God Hates Us All
13. The calm before the storm
Since the highly publicised murder of Tanya Carswell, the military occupation of Texas had made it near impossible for both The Right Handers and Matt & Syn to carry out attacks on each other. The President had even taken to withdrawing troops from Afghanistan to assist in the lockdown of the state... and the manhunt for the terrorists. Matt and Syn glowered out the window of Johnny's apartment at the military forces for just about every day, trying to figure out their routine in order to slip past them and keep hitting their enemy, the Right Handers. But with the Marine Corps and Rangers and National Guard standing just about on every street corner, checking houses at random, it was near impossible. There were big-deal Spec Ops among the bulk troops, too: Matt had seen members of Delta Force and even SEAL Team Six weaving their way through the troops, assisting an already-bolstered FBI and Texas State Police Force. Matt and Syn were surprised that they hadn't been searched yet; they knew that anyone from the Mexican gangs to the Aryan Brotherhood to anyone with known ties to right-wing groups had been dragged away from their houses and placed in a detention camp, awaiting interrogation and possible torture. Their contact in the Aryans, "Uncle Bill", had been arrested in connection with the sarin attack. They knew that Uncle Bill had freely admitted his role in the attack but would not give up anyone else; Uncle Bill, for his part, was dead. A CIA agent sent to get further information out of him had got a little too enthusiastic with the waterboarding and had accidently drowned Uncle Bill, therefore eliminating one of the key witnesses that could have had Matt and Syn nailed for their crimes. Both men swore revenge for Uncle Bill, making a promise to him at his grave that as soon as the manhunt went on the backburner, they would set in place a plan to bomb the CIA headquarters in Langley. The other man outside of their circle who had information about them, Felipe, was also dead; unlike Uncle Bill, who never gave them up and died for it, Felipe was planning on relaying what he knew to the interrogators for the $10,000,000 reward offered for the capture of all known perpetrators. Felipe's boss in the gang, Juan Ramirez, had tipped Syn off and had him brought to Johnny's house, where Matt had tortured him mercilessly, breaking every bone in his body and burning his feet off with an emergency flare before Syn stepped in and shot him in the head with a silenced handgun. Johnny, at gunpoint from Syn and Juan, had dismembered the body and had snuck out to the desert, leaving the body parts strewn about for the vultures to feast on. Johnny by now rarely came out of his room, sleeping in the closet, further wasting away. Madeleine had gone back to France, blissfully unaware of Johnny's involvement in the crimes. Johnny cried himself to sleep every night, thinking that she would never see him alive again; any day now, Matt and Syn could come and kill him.
Yahweh, for his part, was also feeling the strain of the military presence. He had taken to hiding in his compound with about 25 of his closest followers. Making do with the small farm they had to grow vegetables and keep cows for food, along with the occasional grocery run into town, Yahweh's followers were slowly getting hungry, as Yahweh claimed about 50% of the yield of the food, leaving the rest to scatter amongst themselves. Mutterings, unheard as of yet by Yahweh, were tricking through the compound; mutterings of a rebellion, of giving themselves up to the authorities, of suicide. It was a time bomb in the compound, set to explode any day now.
Zacky, unbeknownst to Matt and Syn, had given Dusty, Givens and Mullens so much information on his former bandmates that Dusty was pushing to arrest and interrogate them right away, finally lock these monsters up for good. Mullen and Givens, on the other hand, wanted to wait; as much information as it was, it was really only about the church bombing and the sarin attack. There was still the murder of Tanya Carswell to catch them on, and Zacky's informant, Felipe, was missing. Zacky knew, with a heavy feeling of dread, that Felipe was dead, but he had no proof. He had arranged to bring Dusty along to his next meeting, with Dusty posing as his weapons dealer. Dusty, for his part, had secured an XM-8 experimental rifle from SEAL Team Six to dangle in front of Matt's and Syn's noses. He was also planning on extracting Johnny while at it; upon listening to Zacky's wiretaps, Dusty, Givens and Mullen had decided that it wasn't worth pursuing Johnny over the crimes, they had deduced that Johnny was acting against his own will.
