The Age of Zombies: Sergeant Jones (32 page)

Carlton’s brow furrowed. “But somebody could have told the truth.”

Crumzchek laughed. “Lots of people tell the truth, Carlton,” he said. “But those are just words. We’re governed by sinister biological impulse. When will you stop rationalizing and just accept that fact? Millions of years of evolution, and the drive to kill and lie has only been emboldened in our race. We’re hardwired for it. And that’s our truth. That’s what we have to live with. That’s where we must operate from.”

Crumzchek pulled the cigar from his lips, tossed it to the ground, and crushed it with his boot. “And we will never get any better. We shouldn’t delude ourselves and think that humanity will ever stop killing.”

“Then this fight against the Orobu,” Carlton said. “It’s worthless. We’re going to keep on killing each other anyways.”

 Crumzchek spit at Carlton. “The truth is, Carlton, that I am fighting the Orobu to keep the killing on our terms.
Homo sapiens
is the dominant species. And we’re going to keep it that way. So I bring my argument back to the forefront of this conversation. We will kill as many as we can in Beijing with our bombs. I don’t give a damn about the implications.”

“And you think this will stop them? This will put an end to these monsters?”

“Not at all,” Crumzchek said. “These monsters will live on. The fight with the Orobu will be long. Our race may very well fail. But we’re not going down without a bang.”

Carlton nodded, and excused himself from the room. He wanted to be alone now. The sins of his past working in the CIA surged into his conscious mind. The situation haunted him. Crumzchek spoke with unsettling conviction.

But, Crumzchek was right. What did humanity have to lose? In his previous life, before the prospect of humanity’s demise, Carlton was always level headed and ready to do whatever needed. How foolish, he thought. Following orders was more detrimental to the human race than rebellion. Now that it was all being taken away, his heart stirred with regret.

Secretary Crumzchek had important matters to attend to. He needed to recruit volunteers for the kamikaze missions that would bring an end to the festivities in Beijing.  After a few phone calls, the plan was set in stone.

Crumzchek relaxed in his bunker, deep beneath the Rocky Mountains. He booted up his old record player, and put on a Patsy Cline album. Her smooth voice, coupled with the bourbon, put him right to sleep. He needed the rest. And it’d be a few days before he commanded the mission of his lifetime.

Those days passed quickly.

The festivities in Beijing started just as the Moscow intel agent said they would.

They started with a bang.

A great display of fireworks heralded in the planet’s leaders. Millions of humans gathered in the streets to bear witness to this dawning of a new age. Dancers, acrobats, fire spinners, magicians, and jugglers paraded through the crowds. The event was broadcasted to every camp and city that was under Orobu control. Roughly seventy percent of the world’s population was watching. Parties broke out across the world alongside the celebration in Beijing.

Suddenly, the crowd heard a thunderous roar in the sky. Two black military jets flew by in a mean streak overhead. The crowds went wild for the display. They assumed this was part of the celebration. Firecrackers popped all around. Bottle rockets zipped through the air.

The focal point of the festivities was the Forbidden City, which was located in the heart of Beijing. It was where Radoula and Boul had established their base of operations in recent weeks. And it was where they intended to hold their coronation.

They were using this historic site as their unofficial headquarters until further notice. The palace meant a lot to the Orobu. They helped Emperor Yongle established the compound in the early 15th century. The emperor moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing. Over a million laborers were forced to build the Forbidden City. It took fourteen years to complete. Emperor Yongle persecuted his enemies with zeal, massacring whole families of political enemies, real or perceived. The Orobu were his mainstay mercenaries. They were rewarded kindly for their efforts in establishing the new capital for Emperor Yongle.

Below the Forbidden City was the labyrinthine underground palace. The dungeon was down there, too. Jones was still alone in the cell with his family while the festivities were going on above ground. They could hear the booms of the fireworks and the wild cheers of the crowds.

