Imagine this: a world just like ours but the human race, all 7 billions of us, is replaced by zombies. Would they have a schooling system in place? Maybe in high school, they have a cooking class and maybe its called "So you want to eat a brain Class 101". Head AU's are so fun.
Chapter 20 – The Long Game
Anger.
Irritation.
Annoyance.
None of those words could exactly describe what he was feeling as he listened to the people around him spew and spout their platitudes, their excuses and even accusations against both him in a subtle way and not to so subtle way to the others across the table from them.
This whole mess, this ENTIRE mess could be traced back to a specific point about a year and a half ago. All over the country, some new types of gangs had sprouted out of..somewhere..and didn't operate in the normal sense that a gang did; these gangs took in the dregs of society and didn't seem to stop.
Not only them, no no, but whenever the subject came up, the head of the health department kept saying that mental patients are going extra crazy because they see even more crazy stuff and warning the staff about the horrors of the future.
But then you know what? It gets even better because then the attacks happened. Over the course of several months, reports start coming in about people going crazy within shopping centres, outside of police stations and even in hospitals. They were the worst ones because, in the aftermath, entire wards became sick with some sort of sickness that the eggheads haven't figured out yet.
'Every single meeting with these people start off like this; get the updates on what is happening and then the shouting begins, christ it's times like these that make me regret taking this job.' Every single vocal tone just increased a headache within his head as he finally gave up and told them all to shut up.
"Now can we please calm down a bit and act like adults here? We all know what is happening and the effects it is having on the populace of this great nation. Repeatedly I have been asked by the crown to figure out a solution for these happenings and what has been achieved? A few arrests then release due to insufficient evidence and NOTHING ELSE!" Everyone at the table didn't expect the normally calm Prime Minister to shout as he was usually quite calm.
"The majority of you can't help us in this situation because it is the complete opposite of normalcy. No matter how many times we meet, someone thinks up a suggestion but it doesn't exactly work out does it? I mean how can we honestly compete with terrorist attacks, people with severe disabilities helping those terrorists and unknown diseases affecting our hospitals? I mean it's not like we're the government are we?" Everyone in the room could clearly understand the sarcasm that came from their leader's mouth.
After the Prime Minister lashed out with his sarcastic tongue for a few more minutes, he opened the floor to anyone who could come up with even a slight plan to deal with the attacks or even something to help stem the tide of them.
Every soul in the room lowered their heads slightly in a sort of concentration as if by some force they would all link their minds together to come up with a solution but sadly none came, they couldn't think of a single way to combat the wave of attacks, only strategies of forwarning the populace of what to look for from behaviours.
Before long, one of the aides in a far corner of the room raised his voice to give his opinion as for the silence had become too long drawn out. "Sir, what if it had something to do with some religious cult nuts?"
Almost immediately, the surrounding people laughed at the suggestion that it could possibly even be something religious when the evidence clearly pointed towards gang affiliated attacks and terrorists, not religious nuts. After the laughing died done, everyone was shocked at the Prime Minister as he bade the aide to continue their line of thought, not comprehending that he was listening to it.
"If we look at the evidence, there are signs that there is a religious presence in the attacks. There were some gang members taken in and some of them were overheard laughing hysterically about a dark god or gods as if they were somehow real. I think that is the biggest indicator." Some of the members of the cabinet meeting were looking impressed as if they didn't expect a simple aide to think of that.
"Well despite what mister smart ass thinks about the hokey religious crap, we can't exactly burn them for heresy now, can we? We are a civilized country after all. I will say again as I have always said since we gan this: bring out of the big guns in force and shoot every single one of these terrorists to prove a point!" The Home Secretary's shouting made everyone jump in their chairs as they listened to his ravings.
"And what would this amazing point be, mister secretary?"
"The point would be that if these hokey pokey religious gangster nutjobs wish to terrorize this great nation, then they should be willings to pay the absolute penalty for their crimes. They should be willing to foot the bill when it comes to casualties and take the role our citizens take when these attacks happen!"
None one could utter a word as they took in what the home secretary was saying; could they really agree with his words and support such a venture?
