Sundown Apocalypse | Next Chapter

Apr 13

Apr 13 Sundown Apocalypse

Book excerpt

Chapter 1 - The Apocalypse

Matthew 24:3 - As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age.”

* * *

A frog croaked in the pre-dawn spring air, but Emma didn't notice as she slumped in the powerful arms of her two male companions. It was dead quiet as they approached the 1st Cavalry Regiment sentry post.

"You lot again? I thought your last front and centre with the colonel was enough? Emma, you're heading for a court martial you know." The sentry leaned out of his box grinning at what had become a regular event.

"She's dead-set paralytic, Wayne, give us a hand will you, mate?" asked Larry helping to support Emma as best he could.

The private opened his box just as Emma opened her eyes and lifted her hand. He was mesmerised by the tiniest hand gun he had ever seen. It was silver, fitted neatly in the palm of her small hand and sported a mini silencer. He didn't hear the 'tak' as the bullet entered his throat below the chin and entered his brain. The sentry was dead before he hit the ground.

Emma shrugged out of the arms of her two companions and reloaded her derringer. She had to stifle a laugh, that was the best thing she had done since bedding the lieutenant, 'now he was a wild one,' she thought with a smile.

The two men grabbed the sentry’s body and dragged it into the shrubbery. One stayed behind to replace him, pulling on his cap and taking up his A3 Steyr Bullpup assault rifle. All was normal again at 1st Armoured and the frog resumed its croaking.

Lieutenant McCarthy crouched with thirty of his comrades, faces blackened, armed with AK47 assault rifles and assorted pistols. He waited patiently for his watch to count down to zero hour. If all went according to plan they would have the keys to the armoury and codes to the regiment's equipment within the hour.

Waving for his platoon to gather around he called them to prayer: "Lord of hosts grant us the skill and courage to carry your sword against our foe this day, and cleanse the disease of civilisation from your creation. Amen." Looking at his men with calculated satisfaction, he continued, "Together please, 2 Samuel 22:38, "I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed. And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; And they fell under my feet." The crusaders finished their prayers and prepared to begin the Apocalypse, as foretold in the Book of Revelations.

The lieutenant knew that success would give them command of A and C Squadrons. He felt the tug of resentment inside his chest, it was the only dampener to the enthusiasm he would feel. Only yesterday his superiors had passed him over for promotion, once again. The LED on his watch briefly lit to highlight his narrow, ferret-like features in the darkness. Only minutes remained before he would have the revenge he was so desperate for.

Emma and Larry boldly made their way to the administration building. They knocked loudly then walked in on the duty officer and his sergeant. The duty staff were busy watching English football on TV.

"Yes, privates, what is it?" asked the sergeant, annoyed at being interrupted. The duty officer pulled on his cigarette grimacing as Manchester lost the ball again. He didn't bother to look up.

Emma raised her silver derringer and shot the sergeant in the face just as Larry raised his Browning 9 mm and fired point blank at the lieutenant. The single bullet hit him in the temple, blood and brain matter exploded from the side of his head. The terrorists high-fived, their coup was almost complete. With a giggle they leaped across the desk and into the heart of regimental headquarters.

Larry took the duty officer’s keys and swipe cards then unlocked the weapons store. He fired up the computers and released the codes to the regiment’s storeroom. The two armoured cavalry squadrons consisted of ASLAV's, APC's, weapons, supplies and recovery vehicles. The terrorists now had armoured superiority in the city.

Lieutenant McCarthy glanced down at his watch one more time then gave the signal to move. The Crusaders raced across the parade ground to the administration building and noted that the door was wide open. This was the sign that their commando's had successfully taken control of regimental headquarters.

Lance Corporal Jabba and his five comrades were up early, early enough to fit the silencers to their pistols. Jabba nodded for his squad to gather and he whispered a prayer for their success: "Lord of hosts it is Apocalypse Day as foretold by Your prophet, Saint John. We, Your holy army, are about to face our greatest challenge. Grant us the strength of Your arm to guide our bullets to the hearts of Your foes, amen." There came a whispered, "amen", from his comrades.

