They Didn't Listen

I stood atop the destroyed U.S. Capitol building. Lying in the rubble under my foot was a calendar opened to July, with the 4th circled. I picked it up and threw it into the wind watching it blow across a city that had been flattened to piles of rubble. No building was untouched by the blast.

Standing there I began crying, unable to comprehend what laid before me. Washington had been my home for most of my life. Thoughts of friends and people I worked with made me cry even harder. I hoped they were not in the city when it happened. As I dried my tears, I saw groups of survivors picking through the rubble. Some searching for their loved ones. While others were looking for food. Gunshots could be heard off in the distance. Most likely from the one group that preyed upon the weak. Taking anything of value they had with them. Killing those that resisted.

Trying to move on, I found, I could not. The site of what laid all around me, along with the thoughts of the people I knew, would not allow it.

So, I stood there looking at the rubble of the capitol building, my mind drifted back to that July.

Our leaders like the rest of the world bought into global warming as the most serious threat against humanity. All of them were deceived by scientists loyal to the communists. Meanwhile, the Russian and Chinese military harassed our forces, and cyberattacks on America continued unabated. While our leaders did nothing but make idle threats. They used global warming as their shield from the public. A few of us knew they were lying.

I worked for the C.I.A., as the department head of the Russian intelligence section. On the 2nd of July, I received startling information from one of our agents in Russia. I immediately went to my boss and laid out everything we had learned about the Russian and Chinese plans. My boss, Major George Frohm, a retired army intelligence man. He just sat there listening not even asking a question.

I knew he would get my report to the president. I had never been so stressed. My heart was pounding, and my mind was overloaded. What terrified me was the fact we only had two days to prepare and form some type of response to both countries.

When I finished, he picked up his phone and called the White House. The next thing I knew, he grabbed his suit jacket, and said: "Richard, come with me." He yelled for his driver, and we headed to the parking garage. In the car, he told me I was to present my information to the president and her security team.

When we arrived at the White House, he asked, "Richard, please don't lose your temper. The president is a good woman, but she is surrounded by politicians whose re-elections come before anything.”

“I get angry. Come on boss?”

“Exactly! I know your opinion of politicians.”

As we walked into the White House situation room, the president's security team was present along with several senators from both parties. We took our seats as soon as President Madison Curlett entered the room. She looked at us. "Mr. Frohm, you have critical information for us?" "Yes, Madam President. Present with me is Richard Mueller the head of our Russian intelligence section." The president motioned for me to proceed. “Madam President, our information shows the Russians and Chinese have planned a two-prong attack on America. First, both would engage in cyberattacks on the nation's major power grids, communication systems, most importantly the military and government systems. Then follow with major air attacks. Jointly striking predetermined cities. Washington DC is of course top on the list. We have observed over the past three months a significant build-up of both Russian and Chinese armed forces. That information I believe Mr. Frohm provided to you and this security team. The date chosen by them appears to be this coming 4th of July.” My boss spoke up. “Madam President we are absolutely positive about their plans. The date we are almost as certain. They know the 4th of July is the most significant day in our country's history. What better day to launch a surprise attack.”

The president looked down at the table and then back at us. The look on her face said it all. Utter disbelief.

“Mr. Mueller, you are talking in two days.”

“Yes, Madam President.”

The president's appearance reflected the concern shared by most of those in the room. However, several senators did not have the look you would expect someone that just heard what was coming.

Almost all of the questions we received were good questions from people concerned for our country. What concerned me were the questions from a group of senators, led by the senate majority leader, Senator John Miller. Doubting the accuracy of the intelligence we presented.

I kept my patience, remembering what my boss had told me. But it was the last question from Senator Miller that made me explode. He asked; "If you can predict with certainty this is going to occur. Why can't you give the president an exact date? I mean you come in here, the head of one of our top sections in the CIA, and all you can say is maybe the fourth?" That was it, I had taken enough of their absurd questions. I leaned over and whispered to my boss. “These are the people that lead us. It is a miracle this has not happened sooner.” I stood up and pounded my fist on the table and yelled. "Senator Miller, you want to know why I don't have an exact date? Before our agent in Russia had the chance to give us that information. He killed himself rather than be captured by the Russian secret police. I started to walk out of the room. My boss grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Richard, I don’t give a damn about Miller, but you cannot walk out on the president.”

