Story The American Keepers WIP

SnowAshe

Commander of the Keepers
Written by Snow Ashe, Founder and Supreme Commander of the Keepers Forces, and Leader of the Camulodian Empire


Chapter 1:The Founding of the Keepers

The year was 2012, I was sitting on the floor of my best friend Veronica’s bedroom discussing plans for a new group. We had already amassed a nice sized group centered on a book series that we had been reading for a long time. Now we were changing things up as most of the original group were dispersing into the world and their ideologies changing. This would center the new group around saving books and preserving them for future generations. We were concerned about the way e-books were gaining popularity worldwide and the decline of bookstores. We enlisted several of our friends who were in the original group which included three of my oldest friends; David Rider, Allen Rider, and Sarah Willis. We named the new group “the Keepers of the Lost Stories.” Over the weeks following the creation of the new group, we found a base in an abandoned building in Shreveport-Bossier City. Even though we were young, we were a very talented group. David and Allen disguised the entrance as an exposed brick wall in the old building. Veronica and I worked together to design the layout of the base, and assign positions and duties, among other administrative tasks. Then, as a group, we tackled the task of collecting bookshelves, computers, notebooks ,for cataloging the books we collected, and designing ways to defend the base if we ever needed to. Within two months we completed our base. Gradually our numbers grew and we had Keepers throughout the city looking for books to save and bring back to keep in our library. Eventually Veronica and I decided to split up our duties as the Leaders. She took over the search parties, while I ran the base and did organizing and preparing assignments for the new and old members. Veronica and the other searchers brought back hundreds of books on top of the collections each of us already had. Everything was going well until Veronica suddenly left one day and never returned. My attempts to reach her proved unsuccessful, so I took on the full burden of leading the Keepers. It was almost a year before I heard from her again. By this time we had close to 19 members and we had found ourselves an enemy. The Chasers were a rogue government organization that were trying to destroy books that might prove dangerous to them. She explained that her parents and the rest of her family had been pressuring her to start focusing more on school and apologized for being gone so long. She remained by my side as a leader of the Keepers until the Winter of 2015. At this time she betrayed my trust leaving to join the Chasers as their second in command. I should have seen it coming as she had been growing more and more distant towards the end.

For a little over a year I was alone in my fight as everyone got busy with their own lives and started focusing more on school. Then, in the summer of 2017, I started rebuilding and restructuring the group with the help of David and Sarah. I added a large number of members over the months following and even managed to have a few trusted friends and allies start up their own divisions of the Keepers in other cities. Then, the Battle of 2018 hit our home base. An army of Chasers showed up and I was forced to defend my city with only 19 Keepers at my side. We won, but not without some grave losses.This including part of our city. Among the fallen were the Keeper Knights, Rose Evangle, Jay Stuart, and Donovan Price. After this Veronica’s sister, Alice, who was our medic decided to resign her post along with another of our Knights, Virginia Waters. Neither were heard from again. With our numbers diminished I released the remaining Keepers from their positions in the organization and the Keepers disappeared.
By the time all this had happened I had finished school, so in the early months of 2019 I made the decision to move away from my hometown and get a fresh start. I packed up the stuff I wanted to bring with me, said goodbye to my family and friends, and drove up to Little Rock, Arkansas where I stayed with an old woman. I helped her out around her house until she passed suddenly in her sleep. Unknown to me she had left her house, her belongings, and a vast amount of money to me in her will, seeing as she had no family left. I was alone in a new city and in August of 2019 I decided to go out and meet some people. Of course the first place I had to start was a bookstore in Downtown Little Rock. I was looking through a stack of books when a girl walked in. From the moment we locked eyes I knew she would play a key role in my life. She was almost a head shorter than me with long brown hair that had a light blonde, almost white streak running down one side. Her misty blue eyes held a pang of loneliness I recognized from everytime I looked at my reflection. We stood there for a few minutes trying to figure out who would make the first move. Then I made the decision. I walked over and introduced myself as Snow Ashe. She watched my eyes for a moment before saying her name was Alexandra Snow. We talked for a while walking through the bookstore and eventually exchanged phone numbers before we parted. As I headed home I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I didn’t get very far before I texted her and she responded quicker than I thought she would. We ended up talking all night and before long we were meeting almost every day when we weren’t working. Everytime we looked at each other we saw ourselves. It wasn’t long before Alexandra and I started a new group. We met Geneva Reign, Septimunian Reavious, Viktorya Strym, and Seryoun Tahl at a movie theater when we went to see the last Star Wars movie the night it was released. The four were close to our ages and shared a lot in common with us in terms of books and movies we all enjoyed. We ended up hanging out with them for a while after the movie before I took Alexandra home. She hugged me as we stood on the porch and we parted ways. That night was the last time I saw her.
A couple days later I found out she had disappeared without a trace. I decided to read her favorite book and inside the book, there was a note for me. It read:

Snow. Words cannot express the friendship we share. You have helped me in so many ways...You’re the best friend I’ve had in a long time and everything I was praying for. But if you are reading this, I am either dead or kidnapped or both. You know I’d never leave without saying goodbye. To that end, I leave you my most cherished belongings. You know what they are. Don’t give up hope. One day you and I will meet again. Either in this life or the next. Stay strong. Your people need you, And you know I will always be with you in spirit. See you soon Snow.

~Alexandra

As I read the note, I almost fell apart right then. I texted Geneva and the others to let them know what was happening and that Geneva was to take my place as leader of our little group while I searched for Alexandra. I searched for almost two years in Little Rock and the surrounding areas, but found no trace of her. Neither did the police.

Chapter 2: Birth of the Colony
In the fall of 2021 I started drawing up the plans for a new base in Kansas. I spent a few hours searching for the perfect spot and found a nice flat area just off of El Dorado Lake. I contacted the Kansas State government and found out who the land belonged to. Once I had the information I drove the four hundred and seventy four miles from Little Rock, Arkansas to El Dorado, Kansas to meet the owner of the land and discuss my plans with him. Together we agreed on a deal that would be mutually beneficial to the both of us. In accordance with the deal, part of the Villa Complex or Colony as I sometimes referred to it would be set aside for him and his family to live on once the initial foundations were laid. The interior of the colony would consist of the Villa, a structure that borrowed aspects of the old Roman Villas from Britannia but twice as large. It would be three stories tall and have enough rooms to house up to a hundred people at a time comfortably. Situated around the Villa would be houses, barracks, orchards, a training area, three armories, an area for horse stables, a small theater, a church, a hospital, 2 farms, a water reserve, and an area designated to the solar panels that would power the Complex. This would be surrounded by a wall with three main gates to the North, West, and South along with a smaller southern gate that led to a strictly military area of the colony and two more small gates that led into a fortified farm area with pens for livestock and other animals. The South Gate would open up to several fields. The south road would split, one direction leading to an airport and the other leading to the City of El Dorado.. Five small forts would be situated along the banks of the lake to act as a defense for the Eastern half of the Colony. The West Gate would open up to more fields along with a road that would connect to US-77. Like the West Gate, the North Gate would also connect to a main road, this one being Interstate 35. The two routes complicated my plans but I figured out a way to work with them. Tunnels would run underneath them connecting to the rest of what would one day be the rest of the Colony. Once the plans were made, I started meeting with construction companies seeking to strike a deal to help build the Colony. The company I ended up striking a deal with was named Wheatland Construction. Once they looked over the plans they got excited. This would be one of their largest projects yet and one of the best paying. The final price of the construction would be about $300 million.
I was sitting at my desk one night reading one of Alexandra’s books when an old picture frame caught my eye. I pulled it out from under some papers and there she was, smiling at the camera with laughter in her blue eyes and her hair all messed up. I sighed and set the book down on my desk, putting the picture on top of it before getting up and heading to a little diner a block from my house. When I walked in it was empty for the most part besides the employees who looked incredibly bored with being there. I sat down at a booth and a young waitress came to see what I would like to drink. I asked her for water and she left to go get my drink after handing me a menu. I pulled out my notebook instead and started going through a list of names. I was only in contact with a few of the original members. David, Sarah, and Allen were all old friends and still checked in often. At that moment, I decided to resurrect the Keepers and start working on moving everyone to the new base in Kansas.

Chapter 3: The Rebirth of the Keepers

The year was 2022. I was walking home in downtown Little Rock, the moon’s reflection in the puddles by my feet. The street lights started flickering, then suddenly darkness snuffed out the light. Within seconds I heard screaming from young kids and parents trying to calm them. A man in a damp trench coat bumped into me and shoved something that felt like a small piece of paper into my hand. I didn't know what was going on, so I headed home. Picking up the pace as I could hear thunder rolling in .The lightning in the distance illuminated my path. The few people who were out were rushing past me to get under shelter. “Just one more block,” I kept telling myself. It felt like I’d been walking forever. The wind had picked up right as I walked in almost taking the door off its hinges. I took my phone out of my pocket and turned it on, trying to figure out what was going on, but I had no service. I was getting a bad feeling in my stomach; something wasn’t right. My city had experienced terrible weather before, but not to where the lights went out across the entire city. I grabbed my backpack, put supplies in it, and went to my gun case to get my old revolver, my rifle, ammunition, along with a sword; just in case. I placed everything on my dining room table, double-checking to see if I have packed everything I would need. Reaching for my phone again, I feel the paper the man had given me. It read,



The Chasers are behind it. You must reunite the Keepers and figure out how to stop them.

-Legate Commander Theo Howe



I looked out of the window and sighed. It had been 4 years since I last saw the other members of The Keepers. After our last encounter with the Chasers, some of our members lost hope in our order and left. Some died during the battle, and other members thought we would be too weak if we were going to be attacked again. I moved up to Little Rock and stayed low for almost 4 years. The first battle took a lot out of me. I lost one of my closest friends when she left and joined the Chasers, even though they killed several of our members and destroyed part of our city in the process.

I looked back at the paper. I flipped it over and sure enough, there was more writing on the back of the note;

Hurry. Time is running out. The Chasers are becoming stronger as each second goes by. The President is under a lot of stress because of the increase in attacks in major cities. The Government is due to fall any day now.

The weather was still horrific outside. The trees knocked against the windows. The wind tried to blow down the door, and lightning cracked above the house. It didn’t faze me though. I was quite fond of storms as it was, so I stayed up packing and making sure I had everything. The next morning, the sky was clear with a couple of puddles still on the ground. I loaded my supplies into my truck and headed back to Shreveport, Louisiana, where our old headquarters was located. I still owned the building, and we still had our library, war room, armory, and everything else that wasn't destroyed during the Battle of 2018.

