Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Apocalypse

48) Friday Night Game

It has been months since the EMP. I was keeping track of the days, but I have lost count. Lately, it has not seemed important to keep track of days. Nowhere to be and no schedules and nothing normal. It has only been a few days since my birthday, but it seems like a year ago. Time seems slowed down and expanded all at the same time. I feel like I'm living in the final chapters of a book or watching my life unravel on a television show, and this might be the last season. It is a weird feeling.

I do believe that enough time has now passed that we are definitely in an Apocalypse. I don't know if they are calling it an Apocalypse officially or not, but it might as well be. Apocalypse means the complete destruction of the world, and our world is gone.

There is a lot less than 328 million Americans now, and Apocalypse is definitely what happened to us. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is the same as before, and I can completely illustrate my point by telling you what my plans are tonight. It is Friday night, at least I think it is Friday night, and I am in the parking lot behind the football field. I am not going to the game. I am going to an execution.

Marla and Sorenson are back, and they got close enough to hear this announcement from the soldiers who have our friends:

Spread the word. Tell all of the citizens to be here at the stadium tomorrow night at six - by order of The One Nation Army. Execution of all insurgents promptly at six. Post-execution - Food will be served.

It sounds like an invitation to a post-game tail gate party. Let's kill your friends and neighbors, and then we'll all sit down and eat a hotdog and drink a beer. The irony of my attendance at the milk giveaway/last execution at the stadium is not lost on me.

There's another curious thing that Marla saw. In the end zone that proclaims "State Champions 2008" there's a big sign hanging from the goal post. It's a big sign that once said "Save the Prince". The sign is the one Cindy Lou made for Torin, only now it says "We Have the Prince".

I wouldn't be worried except I believe the sign is true - the One Nation Army has our prince. If it is true, the sign means one thing - Jack Taylor has abandoned his cousin, the prince. Why do I think the enemy is not bluffing with their sign? Because, there is an empty red jeep parked in the other end of the parking lot.

Jack Taylor is a despicable traitor. He is a low-down sneaky betrayer of his prince and his cousin. He is a disgrace to bodyguards and family everywhere. He does not know the most important rule - Family first.

Throughout the night between fits of sleep we devise a strategy to rescue our friends. It is a mostly sleepless night, we try to rest, but there is too much to do and think about. Daylight comes, and we know what we must do. Clay comes up with a reasonable plan that involves surprise, lots of noise, and lots of luck

We spend the day gathering supplies and looking for more volunteers and scouting out the battlefield - the former football field. We are going to spread out and surround the stadium so that it will seem like there are more than the twenty or so of us there really is. They have about an equal number, so far our scouts have counted twenty three, but they are better armed and have the hostages to hide behind.

From all the stories we have heard, our enemy is experienced in spreading terror and fear, but we have something they have not seen before - nothing left to lose. And, there is one more thing that makes us a formidable foe, makes us something to fear. They have our prince. We want him back.