An argument can make or break a day in the settlement. John Green a veterinarian and a new comer had a disagreement with Richard Woods an infantryman over the slaughter of cattle. Melchior didn't know either of their point of views only that the two men had a fist fight over them. No weapons were drawn, and nobody died but the situation still wasn't settled.

In less than two weeks the border wall would fall and hundreds of million would die. There was nothing he could do to stop it. Melchior could only hide a few behind his walls.

"So, this is to be our system of law. You decide who is guilty and who is innocent." John accused.

"Yes, but no law has been broken. You are free to leave if you find this situation unfair." Melchior replied. Richard looked over at John, both were a bloody sight. John normally handled the day to day stitches while their doctor Jeff Far handled prescriptions and if needed actual surgery. It was funny John stitched Richard up after the fight and Jeff stitched up John.

"I want to know what happened. Fights happen that's fine. I want it to end at the fight. Now, tell me what happened." Melchior ordered.

"Sir, may I start?" Richard asked. Melchior nodded his accent. "I killed three hogs using my combat knife then John demanded, I use a more humane means of slaughter." Melchior nodded.

"Swine in this sanctuary aren't the same as on the outside. They recover from potentially mortal wounds when they shouldn't Richard sawed their throats apart repeatedly. He was using them for knife practice." John said. Melchior nodded. Cruelty to animals wasn't a crime it was just frowned upon.

"Richard is that true?" Melchior asked.

The man nodded. "We are getting antsy. I'm not the only one who does it. Lonnie has taken his turn putting a knife to a pig to blow off steam." Richard said.

"Alright, no more torturing animals. You and your friends can go out to Las Vegas for the weekend. Drink, brawl, and fuck it out of your system. We have at least another week before it begins. Try to charm some girls over here. Their going to become scarce outside these walls." Melchior said. John spluttered at Melchior's verdict.

"John do you protest?" Melchior asked.

"I do, they're torturing animals and you want to unleash them upon the city!" Johns raged.

"It's the stress. They know the world is coming to the end and Las Vegas is partying to the end. Let them enjoy some debauchery before its all business." Melchior said.

He raised his walky-talky to his mouth and spoke over the intercom. "Anyone who wants a paid weekend in Las Vegas join Mr. Woods at the garage and buddy up. Write your name and your buddy's ID on the sign out sheet before leaving. Take a supply run list if you're able and don't come back until Monday morning." Melchior turned off the radio.

Charisma has increased by 8

CHA 58

He took a look at his stats

Melchior Nimrod lv93

Brawler lv53+106STR +159END +53DEX

Solar lv40+200WIS +80INT +40END

Skills active: Iron Skinlv5(95MP/min), Aroralv35(65MP/min) Bulk Uplv50(83hours until rest is needed)

Armor: Reinforced Assault Vest +4000DEF, Soldier Helmet +500DEF, Kevlar Shin Guards +200DEF, Steel Toe Shoes +100DEF, Kevlar Thigh Guards +300DEF, Kevlar Forearm guards +100DEF, Leather Duster +50DEF

PHYS DEF 4,220

Full PHYS DEF 12k

PHYS DMG = 3465

NUK L DMG = 9,354

HP 14k(+428/min) With Skills (+4,628/min)

MP 4,200 (+984/min) With Skills (754/min)

STR 300

END 350

DEX 200

INT 105

WIS 246

CHA 50

LUK 60

Skills

Brawler skills

Fisticuffs lv60

Brawler Stance lv55

Bulk up lv55

Target lv50

Flurry Blows lv50

Shotgun lv50

Iron Skin lv50

Physical Resistance lv40

Solar Skills

Star Seed lv60

Arora lv55

Light Heal lv40

Nuclear Haven lv50

Scorch lv25

Cosmic Force lv30

The sprinklers turned on shooting water over the grass, growing orchard, and over the corn field. After weeks of irrigation behind the wall had become green. Rolling grass covered the flat ground and hills. Small moisture farms covered the ground feeding directly into the irrigation systems. A small pond served as a reservoir where the cows drank. All of it was protected by high walls made of wood irradiated by nuclear light. A radiation beneficial to the health and growth of living things.

In the distance he could hear the canning machine running. Everything they grew, they canned if it wasn't eaten that day. Melchior went through the lists of canned goods. They had thousands of store-bought canned foods, but far more food they'd canned themselves. A lake had been dug that night some of his men were scheduled to return with live fish.

