Shepherd Vol. I

Kale P. Riley

Introduction

2

Shepherd

The luminous reflection in the rippling water of the full autumn moon shimmers off

the surface of the ominous snaking river as a cool breeze drags clear air through the swirling

smoke and ash which fall from the shadowy figure standing with both feet planted firmly

atop the precipice of Mount Vastness. While he contemplates the anarchy that has destroyed

his planet, Jackson Shepherd‟s nonchalant trails of wispy breath drift down from the

winding stairway of boulders that overlook the remains of a once wonderful city landscape

and the bridge that used to span the now lonely gleaming canal. He mutters, “I should quit

right now.”

Whispers come rushing to him and disturb his meditation on chaos. They come from a

dream of happiness between space and time. All concerns and careful construction of thought

suddenly reappear and remind him that his earpiece is on and the beautiful voice in his head

is actually coming from a young woman who is trying to explain why he needs to hurry.

Jackson remains entranced by the cuddling stars above for another minute. The bright

burning coals of tobacco in his hand warm his fingers and calm his soul. He has awoken, “It is

time.”

The young woman no longer sounds like a whisper, “You need to move, now!”

“What‟s the hurry?” he asks, “The world is half-dead from the last Events.”

3

“I know sir, but we expect what‟s left of the army to be behind you on this and your

new friend is the only one who knows the location of the latest shipment.” She lets out a sigh

and continues, “Do you copy Jack? It‟s the end of the world and for better or worse, you are our

fearless hero.”

“So I‟m driving then?” he asks as he sinks into his black custom roadster. Before she

can answer this rhetorical nonsense he asks another, “When are you going to come out with

us and have some real fun?”

She has to chuckle, saying, “…if that‟s your idea of a date then I think I‟ll pass.”

“Not romantic enough, I get it,” he whispers as he pulls up in front of a rather

charming house in an otherwise dismal neighborhood beneath the old underpass. The sun has

begun to rise as he kills the thunderous engine and he switches his earpiece to Marcus, “Are

you ready yet or what?”

“Ha, you‟re funny. We almost took my bike there, and it‟s going to rain.” Sounding

worried he asks, “Did you go up there again?” and then looks out the window.

The silhouette of a black sweater pulls back the drapes in the window and Jackson

ducks down, “How did you know?” he mumbles.

Marcus looks at his own clean cut reflection in the glass after spotting Jackson and

says, “I just know Jacko. It‟s not safe up there.” Marcus hates that he can‟t help his friend.

4

“Where is it safe?” Jackson asks. Before Marcus can reply he changes the subject, “So

are you and your girlfriends coming out? We have to go.”

Marcus looks down the stairs toward the living room in his basement and yells to

Robby and Danny, “Are you clowns ready?!”

Robby looks up from the tattered catalog in his hands and with excited light brown

and green eyes he says, “Let‟s go.”

The four men sit comfortably in Jackson‟s sedan. The plush, light colored, suede

interior wraps around them. Their black attire differs in textures and styles. They are like

the mafia of Special Forces. Jackson always wears dark sunglasses that provide nightvision

with the touch of his fingerprint to the side of the frames. Robby‟s piercing hazel eyes are

masked by the hood he wears and the long hair that falls over his face. Shepherd doesn‟t

allow smoking in his car, and everyone is happy to oblige. When the beautiful car blasts off,

it takes on spaceship like qualities. Jackson always wanted a spaceship. The monitor of the

stereo face turns to a feed of tactical schematics and information on their targets. Mimi

sounds serious, “I‟m uploading the latest Intel on the surviving networks.” She pauses and

then says, “You guys are really quiet. Is there anything wrong?”

Jackson is in another daze but still says, “I would say so.” As he speeds up, his

passengers look out their windows to see the decay of a once thriving suburban intersection. As

5

they float by the ancient stop sign and the flickering street light he continues, “I signed up

for this mission, and I knew the risks. I look around and all I see are remnants. The Events

that have caused our species to self-destruct have also caused me to stop caring. I did my part.