Vanessa covered her daughter with her shirt. She wanted to keep Emma Jo close and warm and safe. Vanessa hummed a lullaby, and Emma Jo let out a little snore. Vanessa cursed whatever God brought her to this dungeon.  

Suddenly, Jones jolted out of his slumber. He woke up deeply famished. His eyes were bloodshot and his stomach was in acute pain. He could feel the hunger deep in his bones. His family wasn’t his family anymore. They were meat. He looked his wife and daughter up and down. He couldn’t decide who he wanted to eat first.

Vanessa pulled Emma Jo closer. One more step, she thought. Take one more step and you’re dead.

Above the dungeon, the night sky fired up with explosions in every color. This contrasted with the retinue of Orobu soldiers who surrounded the perimeter of the Forbidden City. Even on this most important of nights, the soldiers wore the standard black fatigues.

The fireworks stopped. The crowds fell silent. The air was still and smoke from the fireworks filtered away into the night.

Loudspeakers that were positioned on light posts and buildings throughout the city turned on. They crackled with static before a voice finally spoke. “People of the world,” a man’s voice said. It was deep and hollow, definitely belonging to one of the Orobu. “We welcome you to the coronation of the leaders of the new age!”

The sound of applause and cheer was deafening. The sensitive members of the crowd cupped their hands over their ears. The streets surrounding the plaza of the Forbidden City went wild. They couldn’t wait to see their new leaders. The Forbidden City was decorated with banners depicting Orobu skulls and strange, giant worms. The primary colors used were black and red.

People throughout the entire world stood on their feet as they anticipated the announcement. Millions of screens broadcasted the event. The volume was turned up high and every eye and ear was focussed on Beijing. The Forbidden City became the center of attention for the entire world.

Inside the first ring of Orobu soldiers was another perimeter of Orobu. These were the bull headed Orobu. They numbered in the hundreds. They were the honored guests of the event, as they had lived on the planet for over 10,000 years. The oldest had been alive for 43,000 years.

The outer rim of soldiers protected every inch of the Forbidden City, so that the crowds of humans couldn’t enter. The white tiled plaza in front of the imperial palace was empty, besides a black podium with two microphones. The throngs of human spectators, worked into reverie, pushed against the guards and fences trying to get closer to the podium. It wasn’t going to happen.

The fireworks started exploding again. The moment was drawing near. The crowds seemed to thicken, even though the streets were already bloated.

In the dungeon below, the scene was far from celebratory.

Jones licked his dry lips. “My hunger is a chasm,” he said. “Even after I eat you, the pit won’t be filled.”

Vanessa sobbed. “Then why are you doing this?” she said. “Resist it. Save your appetite. Ignore your hunger. At least until I have Junior.”

Jones was unaffected. He knew that he had once cared for these two humans. But that was in a past life. That was when he was human. He was becoming something else now, and his former self was quickly fading. “The hunger is a monster,” he said. “It’s trapped deep inside. And it’s ready to come out. It’s ready to be fed.”

Jones dove towards Vanessa, but she dodged him. Emma Jo woke up from the commotion. She started to cry uncontrollably, and hid behind her mother. She still didn’t know why her papa was doing this. It scared her to death.

Jones readied for another attack. He had his wild eyes on Emma Jo.

Vanessa stood between him and her daughter. She caressed her belly as Junior started to kick. The fight was in everybody.

Jones pounced towards Vanessa. He tackled her to the ground, and their battle was on its way.

Above ground, the twins were ready to speak. They made their appearance with grand style. The crowd was caught in a tense grip of anticipation. The two giants bowed to the world from the steps of the Imperial Palace. They took a single step and the crowd hushed. Nobody said a word. Everybody’s eyes were glued on the twins, who now ruled their destiny.

The twins stood at the podium and basked in the admiration of the crowds and the world. Camera flashes lit up the plaza. The twins were dressed in elegant silk robes, stitched with gold thread, covered in the ancient symbols of the Orobu. Gemstones and human bone were inlaid into the robes, creating a macabre elegance that shrouded their giant bodies.

