had experienced in their lifetime. And the survivors of the first wave of attacks were still trying to piece together what had happened.
The risks involved in the shadowy collapse of the old world were great, and this journey Ben was taking was no exception. But he knew his brother better than he did the enemy, and while Ben might have won the latest battle, the war was far from over.
Ben had stuck close to the highway as a guide, but he kept to the forest to keep himself hidden as much as possible. He had grown up in these woods, knew them like his own beating heart. Any shift on the breeze could alert him to trouble, so when he heard the snap of the twig on his right, he slowed his horse.
“Easy, girl,” Ben said, gently pulling on the reins.
The horse whinnied but obeyed and slowed. Ben reached for his side arm as he studied the tree line to his left. Another twig snapped, followed by a crunch of leaves, and Ben knew he wasn’t alone.
“I need you to stop right there, sir,” a voice said. “And I need you to keep your hands up where I can see them.”
Three men emerged from the trees where Ben had heard them moving. They were dressed in military fatigues, but Ben wasn’t sure just yet if that was a good sign or not.
Ben took his hand off the butt of his pistol and slowly complied with the soldier’s request as he was circled and surrounded. “I was just on my way to see some of your friends.”
“Is that right?” one of the soldiers asked.
“We got a body back here, Sarge,” another soldier said.
“You kill him?” the sergeant asked.
“No,” Ben answered. “He was a soldier in Colonel Jackson’s unit. He was killed by the same people who started this fight.”
“You know Colonel Jackson?” the sergeant asked, sounding surprised.
“I’m on my way to see him now,” Ben answered.
“Are you a civilian?” the sergeant asked.
“Yes,” Ben answered.
The sergeant was a skinny man, but his jawline looked chiseled from marble. He stared at Ben with a calculating gaze. “You know, we just ran into a guy in the previous town who had a similar story to yours. Turns out he was actually part of The New Order.” He examined Ben’s shoulders, no doubt looking for the patch their people wore. “You know about them?”
“I do,” Ben answered, sensing that the situation was turning tense.
“Hey, Sarge?” The soldier who was examining the body on the horse removed a pair of dog tags.
“Well, at least the dead soldier story checks out,” the sergeant answered. “But I’m afraid that still doesn’t ease my concerns, so…” He gestured down with the end of his rifle.
When Ben didn’t comply, the two soldiers under the sergeant’s command grabbed at his legs, but Ben swatted them away.
“Hey, easy,” Ben said. “I’m coming down.”
Once dismounted and disarmed, Ben marched forward with his new wardens, the horses pulled with them. “It’s a waste not to ride one of them,” Ben said.
“I don’t like horses,” the sergeant said, and then he spat. “They’re too skittish for me.”
Ben examined the three of them, and it looked like they been through hell. “How long have you men been roughing it?”
“Six weeks,” the sergeant answered, sounding exasperated. “We’ve been tasked with locating all the military installations across the state and making sure everybody is still at their post.”
“What you found so far?” Ben asked.
“That’s classified,” the sergeant answered.
“But what you’ve already told me isn’t?” Ben asked.
The sergeant gave Ben a good look up and down. “Let’s say I believe you. What are you going to speak with Colonel Jackson about?”
“We had an arrangement,” Ben answered. “I was visiting to make sure our agreement was still in place.”
The sergeant looked back to the dead body on the horse. “If keeping that guy alive was a part of your arrangement, then I could have saved you the trip and told you that the deal was off.”
“I also have information,” Ben said.
The sergeant stopped, and everyone followed suit. “What kind of information?”
Ben wasn’t sure how much he should tell the sergeant. They might all be dressed in military garb, but they could have pilfered those uniforms off of any dead soldier. It was hard to find people to trust these days.
“It’s classified,” Ben said.
The sergeant remained stoic for a moment and then laughed as he started walking again. “I like you, civilian. Not many people keep their sense of humor during times like these. It’s good to know that you still have it.”
The mood lightened after that, and Ben was still forced to walk, but the sergeant opened up a little bit more about their mission.
“Between the two of us, we should be able to end this war by next week,” the sergeant said.
Ben perked up. “How?”
“We managed to turn someone on the inside of The New Order,” the sergeant answered. “The details are complicated, but let’s just say that we know where their command is stationed. We’re putting together units that will cut the head off the snake.”
“Oorah,” the two soldiers behind them chanted.
“Ooo-rah,” the sergeant repeated. “Take these fuckers out in one swift swoop.”
“Good,” Ben said. “The sooner, the better.”
When they finally neared the gates of Jackson’s facility, they were ordered to stop by the guards on duty. Ben’s nerves got the better
