Chapter 158
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Note: Randall Flagg, Lloyd, and Nadine are characters from "the Stand" specifically the recent mini series. Big Jim and the others are from the novel "Under the Dome" not the television version.
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General Gardner kept his word. With Carpathia acting as intermediary Gardner gave weapons and comforts to Randall Flagg's kingdom. He gave both to those whom he trusted. Weapons to those deputies who kept some degree of order, and who were unlikely to betray Flagg. The comforts, perfume, fine clothes, the best food, were given to those same deputies as a reward for doing a good job. But, as before on Earth, Flagg's choices for deputies were somewhat limited. He didn't have the dedicated police officers that a legitimate leader might have. Lloyd was a convicted murderer, Flagg freed him from prison after the plague, made him his right hand. Flagg never understood why his enemy, mothe Abigail, would send people to his kingdom just to die. It became clear too late, her God wanted them to make a stand, to try and convince at least some of his people to renounce Flagg. To save their souls, just before they were all killed. Lloyd had in fact tried to save these last two, before the end came. But if that got him into that world's version of Heaven, he still wound up here after the worlds collapsed. Flagg had reconciled with Lloyd, and Nadine, despite her killing herself and their son. Neither had the power and prestige that they once did, Flagg's new right hand was Big Jim Rennie.
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Rennie had been a used car salesman, a city council member, and ran an illegal drug operation. Ironically Rennie had claimed to be a born again christian once, but that didnt stop him from serving Flagg now. Rennie was fine with just being number two, he no doubt planned to shift respinsibility if things fell apart. But for now he was good at maintaining order. His deputies included his son Junior, Junior's friends Melvin, Georgia, and Carter. All were punks in their own world, but Jim made them police deputies. In that world, an alien species had sealed off their small town with a giant invisible dome. Jim used the opportunity to become a dictator, more concerned with his own power than with actually helping his people. These "deputies" were similar, abusing the small amount of power they had to harass, rape, even murder innocent people. When the twon was nearly destroyed by fire, Jim and Carter had been trapped together. Carter tried to murder Jim when oxygen ran low, only for Jim to murder his last remaining friend. In the end it was all for nothing, Jim died shortly after. Jim had reconciled with Carter, and these punks were once again his deputies. But this time none of them even pretended to serve Christ, as long as it meant power for themselves they were okay with serving a demon.
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The people in Flagg's kingdom were mostly lost souls, willing to worship someone who made them feel a little less lost. He retained power through fear, through crucifixtions of petty criminals and political dissenters. Flagg had yet to encounter his old enemies, mother Abigail, Stu Redman, Frannie. Nor had big Jim encountered Dale Barbara or Julie Shumway. Perhaps they had ascended into Heaven during the rapture. As glad as these two were to be free of their enemies, they wished they could have the satisfaction of personally murdering their enemies. Still, they had a kingdom to run. Not suprisingly, Flagg's new kingdom was modeled after Las Vegas. Giving people the illusion that they could get rich quick, and a very few did indeed strike it rich, but most wound up in eternal debt, and indentured to masters like Jim Rennie and Randall Flagg. For now Evil needed to give people the illusion that they could improve their lot in life. Flagg gave a speech this day to give them this hope, and establish his own power.
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Flagg: My friends, we have endured the apocalypse together. I have delivered you to this paradise. In the old world, they told us it was a sin to want more. More money, more sex, more power. They tried to get us to suppress our natural urges, saying it was sinful. But here, you can do whatever you want, you too can strike it rich, have any partner you want. There is no good, no evil. There are only two kinds, hunter and prey. Here, we are all huters, we take that which we want. And so it will continue, as long as you remember who brought you here. Remember our first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."