After two long days of driving through a storm that stretched across seven states, I finally arrived. I got out and looked around at the exterior of the building. You could tell that no one had been here for a while, the grass was due for more than a trim. So much dirt and dust had built up on the window, it made it hard to see through the windows. When I went in, everything was how we left it, except for all the dust that developed, but it was as if time had paused itself once we left. Everywhere I looked, there were 3 inches of dust. Books and half-empty cups sat on tables next to chairs. There were files still lying open on the old mahogany table we had found in an abandoned house just outside the city. I could still remember the laughs and talks we had around the table with a few screaming matches as well.

As I looked around one of those times flashed through my head…

It was a cold and dreary day in the fall of 2015. It had been raining for a few days with no sign of stopping. Veronica, who had been out seeking a few more books for our library in the Keepers Headquarters had just come in carrying three old looking books from an abandoned library on the edge of town. She set them down on one of the tables along the walls of the conference room and threw back her hood. I spun around in my chair and said, “I see you found some.” Veronica gave me a small smile and said, “Yes, I did, but it wasn’t easy. The Chasers know we’re based here. On my way in, I was almost captured by two of their agents. It was an excellent decision to implement a hidden door in the alley behind the building.” I nodded and said, “We have to be more careful. If the Chasers figure out we only have a little over a dozen members, they will most likely attack. We need to recruit more members.” She had walked over and sat down in a chair at the old war table as I was talking and once I finished she agreed and said, “You’re right, Snow. We need more members. Oh, and I learned something tonight.” I tilted my head to the side and asked, “What?” “The name of the leader of the Chasers. His name is Ralof.” Just as she said that, David walked in and said, “I once knew a Ralof. Big fellow. He was a member of the US Marine Corps until he was dishonorably discharged for beating another service member half to death.” I looked at him and said, “Well, at least we know what we’re dealing with. Gather the Keepers based here in the city and bring them here. We need to figure out what we’re going to do.” They both nodded and left the room. Two hours later we were all sitting around the table and Veronica was filling the others in on the new information she had learned. One member, Allen, David’s brother, slammed his fist onto the table and said, “We need to find this Ralof and let him know we’re not to be trifled with. We can’t risk losing the Base. For some of us, it’s the only home we have.” A few of the others nodded in agreement and I looked around and said, “I will not start a fight until I know we can win. We are still a young organization. Let’s wait till we have enough supplies and then let them know of our capacity and our will to fight for what’s right.” Allen and the others looked at each other and then back at me and agreed. I nodded and said, “Now then. As y’all know, the day is coming when we will need to mount a defense to protect our city and the Base. We have to be ready. You all know your positions in the city if there is an attack. Snipers on the roofs and the rest in teams of four surrounding the enemy. We will not lose our home. Not to the Chasers or anyone else. This is our time.” Veronica and David were nodding approvingly, and the others looked at each other and then agreed to the plan. I looked around at the people I had come to know as family and said “let’s get moving. Good luck y’all.” with that we left to start preparations for an attack.

Now the place just echoed with emptiness. I headed up to the roof to look at what I once called home; a lot had changed over the past four years. New buildings had been built and old ones were torn down or abandoned. But I still recognized it. I had many fond memories in the Shreveport-Bossier City area.

Over the next three weeks, two of my original Keepers showed up when they heard I was back in town. As did many other friends I had made over the years. David, Sarah, and my sister were among the first to show up. By the fourth week I was home, I had a full team again. I assigned everyone jobs and within the next month we had our base back in working order, everything spotless. We had recruiters going through the city finding old friends and family we knew we could trust; the Keepers were home.

A month after the Keepers returned to home base, the Chasers attacked us. A task force stormed three of our watchtowers around the city and were about to hit a fourth when a team of our Keepers took them out and sent a survivor to our base escorted by six Keepers to be interrogated. They locked him up in one of the cells and came to my office to give me their report.

The team of Keepers had been doing a routine patrol through Downtown when suddenly gunshots were heard, and they turned a corner to find the Chasers bombarding the tower with bullets. Theo Howe, who was on duty at the tower, set up defenses as soon as he saw the Chasers and held them off long enough for the patrol to come to their aid.

I nodded and assured them of a job well done and released them to get some rest; they saluted and left the room. David, who had been my best friend for twenty-two years at this point, came in as they left and sat down in one of the chairs in front of my desk. He asked me what we were going to do about the Chaser in our dungeon.

“I’ll go down in the morning for an interrogation,” I replied.

“I’ll be accompanying you then,” He stated. I agreed and wished him goodnight before heading to my own room. As I laid down, I couldn't help but wonder why the Chasers hit us directly instead of taking out our other two newer bases in Blanchard and Bossier.

The next morning, I got up and headed down to interrogate our prisoner. David was waiting for me at the entrance and we walked in to find the Chaser lying on the floor dead with foam coming from his mouth.

“Cyanide teeth,” David stated. “In case one of ‘em was captured.” He added

I headed to the War Room and told David to round up the High Council. The High Council was composed of me, David, Sarah, Theo, Henry, Jordyn, Daniel, and a few others. Daniel and Theo wanted to retaliate with a head-on strike to a Chaser base in Alexandria. I established to them that would be a bad idea because we were still low on guns and people, despite the guns we had been provided with from the Air Force base in Bossier, and we still had recruiters traveling through the cities. Eventually, we agreed to wait until we had everyone back in our Headquarters; the meeting was adjourned, and everyone except David, Sarah, and myself went on to other tasks. We were discussing plans for the Keepers in the upcoming weeks and months when suddenly, one of our newer members burst into the room, telling us an army was massing in Haughton. My Co-Leaders and I looked at each other as I said, “Wake the others and tell them we’re under attack.”

As my Keepers assembled in the streets of Shreveport and Bossier City, my co-leaders and I were discussing plans of attack. Suddenly, Jordyn came in and told me that the Chasers were on the move. I grabbed my sword and gun and told them to get ready. As we headed through my Keepers, a shout rang through the night calling my name. I reached the front and the leader of the Chasers was standing 30 feet away. He laughed and said that he had no idea that the leader of the famous Keepers was so young. I chuckled.

“What does that say about me? I defended my city when I was only 19 with 20 Keepers. What do you think I could do with hundreds.”? I replied, he stopped smirking.

"Maybe you are a force to be reckoned with. Or maybe we will destroy you, the last hope of the great United States of America." I smiled.

"No, you won't destroy us. You didn’t last time and you won’t this time. This is our home. And we’ll defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic."Ath this he looked back at his troops and as he was about to give the command to attack I raised my arm and my snipers took out most of his Chasers. The leader, however, was mine. I pulled out my revolver in two seconds and the Chaser leader was out of the picture. My side had won the battle, but the war was far from over. I walked over to a truck and jumped up into the back. Looking at my people, I told them they should watch for retaliation; this wasn't over. But unbeknownst to me, it was going to be over for a while. As we reformed and kept adding to our numbers, I kept our garrisons in the Eastern half of the United States strong and well-defended while scouting out new areas in the Western Half for potential locations.

Three months after the battle between the Keepers and the Chasers, I was walking down one of the major roads in the city when I ran into a group of people, a few of whom were my age. Their leader was just a few months younger than me, and we clicked right from the moment our eyes met. She was a few inches shorter than me with blonde hair that fell across her shoulders, misty blue eyes, fair skin, and an overall pretty face.

“Where're you headed with no supplies?” I asked, mainly to the leader of them, named Sophie. She told me she was taking them to her safe house as she had rescued them from an attack on her home base.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked, trying to sound kind.

“Of course, I’d enjoy the company.” She replied.

As we started walking, Sophie and I started talking. She was the leader of a group called the American Order of Peace. She had started it right around the time I started the Keepers; we had a lot in common. Our tastes in music, hobbies, books, and everything else was almost the same. She was raised with the same ideals I was, and she appreciated history unlike so many others in our generation. In a sense, she was the absolute perfect girl for me.

By the time we had gotten to her safe house, we pretty much knew each other's life stories. I noticed that her safe house was an old Victorian style home that could do with some fixing up. As her second in command led the kids inside, Sophie and I stayed outside and checked the exterior of the house. It had a bit of weather damage and there was one side of the house with vines completely covering it. I told her I had a base downtown that I would be glad to let them use as a safe spot. We had plenty of room since several Keeper groups were out keeping the peace in Chicago, Branson, New Orleans, and Dallas at the newly formed garrisons in those cities. She smiled in response.

“That would be greatly appreciated.” She responded with a gentle tone in her voice. I called one of the Keepers at my base over one of our long-range radios to see if he could come to pick us up in one of the buses we had stashed away. He told me he'd be on his way in ten minutes, I thanked him and we ended the call. Sophie was looking at me with hope in her eyes where there had previously been none. I looked up at the dark storm clouds moving in from the Northeast and I could feel the wind picking up.

“We should head in,” I started. She simply nodded in response, so I didn’t continue. About an hour later we were walking into my base when a loud clap of thunder sent Sophie jumping into my arms. Not the way you see it in cartoons but in a way that told me she needed me to stay close. I led her inside by the hand and to my office while Jordyn was showing the kids around. When we got to my office, which was more like a war room with a big table and maps of the cities I had Keepers in covering the walls, Sophie immediately went to my couch and curled up. I went and sat down next to her and asked her if she wanted to talk about the hardships she had been going through. She looked at me with those pretty blue eyes and just as she opened her mouth the building shook, Jordyn came running in soon after.

“One of the buildings nearby just collapsed killing at least 100 people, you’re needed in the control room, NOW!” She spoke in a panicked mumble, but I still managed to make out what she was saying.

“You want to come or stay here?” I turned to ask Sophie while trying to seem calm.

“I’m coming.” I nodded as she took my hand, leading her and my sister to the Control room. When I got there Katherine, Theo, Aaron, and a few others were waiting for me.

“The building didn't collapse because of the wind,” Theo told me.

“Someone sabotaged it.” He finished.

“And you’re positive of this?” I asked, surprised by his theory, he nodded.

“There were a series of explosions around the base of the tower and chasers had placed them, I’m sure of it.” He briefly explained, I growled.

“The Chasers need to go back to whatever hole they came from.” I half-yelled in an angry state of mind.

“Call back our troops in Dallas and New Orleans and have them meet me at the site of the building,” I stated, turning to Katherine. She nodded as another loud clap of thunder shook the building, Sophie edged closer to me.

“I‘m heading to the site, you’re in charge while I’m gone.” I quickly said to Theo while heading out. I looked at Sophie.

“Do I even need to ask?” She shook her head, and I looked at my Keepers and said, “This is a code red. We are under attack. We need to stay on our guard.” With that, I led Sophie out of the room and to the parking garage where our vehicles were hidden. As we drove over to the site of the building, Sophie took my hand in hers and thanked me for being so welcoming. I said that it was part of my job description as a Keeper, but I didn't normally bring another group into my base. She said that she understood that. She had taken in another group and it was with that group that her ex led the attack on her base. I knew I could trust her right from the moment I met her, and she knew that.

