204.

The Rebels began massive daily daylight airdrops into Utah: medical supplies, food, and weapons, from M-16s to .50-caliber heavy machine guns, artillery pieces and mortars. Ben halted the airdrops only when the commanders of the various Mormon units in Utah radioed that with the new supplies, they could now hold their own against just about anything that Simon might throw at them.

The long Rebel columns moved on the morning after the firefight. They did not take the time to bury the creepie dead.

"Carrion birds have to eat, too," Ben said. "Let's get this show on the road."

"I hope they don't get sick and croak afterward," Jersey replied.

The column made the 50-mile run to Durant and found a dead town.

"It wasn't until recently," Ben said, looking over a cemetery filled with relatively recent graves. "I'd say these graves are no more dian a year old." And in the town's business district: "Some of these storeshave been repainted and fixed up. This was a thriving community until Simon Border and the creeps moved in."

"Scouts report that the bridge over the lake just west of here is gone,"

Corrie said. "At least part of it. We'll have to detour around it."

"Did we blow that bridge?" Ben asked. "I don't remember."

His team shrugged their shoulders. "Beats me, boss," Cooper said. "We've blown so many."

Beth had lost many of her valuable journals over the years in ambushes and attacks and could not help either.

"Doesn't matter," Ben said. "It's gone and that's that." He laid a map out on the hood of the big wagon. "We'll 205.

205.

cut north up to this little town at the tip of the lake and bivouac there for the night. Advise the scouts."

"They're already heading that way," Corrie said. "Reporting no trouble and no signs of life."

"Where the hell did the people go?" Ben muttered. "What happened to them?"

The wind sighed its unreadable reply and Ben knew that was about as much answer as he was ever likely to get. He didn't like to think the creeps got them, but realized that was an option he had to consider.

"You better come see this, general," a Rebel said, running up to Ben's side. The young man pointed. "Down that way, about a block."

Ben and team and about 50 other Rebels walked the distance to an old church.

"It's inside, sir," the Rebel told Ben in a very quiet voice.

Ben looked at the young man, then nodded. "Lead the way.''

The young Rebel hesitated.

"What is it, son?"

"Better get the chaplain, sir."

"All right." Ben looked at Corrie and she spoke into her headset.

"On the way."

"We'll wait until he arrives."

There were several chaplains assigned to each battalion, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, and all three drove up in a Hummer.

"What is it, general?" Rabbi Wassermann asked.

"I don't know, Gary. We'll see in a minute. Whatever it is, it's in thatchurch."

"What denomination was this?" another asked.

"Don't know," the third replied.

"Let's go," Ben said. To the young Rebel: "Lead the way, son."

206.

The scene that greeted them brought everyone up short. On the wall behind where the pulpit once stood, between a wooden cross bolted to the wall, were the bones of four people, rotting flesh hanging from the bones. They had all been crucified, spikes driven into their feet, knees, sides, and hands.

Ben heard all three chaplains mutter short and very fervent prayers.

Painted on the wall, in bright red, were the words: RAY BROWN RULES.

"Over here, sir." The young Rebel who had led the way touched Ben's arm.

Scrawled on another wall, in pencil, were die words: God help us all.

First it was the cannibals, now it's the hordes of criminals, acting under the direct auspices of Simon Border. They 've taken the women and the young children. The screaming as they are being raped is terrible.

The leader, Ray Brown, has told us what he has planned for us. He is a spawn of the devil. The personification of every thing evil. Oh my God, give me strength to endure the pain.

"Get the remains down from the wall," Ben said softly. "And do it as gendy as possible. We'll bury them in the yard beside the church."

"This Ray Brown," one of the chaplains spoke, his words hard with anger.

"This creature ..." He shook his head, unable to finish the sentence.

"I know," Ben said. "We'll deal with him this run. I promise you that."

"We've found a pit, or a ditch, that is filled with the bones of people, general," a scout said. "Looks like tihey've been dead several months.

All lined up and shot."

"Let's see it."

Ben stood over the long ditch and looked down at the remains of perhaps 75 people while a Rebel doctor quickly 208.

207.

examined the rag-covered bones. Ben noticed he was paying particular attention to the teeth.