I rescued all the people I could form the collapsed bridge and blown up subways. What‟s the

point anymore? The world is messed up beyond repair.”

The silence that follows is uncomfortable and the rain beginning to fall hits the roof

and muffles the thoughts of everyone in the automobile. Jackson cracks a sort of sad smile.

The pur-reep of the windshield wipers ends the silence.

Danny almost allows a tear to fall from his round green eye but blinks it back and

tries to console him by saying, “There were times when I would think the same way. I just sat

in my garage with a case of beer and my transmission I was rebuilding, my dog and cat

staring at me waiting for their next meal, and I thought, „This is what saving the world

looks like.‟ Just then I looked out the window as the sun was setting and the sky turned red

and purple and the clouds shimmered with changing colors right before my eyes. I looked down

the street at this vivid atmosphere and I spotted this young girl walking. She was a survivor.

6

It made me realize that we are not trying to fix the world. We are trying to protect the people

who are left. They need us to help them fight back.”

Robby agrees, “That‟s how it is.”

Mimi has to interrupt, “Sorry guys but you‟re almost there. Same protocols, your

contact is at the warehouse and he is waiting for you. When you have the targets in sight

you are clear to engage. If the priority targets are not present, complete the purchase and

follow the subject. You have sniper support in aerial orbit and they are awaiting your

command. Any questions?” No reply. “Alright, are you guys ready?”

Rob is staring coldly out the window at the long pier connected to their approaching

destination and replies, “If not, we‟re dead.”

As they get out of the car, Jackson ignores the voice in his head telling him that

something bad is about to happen and walks to the front door of the warehouse. As he leans his

back against the door, he kicks it with the bottom of his foot and lights another cigarette. He

says, “I should really quit.”

On the other side of town, in the contaminated territory, the enemies hide in every

shadow planning their next Event. Every time they cause an Event, millions die and the

rest are horribly mutated. With the human population of the earth reduced below half and

the ecological meltdown leaving no living plants or useable soil, most of the people still living

7

on earth wish they weren‟t, for the pain on their dried brittle skin will never stop. And the

bloodshot eyes that are too painful to cry from are weak and unblinking.

Jackson

The fertile earth beneath her feet is moist from the morning dew. All thoughts of

conflict drift away like the fog just after dawn. Behind her the sunrise repeats its daily

emergence. In the distance a radio is crackling an old 30‟s ragtime instrumental. A neighbor

looks out her window and observes the beautiful woman standing beneath the incredible

morning sky.

As the neighbor hears the starting of a lawnmower she thinks, “Just another day in

suburban paradise!”

In this particular small town, all of the roads are freshly paved, and all of the

windows of the houses are sparkling clean. If anyone knew what was about to happen, they

made no indication. The paperboy riding his bike, swerving back and forth to occupy his time

between houses, is as carefree as a child can be.

On the radio the beautiful music from the past is interrupted by a serious sounding

man saying, “We interrupt this program to bring you a special announcement.”

The barefoot woman standing in her garden is the only one close enough to hear the

announcement. After she hears what President Obama has to say she immediately runs into

8

her house and wakes up her daughter, who can see by the look in her mother‟s eyes that

something is wrong? They don‟t speak as they get ready to leave. The radio is still on and

Billie Holiday is singing, “You let me down.”

As the tires squeal and she narrowly dodges the pedaling paperboy, this woman,

Kristene, calmly says to her daughter, “Charlotte, seat belt.”

“Are we going to find Dad?” Charlotte inquires quietly as she snaps the buckle into

place.

Kristene knows that Charlotte is old enough but regretfully explains, “Well Charlee,

you know your father is a first responder, and when there is a disaster he saves people who are

trapped.”She looks over to see her daughter nod in confirmation and then continues, “There

has been an accident on the bridge and we are just going to see if he is there.”

Kristene flicks on the car stereo by turning the knob and then she starts changing

stations until she hears a man describing the terrible scene occurring on the river. She listens

long enough to hear whether the National Guard has arrived yet and then clicks the radio

back off.