She didn't take her eyes off me until we reached the ruins of the Regions Tower in Downtown Shreveport. The police and fire departments were there along with some of the National Guard who were stationed here in the Shreveport-Bossier area. Once they saw me, they let Sophie and I through to examine the wreckage. I noticed something under the floodlights, after picking it up and examining it, I found that it was a piece of metal that had been left for me. It had a message that said:

Commander Snow Ashe of the Keepers. We have taken out your troops in San Francisco and Seattle. We have control of the Western Seaboard. We are coming for you next.

-Chaser High Command-

I growled, we needed to move our base to a new location, fast. As we left the wreckage, I could feel someone watching me, but I couldn't see anyone, so I tried to brush it off and we headed back to base. When we got back David and Sarah were waiting for me in the Council Room, they had just arrived back a mere fifteen minutes after Sophie and I had left.

“Both cities are secure, and we left half our commands in each city to maintain the peace,” Sarah told me in a professional and reassuring tone.

I told them about what had happened after they finished their reports, and it shocked them before I even finished.

“How could something like this even happen?” Sarah asked me.

“There are too few Keepers located here. There are around 300 keeping the peace. It's a big city and it can't all be watched especially with the power out across the world.” Sophie broke her streak of silence.

“Who’s this?” Sarah asked, I introduced Sophie and told them she had been the leader of a group called the American Order of Peace. I also told them how her group was attacked by the Chasers and how I found her and the survivors. They welcomed her and then headed to their rooms to get rested to prepare for a full-scale move. I led Sophie back to my part of the building where I had an extra room that she could sleep in. We went to our rooms around 1 am and I was out by 1:30.

Around 4:30 am Sophie shook me awake, telling me that something was going on to the southwest of the base. I scrambled out of bed and tugged on my boots while trying to grab my sword/gun belt. I led the way to the roof to see what was going on. There was an orange glow approaching the city, and it wasn't stopping, it looked almost like a sunrise but was expanding much too quickly.

“Wake the others!” I yelled to no one in particular while trying to sound as loud as I could to inform others near us. Sophie and I ran through the halls of the base waking everyone up and telling them to get battle-ready. Within 30 minutes, our small, but well-trained force was in full defense mode.

Sophie, David, Sarah, Theo, and I were on the roof of the base watching the orange glow get closer. We had darkened the base to make it appear we had no idea that we were about to be attacked. At 5:30 am the approaching army stopped, and a single torch came towards us. The messenger was waving a flag that was our own, and I recognized him even from a distance.

“Tell our forces to stand down but be ready for anything,” I said to David, he nodded in response and headed downstairs.

The rest of us who were fully armed on the roof headed down the stairs and out of the base towards our messenger. We stopped 4 yards away and just as a precaution asked who the army was. The messenger replied that they were the Legion of Keepers who had been based in Alexandria, Louisiana, under the command of Thomas Ashe. I grinned and told him they could come home; Thomas came up beside me it had been a while since we last spoke. I caught him up on everything that had happened and how we were going to move to a secure, more remote location that I had been planning in secret and got word that it was finished a few days before everything happened.

I led the way inside with Sophie by my side and my Co-Leaders following close behind. I instructed the Commanders that were on base to meet me in the Council Chambers at 11 am, for now, they could rest. Sophie and I headed back to my office to talk about the plans for her people. I found out she had decided to stay after seeing how well trained my people were and the way I had welcomed her without a second thought.

The next morning, at 11 am sharp, my Council of Commanders met in the Council Chambers. Once everyone was seated and all was quiet, I told them about our new base. It was a large fortified Villa Complex built in Southern Kansas along the edge of Lake El Dorado that could house our entire organization of 12000 Keepers if we had to. We had plenty of farmland, lumber, water supplies, and plenty of room to expand if need be.

The main Base in the fort was completely ready for us to move in and it was much bigger than our current base. Everyone was completely shocked that I had done it in secret, and asked me when I managed to get it done.

“I’ve been working on it since the original Keepers disbanded,” I told them. They all agreed that it would be a good idea to move as soon as possible. With that within a month most of our forces were relocated to the fort I had named Camulodunum after the first Capital of the province of Britain during the age of the Roman Empire. My group, who were the last to leave our base in Shreveport, were the oldest members who had grown up in the city. David, Sarah, Sophie, and I left on January 21st, 2023 and headed to our new home.


On December 20th, 2023, almost a year after we had moved to the Colony, I was sitting at our conference table in the Villa when David, Sarah, and Sophie all came in. They were all wearing winter coats and I could feel the chill coming off of them from their time outside. Sophie walked behind me and wrapped her arms around my neck and said, “I’m surprised you’re here when it’s cold like it is out there. Normally you’re in your office reading a book or writing.” I smiled and said, “You’re right. Normally, I would be. But I had some work to do, so I came to spend the day here since there's more space to spread out. What are y’all up to in this weather?” David went around to the other side of the table and sat down and said, “We were just discussing our plans for the Keeper's Christmas Party.” I looked down at the notebook in front of me for a second too long and he said, “Surely you haven’t forgotten about our Christmas parties. I know you were gone for a while, but we can bring back the tradition, right?” I sighed and said, “No, I haven’t. I just wish that there weren’t so many people gone from our original group. Veronica, Jay, Alice, Rose, Donovan, Virginia...all dead or lost to us.” Sarah, who was listening to us, spoke up and said, “One of those people betrayed us all when she left and joined the Chasers. I know how close you two were. Nine years is a long time. But Veronica chose her side long ago. You and I both know that. Alice left because Veronica, who is her sister, encouraged her to do so, and Virginia resigned when she moved to New York. In my opinion, we’re better off without them. We have a powerful organization now, Snow. Stronger than it’s ever been. Sophie has joined us and brought her people with her which doubled our ranks here in Shreveport-Bossier and your cousin Thomas has tripled our ranks in Alexandria.” Sophie sat down next to me and agreed with Sarah. “Snow, your friends and family who truly matter are behind you one hundred percent. And you know we’re not going anywhere.” I smiled and said, “What would I do without y’all.” David laughed and said, “You’d find a way to overcome everything life throws at you. You always have.” I nodded and said, “Alright then. We have a Christmas Party to plan.” The others smiled, and we got to work. Four days later it was Christmas Eve and there were around fifty people in the Villa. Most of the core group were there, including Theo, Alexandra, Jordyn, Allen, and of course Sophie, David, and Sarah. Thomas was having his own Christmas party in the Branson Garrison with his Legion of Keepers as he so fondly called it but had promised to be within the Colony’s walls before New Year’s. After a few hours, I slipped away for a bit to get some fresh air. I wasn’t out there long before I was joined by David. He handed me a glass of something and we stood there in silence for a moment looking up at the stars.
Over the next few years, my Keepers restored order and made small bases in each city we went to. David, Sarah, Austin, Theo, and Thomas all led their forces in Dallas, Branson, Washington, DC, Seattle (once we took it back), and New Orleans. Sophie and I led in Camulodunum or Camulod for short. Life was looking up for our community as couples started getting married and kids started popping up everywhere. Sophie and I got together a few months after we moved, and we ended up getting married in 2024; life was good.

Around 9 am one sunny January day in 2025 I was in my office when my wife, Sophie, walked in followed by David who had a troubled look on his face. He sat down in front of my desk and told me of a new Chasers force that might be rising. I looked at him and said that we have had no trouble with Chasers for the past several months. Sophie chimed in and said we had lost contact with the Los Angeles and San Diego Garrisons a few days earlier and our scouts haven't returned. I sighed and said, "I had hoped she would heed my warning." Sophie and David both looked at me and said "who?" I told them about the new leader of the Chasers, my old girlfriend Veronica Holt, Co-Founder of the original Keepers. David looked at me shocked and said that he thought she was dead. I shook my head and said that her husband of four years had been killed when he led the last attack on the old Keepers headquarters in Shreveport in 2022. When her husband died, she assumed the chair of command and she was now out for revenge against the very organization she helped create. I looked at Sophie and told her to send the word out to all 48 Garrisons to prepare for an attack. She nodded and left the room. I looked at David and said that we better prepare for war.

Three weeks later we got word that our Salt Lake City Garrison had fallen. That was the third Garrison we lost in the Southwest. I slammed my fist down on the old table we used in Camulod for our war room to silence the arguing Legates and Commanders. Sophie and David chuckled as the room went silent. Everyone there knew my temper and knew that once I got mad not to mess with me.

"Now then. What are we going to do to stop the Chasers? They know our tactics and the plans we put in place to prevent something like this from happening. So, we do the opposite. Recall half of our forces to Camulod, and then we'll lead an exterminatory force to finish the Chasers once and for all. The Chasers have been plaguing this nation for too long." I growled. With a shout, everyone agreed, and we set a plan in motion.

Two legions would do a North-South sweep down from Camulod to the Mexican border securing a massive section of the country that would protect the Eastern half from invasion from the West. Three legions would sweep the Midwest and wipe out any Chaser forces and then head to the Chaser Headquarters in San Francisco. Once there, I would lead a team to penetrate the base and capture Veronica as my Keepers took out any Chasers remaining in the Base. Sophie would be the Commander of Camulod while we were on campaign in the Western half of the country.

We decided on this entire plan over three days. After two weeks we were doing finishing touches and preparing for battle, when suddenly, I heard yells from the walls that an army was approaching from the South-West. I told Sophie to stay in my office as I grabbed my sword and gun belt and went outside. David, Daniel, and Theo were waiting for me and I told them to spread the word to the troops to prepare for an attack. Quietly. They nodded and did as I asked.

I looked up at the guards on the gate watchtowers and told them to open the gates. They did as I said, and it shocked me to see that it wasn't the Chasers. It was an old friend I hadn't spoken to since the power went out globally back in 2022. His name was Shane Bond, and he was the Commander of our European Keepers. He and I had a long friendship going all the way back to when we were still teenagers and the world wasn’t so chaotic. Our European branch of the Keepers was originally just in the British Isles, but as word spread of a new world order, people joined by the boatloads to help us secure the future. Country by Country the European Keepers secured the European Continent led by Shane. I told everyone to stand down and I led Shane inside the Villa. Theo and Daniel were finding quarters in the barracks for the 6000 Keepers Shane had brought with him.

I led David and Shane into my office and shut the door. I motioned for them to have a seat as Sophie got up from my chair. I sat down and asked Shane what brought him here, and he lost the bright look in his eyes. He had lost 40,000 Keepers in an attack on their home base in London two months before their arrival here. Europe was in chaos. The Keepers were almost nonexistent in Eurasia and Africa. My eyes widened.