It was a long day, and Zacky was ready to get some sleep. He had been at the debriefing for 4 hours after leaving Johnny's house. He unlocked the door to his apartment, and flopped straight on the couch. He was just drifting off to sleep when he felt a strange chill come over him... and a noise from the kitchen. He lay still, quietly drawing his gun, stepping up off the couch and walking silently towards the kitchen. He peeked around the corner, how Dusty had taught him to do, keeping the gun in position... he saw 2 people standing with their backs to him.
They looked like a man and woman; the male had longish black hair, was very tall, arms adorned in tattoos. The woman was shorter, had very familiar-looking blonde hair... in fact, they as a whole looked familiar. "Umm, hello?" Zacky whispered. The woman turned so suddenly that Zacky pointed his gun into combat position in a heartbeat. She looked horrible- pale, bloodshot eyes, covered in bruises and bleeding. The male didn't look much better, now that he had turned around as well. Both figures presented an image of abject misery. Zacky realised, with a fresh surge of terror, that he DID know these people. They were both dead. Long dead. They were Val and Jimmy, as it happened.
"Zacky!" Val wailed, crying, coming towards him. Zacky backed away. "No, please, don't run! We won't hurt you!" Val wailed again. Zacky stopped, lowering his gun slightly; Val just stood there, crying, Jimmy had moved forward. "Zacky, bro" the ghost of Jimmy said, "what the hell's happened to you guys?" Zacky found his voice- "Wh-what are you guys doing here? I haven't done any of that shit, those attacks, I swear!" "We know Zacky" Jimmy said, looking sad, "but dude, Matt and Syn... this shit's gone way out of hand! All those people, gone! And they're planning on getting rid of Johnny! Please bro, you gotta stop this!". Jimmy looked desparate now. Zacky spoke up "I'm doing what I can. I'm working with these guys in the Feds, and a Delta Force guy too. I can't believe that our brothers would do this!" Val looked like she was in the worst misery ever, "Please Zacky, stop them! Even if my Matt does go to Hell, we can save him!" "Wait... where are you guys now?" Zacky asked, "you two sure as hell don't look like you're in heaven." "Awww bro we're in Purgatory" Jimmy answered, "it sucks dick down there. It's cold, it stinks, no hot women down there at all! I tried even pervin' on some bitches fresh from Hell, but they're rank as fuck!" There was silence for a few seconds... then Zacky and Jimmy burst out laughing. They didn't stop for ages, even Val cracked a watery smile through her ghostly pallor. Zacky and Jimmy both calmed down, then Jimmy got back to seriousness; "Seriously though, Zack... you gotta do whatever you can to end this shit. I still love them guys... but I'm pissed that they resorted to doing shit like this. When they die, I'll be waiting to kick their asses for what they have done!" "Jimmy, Val" Zacky stated, "I'm doing everything I can to end this once and for all. Matt and Syn will be punished for their deeds, but I'll make sure whatever happens, they repent before they die." Val and Jimmy broke into a smile... then Val stood still for a few seconds, afterwards a deep calm appeared to wash over her. "What's happening?" Zacky asked, still slightly nervous. "Johnny's safe" she answered simply. "What? How do you know?" Zacky asked, thunderstruck, filled with fresh hope. "Yep, he is too" Jimmy smiled, "your buddy Zacky. Your buddy Dusty pulled him out and is taking him away from the country".