“Looks like we are going to beat him there,” Kristene says while trying to sound like

they‟re going on a trip to the zoo right after they stop for ice cream. Charlotte knows that

they aren‟t going to the zoo or getting ice cream, but she is excited to see her dad.

9

As Kristine‟s red Jeep turns the corner to reveal the horrific landscape of twisted metal

and crumbled fallen pavement, they both look up to see a National Guard helicopter

hovering above. Kristine had to squint her green eyes to see a wire hanging from the helicopter

and a man dangling from it. As he reaches in and grabs the helpless looking young boy out of

a flaming SUV, the helicopter lifts before he can properly strap the boy to his harness. While

holding onto the boys forearm while the boy holds onto his, Jackson says to him, “Hold on.”

Charlotte sees the helicopter, with the boy holding on for dear life, clinging to the

rescuer‟s bare hand and floating toward her. She hazily asks her mom “Is that Dad?”

Kristene sighs and responds almost sounding disappointed, “Yes, I‟m pretty sure it is.”

Just as the helicopter starts to lift up and away from them, Kristene sees that many

people on the road in front of her have started stumbling out of their cars and flailing as if

they are melting. In his announcement, President Obama failed to mention the potent toxic

gas that was emitted from the explosives used to destroy the bridge. As she starts backing into

the intersecting road to turn around, the subway below her implodes and her Jeep is sucked

into the earth and buried with debris.

Kristene immediately says to Charlotte, “It‟s okay Charlee, Daddy will find us.”

Seconds later she begins to feel very sick and notices Charlotte‟s skin has begun to peel like

she‟s sunburned. She whispers, “Come on Jack.”

10

Jackson has secured the boy and after they are raised into the cabin of the chopper

both of them watch as all this happens below. As they descend to the sight of the explosion

Jackson sees what the reaction of the people is to the infectious air. His heart sinks as he

reaches for his protective suit. As the pilot lowers him into position he is already convinced

that he will not be able to get to her in time. He closes his eyes and addresses every force in the

universes at once, “Please Help Me.”

Robby and Danny

The hallways are narrow and his hushed footsteps echo as his old dirty sneakers slap

the spotless marble floor. He‟s not the only one who‟s late for class, but he‟s the only one who

makes it a daily habit. The walls and ceiling are constructed of solid oak and are distinctly

carved with patterns of oak leaves and acorns. The private school he is currently attending is

the same one his father attended. Although he never got to meet him, a lot of the faculty did

and they tell him what a great student he was. They are very sorry to hear about what

happened, and Robby assumes that this how he got accepted here. He knows it wasn‟t his

transcripts from his old schools.

The only things he looks forward to each day are the flawless looking girls in his class.

Even if they are as about as warm as a winter storm, he can at least admire their well-bred

features. There is even one who talks to him. Robby suspects it is only to make her boyfriend

11

jealous, but he enjoys the conversation. He isn‟t unintelligent like a lot of his classmates

seem to think, he just cares about different things, and Zoe seems to understand him.

When he finally gets to class, the teacher gives him a disappointed look and then nods

toward his assigned seat. As he sits down he hears Zoe‟s boyfriend, the captain of the football

team, make a comment and then laugh. He can‟t quite make out exactly what is said, but

he could almost swear he heard the words, “Nice shoes scrub.”

As Robby starts to get caught up on the lecture and the assignment for next week he

starts to think about the relevance of this class. He has always wondered about the

importance of the lives around him. He knew from a young age that he was destined for

greatness, but lately he has lost sight of the path that leads him there. He doubts that the

captain in the back of class has the intelligence to ever be the captain of anything more

significant than a high school football team.

After school, as he enters the front door of the run down brownstone that sits just a few

blocks from the regal educational institution, he calls out to his mother, “Hello?”

All he hears in return is, “Hey,” from somewhere upstairs.

He proceeds to his room and closes the door. He picks up the phone and dials the familiar

number of his best friend Danny.

“Hello?” says the drowsy voice on the other end.

12

“Hey man, are you still comin‟ over?”