"How could this happen? Four months ago, the world was secure and now it's like all hell broke loose. With our Eurasian and African forces decimated all that was left was our Australian, South American, and North American forces.” I questioned. Suddenly Theo burst in with a letter from our garrison in Washington DC. It read:



Commander Snow Ashe. The Chasers have DC. My troops and I are currently heading back to Camulod. We tried to save the President, but we were too late. They killed the entire presidential line of succession. We saw it with our own eyes. The Chaser flag flies over the Capitol. We will meet up with the rest of our Eastern Garrisons on the road to Camulod.

-Legate Commander Austin Baker.



I read this brief letter and leaned back in my chair out of shock. The United States was no more. The Chasers had taken over the free world. I handed the note to Sophie and as she read it, her eyes widened and she sank onto my knee in shock, Theo, Shane, and David had similar reactions. I looked at the two Commanders and Legate in front of me.

“Send word to all garrisons to return to Camulod as soon as possible and to take out any Chasers they come across,” I told them. They nodded, still in shock and left the room. Sophie looked at me and asked what we were going to do. I told her we were going to stay in Camulod and make our last stand here. She looked down shyly and told me that she was pregnant with my child. I pulled her into a hug as we were only 26 and were about to witness the end of everything and everyone we knew and loved. Or so we thought.

Over the next few months, all of our troops and their families arrived back in Camulod bringing our numbers up to 38,000 full-time Keepers and 1500 kids under the age of 18. We had to build a new wall and houses to make a place for our new citizens.

On November 24th, 2025 Sophie and I welcomed our newest member. It was a boy and we named him Aragorn Snow. Aragorn after the legendary King and Snow because it was snowing heavily the day he was born. He looked just like me when I was born with dark blue eyes and blonde curls; I named David his godfather.

I stayed with Sophie in our Villa for a week before I had to return to my duties as Commander of Camulod. When we lost power in the cities we also ran out of fuel for cars, trucks, and other vehicles. So, we went back to the old ways fairly quickly. We had around 50,000 horses spread out in our main ranch and stables around the colony. The Head Commanders had our stables close to the Villa, so we could lead an evacuation as quickly as possible.

The day I returned to active duty Sophie and I left Aragorn with my sister and went to the stables to get our horses and inspect the city. We headed to the original housing areas and farms first and then we headed into the outer city. There we found a surprise.

Each house had its farm and was self-sufficient. We found this to be the norm for every street we passed through. There were several markets, smithies, shops of every type, and even a few libraries. The outer city was closed in by 15-foot-high walls designed the same way as the main walls. As we headed back to the Villa about three hours later, we were unaware we had a visitor, an ambassador from the Chasers High Command. She was waiting for me in my office under guard by four of my Keepers who had found her while on patrol around the outer walls. I told Sophie to go check on Aragorn and I stepped into my office.

David and Sarah were already there, and watching the woman closely

“Name,” I demanded as I sat behind my desk.

“Julie Whittinger.” She mumbled under her breath.

“Why were you sent here?”

“It was my choice. I was kicked out of the Chasers by Veronica herself for having sympathy for your Keepers and saying that you were much more civilized.” She briefly explained. I sighed.

“Veronica and I need to talk,” I replied. David looked at me in confusion.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” His voice sounded concerned yet professional.

“We've been due for a talk for a while now and don't worry I'll be taking all the necessary precautions. You're in charge till I get back.” I smiled; David nodded.

“You know I'd much rather be going with you though.” He offered. I looked down at the map on my desk and then at him and said “I need you to continue training our young recruits and to watch over Camulod. Don't worry I'll come back. I always do.” David nodded and said “Yeah I know. Just be careful.” I reached into my desk and pulled out my sheathed sword. The sword I carried was over 300 years old and was used in the Revolutionary War.

“You sure it’s a good idea to carry that?” David said more to the sword than me. I pulled it out of the sheath and said “Yeah. It’s always brought me luck.” I replied.

“You have to be careful. With the Chasers in DC that means they have access to the Capitol’s armory. And as we all know they had some pretty big guns up there. Even though the remaining Keepers from the Garrison brought some of the weapons from the armory back with them there are still many weapons and secrets we don’t have in our possession. I think we need to send a stealth team into the city and take back the armory and the Library of Congress.” She explained, I started looking from David to Sarah and back again.

“I agree. Veronica and I will be meeting in a small town in Missouri in about a week. If she agrees to meet. If she does, she will no doubt have the Capitol under lockdown. Sarah, I need you to find a good team for the strike.” I said. She agreed and left the room.

“Camulod is in your care while I’m gone. Keep an eye on Sophie and Aragorn for me.” I said to David, who looked at Julie who had been silent this entire time.

“What do we do with her?” David asked as if she wasn't there.

“I’d like to accompany you, Snow. I’m from Missouri and I know the cities and towns. We need to end this war. I’d prefer that the Keepers win seeing as you have the right mindset to bring the United States back to its original glory.” Julie said.

“What do you think?” I asked David, as he looked her over.

“Maybe. She seems to be truthful. We’ll have to see though.” Julie started seeming aggravated at David’s words.

“I won’t betray you. I’ve heard too many good things about y’all. And why would I go back to that tyrant? She had my parents and siblings murdered because I disobeyed an order. She needs to be taken down.” I smiled.

“Welcome to the Keepers, Julie.” She smiled back.

“Thank you. I promise I won’t let you down.” I looked at David.

“She’s going to need a place to live since she’s staying with us. Will you take care of her for me?” David nodded and led her out of my office. I sat down in my chair and sighed.

This war had been going on for far too long. It was time to end this once and for all. Over the next week, we sent two strike teams to DC. Both were to wait to start retrieving until Veronica left DC. We had a few long-range radios left and on April 4th, 2026 Veronica and I met for the first time in 8 years.

The last time I saw her was two years before the first battle between the Keepers and the Chasers back in 2018. Back then, she had been my best friend and second in command. Then she betrayed us all. Needless to say, I was kind of reluctant to see her. But see her I did. And it was shocking.

Over the years her blonde hair had been dyed to pitch black. Her eyes were covered by the red sunglasses that the Chasers wore. She was completely different. We sat down at the table in the center of the room with our guards standing behind us and began the negotiations for the return of the US.

As soon as we sat down at the negotiating table, I could tell this wasn’t going to be easy. Veronica had this look in her eyes that told me she wasn’t going to relinquish command unless I gave up something big.

Just as I was about to say something one of her lieutenants came in and whispered something in her ear and she got this look in her eyes that let me know something was wrong.

“Snow, it’s been a long time that we’ve been fighting this war. We both know I have the numbers to take out your city still. And unless you submit to our demands-” I interrupted her threat, chuckling.

“Veronica you have forgotten my stubbornness. The Keepers do not bow to tyranny. We fight until there is no hope. We always have, and we always will. And as long as the Keepers exist there will always be hope. We will never die.” Veronica set her hands on the table from what I assumed was frustration.

“Snow, the Keepers aren’t helping this world. It was a dying world before and it’s still dying. We both know it. Why not just let it die?” I looked her in the eye with as grim of a look as I could. As if this was something that would affect humanity’s existence.

“That’s where you’re wrong. The world isn’t dying. Society was dying. It needed help. Thus, the Keepers International was born.” Veronica looked at her guards and then back at me.

“You’re right about one thing. Society was dying. The Chasers were created to help it end faster, so a new world could start in the ashes of the old one. It happened at the start of Civilization and again when the Roman Empire fell. Everything has its time. And now it is time to discuss what you came here for. What did you come here for exactly?” She sounded condescending as if I was a child. I looked her square in the eyes, showing no impact from her words and tone.

“I have come to negotiate for the return of the former United States to my Forces. You already have Europe and Asia. Move your headquarters there. Let the Keepers have the American Continents. We’ll be on different sides of the planet and we won’t meddle in your affairs. You have my word.” I tried to make myself sound confident and stern but not aggressive, in my opinion, it worked.

She looked at me and then down at the table for a minute then back at me, what was she thinking?

“You have a deal. You get North and South America and I’ll get Eurasia. Along with Australia.” She said in the same tone of voice as before.

“Agreed.” I nodded as I spoke. This wasn’t what I truly wanted but we had to start somewhere. We shook hands and I headed out escorted by two of Veronica’s Guards. Then, I was on my way back to Camulod.

As I rode back, I had a lot of time to reflect on the past few years. From the time we had relocated our main headquarters from Shreveport, Louisiana to Camulod a lot had happened. The United States had fallen. The biggest cities in the nation had descended into chaos just as the cities in the Roman Empire had 1500 years ago. But there was a chance that we could build a new world now. The Chasers were going to be leaving the United States. The Keepers would be in control. At least that was the plan. Knowing the Chasers, they would probably leave agents in the cities to undermine any effort to restore order. But only time would tell. In the meantime, I had to get back to my home. Sophie and David could take care of things well enough but there were things about Camulod even they didn’t know about. Plus, we had a new group of Decurions that were ready to graduate the training program and become a part of the Keeper Knights. Our ranks had grown considerably in the past couple of years as people heard about Camulod and the security it provided. In the last census, we had upwards of 45,000 people living in the main city alone. When I got back, we would start branching out and sending people to the small towns surrounding Camulod and creating outposts and sentry points to help keep the area secure. I had already started making a list of locations for potential outposts and the leaders of those outposts. As soon as I got back to Camulod we would send out scouts to each town and city that were close to us.