Johnny was terrified. He had been laying awake in the cupboard, having been alone in the house (Matt and Syn had gone to score drugs off the Mexicans) when all of a sudden, his door was pulled open and a dark figure yanked him roughly to his feet, put a hood over his head, and hauled him to what seemed like a vehicle. Johnny, weakened by the weeks of abuse suffered at matt's and Syn's hands, tried to struggle, but it was no use. "Ease up son, you ain't in any trouble... I'm gettin' you out of here" the mysterious figure said. "Who are you man? What are you doing to me?" Johnny shouted, panicked. "Gooddamn it, don't panic! We have a mutual friend, a friend who wants to save your ass instead of killing you!" the figure said, pulling Johnny's hood off. Johnny stared at the man in terror; he was tall, with a thick beard and sunglasses, backwards cap. Dressed in combat fatigues, with light body armor. An advanced M4 assault rifle sat on the floor of the car which was being driven by the man. "Forgive me man, I'm Dusty" the stranger grinned, offering Johnny his hand. Johnny stared, hesitant, then took it. "Shake like a man, boy, not a girl!" the man called Dusty grinned. Johnny put all his strength into the handshake, which was not very much, but enough for Dusty to say, "now THAT's more like it." Johnny found his voice, "I'm sorry, you say we have a mutual friend, who is it?" "Zacky" answered Dusty simply. "Jesus, Christ, Zacky!" Johnny exclaimed, "where is he? Is he okay?" "Yeah kid he's fine" Dusty said, "he's workin' with me and a coupla Feds. You, on the other hand, are gettin' outta this country tonight. We already have your passport and everything else you need". Johnny took this information in, relief flooding his body; FINALLY, he was getting out of this mess. He prayed to Zacky silently, thanked him. He turned to Dusty after a minute; "where am I going?" "Well kid, we picked the perfect spot for ya" Dusty grinned, "you've got a girlie in France, from what Zacky tells me".
Yahweh, for his part, was also feeling the strain of the military presence. He had taken to hiding in his compound with about 25 of his closest followers. Making do with the small farm they had to grow vegetables and keep cows for food, along with the occasional grocery run into town, Yahweh's followers were slowly getting hungry, as Yahweh claimed about 50% of the yield of the food, leaving the rest to scatter amongst themselves. Mutterings, unheard as of yet by Yahweh, were tricking through the compound; mutterings of a rebellion, of giving themselves up to the authorities, of suicide. It was a time bomb in the compound, set to explode any day now.
Zacky, unbeknownst to Matt and Syn, had given Dusty, Givens and Mullens so much information on his former bandmates that Dusty was pushing to arrest and interrogate them right away, finally lock these monsters up for good. Mullen and Givens, on the other hand, wanted to wait; as much information as it was, it was really only about the church bombing and the sarin attack. There was still the murder of Tanya Carswell to catch them on, and Zacky's informant, Felipe, was missing. Zacky knew, with a heavy feeling of dread, that Felipe was dead, but he had no proof. He had arranged to bring Dusty along to his next meeting, with Dusty posing as his weapons dealer. Dusty, for his part, had secured an XM-8 experimental rifle from SEAL Team Six to dangle in front of Matt's and Syn's noses. He was also planning on extracting Johnny while at it; upon listening to Zacky's wiretaps, Dusty, Givens and Mullen had decided that it wasn't worth pursuing Johnny over the crimes, they had deduced that Johnny was acting against his own will.
It was a long day, and Zacky was ready to get some sleep. He had been at the debriefing for 4 hours after leaving Johnny's house. He unlocked the door to his apartment, and flopped straight on the couch. He was just drifting off to sleep when he felt a strange chill come over him... and a noise from the kitchen. He lay still, quietly drawing his gun, stepping up off the couch and walking silently towards the kitchen. He peeked around the corner, how Dusty had taught him to do, keeping the gun in position... he saw 2 people standing with their backs to him.
They looked like a man and woman; the male had longish black hair, was very tall, arms adorned in tattoos. The woman was shorter, had very familiar-looking blonde hair... in fact, they as a whole looked familiar. "Umm, hello?" Zacky whispered. The woman turned so suddenly that Zacky pointed his gun into combat position in a heartbeat. She looked horrible- pale, bloodshot eyes, covered in bruises and bleeding. The male didn't look much better, now that he had turned around as well. Both figures presented an image of abject misery. Zacky realised, with a fresh surge of terror, that he DID know these people. They were both dead. Long dead. They were Val and Jimmy, as it happened.
