Schism

Prologue

PROLOGUE

"You might all think that I'm going to burn this man alive because of the color of his skin, but that isn't it."  Jared Smith looked down at the black man taped to the chair.  The concrete floor under it was already scorched and cracked.  Jared had been a guest in this city for only a few months, but it had been a busy time and this building had already proved useful.

The man in the chair didn't struggle.  He simply turned his eyes from Jared to the other men standing above him.  Jared watched sweat drip off the man’s dark face onto the gasoline soaked clothing.  Then he turned, waited for the three newest soldiers to absorb the situation.  They had all been through training, had all been tested, but this was something different for them.  Here there was no distance, no anonymity or illusion about what they were doing.  Here they would find out just how important their work was.

Jared watched them as he went on.  "You might think that I'm going to kill him because he is different.  That isn't it either."  The three new soldiers stood next to Mike Simmons.  One of them was slated to join Mike's team, a small group that they sometimes called the cleaners.  He had no doubt that young man would pass this test, but the other two were more of an unknown.

He looked down at his pants, his shoes.  Both were dry and he stood well away from the rapidly evaporating stain of gasoline on the concrete.  "Check yourselves.  Safety first."  He pulled a match from the box that David Turner, his oldest friend and lieutenant, held open for him.  Normally, David did the work for something like this, but the new men needed to know that Jared was able and willing to do the things that he asked of them.

He waited until everyone had made sure they were dry and at a safe distance.  "The reason I do this isn't because he's black or because his culture is different from ours.  It's because these differences are dangerous.  They are dangerous because they spread.  If he and his people could keep to themselves, if they could keep their culture to themselves that would be one thing.  But they don't."

They all watched him, even the man in the chair, mouth taped and head moving in small shakes.  "They don't.  Some people say that nothing he or his people do will ever add to our culture.  I don't know about that.  What I do believe is that they will only dilute what little we have left.  They take our daughters and sisters, our cities, and our jobs.  We have to fight for what we have left, fight to get back to the way things were for us.  Understand?"

The new soldiers nodded their heads, kept their faces grim for Jared and each other.  He smiled at them and nodded back.  He spun the matchstick in his fingers, held it in front of the black man.  Jared didn't even know this one's name.  "Do you understand?"

The man shook his head in small, quick spasms.

Jared struck the match, dropped it into the man's lap and stepped back as the flames washed over the body.  The screams, muffled until the duct tape around the man's mouth melted free, lasted for nearly thirty seconds.

"Sometimes it's quicker, sometimes it takes longer," Mike said.  The three new soldiers nodded in understanding.  None of them had flinched away. 

Jared held his hand out to each of them.  "It's an honor to serve with all of you," he said.  They each shook his hand and watched the fuel burn down for a moment before leaving the room.  As they did, Jared turned to the remaining men, smiled at David, his top trainer.  "They look good.  Nice job."

"Not too many bad habits to drill out this time," David said.

The last lieutenant, Martins, stayed quiet.  Jared stood next to him, looked down at the burnt corpse.  The smell was something he had never become used to, and he was grateful for that.  It let him know how serious the work was.  He'd just have to stay away from steak for a few days.  "How are we?" he asked without looking up.

"My team's good," Mike said.  "Anxious for work."

David nodded.  "I've got thirty-five men.  The last batch has another training fire tonight.  Most of them can work together pretty well.  The skinheads and Nazi types were a little rough around the edges at first, but they want the job done just as much as the Klan boys do.  They're a good team. Wouldn't mind more, but we can do it."

Jared turned to Martins, who still hadn't spoken.  He waited.

Martins shrugged.  "Not my place to say."

"Yes, it is," Jared said.  "You're on this team for a reason.  I need your opinion."

It took a moment for Martins to answer.  "I agree with David.  Clearing out the whole city with just thirty-five men is a lot of work.  I'd be more comfortable if we called in more."

Jared nodded back.  "But you think we can do it without the reinforcements?" 

"Yes, sir.  Just wouldn't mind a little overkill," Martins said.

"And why should it be a small group, instead of calling in more?" Jared asked.  He'd given them his reasons, but it was good to know which ones had stuck with them.

"Keeps your local contact protected.  More men and it would start to look like a convention," Martins said.  "And it sends a message.  Shows everyone in the movement just how powerful we are, how powerful they can be.  If we can cleanse a city with just a handful, they can do a hell of a lot more."

Jared nodded. 

"What about supplies?" David asked.  "I've got weapons and ammunition at the old factory, but we could still use more from that fire bug of yours."

That was a harder question for Jared.  Their main weapon in clearing the city of any non-whites was going to be fire.  The man who supplied them with bombs did good work, but Jared still wanted something more than fancy Molotovs.  He was confident he could get what he needed; it would just take time.  "That's the second step."   Jared nodded to David.  "First, we let the coloreds make themselves look bad, then I'll make sure we have enough fuel for the fires.  We start the big push to clean the city in one week.  Keep the men busy until then."  They each nodded back and Jared smiled at them. 

*

(Author's note:  What kind of a hero is it going to take to stand up to a bad guy who is this dangerous?  Read on to find out.  But...I bet he isn't what you'd expect!  Thank you all for the votes and comments!  Please keep them coming!)