Three days later I was back on Camulodian soil and I could see the city walls. I decided not to go in through the main entrance and instead I used one of the tunnels that I had our engineers construct in case we were under siege and needed to evacuate quietly. This particular one led straight to the main villa. So, when I climbed up out of a trapdoor in my office, Sophie and David were surprised because they had no idea the door existed. I just grinned and said, “I’m home. And I have some good news. Veronica has agreed to move her forces out of the Americas and move them to Eurasia. Once her forces are gone, we will start rebuilding the former countries on our two continents and reform the United States and have it done the right way and make sure our descendants stay on course. We can’t have the country go the way it did before the Fall. We have to do this right.” David and Sophie hadn’t said anything yet by the time I was finished, and I could tell they were still shocked that I had popped up out of the floor. As I looked at the two of them I could tell something was wrong, so I asked, and they looked at each other and then David said “Snow while you were gone something happened. Although it might be better to show you...” I nodded and said, “lead the way.” Sophie walked over and grabbed my hand as David led us out of the villa and into the main city. On the surface, everything looked fine but there was a panic in the eyes of our people. David led us to the outer city and down one of the streets that were roped off and guarded by several of our Knights. David looked at one of them and asked if there had been any change and the Knight said “No Sir. It’s the same way it was when we found it three days ago.” David nodded and said “Alright. Stay here. We’re going in.” We ducked under the rope and headed into the area. We didn’t get far before we found out what was wrong. A building had collapsed and taken down five others in the process. I looked at David and asked, “What happened?” He looked at me and said “We don’t know. The good thing is no one was killed. The occupants of the building were in one of the markets getting food. There were a few that were injured but they’re recovering well. Snow we need to figure out a way to reduce the population of Camulod. There are simply too many people here.” I nodded and said “I may have a solution for that. We need to get back to my office though.” David nodded, and we headed back through the city gradually working our way back to the main villa as the sky got darker. Just as we got back it started raining. Thunder shook the building and lightning lit the sky. Outside the wind was howling and all I could think about was whether my people were safe indoors. Sophie went to check on Aragorn and David and I headed to my office. Once we were inside we closed the doors and pulled out my map of the area. We had updated a map of the state to show Camulod and the surrounding towns. As I pointed out locations for the new outposts David nodded and suggested that the Garrison Commanders we pulled back from the rest of the former United States help lead them. I agreed and told him to start organizing the teams to go scout the towns out and start preparing defenses as soon as the rain let up. He nodded and headed out of the Villa. I sat down in my chair and sighed. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and then dozed off for a bit until I was woken by Sophie telling me that dinner was ready in the dining room. I took her hand and stood up with a groan. I had gotten stiff while sitting there and she raised a hand to her face to hide a smile. I stretched and then led her to the table. We had only just begun eating when a loud clap of thunder shook the building and then the lights went out. Aragorn started crying and Sophie went and picked him up as I went and looked out the window. The wind was even worse now and hail was starting to fall. I looked at her and said “The storm Is getting worse out there. Something must have knocked out the solar panels. Hopefully, the storm will let up, so we can get out there and repair them.” Sophie nodded and said “Well we have plenty of candles for right now. Let’s light them and finish dinner before we do anything else. You need to eat an actual meal for once without jumping up and going to fix an issue that others can worry about.” I agreed, and we started lighting candles and got back to eating. We had just finished when my cousin, Thomas burst in soaking wet and said that a tornado had been spotted by the Western Wall and another by the Northern and that people were starting to worry. I looked at Sophie and she nodded. As I grabbed my coat and hat I heard the wind drop slightly and the hail stopped. I looked at Thomas and we headed out of the Villa and into the rain. It didn’t take us long to start seeing damage from the storm. Hail was everywhere we looked, and leaves were scattered across the roads. We were walking towards the Western Wall when one of our newer members, Geneva, came walking up and said that the Library had been damaged. I looked at Thomas and said “Go with her and round up some help on the way. I’m going to go check on the walls and then the rest of the town.” He nodded, and they left heading towards a group of our Keepers. I watched them for a moment and then headed towards the wall while surveying the damage along the road. Other than the hail scattered everywhere there was nothing damaged that couldn’t be fixed easily. Or so I thought. When I reached the wall, I was met by Theo, Daniel, and Gabriel who had been the first ones to find out about the damage. The Wall had a tall crack going up the side like it had been hit by a bolt of lightning. With smaller cracks branching off the main, it was something that needed to be repaired immediately. I looked at Theo and Daniel and said “Theo, I need you to go find Collin and round up a team of engineers together to figure out how to best fix the wall. And make sure y’all check the rest of our defenses as well. Daniel, I need you to lead a patrol to check the area and make sure the watchtowers, roads, and bridges are all intact. You might want to take a few engineers with you as well. Just in case.” They both nodded and then headed off towards the barracks. I looked back at the wall for a moment and then headed back to the Villa. As the sky got darker I reached in my jacket pocket and pulled out my flashlight. Just as I did Daniel’s voice came over my radio as he said “Snow it’s starting to get a bit too dark to see anything. We’re going to come back and go back out in the morning. We’ve already checked the main road leading out of Camulod and there isn’t any serious damage as far as we can tell.” I held it up and replied “Alright. Theo if you can hear me, come back as well. We’ll have a meeting tomorrow to discuss our plan for repairs and how we can prevent damage from occurring again.” They both responded with a confirmation and I headed inside.

The next morning, I woke to find that several teams had already been organized by Sarah to go through the Colony checking on our people and seeing what they needed. I found David waiting in my office with his report on the possibility of creating the outposts and relocating some of our people out of Camulod itself. We sat down with my map of the area and he told me that only five of the eleven towns could be used. The rest were too badly damaged for people to live there. The farms surrounding the towns had been overgrown by weeds but could easily be reploughed and farmed once again using older farming techniques. He also reported that there were several cattle herds in the area that had somehow managed to thrive even without human interference. Sophie walked in just as he finished and said that Theo and Daniel were waiting outside. I looked at David and then back at her and said “Tell them to come in. I’d like you to join us as well.” She nodded, opened the door for the two Legates and then came around to stand beside me as they each told about the damage they had found over the morning hours. They then voiced their ideas on how to best repair the areas affected. We discussed plans for the repairs for almost an hour before deciding on repairing the defenses and walls first and clearing the roads second. At this they headed back out to the barracks to round up and organize the repair teams. Sophie, David, and I looked back at the map and decided to start building defenses for the outposts immediately. This way people could relocate and start bringing life to the abandoned towns. I put David in charge of the Outposts and as he walked out he was talking to our chief engineer over his radio planning out how to best defend the new outposts. Sophie and I looked at each other, she smiled at me and said “You know it’s been a while since we took a walk together through the city. Aragorn is with your sister and the colony is being well taken care of by the commanders.” I smiled back and offered her my hand ,which she accepted, and we walked through the villa and then out into the city. As we walked through the streets we heard a commotion at the Eastern Gate. We ran to find out what was going on. A crowd had gathered, and I saw David and a few of the Legates barring a group from entering. I pushed to the front and asked “What’s going...” but stopped when I saw who the leader was. Veronica. My old partner had changed since I last saw her. Her hair had faded to a light gray and she had lost the red sunglasses. She looked at me and said “Snow thank goodness. I need your help.” I looked at Sophie and David and then back at her and said “Why should I help you? You destroyed the United States and most of our Garrisons in the major cities on the West Coast. You caused the world to go into a power grab. What would possibly motivate me to help you?” She looked around at my Keepers and said “A new darkness is rising Snow. We barely escaped Europe. All we know is that they came from the Middle East and took over Asia and then came for us. We received a message after we left, and it said that they were heading here next. I came to warn you and to offer our help dealing with them. North and South America are already yours. We know y’all started moving Keepers to every major city after my people vacated the continent. Right now you are the only ones powerful enough to stop the darkness.” I looked at David and said “Have her people escorted to one of the medical centers. And then send word to the New York, New Orleans, and Seattle Garrisons and tell them to get the North American Coasts ready. Might be a good idea to send word to our larger South American garrisons as well.” He nodded and then led the Chasers away. Veronica watched her people leave and then looked at me. “What about me? Where do you want me to go?” Sophie took my hand and spoke for me. “Come with us. We all need to talk.” She nodded, and we led the way back to the villa with three of our Knights following to make sure we got there safely. We were almost there when David came running up and said that they had gotten a response from the New York Garrison and it wasn’t good. We headed inside going straight to my office. I sat down in my chair and the others found spots to either sit or stand as Veronica sat down across from me. David and Sophie were both wary of what she might do, and they stayed close to me. For the first time, I noticed the scared look in her eyes which I hadn’t seen since we were kids. I sighed and said “It’s alright. You’re safe here. As long as you and your people abide by the laws of Camulod no harm shall come to you.” Veronica nodded gratefully and relaxed a little as I waved the Knights away to go attend to the repairs. David went to sit in the other chair across from me and said, “Snow about the Coastal Defense plans…It might be too late for us to enact them.” I looked at him and asked “What do you mean? We have hundreds of Keepers ready for anything at the Garrisons.” He nodded and said “We do, but we can’t cover the entire coast. There are holes, and our new enemy might have already come through. We need to learn more about them and she needs to tell us what she knows.” I looked at Veronica and said “He’s right. We need to know what you saw.” She looked at us and said “As I told you when we came here. We don’t know much. They came out of nowhere and hit our bases like they were nothing. I was in England when they arrived in Europe. One of the survivors arrived at our headquarters in London two days after the initial attack and told us that they hit in the middle of the night and were dressed in all black with swords on their backs and a mixture of American and Russian weapons. They kept chanting ‘Death to the West. Death to the West.’ and destroying everything and everyone they could. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard about before.” I realized what was happening and said “I’ve heard of something like this before. I hate to say this, but we are in danger. The last time something happened close to this scale was during the Islamic Invasion before the first crusade. They managed to take over most of Europe before the Catholic Pope called for the first Crusade. We have to get ready. We can’t let them gain a foothold in the Americas. If they do all of our work here will be lost.” David nodded and said, “I’ll get our Legions and Garrisons ready.” I stood and said “Camulod will not fall. Not if I have anything to say about it.” Veronica stood as well and said, “I take it that’s the new name of the United States?” I smiled and said “Indeed it is. The Camulodian Federation of the Americas. Born from the ashes of the United States and the other nations who once called this part of the world home.”

Three days later David, Veronica, and I were in my office discussing the final touches to our plan to defend the free world when Thomas came in followed by Sophie and said “Commander you’re needed at the Eastern Gate. Someone is asking to see you.” I grabbed my hat and gun and headed out of the room followed closely by the others. Thomas walked beside me and told me that the Legates were keeping the crowds back. When we got to the gate the stranger was standing just outside the wall holding a white flag and carrying two swords on his back. I looked at David and then back at the stranger and said, “Who are you and what do you want.” He looked at my group and noticed Veronica and said “Her. I’m here for her and her people. The ones who escaped Europe.” Sophie and David both moved closer to her and I noticed my Knights move their hands to their guns. I smiled and said “You’re not getting her or her people. We don’t bow to invaders. And you never answered my first question. Who are you?” He lowered his flag and said “My name is Sargon and I am an ambassador from the Shadow Empire. I was sent here to tell you that within the next two weeks your nation will be infiltrated, and your people will be exterminated. Say your goodbyes and prepare for the end. We are coming.” As soon as he finished, he turned and started walking away but he didn’t get far before one of my snipers shot him in the head and he fell with a nice, solid thud. I looked around and said “Bury the body away from the Colony. And then I want guards posted on the walls and the roads at all times. We can’t have this happen again.” Everyone agreed and hurried off to gear up to defend the colony If and when the need arose. I was just about to head back to the Villa when I got a message saying that a small group had arrived at the Northern Gate. I sighed and headed towards the gate. When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised. A group had come to join us led by two long lost friends I had met in Little Rock. Their names were Sept and Seryoun. They had brought their families and a few others they had found along the way to join us. I welcomed them and led them to a new section of buildings that had recently been built. They thanked me, and I told them that we’d have a meeting in the morning to catch up on everything that had been happening. They agreed, and I headed back to the Villa to let them settle in.