“Good evening fellow humans,” Boul said. He spoke in an even meter and tone. Not too fast, not too slow; not too high, not too low. The world stayed quiet. Every ear perked up. “Tonight, the first of September, in the year 2015, will be remembered by the human race as the night that your destiny took a spectacular turn. Nobody, not even your greatest prophets, could have foreseen what we bring to you now.”

Radoula smiled benignly, and lifted her right hand in a gesture of welcoming. “We are the supreme leaders of the Orobu race. Our lineage is long, and we have struggled alongside the human race for millennia. The Orobu have lived in the shadows, patiently waiting for this day to come. And now we are awake. We live in the light. And we bring this light to you!”

The stunned crowd lit up in celebration. This was a magnificent moment.  

“Do not fear,” Boul said. His voice was deep and assertive now. It resounded through the hearts of every man, woman, and child watching. “For although the Orobu will guide this planet’s destiny from this day forth, humans will play an important role. Millions of humans have fallen to a plague that has swept the globe. The M-Worm, as it’s called. Do not fear, for the Orobu brings healing. We have the power to stop this scourge in its tracks. From this night forth, under the rule of the Orobu, no other human being will die from the M-Worm.”

This enlivened the crowds. The cities of the planet rejoiced. Even the skeptical were warmed by the promise. No more would die from the worm. The roar of cheers and hurrahs lifted up to the twins. The spectators who surrounded the Forbidden City were entranced.

Radoula beamed. She fed off the positive energy, and gave it right back to her new subjects. “All we ask for is your cooperation,” she said gently. She spoke like a great diplomat arriving from a far flung world. “There are seven billion humans on this planet. There are three million of us. Our plan is to work together so that both races prosper. The Orobu possesses a great wealth of knowledge to bring to this relationship, as does yours. In the coming months, with your help, we can bring civilization to heights that have only been imagined by your greatest storytellers.”

The crowd watched in awe. This was it. The last days of time. Nothing else from here would be the same. Even if a man would storm the stage and slaughter the twins before the world, it wouldn’t stop the change. The floodgates were already open. The Orobu had taken their place as the builders of destiny.

“Our first goal is to eradicate the M-Worm,” Boul said. “We have already conscripted several laboratories on every continent to develop a vaccine that will protect you from the M-Worm. The trial run for the vaccine is now underway. Once injected, you have nothing to fear. The M-Worm won’t harm you.”

“After everybody is vaccinated, the true form of our partnership can shine through.” Radoula paused and looked up to the sky. She heard something faint, a rumble. She brushed it off and looked back to the crowd. “We will be announcing our five year plan in the coming weeks. The plan will lay out the first stages of advancing civilization to heights unimaginable. The seas, the deserts, the forests, the wind, the very stars of our galaxy won’t be able to contain our majesty and our ambition. With that said, we welcome humanity back into the fold of Orobu rule. This moment has been long in the making.”

“For now,” Boul said. “Enjoy yourselves! Our first official proclamation as leaders of global civilization is only this: let the party begin!”

The twins stepped away from the podium and disappeared quietly into the Imperial Palace of the Forbidden City.

The crowds waited patiently for the twins to enter the palace. Once they were out of sight, the party began. Fireworks boomed, liquor flowed freely from jugs, and a new zest for life overtook the human race. The protected cities throughout the world broke out in celebration. Beijing went nuts. It was the greatest party the world had ever seen. Never before were the peoples of the world united in this way; under a common enemy, who was now viewed as humanity’s salvation.

As the party continued, the scene on the street quickly devolved into chaos. Orobu soldiers violently protected the grounds of the Forbidden City from trespassers. One of the soldiers picked up a particularly stubborn and disorderly young man up from the ground and ripped his body in half, dislodging his legs from his hips.

It would take time for humans to realize their error in accepting the rule of the Orobu. By then it would be far too late.