He looked one last time at his watch then, with a nod, they began the job of executing their platoon mates. They went through the dormitory with only two troopers waking to see what was making that annoying 'tap tik tap tik' noise.

"That was easy, we should have been given the job of doing that for all the barracks. Hey Jabba, I wonder how our guys are doing at the water treatment plant, they should have finished poisoning the water hours ago. Hey, does anyone know if that poison kills everyone who drinks it?" asked Trooper Liddel, he held his silenced USP 9 mm at the ready while reloading in the darkness.

"The poisons teams will do exactly what is asked of them, Liddel. Just shut up and follow your orders. And don't drink the damn tap water you idiot." Jabba paused for a few seconds as he looked at his watch again, "OK, everyone, time to change and show our colours as Crusaders of the Revelations." The terrorists quietly divested their over-uniforms to reveal their trade-mark black T-shirts with its white Hebrew writing - 'Apocalypse'.

"Wait for the shooting to start then head over to help the APC commander. Warty, don't forget you need to be at the ASLAV's and APC's to get them babies running. Make sure you stop by HQ so the idiots there don't mix up the codes. You know what a pair of airheads Emma and Larry are," Jabba whispered.

The roar of vehicles cranking brought a ripple of tired voices as troopers startled awake in the darkness of pre-dawn. No-one in the regiment knew what was going on. Expecting an inspection or drill of some sort, NCO's leaped from their beds dressing in the one fluid motion.

Lance-Corporal Hill raced out of his barracks to see what was going on and was the first to be met with a burst of automatic fire - he tumbled down the stairs. Unsuspecting troopers ran out of the barracks only to be hit by more rifle fire. There were screams of pain and the sound of muffled orders as the members of 1st Cavalry tried to form some sort of weaponless defence. It was useless, the enemy bullets went right through the soft sided dormitory walls. Lieutenant McCarthy's murderous assault killed and wounded most of the squadron before they even had time to dress.

Major Barrett couldn't sleep and was up working when he heard the sound of gunfire. He jumped up and carefully parted the curtains to see his own officer, Lieutenant McCarthy, directing what clearly was a terrorist assault against his own regiment. In a sudden panic he leaped to his communications system and began broadcasting.

'Damn,' he thought, 'I can't get an open communications channel, they're all jammed.' The major stood and looked back outside. In the brightening dawn he recognised more of his own troops dressed as terrorists firing at his men. He barricaded the door then went back to his transmitter. In desperation he tried an open channel broadcast on the police and ambulance frequencies. He wasn't sure if anyone would hear him.

"Fire superiority, men! Exterminate these heathens!" the lieutenant screamed in the heat of battle and blood lust. He paused to fire his pistol into the face of a kneeling trooper holding his hands in the air. The lieutenant’s eyes reflected a mixture of lust and excitement as he yelled, "Kill them, kill them all!"

"Lieutenant, signals report someone's broadcasting from within the compound," said one of his men tapping his arm.

The lieutenant stopped, a bewildered look came over him. He turned and snapped, "Direct Corporal Warren and his section to search the officer communication's room. I can't believe those damn commando's missed it, useless dick heads!"

The major was still broadcasting on the police and ambulance channels when he heard banging on his barricaded door. Some seconds later there came the sound of breaking glass and he saw a grenade roll towards him. Giving it a cursory glance he continued broadcasting. He knew he was a dead man.

The grenade exploded sending searing metal shards into his face, chest and abdomen. Major Barrett considered himself a tough man, but he screamed just as loudly as his wife when she gave birth to their first child. Blood pumped from a severed artery in his neck, it was a quick death.

A golden dawn fell upon the collapse of 1st Cavalry. The unarmed soldiers had been routed by the terrorists and the survivors paraded semi-naked in the early morning light. Many of the terrorists guarding them were members of both squadrons.

There was no jeering or talk between the prisoners and their guards. A seething anger and resentment separated them like a brick wall.

One NCO with his arm running blood into the dirt of the parade ground called out to his corporal. "Warren, why are you doing this? You've turned on your own mates. And Emma, why?" His face reflected his confusion and betrayal but neither Warren nor Emma bothered to answer him.