—————

I was walking through the Colony later that day when I found Veronica sitting with a group of young Keepers and a few older ones at one of the many pavilions we had constructed. She was telling them a story. Her story. I leaned against one of the beams as she said “Hi there. My name is Veronica Holt, and I am the leader of the Chasers. I wasn’t always the leader of the Chasers though. Once, I was the co leader of the Keepers. A long time ago. Back in 2012 I had been best friends with Snow Ashe for four years at this point and we had gone on a lot of adventures together. Our moms were friends as well which made it much easier to spend time together and lead a group we had named the National Warriors Committee. By the time we had dissolved the organization, there were around 60 or so members across the United States. The majority of whom had started going in their own directions as life started taking its toll. So like I said. We dissolved the Committee and formed the organization now known across the world as the Keepers.” She paused for a sec as she noticed me standing there and I nodded to her encouragingly. She gave me a hint of a smile as she continued. “Snow had a knack for finding hidden places so it was no surprise to me when he found our first base in Shreveport. David and Allen Rider disguised the entryway while Snow and I started designing the interior and designating roles to the first members of the organization. My sister Alice was our medic, I was the leader of the searchers, David and Allen were in charge of security, and so on. Snow was and still is the leader of the Keepers. He’s the only one who could bring us all together. We were all different, but we had Snow in common. He held us together for two years. And then something happened. My mom caught wind of the fact that I was spending so much time with Snow and ignoring my responsibilities at home and in school so I was forced to stay home. It was almost a year before I was allowed to contact him again. We went right back to where we were before I was forced to leave. I stayed with him and the Keepers for several months before I was approached by the Chasers and ended up joining their organization unintentionally. Once I was a member I couldn’t escape. I was stuck. And as much as I wanted to contact Snow and ask for his help I knew he’d felt betrayed. So I stayed with the Chasers and ended up rising through the ranks until I became second in command. I ended up getting really close to the leader of the Chasers in Louisiana and we ended up getting married in October of 2017. Not long after, the Chasers started planning an attack on the Keepers Headquarters in Shreveport for the fall of 2018. I knew the Keepers weren’t at full force. This attack could effectively end the Keepers as an organization. But I couldn’t do anything to stop the attack. The leaders of the other Chaser sects were already suspicious of me due to the facts that I came from the Keepers and I was only 18. When the Battle of 2018 came, I stayed behind with a small force to guard the Chaser headquarters. When the attack force finally returned, they were fewer in number than I had originally expected. Ralof, one of the leaders, and my husband was furious. Too many had died on the Chasers side. He had been expecting a bunch of unprepared teenagers but instead he had encountered well thought out defenses and strategies that undermined the Chaser forces and sent them reeling. They striked down four members of the Keepers out of 19 while the Keepers on the other hand managed to take out close to 300 Chasers out of 350. So with the few remaining Chasers, we relocated to Vicksburg, Mississippi to regroup and rebuild our numbers. I was unhappy with the decision as it took me away from my family but I knew I didn’t have a choice in the matter. We resided in Vicksburg from 2018 until 2022. Ralof was away on missions most of the time so I was left to watch over the base and keep the division functioning. As the years went by I started getting unhappier with my relationship. When Ralof left with a large force to attack the newly resurrected Keepers, I stayed behind with the excuse that I was just going to continue watching over the base when I really just didn’t want to be around him. A week later one lone member of that attack force returned. He told me that Snow had shot Ralof point blank and won a decisive victory over the Chasers. With Ralof dead and the other leaders scattered, I was left in command. So I told everyone who was left to pack up and get ready to leave. We were going to move our headquarters to the West Coast for the time being until we had enough forces to take down the government. We set up our two new headquarters in San Francisco and Seattle, taking out the Keepers Garrisons in the two cities. And there we remained until 2025.” She paused there and then said “I’m going to stop this story for a bit and resume it later on. Thank y’all for listening.”

———————————

Just as I got back to the Villa a young man by the name of Joshua walked up to me and said that David was ready to leave with the first group of Keepers to go to the closest Outpost and was waiting for the go-ahead. I nodded and told him to tell David to head out and he ran off. I headed inside to start planning the defenses for the Outposts and Garrisons throughout the Americas.

Two weeks later I was riding back on my old horse to the Colony from one of our outposts when I noticed smoke coming from inside the walls. As I got closer I noticed that there were several large holes in the outer walls and I spurred my horse faster. When I got inside the walls…the sight infuriated me. Dozens of buildings had been struck with what appeared to be boulders on fire. And then I remembered what Sargon had said about his people. But what got to me was that they had been able to get past our coastal defenses and checkpoints on the bridges and roads throughout the continent. I continued riding through the city saddened by the destruction the Shadow Empire had wrought in the heart of Camulod. When I reached the villa, I dismounted and ran inside. There I found Sophie, Veronica, and David covered in scars sitting in my office. I looked at them and asked, “What happened?” David stood up from his seat as Sophie ran up and threw her arms around me and he said “They struck a day after you left to check the outpost's progress. They’ve been studying the colony for weeks and they knew just how to get our attention. The outer city fell first and then they pressed their way into the inner city. They didn’t get very far before our forces managed to give them a run for their money with the weapons we had stockpiled in the Villa. The attack lasted four days and we lost some good people. We’re still finding bodies in the outer city underneath the rubble. We know that there were at least 1500 casualties and twice that many wounded. It’s a good thing we moved people to the outposts when we did. Most of them are far enough away that the Shadow Empire won’t find them.” I walked around to my chair and sat down with a growl. This was never supposed to happen. I looked at Veronica and then Sophie and said “We need to rally our forces and send a message out to the garrisons throughout the nation. The Shadow Empire may have won this battle, but the war is far from over. We have Keepers in every city and town in the Americas. David, start dividing the non essential personnel into groups to go to the cities and outposts close by to take shelter. Making sure they are armed and ready for any attack. Veronica, find the people you have left in North America and tell them they have a new job to do. Sophie, I need you to find out how many kids we still have in Colony and round them up and use the tunnels to get them out of the city and to the garrisons. The best garrisons would be the ones in the closer cities like Wichita and Emporia where we’ve already updated the defenses.” They all nodded and headed out of the room. I leaned back in my chair and hoped we’d survive this.

The last thing the Keepers needed was another enemy to deal with. The Mexican Keepers Division had been having several issues dealing with the drug cartels and my own forces had been dealing with the aftermath of the fall of the United States in the cities along the borders. With the Chasers all but gone we didn’t have any big enemies until the Shadow Empire reared its’ ugly head and invaded Europe. Bond had brought the remainder of his forces to Camulod and then we assigned them to several of our bigger garrisons in the Northwestern cities of the continent. The Canadian forces had proved to be valuable allies when a team of Russians tried to work their way down through the Northern Archipelago and set up a base in the Northwestern Canadian Territories. When we combined all of our forces in the Americas I had decided to let the Keepers keep their respective nationalities as long as they remained loyal. We had a few issues early on with some of the South American forces in Venezuela and Nicaragua until we sent our 7th Cavalry down to quell the rebellion. Within three days we had eliminated any anti-Republic forces and started helping the people there rebuild their lives. Without the constant fear of being attacked by their people the Venezuelans started to rebuild their nation and became strong allies of the Keepers.



I set there for a few minutes before getting up and heading out of the Villa. I didn’t get very far before I was stopped by one of our newest Decurions who told me that a messenger had just arrived from the New Orleans Garrison. He said that every United States Battleship and the rest of the surviving American fleet had been gathered along the coastlines and the former United States Military personnel were ready to repel any attack along the coast. On the other hand the Shadow Empire was gathering two massive fleets off the coasts of Europe and Asia and preparing to lay siege to the nations of the Americas. I looked around and said “Get word to our forces in Canada, Mexico, and South America. Tell them to gather all the firepower they can muster and to evacuate the coastal cities. We have to be prepared for any assaults on the coasts. The Camulodian forces will lead the defense in North America and the Brazilian Forces will lead the defense in South America.” He waited a moment to see if there was anything else before saluting and running off to find the other messengers. With the messengers about to head out, I go find David and ask about the progress of spreading the city’s population out across the State. I found him at the main gate checking off families from a list as they left the city. Just as I walked up one of the Decurions came running in and said “Commanders we have a problem. One of the garrisons South of us has fallen. Attacked by members of the city they were guarding. We lost 300 men and women. The city now flies the flag of the Anarchy.”

David and I looked at eachother “This is much worse than what we imagined. With the Shadow Empire, the Anarchists, the Cartels, and everyone else who is against us we can’t afford to take any risks.”

He agreed and looked at the Decurions telling him to get something to eat and report to the Legate Commanders to receive his orders after. The young man headed off to the barracks in the center of the Colony.

I watched him go and looked back at David “You know when we were kids I never thought this is where we’d end up. We’ve come a long way and we have an even longer way to go. But as long as we all stick together we can push through this challenge.”

He looked around “None of this would have been possible without you. I’m glad to fight by your side and call you my brother.” We shook hands and I headed to the barracks to review the assignments being written by the Legates.

Three days later the Colony was ready for war. Four encampments had been built on the roads leading out of Camulod. Traps and other defenses were in place along the walls and my snipers were ready in the towers. I had received word from several Garrisons that the citizens of the towns and cities they were protecting had taken up arms to defend their homes and that they were ready to fight anyone who trespassed across the town lines. Another group called the Woodsmen had also sent word that they would fight alongside us. They were among the newest groups in the Empire who were hardworking people and had already helped build several key defenses in the Eastern half of the continent.

Another group made up of former American Marines and Coast Guard personnel had set up defenses along the Pacific coast and were organizing strike teams with my Cascadia Commanders. As I sat at my desk reading reports from the different groups and commanders I began to feel a bit overwhelmed for a few minutes. It all had to happen so fast it hadn’t registered in my head that I was about to have a leading role in World War Three. The Camulodian Empire of the Americas versus the Eurafrasian Shadow Empire. Sophie walked in and sat in her chair as I was going over all of this in my head and watched me for a moment. She was one of the few women who had stayed in Camulod. Most of whom were actually in the Villa preparing some of the rooms for the wounded. The rest were helping with defenses and getting ready to fight. Of the three hospitals only one had over a hundred rooms and with over fifteen thousand Keepers getting ready to defend the city we were understaffed with only 83 doctors and nurses still in Camulod. The others were spread out among the closest outposts and Garrisons with a few in each encampment as well. For a brief moment, a thought crossed my mind that maybe we wouldn’t be able to win this. Then as I looked at Sophie and saw the love in her eyes and the trust in her heart I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

I stood walking around to her and took her hand in mine. She looked up at me and smiled before getting up and wrapping her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her and whispered “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

Sophie squeezed me gently and whispered back, “Of course. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

We stayed like that for a moment before we slowly released each other. I walked towards the door and grabbed my trenchcoat and hat and we walked out of the Villa together hand in hand.

