Tuesday Tales: From the Word BROWN

Last week I inadvertently published two scenes. Giant oops, but what’s done is done. So, this week, I’m providing you with another scene from the word BROWN.

Harry examined the picture again, his eyes drawn to the man standing in front of the others, the balaclava not hiding the mania in his deeper brown eyes. Those eyes made his blood run cold.

“Any idea which one of them is in charge?”

Lacey shrugged. “The one in front might be their version of a general, but the actual leader isn’t one of the foot soldiers in the photograph. The man in charge calls himself the Anointed and considers himself a messenger from God—think Jim Jones, David Karesh, Charles Manson, and Marshall Applewhite. This guy thinks he’s the second coming, and that his mandate is to restore order to the world by following his slightly skewed good book—think of it as an extreme version of the Old Testament, filled with fire, brimstone, and a hell of a lot of hatred. I didn’t read many of his tenets, but those I did turned my stomach. Believe me, it’s not a world in which I would want to live. He makes Adolf Hitler sound like a choir boy. His flock has a definite hierarchy. There are women there but only those from God’s anointed race. Their role in his little wonder-world is to please and support men, have babies, and accept their rightful place as possessions and servants. Anyone else who isn’t part of this chosen group isn’t even considered human. Other than needing them as slave labor, they’re dispensable—think cannon fodder in a war situation. According to the American government’s Homeland Security Department, there are more than two hundred of these homegrown militias and survivalist cults active in the US at any time. Based on CSIS files, we have a few similar groups here, but they are smaller in number and usually less lethal. That White Lightning MMA group may just be a tip of the iceberg. A few other groups showed their true colors during the pandemic when they refused to follow government mandates, but it never really came to violence. A surprising number of them are affiliated with groups in the US. There are several screens like this. When I clicked on associates, guess what I found?”

Harry huffed out a breath. “Not in the mood to play guessing games. Show me.”

She pushed a few keys and sat back.

He gasped. A logo similar to the one from the Swine Eliminators site filled the screen. With one foot atop what was obviously a dead pig stood an AI rendering of the man in camo, holding an Uzi. The words White Thunder Pest Control encircled them.

Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales. See you next week!