With John Green and Jeff Far's help he'd managed to expand their original 5000 acres to 15,000 after they bought up the surrounding property. Out in the distance trucks moved and men put up a fence. Men put down new moisture farms, irrigation systems, and plowed the fields. Well over 23square miles of land was being fenced in. They planned to add another wall when things settled down. Lumber might not be too heavily guarded in the cities after the wall is breached.

More people arrived every day. In the distance, he watched families go through their border. Night was falling, and the walls glowed. The light wasn't blinding, it was soft like moonlight. He looked down at the school house. It was close to the center of the village. Lonnie had insisted they build one.

It had been a monster to build. Lonnie poured the concrete and Melchior put up the frame. "Do you think giving them the weekend off was the right thing to do?" Lonnie asked. Melchior snorted before taking his rifle from its case. With their infantry gone, he'd have to stand watch for looters. In his hands was a 308-bolt action with a custom clip. The clip extended 6inches from the gun. They called it a trojan clip because the bottom of it was wider. He had well over 50 rounds in one clip and the next improvement would be even better.

On the long winding dirt road leading to the highway three flat big rigs parked in front of the wall. Following behind them were several cars and trucks. "Are you going to inspect them yourself? Lonnie asked.

"Customs will do their job. There is no need for me to move a muscle." Melchior said, as he aimed down his scope. Men on the wall made their rounds. The first wall had gone through a transformation. It had become two wooden walls sandwiching a concrete wall. They had to use molds and stack blocks a task that Melchior did mostly himself. The result was a massive wall big enough for three men to walk side by side over the tops of it. At 12ft it wasn't the most imposing wall, but it stretched over all 5000square acres of the original property.

Looking through the scope only allowed him to see the wall, he couldn't accurately fire over it with a 308. "Do you think they'll make it here? They're from Washington. News is traveling fast of the Death Valley sanctuary. The new Kansas Republic is gaining traction and I heard there was a strong hold down south around Louisiana." Lonnie said.

"As long as we don't break any laws we are free to do this." Melchior said.

His walky crackled to life. "Boss you need to look at this. Our guests have a present for the fort." Melchior sent his reply and handed his gun off to Lonnie. He leapt down off the Capital building's roof.

In one of the flat bed trucks were highly illegal mountable mini guns. Some fired 9mm rounds at 800 rounds a minute. Some fired .50 caliber rounds at 1200 rounds a minute. Boxes upon boxes of ammunition lined the walls of the semi. They had been hidden by tons of wood. Behind the semi were five log trucks full of timber. Suddenly, blue light flicked on surrounding the trucks.

This delivery had been a trap. Well over 50 cops armed to the teeth emerged from the tree line. It happened at a time when well over 300 of Melchior's infantry were out partying. Melchior knew this wasn't planned it was an opportunistic move. They had a spy behind their walls. Melchior couldn't fight here, there were people everywhere most of customs was outside the wall. The guards on the catwalk were his only back up. Only five had made it in time.

Before Melchior moved a muscle a taser smashed into his unprotected face and shocked him. Pain lanced through his body like hadn't felt in a long time. "You have the right to remain silent." One of the cops sprayed his face with pepper spray.

"This is clearly illegal. I'm afraid as Governor of the state of Nevada, I'll have to confiscate this facility." The gate behind them slammed closed. "Order your men to open the door or you'll be shot for resisting arrest." Melchior laughed in the man's face and an officer took out his fire arm and plugged Melchior's leg with a bullet.

He was shoved in the back of a squad car and taken. His face continued to burn as he laid there. The bullet had barely penetrated his skin. He reached his fingers into the wound and pulled the bullet free. This was predictable. It was too late to prepare for what was coming so the Governor tried to take the fort. He'd hold Melchior and continue to threaten the fort until it opened, or the border wall was breached.

He'd tried to do this officially. He really had. Everything was harder now thanks to the Governor. Melchior would have to kill them all.

His fist shattered the barrier keeping him from the driver. He grabbed the steering wheel and turned the wheel sending the car off the road and flipping at 80 miles per hour. Melchior's body bounced around the car his flailing limbs shattering glass, ripping metal apart, and breaking the officers with him. When he stood he ripped the bottom off the car held it overhead before tossing it to the side. The cruisers came to a stop just as the mass of twisted metal slammed into one o the cars. Melchior pulled his hand cannon free and shot into the cruisers.