As we walked out we were met by David and a few other Keepers. “Snow we just received word. One of our Garrisons to the North was just hit. From the description of the attackers, I’d say it was members of the Shadow Empire. And ones that knew the city well. The Garrison fell within a day. Only two hundred out of the seven hundred Keepers stationed there managed to escape. The rest were either killed or taken hostage.”

I looked at Sophie, then back to David and said “We’ve known for years that there were sleeper agents in the Americas just waiting for the right moment to attack. I expected them to attack sooner. Especially after the power grid went down across the US and when the nation fell. Gather as many Keepers as we can spare and get ready to ride. We’re going to rescue them and take out as many Shadows as we possibly can.” He nodded and led the Keepers with him to the Barracks.

I looked at Sophie “You’re in charge of Camulod while I’m gone. If anything should happen to me while I’m out there..”

Sophie took both of my hands into hers “Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’ll be fine.”

I looked down for a moment and then back into her eyes “How did I get so lucky?”

She smiled “We were always meant to meet. Our path was laid out in the stars. Now go and save our people. They need you. Aragorn and I will be fine.”

I kissed her gently and left her on the front steps of the Villa before heading to the stables to grab my horse. About an hour later I was riding beside David following the old US Route 77. We had managed to gather close to a thousand Keepers along with two of the Legate Commanders who were bringing up the rear of our force. Our current path was taking us to Junction City, one of our newest garrisons, after we acquired Fort Riley from the United States Army members stationed there in 2030 due to the fall of the US to the Chaser Forces. Most of the military had ended up joining our forces when they realized the United States was lost with us being the best hope of survival in a world on the brink of chaos. Junction City had close to twenty-five thousand people back before the Fall.

Most of the population of the city had left when food started running out. The Army ended up taking command from the City Government until we came and made arrangements with the officers to add the city and fort to our already growing list of garrisons in Kansas. A deal was struck and together we fixed up the city to re-establish order. Everything was going well, until the attack. We reached the outskirts two days later and saw smoke coming from the center of the city.

I looked at David “We need to split up our force. I’ll lead one from the West and you from the East. We’ll eliminate any Shadows in the city and then advance on the Fort. Let’s get our people safe.”

He nodded and looked back at our force leading half of them to the East. I watched him go for a moment before leading my half to the West. As we entered the city we encountered little resistance although there were signs of fighting in the streets. It wasn’t until we reached the center of the city that we started seeing hasty fortifications built. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move in the shadows. I raised my hand as a signal for my company to halt. I dismounted and handed the reins to one of the Legates riding beside me and walked over slowly with my hand resting on my revolver. Blue eyes reflected the dying sunlight as I approached the young woman huddled up against a wall.

I knelt down speaking softly “I’m not going to hurt you I promise. We’re here to rescue y’all.”

She glanced from me to my people, whispering in a hoarse tone “That’s what they said.”

I looked at my Keepers before returning my gaze to her “We’re not them I promise. My name is Snow Ashe. Supreme Commander of the Camulodian Empire.”

She sat there quietly for a moment “Snow? My Snow?”

We both stood up, me a bit more stiff and as she stepped out of the shadows I noticed the white streak in her dark brown hair. My eyes widened as realization hit me “Alexandra? What happened to you? I searched for you but I couldn’t figure out where you’d gone.”

She looked down obviously distraught as if she was reliving a nightmare “I was kidnapped. They brought me here and kept me for a while trying to get information about you until I managed to escape. The one thought that kept me going was that you were safe. I never gave you up.”

I pulled her into a hug “I’m so sorry about everything you went through. If I had known where you were..”

Alexandra hugged me back cutting me off “If you had known where I was you would have come in guns blazing with an army. Just like you always said you would.”

We released each other as I asked “Would you like to come with us to free the rest of our people?”

She watched me for a moment “Promise not to lose me again?”

I offered her my hand “On my life Alexandra I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She took my hand and I was leading her back to my horse when all of a sudden a gunshot rang out from a few streets away. I picked her up and set her on Germanicus before issuing orders to my Keepers. Two Legates led their individual groups around the buildings while I got up behind Alexandra. I asked her where the captives were being held. She pointed towards the center of the city “They’re being held in the old city hall building and the Catholic church right next to it. Both are heavily guarded though with fortifications blocking the streets. The Shadows, according to what your people have been calling them, have been busy.”

As we rode towards the center of the city once more, I noticed that the Camulodian and American flags that were once flying on the buildings either had scorch marks or were in tatters in the streets. Alexandra told me about the attack from her point of view and how it just came out of nowhere. They had no warning. The Keepers who had been on guard on the rooftops the night of the attack had been quietly killed as the Shadows swept through the city. I sighed as she told me all of this. We should have been more prepared. I should have done more to keep our cities safe. It was time to call upon the smaller groups in North America. But that would have to come after we freed my Keepers and any civilians. When we got within sight of the city hall I saw several armed Shadows walking around outside of it. Kneeling on the steps were the two Garrison Commanders I had put in charge of the city. Their hands were tied behind their backs to their feet and they had rags stuffed in their mouths. I turned around just as David rode up beside me and told him what Alexandra had told me. He looked at her, then back at me and asked how I knew I could trust her. She and I looked at each other for a moment before I looked back at him “I knew I could from the moment we met. I looked into her eyes and saw myself. She wouldn’t lead us astray.”

David looked at her for a moment before he nodded “Alright. What’s our plan Snow?”

I looked back at the city hall trying to asses the situation before saying “Here’s the plan. Four teams will encircle the Shadows. When y’all hear the signal we’ll sweep in and take out as many of our enemy as we can. Once we’re inside we’ll..”

I trailed off as dozens of black clad Arabs came out of the buildings where my people were being held. Out of their midst came a tall man with dark eyes and a long beard. He looked around and said with a slight accent, “I know that there are Keeper Forces in the city. And I know that you are all quite close to this area according to my spotters. And if the rumors are true..Commander Snow Ashe please come before me. We need to talk.”

As he stopped talking I looked at David “He knows we’re here. Send our snipers to the roofs and have them get ready to take out as many Shadows as they can. And make sure they know to be careful.”

He looked at our forces and back at me “What are you going to do?”

I smiled confidently “Something that may or may not work. You’re in charge while I go before the leader of the Shadows.”

He nodded“What about Alexandra?”

She looked around “I’m going with him of course. I’ve seen the way y’all look at him. There’s a respect there I haven’t seen in a long time and he’s one of my oldest friends. So yeah I’ll stick by his side.”

David and I shook hands “Be safe brother. We still need you.”

I nodded“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. Just have our people ready for my signal. You’ll know it when you see it.”, And with that I turned around and headed to the city hall.

It wasn’t long before we reached the guards, once they realized who I was they moved to let us pass. Alexandra pressed close against me as we rode through the Shadows who watched us with hatred in their eyes. The leader was waiting on the steps for us, as we dismounted he walked over “Welcome Snow Ashe. My name is Commander Abu Alreve and I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you. The Chaser Forces and remaining Keeper Forces in Eurasia revealed a few things that made me very intrigued. And who’s this?”

I looked at Alexandra and then back at him “A friend. What did you need to discuss with me?”

Abu looked around “Follow me. We need to talk somewhere private.”

I nodded as he told one of his men to take my horse somewhere and feed and water him. I looked at him quizzically and he chuckled “We aren't entirely uncivil Snow. Our brothers in the Middle East give us a bad name. Now please. Both of you follow me.”

He led us inside the City Hall and to the mayor’s office. Abu sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for Alexandra and I to do the same. She and I sat close to each other and he waited till we got settled before he began talking. “Snow, our world is at a crossroads. For too long we as a species have been at war. The great nations of Europe, Asia, and Africa have fallen first to the Chasers and then to the Shadow Empire. The American Continents are the only two where the nations are, for the most part still intact. The United States is still alive through your Camulodian Empire. The Shadow Empire wants to see you destroyed. They want nothing more than to see the Americas burn. I however differ on them with that.”

I looked at Alexandra and then back at him “What do you want then?”

He looked at the closed door and said, “I want peace. And yes I know that’s strange coming from a commander of people currently holding a city hostage. But from what I’ve heard your people are the only hope this world has left. So I’m going to let you in on the current plan of the leaders of my people and offer my services to you.”

I nodded slowly letting his words sink in before saying, “I appreciate it, Abu. I’m surprised though, that you’re willing to betray your people.”

He chuckled “My wife and kids were murdered by the Shadow Empire. I’ve worked long and hard to get this high of a position with the hope of meeting you. I am offering you my help to take down the Caliphate. But there’s something you should know. The Shadow Empire or the Caliphate isn’t alone. There’s another group known as the Reapers. The Reapers are an even darker group. They stay in the shadows and reap those who are lost in the abandoned cities and woods of the world. I’m not sure how many people they have but I know they have...members in the cities that your people have garrisons in. They’re the main reason your Northern cities and bases fell so quickly to the Russians. And from what my intelligence tells me, the Reapers are planning an attack on your home base of Camulod along with three other Shadow Empire legions. You need to return as fast as you can. Camulod is the last hope of the world in the face of the Shadow Empire. Call on your allies and prepare yourselves. We will let your people go with you. All we ask is that we be allowed to use this city as a cover for our reason to be here. No more harm will come to you or your people from my legion. You have my word.”

I looked at him for a moment before nodding “I’ll allow y’all to stay here. Provided you keep me updated on any plans the Shadow Empire makes that will harm my people.” Abu nodded “You have a deal, Snow. Let’s go get your people and send you home. You all have work to do.” We all stood and he led us to where my people were being held. When we got there, I explained to them what was going on and they were all eager to come to Camulod and get away from the Shadow Empire legion. On our way out we met up with David and the rest of our forces and headed back to Camulod. I filled david in on the conversation that had transpired with the leader of the group of Shadows and he wasn’t too sure about trusting Abu, but decided it could help us if he was sincere.

