Page 30 of Urzra

Chapter Twenty-One

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CREEL LAWSON CHECKEDhis appearance in the mirror hanging on a wall in his office.He still wore his camouflage shirt and pants, but they were clean now.He sneered at the plain white armband on his left arm.“They should have come up with a better way to identify Governor Giamano’s militia,” he scoffed.Pushing his sleeve back, he admired the swastika on his wrist.Everyone in his circle had the same tattoo, including his woman and their teenage sons.Only thirty-six, he’d knocked his girlfriend up when they were both eighteen.He’d always wanted a big family, but four of his kids had been raptured.Now he only had two boys to follow in his footsteps.

He checked his watch to see it was time for his meeting with the governor.“Giamano’s not going to be in charge for much longer,” Creel murmured as he strode over to the door.“I’ll be the one sitting behind that huge desk soon,” he added.

Ivy Roche’s door was closed when he walked past it.He didn’t see it crack open as he knocked on Oliver’s door.No one answered, so Mr.Lawson entered the office.Oliver was gazing out the window with a vacant expression.“Sir?”he said to get the Italian-American’s attention.

“Hmm?”the politician said, sounding dazed.He swiveled his chair around and smiled in surprise.“Mr.Lawson!”he said.“Did we have an appointment?”Oliver’s hair was unwashed and he hadn’t combed it.His usual slick appearance had slipped.He was wearing the same suit that he’d worn yesterday.

“Yes, sir,” Creel said, closing the door and crossing to sit on one of the visitors’ chairs.“You wanted to discuss moving some of our militants out to the farms and factories,” he said.It was actually Creel’s idea, but the governor had seemed amenable to it.

“Tell me the details again,” Governor Giamano requested, sitting back in his oversized black leather chair.He steepled his fingers and fixed his gaze on the new guard.

“As I said before, sir, Manhattan will soon become the heart of America,” the prepper said earnestly.“We’ll need only the best people to police the streets and maintain order.People we can trust,” he added meaningfully.

Oliver nodded wisely, but his eyes were blank.“And who can we trust, Mr.Lawson?”he asked.

“People like us, sir,” Creel said with a grin.“People with the right genes, I guess you could say.”

The governor frowned slightly.“What sort of genes are you talking about?”he asked in confusion.

“White people, sir,” the prepper said baldly.“We’re a genetically superior race and we should be the ones running things.”

Oliver’s frown deepened in disapproval.“I’m sure Xathan would disagree with that opinion,” he said.“Rahab trusts his advisor.He’s very intelligent.Everyone knows that.”

Creel smirked and checked his watch again.“Accidents happen, Governor.Xathan might not be around for much longer.Besides, you don’t need Rahab or his biker gang now that you’ve got me and my people to back you up.We outnumber them by thousands.Say the word and I’ll start working on a plan to get rid of them all.”

The politician nodded again, but Mr.Lawson had the feeling his words weren’t really getting through to him.“It would be nice to get rid of Rahab and his freaks,” Oliver said in a dreamy tone.“But not yet.We still need them.”

Creel managed not to scowl at having his wishes denied, or at least delayed.Getting rid of his rivals could wait, but he was determined to have his way on the more important topic.“I was thinking we can start transitioning people of color out to guard the farms and factories soon, sir,” Creel said.“Do I have your permission to get the ball rolling?”

“Of course,” the governor agreed, waving his hand vaguely.“I need people I can trust to keep Manhattan safe.There are a lot of bad people out there now, you know.”

“I know, sir,” Mr.Lawson said, eyeing the politician with a slight frown.“Are you feeling well, sir?”he asked.

Governor Giamano’s gaze sharpened and he seemed to gather his focus.“I’m fine,” Oliver snapped.“I just have a headache,” he said defensively.

Creel knew he was lying, but he let it slide.“I’ll get started on your plans, sir,” he said, then rose and strode over to the door.