As the sun rose higher in the sky the smell of death filled the air. Some of the wounded wavered and fell where they stood. There was now a quick, whispered conversation between the lieutenant and Corporal Warren.

"Everyone sit down where you are," commanded the corporal, "please don't talk or move or you will be shot. As you can see this is not an exercise. The Church of Revelations has taken a stand against the corruption and filth of civilised humanity. You represent the first force to be brought down in our glorious crusade to cleanse the world. Please bend your heads and close your eyes while we say a prayer of thanks for our successes today."

"Damn you and your religion!" yelled one of the officers only to be met with a stony silence from his captors. The officer looked defiantly towards his former subordinates, his chest heaving with frustrated rage. A nod from the corporal brought a single pistol shot and the brave man collapsed, twitched once and was still.

Lieutenant McCarthy brought his men to order and led the prayer of thanks. He then calmly stalked among his ex-comrades-in-arms, pistol in hand.

"Ah, Captain Phillips, I seem to remember you gave me a negative report last year. Our beloved Lord told me I was to be promoted and you deliberately defied Him. That’s a crime against our Lord on High." He smiled as he shot him where he sat on the gravel parade ground. "And you, Major Neville, you passed me over twice for promotion, remember? That was a crime against the Lord our God too I believe."

"You're crazy, McCarthy, you're a damn psychopath!" In his rage the major tried to stand but McCarthy kicked him back down. The lieutenant smiled as he put the barrel of the pistol to his former superior's head and pulled the trigger.

Calmly walking among his former friends he executed seemingly on a whim stating their crime before pulling the trigger. Officers he had shared dinner with the night before looked up at him with unabashed hatred.

"What are you doing lieutenant?" demanded the colonel, rousted from his bed and now standing with his wife and teenage daughters. His face was a mask of indignation and horror. "As commanding officer I demand you cease what you're doing and place yourself and this... rabble, under arrest!"

The colonel turned to the terrorists watching the extermination. "You will obey me! Corporal Harris, Corporal Warren, cease this mutiny and put Lieutenant McCarthy under arrest, immediately!" he barked, his eyes cutting into them.

Lieutenant McCarthy turned to his former superior. "You, and squadrons A and C, are now mine and the Crusaders of the Revelationist Church as of now. The Apocalypse has begun, Colonel. My people, the true Crusader Angels of Light, have control of your regiment. In a few hours the general of Army Charlie will be talking to you about your surrender."

"I demand that you stop executing my men, stop the killing. You have us under your control, this murder is unnecessary," the colonel pleaded, almost begged as he looked around. Only now did he notice that most of his officers were lying dead on the ground.

McCarthy stopped talking, his face twitched and contorted. He swung his fist and hit the commander in the face knocking him to the ground. "From now on you do what I say, and if I say jump you say, 'how high', got it!" He giggled as he stepped over to the colonel's wife and ripped her night dress exposing her heavy breasts.

The lieutenant called to his comrades spreading his arms wide at the compound and their prisoners, "Brothers, this is all ours, we're going to have a party before our Lord ordained General arrives. The colonel's dear wife, his daughters and our much loved cavalry ladies wish to comfort us… and I haven't forgotten my darling Crusader Angel-girls. The colonel and officers are yours to play with when the general has finished with them."

The regiment's commander sat back up, his bound hands were turning blue. He opened his mouth to protest but his former subordinate kicked him in the face and he collapsed back to the ground. McCarthy continued to savagely kick until the colonel was unconscious, his face a mass of gelatinous blood. The colonel's wife screamed hysterically as she watched this unbelievable horror unfold in front of her.

McCarthy stepped over her husband to back-hand her across the face. He hit her so hard that her teeth cut into his hand. Cursing he brought it to his mouth.

"You rotten cow!" he screamed and spat in her face. "You'll get special treatment for that!" His face contorted then immediately broke into a delighted smile as he realised that he was enjoying himself. Turning to his men, aroused, in the blood-lust of battle, he yelled, "Well, Crusaders? What are you waiting for, these girls are hungry for your affection!"

It was fortunate for humanity that their sister squadron, B Squadron, was performing live-fire training in the Adelaide Hills.