all god's orphans

As the van crested a small rise and I-70 reached out to the edge of the earth, Brian could see a barricade crossing the road. Concertina wire stretched away in both directions and about a mile past that, a small cluster of tanks, vehicles, and CP tents sat blocking anyone who got that far. It looked just like the one at Ft. Campbell. Fear horripilated out across his body at the sight of it. The visibility offered by this landscape was something new to him. Back where he was from, hills prevented you from seeing anything too far away. And if you got on top of one of the hills, all you could see were things that were much farther away. Out here, it would look like something was close and then it would take fifteen minutes to get there. It was weird and it put the zap on his mind.

They rolled to a stop at the barricade. There were barrels and heavy wooden beams stacked about three feet thick across both lanes of the highway. There was no way to smash through it. Going through the concertina wire would do little more than shred all four tires and leave them in the direct firing line of a fucking massive looking tank.

“I’ve seen this before.” Brian said. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Nonsense.” Grey dismissed him and straightened his uniform. “I can handle this.” Grey hopped out of the van and approached the barricade, waving his arms above his head. He waited, expecting someone to emerge from one of the tents, but nothing happened.

“Who’s in charge here?” He shouted through cupped hands, but the landscape swallowed volume. He doubted they had even heard him. He looked back at Brian who was still sitting in the van. Brian laid into the horn causing Grey to jump and his heart to skip a beat.

“Sorry.” Brian offered. “I should’ve warned you.” Grey turned back to the guard post. Surely that would get a reaction, he thought, but nothing happened.

“Hello?” He shouted as loud as he could but felt like an insect on an alien world. Nothing moved.

“GET BACK IN YOUR VEHICLE, CIVILIAN.” The voice was loud, calm, and serious. Brian began to wonder if there were loudspeakers hidden in the grasses. How were they so loud? He’d been wondering that since his first encounter. Any time the voice spoke it covered up all other sounds.

“I need to speak to the person in charge.” Grey shouted, but his entreaties were met by the silence of the prairie. No one was coming. He hopped on top of the barrels and clambered over the assorted detritus towards the other side. Brian stepped out of the van.

“I don’t think you should do that.” He warned, but Grey soldiered on.

“We need help.” He announced. “I’m going to get it.” After a minute, he had scaled the wall and as his feet hit the other side, one of the vehicle-mounted guns swung in his direction.

“THIS AREA IS OFF LIMITS. USE OF LETHAL FORCE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED.” Grey froze in place, but soon his resolve pushed him forward. He raised his hands to show he was not a threat and began slowly moving towards the guard post.

“I need to speak to whoever is in charge! Now!” He shouted, finding it difficult to affect his in-charge persona while yelling this loudly. Whoever was manning this guard post was evidently not impressed.

“I REPEAT.” The giant voice said coolly. “USE OF LETHAL FORCE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED.” Grey took another step. “THAT MEANS THAT WE’RE ALLOWED TO SHOOT YOU. UNDERSTAND?” Grey kept walking.

“We need to speak to someone!” He shouted and this time the response was a gunshot. He saw what looked like dust erupt from the front of one of the guns and a split second later, a small plume of dust kicked up just a few inches to the left of where he stood. The report arrived after all of this and stunned Grey.

“Jesus!” He stumbled backwards.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?” Brian yelled past grey to the guard post.

“YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.” Came the response. The voice sounded bored as it threatened to shoot them. The tenor chilled Brian.

“Grey!” He called. “Don’t fucking push it. Let’s go.” Grey had regained his footing and stared at the post.

“What is wrong with you people?” He shouted. “We just want help.”

“I SUGGEST MOVING ON TO SOMEWHERE ELSE.” Grey looked back at Brian.

“Grey.” Brian’s voice was saddened. “They won’t help us. We should go.” Grey felt hopelessness squeeze his heart, but there was nothing he could do. Slowly, he made his way back to the other side of the barricade. He and Brian stood silently staring at the guard post.

“Why won’t they help us?” Grey finally asked. “Aren’t they the good guys?”

“I’m not sure there any good guys left.” Brian said.

“Aren’t we good guys?” Grey asked and the sincerity of it stung Brian. He could only picture the sight of the person he had shot.

“I’m not sure about that anymore, either.” He finally replied. Without another word they got into the van and sped away.