The president obviously could tell I did not care for Senator Miller and excused me from the meeting. My boss told me to wait outside for him.

An hour later he came out shaking his head. Senator Miller with a slim majority was able to convince the president to handle the situation through political channels. I could not believe what he had just told me.

"For God's sakes boss, are they that stupid?" He just smiled and said to me. “I suggest you get out of town. Miller is a very powerful man, and he does not like you."

The ride back was surprisingly quiet. I was thinking about what I could do to stop this madness. My boss just sat there staring. I am sure he was thinking about his wife and children in Alexandria, Virginia. All I had were a couple of aunts and cousins in Michigan. My parents had been killed in a plane crash when I was eighteen. I had been on my own since.

I went to my office and sat there thinking. Those fools are going to do nothing. They actually believe the Russians and Chinese are still afraid of us. Millions of people will die in America and if we retaliate with nuclear missiles, billions will die around the world. I had two days, at most, to do something. I knew what the consequences were if I went ahead, but if I did nothing I would be like Miller and his merry band of dolts. I decided to call an old girlfriend. Kellie was a reporter for the Washington Daily newspaper. She was my only hope. I grabbed the thumb drive I used at the White House. My position allowed me to carry a weapon. So, I took the magazine apart and slid the thumb drive into the opening, and pushed the magazine back into my gun. Going through screening on the way out the machine would not see the thumb drive.

As soon as I pulled out of the parking garage, I phoned Kellie and asked her to meet me in front of the Lincoln Memorial. When she got there, I told her the whole story. She was speechless. I told her she needed to get the story printed that day. We both knew the story would cause chaos, but there was no other choice. It would save lives and possibly stop the Russians and Chinese. I handed her my thumb drive. I hugged Kellie and told her to get out of DC as soon as she can. Later that afternoon, I received a text from her; "Going to press. Flying out tonight to Kansas to be with family. Be safe." I grabbed my duffle bag, inside was my AR15 along with almost a thousand rounds of ammo for the AR and my Glock 40 caliber. I knew they would be looking for me and use my phone to track me. So, I left it on my kitchen table with a note. "I tried to help." I took my personal cell phone that I used for times I wanted to talk freely. I used my cousin in Michigan's information to purchase it. By the time they figured out anything, it would be too late. I jumped in my car and headed west to my hunting cabin in Kentucky. I stayed off major roads knowing every police agency in the country would be looking for me. A mile from the cabin I stopped the car. I grabbed my bag from the back seat and put the car in gear watching as it went over into a deep gorge. I felt comfortable that it could not be seen from the air. Behind my cabin was a well-hidden abandoned coal mine. I used it as a workshop and fruit cellar for my meats and vegetables. It would be a perfect place to ride out what was coming. I emptied my cabin of everything I could use and brought it to the mine. I loaded magazines for my AR15 and Glock 40 caliber. I was ready for anything. The next morning, I did a little hunting for fresh meat. Then I secured the mine's solid wood door. I was safe inside.