Within a few days we reached the walls of Camulod. I sent my forces to get some rest while I took the civilians to the temporary housing area until we could find them all homes in Camulod and the surrounding outposts. Once everyone was settled in I headed home with Alexandra. I was met at the door with a flying hug by Sophie. We stood there for a few moments before she released me. Looking behind me she asked who Alexandra was. I introduced them and Sophie took Alexandra to the kitchen to get some warm food. I headed to my office to begin planning. I had only been there for a few minutes before there was a knock on my door. I looked up from the records I was reading “It’s open.”

One of our Knights opened the door and a couple who looked to be a few years younger than me from Junction City walked in. They introduced themselves as Bruce and Jenny Veil. I motioned for them to sit down in the two chairs in front of my desk. I could tell they were slightly nervous as they did so. I set the record aside and smiled warmly “What can I do for y’all?” Bruce looked and Jenny who gave him a nod and said, “We’d like to help out in Camulod if there are any job opportunities. I’m a former school teacher and Jenny is a nurse practitioner. Although if we need to we can learn something new.”

I leaned back in my chair “Actually your skills would both come in handy. I’ve been looking for someone to head up the schools in Camulod for a while now. As we used to call them, a School Superintendent to oversee the schools and make sure everything is going smoothly. And as for Jenny we are always needing nurses in the hospital. With my people spread so thin with everything that’s going on we’re definitely going to need you.”

Jenny spoke up then “Thank you Commander. There is one more thing we’d like to ask of you. We have a son here with us and we think that he would be a good member of your forces.”

I nodded “Take him to go see Commander David Rider in the Barracks and ask him to take your son under his wing. He’s my oldest friend and one of the Founding Keepers. David will be a great mentor for your son.” We all stood up as Bruce said “Thank you Commander. We are thankful for the chance to be a part of your organization. We won’t let you down.”

I smiled “Thank y’all for joining.” They smiled back and left my office. I sat back down and looked back at my map of the area surrounding Camulod.

The next few weeks went by quietly without incident. The newcomers from Junction City had settled into their new lives and the fort outside of the city was ready for anything. Patrols swept the area and there were guards by every gate. Alexandra had been given a room by Sophie in the main Villa and they had become fast friends. I had spent the days reading reports from the garrisons and outposts closest to the Colony and making sure all of our people were well stocked on food, water, and other supplies. A brisk breeze gave a warning one day that fall was ending and winter was about to set in. Gradually, day by day the weather got colder. It was almost to the end of October when we got our first snowfall. Camulod woke to a blanket of snow covering everything on a crisp October 23rd in 2038. By this time we had been living in the colony for a good 16 years and our people had come up with several new festivals and traditions such as the Snow Festival which was held during the first snowfall of every year. Snow cream was a favorite treat of the kids as it was made with vanilla, sugar, milk, snow, and some added toppings. The celebrations were in full swing in the city center as I walked into the third floor balcony of the Villa overlooking the inner city. I set my hands on the balcony railing and watched as the kids ran around playing in the snow, The adults watched and talked amongst themselves. I knew that celebrations such as this were taking place all over the Colony. I had only been up there for a few minutes before I was joined by Sophie.

She wrapped an arm around me “This would have never been possible without you Snow.”

I sighed “Then why have I been feeling so restless lately? I feel like there’s a storm building but I’m not sure when it’ll hit.”

Sophie looked out at the people below “Maybe you need some time away from the Colony. You’ve been leading a long time. Every leader needs some time away. To refresh themselves and clear their heads. I’m sure David can manage the affairs of the Colony while you take a break.”

I sighed “Maybe you’re right. I just hope that if I leave we’re not attacked. Our Keeper Knights are becoming too relaxed.”

She placed a hand on my face and turned my head gently to face her “Everything will be fine Snow. We have plenty of allies who have our back. The Keepers won’t fall.”

We sat there in silence for a few minutes looking back out at the crowd “When do you think I should leave?”

Sophie thought about it for a minute “After the holiday celebrations. The Snow Festival, Christmas, and New Year’s. After that we’ll announce a temporary change in leadership. David will assume the title of Supreme Commander while you’re gone. I’d go with you but I have to stay here and look after the Villa and our family. It’s up to you whether or not you take someone with you.”

I nodded “Sounds like a plan. Now, Shall we go join the celebrations?”

Sophie took my hand “We shall” she said with a bright smile. Together we walked down through the villa and out into the Courtyard where the celebrations were taking place.


Date:January 5th,2039
The day I left Camulod was a chilly one. We made the announcement early that morning, first to the members of the Keepers Forces and then to the civilians. I named David as temporary Supreme Commander and the people took to it well. Everyone wished me safe travels and told me to return soon. I rode Germanicus to the East Gate alongside Sophie, Alexandra, David, Sarah, and Allen who were on their own steeds. I looked at the five of the people I trusted the most and said “Keep our people safe. I’ll be back soon.” before riding out of the gate.

———

I had only been gone for a few days before my trip was paused. I was around five miles or so away from Fort Smith, Arkansas when I found myself caught in a blizzard that had blown in from the north. I dismounted my horse and led him by the reins to a small cabin close by. I found a stable next to the building so I led Germanicus inside and then headed into the cabin. But the cabin was not empty.
A young girl met me at the door and stared up at me with big blue eyes. I wasn’t standing there long before a man around my own age walked up behind her “Howdy. What can I do for you?”

I looked up at him “Hi there. I was just looking for a place to stay until this blizzard is over.”

The man nodded “It is pretty nasty out there. I’ve seen firsthand what traveling in this weather can do to a person. Come on inside.”
I thanked him as I walked inside introducing myself “My name is Snow Ashe by the way.” The man nodded “Nice to meet you Snow. I’m Benjamin Fallowtail. You can call me Ben though. I’ve heard a lot of stories about the great leader of Camulod. Never thought I’d get a chance to meet you.”
I smiled “I’d meet everyone if I could. Most of my duties keep me in Camulod. It’s a lot of work keeping the organization and nation running.”
Ben nodded “I can imagine. It is good to have a government that isn’t corrupt though. The United States government was full of corrupted, power-hungry politicians before the Fall. When the US fell in 2025 I was saddened but also glad to be rid of the corruption that had been plaguing our land for generations. When your people showed up and took on the mantle of the peacekeepers of the world I knew that from that point on things would be different. Your people have proven time and time again that they are worthy of the roles they have been given.”
I smiled as I listened ,full of gratitude at his words of the work we had done, “Thank you Ben. That means a lot to me. I hope one day to truly create world peace. For now, peace in the Americas is a great start to that end. I..”
As I was talking, his daughter had ran up to me with a thick book in her hands with a grin. I smiled back at her as I took the book and looked at Ben. He laughed “You must forgive Jenna. She loves being read stories every night just like I did when I was her age. We lost the tvs back in 2022 when the power went out so reading books and watching old movies using solar power is our way of in-home entertainment. I’ve been reading to her since she was born. My wife did the same until she passed in the winter 2035 due to a bad case of pneumonia.”
I looked at the cover of the book which read, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix “I wouldn’t mind reading to her. I used to read to my son in Camulod before he reached 14 and started spending more time out of the villa and learning to ride horses and other skills.”
Ben nodded and smiled “I think she’d like that. Just a chapter though. It’s past her bedtime.” I opened the book to where they had left off and started reading to her as Ben listened quietly. Once the chapter was over I put the bookmark back in the book and closed it before setting it on the table. Jenna’s eyes were getting heavy and her father got up and carried her to bed. He came back not long after to find me sitting at the table still with a book of my own in my hand. He looked at me curiously and I showed him the cover which read The Hobbit. Ben smiled “I remember those books. My father used to read them to me when I was young and we saw all three movies in the theaters.
I smiled reminiscining “My dad got me into the series when I was young and by the time I was 23 I had almost every book Tolkien wrote as well as all 6 movies directed by Peter Jackson. He actually got me this book when I was around 16 or so.”
He looked at the bookshelf across the room “Most of my father’s books were related to Lord of the Rings or other fantasy works. They’re a part of who we are now.”
I nodded “I agree. Have you ever heard the origin story of the Keepers?”
Ben shook his head “No I haven’t.” I leaned back in my chair and said “I founded the Keepers with an old friend back in 2012 when I was only 13. Our goal was to preserve as many books as we could. Our fear was that ebooks would phase out books slowly but surely. Once the group known as the Chasers started burning books and hunting down our collectors we started having to keep our operations secret. We found ourselves a base in Shreveport, Louisiana and started hiding our collections under the city. It wasn’t the safest idea but it worked. When the Keepers disbanded in 2018 we left most of our collection under the city with plenty of protection against the elements. When I returned in 2022 to our base, everything was as we left it. With the help of several close friends and family, our collections were unpacked and opened for the first time in four years. Then we moved to Camulod and took every book we could with us and placed them in the Villa library which took up half of the third floor before a 5 building library complex was built in the Western part of the city in 2027 when we ran out of space for books in the Villa library. Our collection further grew when we acquired the libraries from cities like Washington DC and Boston. The main goal of the Keepers as an organization is to preserve books for future generations and to protect the history of the world from being corrupted.”
Ben listened in silence until I was finished “Your mission is impressive Snow. My daughter and I have a nice, quiet life here in Oklahoma but I think she’d benefit greatly from spending some time in your libraries and learning more about the world she lives in. If you’ll have us, we’ll join you on your return journey to Camulod.”
With another smile “I’d be happy to have y’all come back with me. My trip isn’t over yet though. I’m headed back to Shreveport to visit our old base and see what the state of the city is like. The AIr Force base there has been keeping order with the help of my own forces since the city governments fell back in 2030 due to the food riots caused by the people living in the poorer sections of Bossier City and Shreveport.”
He looked towards the bedroom where his daughter was sleeping and then back at me “If I may ask, why are you traveling alone? You’re the leader of the Americas now. The most powerful person in the Western Hemisphere. Aren’t you worried about being attacked?”
I looked out of the window for a moment before replying. “There is always concern for an attack. Attacks on lone travelers are rare but they do happen. But don’t worry. I’m well prepared to defend myself should the need arise.”
Ben nodded “Well that’s good to hear. I suppose you’re ready to get some sleep. I know I’m exhausted.” I nodded with a yawn as my exhaustion finally hit. He led me to a spare bedroom and told me that if I needed anything just holler and then said goodnight before heading to his own room. I took off my coat and boots and laid down on the bed. Within minutes I was fast asleep.


When I woke up the next morning and looked outside, everything was covered in snow. The clouds had disappeared and the bright sunlight shone down upon the silent countryside. I got up and pulled on my boots and grabbed my jacket before walking out into the living room. I found Ben and his daughter sitting at the table eating breakfast. Ben looked up as I walked in and said “There’s a couple biscuits and some bacon on the counter if you’d like something to eat” I nodded and thanked him before grabbing a plate.
 

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