"Zacky!" Val wailed, crying, coming towards him. Zacky backed away. "No, please, don't run! We won't hurt you!" Val wailed again. Zacky stopped, lowering his gun slightly; Val just stood there, crying, Jimmy had moved forward. "Zacky, bro" the ghost of Jimmy said, "what the hell's happened to you guys?" Zacky found his voice- "Wh-what are you guys doing here? I haven't done any of that shit, those attacks, I swear!" "We know Zacky" Jimmy said, looking sad, "but dude, Matt and Syn... this shit's gone way out of hand! All those people, gone! And they're planning on getting rid of Johnny! Please bro, you gotta stop this!". Jimmy looked desparate now. Zacky spoke up "I'm doing what I can. I'm working with these guys in the Feds, and a Delta Force guy too. I can't believe that our brothers would do this!" Val looked like she was in the worst misery ever, "Please Zacky, stop them! Even if my Matt does go to Hell, we can save him!" "Wait... where are you guys now?" Zacky asked, "you two sure as hell don't look like you're in heaven." "Awww bro we're in Purgatory" Jimmy answered, "it sucks dick down there. It's cold, it stinks, no hot women down there at all! I tried even pervin' on some bitches fresh from Hell, but they're rank as fuck!" There was silence for a few seconds... then Zacky and Jimmy burst out laughing. They didn't stop for ages, even Val cracked a watery smile through her ghostly pallor. Zacky and Jimmy both calmed down, then Jimmy got back to seriousness; "Seriously though, Zack... you gotta do whatever you can to end this shit. I still love them guys... but I'm pissed that they resorted to doing shit like this. When they die, I'll be waiting to kick their asses for what they have done!" "Jimmy, Val" Zacky stated, "I'm doing everything I can to end this once and for all. Matt and Syn will be punished for their deeds, but I'll make sure whatever happens, they repent before they die." Val and Jimmy broke into a smile... then Val stood still for a few seconds, afterwards a deep calm appeared to wash over her. "What's happening?" Zacky asked, still slightly nervous. "Johnny's safe" she answered simply. "What? How do you know?" Zacky asked, thunderstruck, filled with fresh hope. "Yep, he is too" Jimmy smiled, "your buddy Zacky. Your buddy Dusty pulled him out and is taking him away from the country".
Johnny was terrified. He had been laying awake in the cupboard, having been alone in the house (Matt and Syn had gone to score drugs off the Mexicans) when all of a sudden, his door was pulled open and a dark figure yanked him roughly to his feet, put a hood over his head, and hauled him to what seemed like a vehicle. Johnny, weakened by the weeks of abuse suffered at matt's and Syn's hands, tried to struggle, but it was no use. "Ease up son, you ain't in any trouble... I'm gettin' you out of here" the mysterious figure said. "Who are you man? What are you doing to me?" Johnny shouted, panicked. "Gooddamn it, don't panic! We have a mutual friend, a friend who wants to save your ass instead of killing you!" the figure said, pulling Johnny's hood off. Johnny stared at the man in terror; he was tall, with a thick beard and sunglasses, backwards cap. Dressed in combat fatigues, with light body armor. An advanced M4 assault rifle sat on the floor of the car which was being driven by the man. "Forgive me man, I'm Dusty" the stranger grinned, offering Johnny his hand. Johnny stared, hesitant, then took it. "Shake like a man, boy, not a girl!" the man called Dusty grinned. Johnny put all his strength into the handshake, which was not very much, but enough for Dusty to say, "now THAT's more like it." Johnny found his voice, "I'm sorry, you say we have a mutual friend, who is it?" "Zacky" answered Dusty simply. "Jesus, Christ, Zacky!" Johnny exclaimed, "where is he? Is he okay?" "Yeah kid he's fine" Dusty said, "he's workin' with me and a coupla Feds. You, on the other hand, are gettin' outta this country tonight. We already have your passport and everything else you need". Johnny took this information in, relief flooding his body; FINALLY, he was getting out of this mess. He prayed to Zacky silently, thanked him. He turned to Dusty after a minute; "where am I going?" "Well kid, we picked the perfect spot for ya" Dusty grinned, "you've got a girlie in France, from what Zacky tells me".
10/8/13