Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Apocalypse

Epilogue

In the beginning, General Kerry One Nation leads his army into town after town. The One Nation Army conquers and destroys.

It begins with a beating. Blows on blows that become a blur when boredom becomes fury. This is how he enters the towns and cities that they conquer. He does not hide. He lets the people know he is here. He says - You did this to me. You made me. You asked for me. He makes it seem like their idea when he says this.

You asked for me, and I came.

Thank you, many say. Thank you for helping us. There is cheering. He can't tell if it is out of adulation or fear, but it doesn't matter. It is one and the same in his eyes.

Fear is adoration after all. The dominant species inspires fear.

There are so few to greet him these days. Towns are deserted when they arrive. Everybody running away. Cowards. So few left to come out and play. No fun at all. He just wants to be adored and appreciated.

Every city and small town the same at first. Now there is no cheering like he thinks there should be, just worn out people, not even looking scared, just tired. It becomes a bore, and he does not like to be bored. He fears that he is becoming redundant. People who have witnessed unimaginable horrors since the EMP, some of their own creation, are becoming complacent and not easily shocked.

His army does not help. Their atrocities early on are alarming to him. Not because of the violence but because of the waste. They are enjoying themselves too much and leaving nothing in their wake. His army has become like those damn idiots out west. He told them to set their fires. They liked to see things burn, and he understood that, but fire takes it all, even parts he wants to keep.

Scorched earth was never his policy. When this is all over, there needs to be something left to build a foundation, something left to rebuild his country, and so he changes some scare tactics.

A good example is the bridge incident in Washington. You absolutely do not throw all the babies off a bridge. Show some constraint. Only, crazy people do things without thinking about consequences. Sure, it is terrifying and creative, but it is a waste of resources, and people are a resource. Though he admires the mindless, randomness of the act, maybe, only every third baby or so off the bridge, or only the orphans so the mothers don't jump too. We need them to repopulate when this is all over. No more killing of women younger than 25. And no more raping and pillaging, that is so tasteless and barbaric.

He makes a mental note to let his lieutenants know his new order for violence. He calls it "Selection" in honor of a reign of terror he admires from Nazi Germany. The fittest and most worthy shall survive, even science confirms this idea of natural selection.

His grandfather was a Nazi. He wanted to warn the Fuhrer, but he was afraid to speak up because there were consequences in those days for speaking up. And it was unpopular to go against the will of the people, even if it was logical from a military stand point to not spread your army too thin. 

Kerry One Nation learned this lesson from his Opa. The One knew the true "final solution" would come after his army won. Sure, they could get rid of some undesirables through selection, but there was not time now for death camps and complete purification. That will come later when the battles are over.

Yesterday, he sent word ahead to his patriots already in Mount Airy. He reminds them of the selection process. He tells them to go ahead, make our point - we are in charge. Be done with the preliminaries when I get there. He does not give orders for the daughter he once protected. She might be a distraction now. If she survives, so be it, let fate decide.