“Oh, uh, yeah my dad‟s already passed out. I just have to snag his keys and then I‟ll

head over. Hey you want any booze? I‟ve got this whole case of random alcohol.”

“No, just hurry up. I have to get out of here.” Robby hangs up before Danny can

respond.

Danny is the fun half of the pair. One time Danny just showed up outside of Robby‟s

mom‟s house in his dad‟s brand new Jaguar with four girls crammed in the back seat while

rap music blasted out the speakers. After driving around all night smoking joints, they

dropped off the girls and hung out at the 24-hour Laundromat. It wasn‟t that the

Laundromat was such a great place to hang out, but they were only twelve and it was the

only thing that was open.

On this particular evening Danny pulls up to Robby‟s house and sees him waiting on

the front step and rolls down the window, “How much?” he asks.

Robby responds in his best female voice, “You couldn‟t afford this, sweetie.”

After they pull up outside the stadium Danny has to ask, “Are you sure that‟s what

he said?”

13

Robby has spotted his prey and starts to get out of the expensive car without taking his

eyes off the captain of the football team. As he responds he takes off his favorite sweater, “It

doesn‟t matter, he deserves it.”

Years later, after they both joined the Navy and became SEALS in the same unit,

they successfully completed countless missions together and joined a special counter-terrorist

unit lead by Jackson Shepherd, who took his orders directly from President Obama. The next

in rank below Jackson was Marcus, Jackson‟s best friend.

Marcus

The air is dusty in the slow moving van. Marcus cracks his window and the stale

atmosphere rushes out in invisible gusts. Everyone in Marcus‟s family was a cop. His

grandfather, father, uncle and two cousins are all detectives on the east coast. When Marcus

and his brother both became detectives, it was no surprise to anyone. Although Marcus was

not always so sure that he would become a cop. He was more interested in the appeal of things

on the opposite side of the law. Even now, riding in this dusty undercover van, he feels more at

home than he ever could in a black and white with flashing lights on the roof.

He and his brother are on their way to meet up with a potential link to a suspect that

they have been after. The intersections full of cars and pedestrians slowly slide by his

passenger side window. Tomorrow is his birthday and his brother James couldn‟t wait to give

14

him his present. As James turns left into the parking garage where they are meeting their

associate he reaches under his seat and pulls out a brown, plainly wrapped package, as he

hands it to Marcus he says, “Happy Birthday.”

Marcus smirks and takes the box. It‟s heavy and he knows immediately what‟s inside.

As he tears the paper from the wooden box with his initials engraved on it, he notices that

their friend didn‟t come alone. James wraps the van into the parking space on the passenger

side of a black Lincoln Continental with two men standing near the trunk, waiting. When

the limo-tinted window on the rear passenger door opens half-way, Marcus realizes that his

difficult undercover work has finally paid-off.

“It looks like you might need those.” James says as he bows his head toward the

unexpected visitor. “This might not be such a good thing.”

Marcus opens the box revealing the two shiniest pistols he has ever seen, “I don‟t even

have to shoot them,” he says holding them up, “I can just hold them up and blind people with

the reflections.” Then he quickly loads the matching desert eagles and positions them in his

shoulder holsters, one under each arm. “Thanks bro, it‟s what I‟ve always wanted.”

The Meeting

As Jackson, Marcus, Robby and Danny enter the warehouse they all immediately

realize that their hard work has paid off. Three of the top four ranking members of the enemy

15

cell in this area are present for their arrival and are very focused on their new visitors. Before

Jackson can give the signal to eliminate everyone in the room, Marcus grabs his arm. At first

he suspect Marcus of betraying him and braces for a blow from one of the butts of Marcus‟

birthday pistols, but the sight of the huge bombs that are dismantled in the center of the room

have caught his eye. The incredibly sensitive parts exposed would cause an Event with the

spark from a single gunshot. It‟s a good thing Jack has a plan B. Because of the recent

breakthroughs made in science and technology, he‟s prepared for anything. He

has planned an Event of his own.

He looks at his squad, “Sorry guys, but you‟ll just have to trust me.”