Just after midnight on the 4th of July, I received a call from my Kellie. She was in tears. The Russians and Chinese were attacking, just as I had told her. Worse yet, a flight of B-52 bombers supposedly crossed into Chinese airspace. The Chinese Premier took it as a nuclear attack and elected to retaliate with nuclear missiles. President Curlett had no choice and authorized nuclear strikes on Russia and China. I did the best to calm her fears, but I knew her parents lived near an air force base, no doubt targeted. Before I could say goodbye, the phone went dead. Armageddon had finally come to earth. No place would be safe. The skies would carry clouds of radiation to every corner of the earth. Humans had finally accomplished what was inevitable since the dawn of time, humanity's self-destruction. I knew what was ahead for every person in the world. While in college I had taken a course on global politics. I still remember one class in particular. Our instructor told us there would be no winners in a nuclear war. 750 million people would die immediately in the bombings. Millions of people would die over time from radiation. Worse yet would be the billions that would starve or freeze to death while they struggle to survive. Food sources would dry up or die. Even the oceans would not be spared. He did say a handful of people would survive the post-apocalyptic future. People would rebuild and their lives would go on, But the world would never be the same. What he didn't tell us was how people would react, that people would become like animals killing for food, water, anything just to survive. People without any way to protect themselves would be easy prey for roaming gangs. Just like in the animal world, only the strong would survive.

That is the one thing about humans, we never change. Evil has existed since humans first walked this earth. Like cockroaches, they survive. I holed up in the mine for almost a month. I knew from my studies that in a nuclear war it would be safe enough to venture out in a month. July turned to August, I loaded up a backpack with as much food and water I could carry, plus all my ammo. I needed to get back to DC to find my friends. I wondered if my boss had got his family out in time. There was no way I could have contacted him. Taking the backwoods, I made my way across Kentucky and into Virginia. What I witnessed along the way was true immorality. I found the bodies of men, women, and children that had been killed. No doubt for what they had. As I made my way around a small town in northern Virginia, I heard screaming. When I looked through the trees, I saw five men with one raping a young girl, while her parents were forced to watch. Those pigs needed to be taken care of. I silently made my way closer and then yelled duck. The couple turned and saw me holding my AR15 and dropped to the ground. I opened up on the four guys standing. Killing all of them. The guy on top of the girl stood up with his pants down to his ankles. As I approached him, I started laughing. "What a way to meet your maker." I pulled my Glock out and with a smile on my face, I put a bullet right into his cock. He fell to the ground screaming and bleeding.

I ran over to the girl and helped her up. She was shaking so hard and in tears. I walked her over to her parents. They grabbed us and in tears, thanked me. I told them I was Richard. They were Brian and Karen. Their daughter was Ruth. Her tears finally stopped. I took a towel I had around my neck and wiped Ruth’s face. I told her parents they needed to stay off the roads as best as they could. There are hundreds more out there like those thugs. I gave each of them a hug and told them to be careful. As they headed towards the woods I saw a heart-shaped locket lying on the ground where the Ruth had been. I picked it up and yelled for them to wait. I ran up and handed it to Ruth. She hugged me and said it was her great-grandmother's. I walked back and stood over the pig as he was slowly bleeding to death. Looking right into his eyes. I smiled, "Good luck in hell."

Never in my life did I think, I could kill someone, but the world had changed. It was up to people like me to protect the innocent. Those five were not the first and they would not be the last I killed. Only those that were attacking the defenseless were killed. My thoughts were interrupted, and I was brought back to reality by the voice of a man screaming at me. I turned to see four armed men standing behind me. One yelled for me to drop my AR15. When I finally realized what was happening, I looked closer at the man and recognized his face. How appropriate standing with me on the rubble of the capitol was Senator Miller. "Why, aren't you Senator Miller?" "Yeah, what's it to you?" "You were the president's advisor on Foreign Relations? Remember me? I am Richard Mueller from the CIA." "Yeah, I remember you, so what?" "You piece of shit. My boss told me it was you that convinced the president to handle it politically. I guess you didn't want to upset your Russians and Chinese friends." "So what?" "It is because of you and people just like you, billions are dead or will die." "Look it asshole, drop your AR." Just as he spoke that last word, I raised my AR15 and started shooting. I purposely shot him in the legs, dropping him to the ground, as I killed the three others. I walked up to Miller as he laid there crying out in pain. "Senator what should I do? Leave you here to bleed slowly to death or put a bullet in your head?"

He begged me to shoot him.

I leaned over him, smiled, and said, "I am sorry Senator Miller, but I seem to be out of ammo." As I walked away, I looked back at the bodies and smiled, I was ready for the new world.