Before anyone could voice their support or opposition towards the option, they were once again shocked out of their seats by the Prime Minister shouting, not at them, but at one of the upper windows. "Someone get that bloody owl away from this building! That thing has been outside that window for the past week, looking in here with its freaky blue eyes, it freaks me out so I've had enough!"
Scene break
"We finally have one this time? No doubts or worries that something might happen again? Please let this be true and god willing they spill something because it's getting ridiculous how every single one we have arrested has gone free for some bullshit reason or another." The senior officer in charge of the most recent investigation in their area gave a large sigh as they silently watched the prisoner inside the room before them.
How many times had they had to release one of these cretins before? Because of insufficient evidence to support their arrest? Or some other crap reason that some higher up politician decided to make up on the stop or them escaping custody because of ambushes? But not today, today they finally had one of these little gang cultists that had been sprouting up all across the country lately.
As the two officers entered the small room, they idly noticed with slightly raised eyebrows that the perpetrator didn't react or even blink in their direction. Not even to say boo to them or plead with them that they have the wrong person or deny their guilt and it put them on edge.
"Now, Miss Perkins, seeing as you are not currently blabbing out in tears or denying that you are a criminal, then I think we can all agree that you did what we have accused you of, correct?" The aforementioned girl in front them nodded her head slightly as she began to stare at them, directly at either one of them then turning to the other.
"The question we are trying to figure out here girl, is why in gods name did you attack that poor man? You have no prior history with him and yet you specifically went up to him and savagely attacked him with several knives, potentially killing the man, then using his blood to scribble markings on him? Why!" As the detective shouted the last word at her, Nicole gave him an ever so slight smile, as if taunting the poor man,
The younger one of the officer duo sat silently as he stared at the smiling girl in front of him, trying to piece out what made her attack the man earlier on this morning with a potential fatality. But with each theory that he constructed, it was quickly deconstructed as the motives didn't fit properly unless...it had a very nefarious motive.
With each second half listening to the rantings of his superior officer, the pieces of the puzzle of Miss Perkins slowly came together, showing a very disturbing mental picture and so with a small gesture of calm, he slowly and calmly took over the questioning.
"Now Nicole, I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me okay? Did you attack the man because you are into satanism or voodoo?" The two officers were waiting for the girl's answer and showed a lot of interest when she actually answered.
"Officer Dale, I can with complete honesty and certainty that I am not apart of some satanic cult or voodoo worshipers. Worshipping a goat-headed creature that supposedly can dish out curses or a man in the sky that can grant miracles? Not my cup of tea as one could say."
The two men were dumbfounded as that had not been the answer they had been expecting from her. They had expected something along the lines of something for the glory of satan or some pagan belief for a savage attack from her.
"No, what I believe is something that is really only properly explained in games such as chess. Would you care to hear about it?" Nicole could tell she had the two hooked as she knew that they had been dying to gain some insight into what motives she and countless others had.
Before she could open her mouth with an answer, the door to the room quickly opened in a blind panic with a rookie officer quickly whispered something into the detective's ear. As she silently sat there waiting, the detective whispered a harsh curse word and explained that the two officers had to leave, a more important issue had come up.
For a whole five full minutes Nicole became silent, not moving or speaking, only breathing in and out, completely aware of the video camera in the top corner watching her and the numerous amount of police officers behind the camera, just waiting for her answer.
Neither group moved or spoke as one waited for the other to speak and the other wanted to draw things out before enacting the plan set before her. To the horror and shock of the officers behind the security cameras, Nicole looked up and stared directly at the camera, almost as if she staring directly at them. "Would you like to know what I believe in? I believe in the long game."
None of the officers in the room viewing the video could think of a possibility of what the young woman was talking about. Long Game? Belief in such a thing? Either she was really crazy or something else was going on upstairs in her mind that shouldn't be happening.
"But go ahead, I will gladly confess to my crimes if you want me to, escort me into the prison system where I can wreak havoc and let slip the dogs of war so to speak. I shall be waiting here for you to return." With that final word, the young woman that everyone in the building had hoped to gain a glimpse of something from was either majorly freaked out by her words or concerned about what she might be if they did put her in a public prison cell.
Give it a good read, possibly even give a review as they are always welcome and it tells me if you're liking the story and you have yourself a very good day :)