"Mostly men," the doctor said, looking up. "And I would say they were mostly old men."

"Old men?"

"Yes, sir. No young men here.""What do you make of that, general?" an intelligence officer asked.

Ben was thoughtful for a moment. "My guess would be they've taken the younger men to use as slaves, or to trade them as such."

"Trade them, General Ben?" Anna asked. "To whom and for what?"

"I'll reserve comment on both those questions, Anna. But I can't believe Simon Border is involved in any type of slave-trading or the use of slaves."

"I can," Beth said, considerable heat in her voice. "If these people refused to go along with Simon's wacky views on religion, I wouldn't put anything past that bastard, or his goofy-assed followers."

Ben smiled at her words, for Beth was usually the quiet one of his team, then he sobered at the truth in her statement. Ben was convinced that Simon Border was insane. Functionally mad, but insane nonetheless.

Ben again looked down at the ditch of death. "Cover them," he ordered.

"We can't do much more than that for them now." He sighed. "Then let's get the hell out of here."

209.

The column spent the night stretched out along the eastern side of the lake, with 1 Batt at the northern tip. The next day they rolled into Ardmore, and found it deserted.

"Somebody put up a hell of a battle here," Buddy observed, as he stood with his father on the main street of town.

"That they did, son. For all the good it did them," he added.

"We've found another mass grave, general," a scout said, walking up.

"The doc is looking over the bones now."

Ben and Buddy followed the scout over to the mass grave located on the edge of town.

"Just like the other one," the doctor said, climbing out of the ditch.

"All old people. What about the churches, general?"

"I have people inspecting them now. But I am expecting the worse."

The bad news wasn't long in coming.

210.

"Two men and a woman, general," one of Ben's company commanders reported. "Nailed up just like the others. Same message on the wall. Ray Brown left his mark here, too."

"Get them down and bury them with the others."

"Simon Border on the horn, boss," Corrie said. "And he appears to be angry about something."

"I wonder what in the world could have made him angry," Ben replied with a smile. He walked over to the communications truck and took the mic."This is Ben Raines, Simon. Go ahead."

Simon started preaching, running his words together and gulping air. Ben listened until the man ran out of air. "I didn't understand a damn word of that, Simon. You want to back up and start all over?"

' 'You have invaded my territory, Raines. You have broken your word, as I knew you would. You cannot be trusted. You are evil. You are a pig, Ben Raines. You are a spawn of the devil, straight from hell."

"And you're an asshole, Border," Ben said calmly.

There was a long silence from the other end. Then Border screamed, "What did you call me?"

"An asshole," Ben repeated. "A hypocritical, lying, self-serving, mean-spirited dickhead. I wouldn't trust you if you swore on a stack of Bibles. You don't know what the word Christian means, Border."

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner, you, you ... heathen!"

Simon then, very unChristianlike, began cussing him, and he knew all the words and got them in the right places. Ben waited until the man had wound down. "Simon, you really fucked up with me when you let Ray Brown and that bunch of scum into your territory and gave them the green light to do any damn thing they wanted to do."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Raines!"

211.

"You're a damn liar as well, Simon."

Simon sputtered for a moment and then fell silent.

"You made a bad mistake when you declared war on kids, Simon."

"I didn't do anything of the sort!"

"Don't lie, Simon. When you gave Ray Brown and the rest of that scummy bunch sanctuary, you shook hands with die devil. You stay out my way, Simon. You keep clear of me and my Rebels. You understand?"

"You don't give me orders, Raines."

"I just did, Simon. Now you listen to me. I am going to rid this land of Ray Brown and his ilk once and for all. And if you interfere, I'll step on you like the big ugly nasty roach you are. Is that clear?"

"You're dead, Raines!" Simon screamed. "You're a walking-around dead man. Nobody, nobody, talks to me like that. Now then, do you understand all that?"

"I can answer that with two words, Simon."

"They had better be 'I'm sorry.' "

"No. Fuck you!"

The Rebel column resumed its march across the soudiern part of thestate. Ben knew, just as Caesar had known when he crossed the Rubicon, that the die was cast. There no doubt had been many people listening when Ben last spoke widi Simon, and the man had no choice now but to fight ... especially after what Ben had said to him.