The cars exploded under the round often killing the men inside. Melchior held his forearm in front of his face as gunfire slammed into his chest and arms. The rounds could bruise him, split his skin on occasion but were ultimately not fatal. With every shot they took he gained ground on them getting closer.

He was on them. They hid behind the few cruisers he hadn't shot. Melchior grabbed the bumper of the nearest vehicle and lifted it like a man would a hammer. His foot shot up kicking the nearest man splattering him across the next officer before turning the car upside down and crushing the rest. Bullets continued to smash against his unprotected skin. It hurt, bruising him and cutting his skin in places. Even as his skin split it healed as Arora patched him up.

"Its like we're fighting the incredible hulk." One officer shouted.

"Exactly," Melchior roared and smashed the officers with the car. The Governor was gone far out of Melchior's reach. He rode back towards the fort in one of the squad cars. There were 300 men out on the town that needed to be warned. He'd need to find the spy and execute him publicly. There was no sense in following the laws anymore.

He knew that with this decision the national guard could be knocking on his door with mortars. There were only 1000 people in his fort not counting the 300 infantrymen. He was sure Lonnie sent out a warning to them already. The question was, did the Governor already get to them?

Up on gate walls one of the mounted mini guns were in position. Melchior stared at the guard manning it daring him to open fire. The gate quickly opened. "Sir, its good to have you back. Richard and the others are making their way back. After hearing about what happened, they've taken to stealing women." Melchior blinked that was new.

"Is that all?" Melchior asked feeling not quite himself. A glance at Lonnie's character was enough to tell him, he wasn't a traitor.

"They've raised hell and joined up with some local thugs in exchange for clemency through the gate. Our number could very well swell to the 2000s by morning. We've received a message from a group calling themselves the United Militia, they have traveled a long way to enter our fort. With them is a convoy filled with gun powder and a mobile bullet factory. They've crossed two states to get here. With their number we should reach well over 3000. More reports are coming in of smaller groups making their way here and to other areas. Smaller forts are popping up and a few military bases have opened their doors to civilians." Lonnie said.

"Is there any news of the military going to the border." Melchior asked.

"They are nuking Mexico tomorrow. It will only make the problem worse in the long run. Fire bombs aren't as effective anymore. The zombies are tough monsters." Melchior nodded his head. He'd have to kill them with his bare hands. He needed to increase his strength and endurance to even higher levels. "Martial Law was declared for every state west of the Mississippi River. The Governor's authority means shit at this point. On the bright side the national guard isn't coming." Melchior smiled at that. The Governor was practically in his grasp.

"Well complete the second fence and steal or build some mini guns for it. For the third wall, what did the engineers say?" Melchior asked.

"They said we would be lucky to complete the 2nd wall in time. The third wall will have to be a side project." Melchior nodded.

"What did they say about replacing the first wall with a 200ft wall?" Melchior asked.

"They said it was possible. The frame would have to be steel, but your wood is stronger than normal wood. It's alive according to Jacob Pritchet." Lonnie said. Melchior smiled. Pritchet was a micro biologist. Having a glowing fortress seemed to attract all types.

Melchior walked through the communications room. This was his second sweep. He'd been willing to allow potential traitors to live. Three of his men in communications were feds, one was a member of the CIA, and another was a military intelligence officer. Of those men none had been the rat. No, the sleeper agents only talked up the traitors, they rarely did the betraying themselves.

"Tony Sanchez what possessed you to inform the Governor of the illegal mini-guns?" Melchior asked.

Tony's face went through a series of changes. At first, he kept his cool but under Melchior's glare, he started to sweat. Melchior was still covered in blood and smelled of spilled gasoline and burnt flesh. It didn't take long for Tony to break. "You believe in the law, I demand a fair trial." Melchior nodded, at times fear was a greater tool than force.

"You stand accused of causing the deaths of 50 police officers. Exposing the Death Valley Sanctuary to potential invaders. And the possible food shortage from a delay in building the wall. You are relieved of your duty. Report to the justice building for your trial at dawn. If you flee you will be declared guilty and executed accordingly." Melchior said. Lonnie had long since collected a copy of the last 12 hours of communications within Sanctuary. The trial was a formality. Melchior would execute him at dawn.

The news was on playing in the recreation center. The sounds of chatter and pool were subdued by the nuclear fire on screen. Someone turned up the volume just as savage roars cut erupted over the broadcast. The camera turned to the source of the sounds. From the nuclear clouds burst forth large savage zombies. They lifted and ripped apart the cars in their paths twisting metal and pulling apart axles. Land mines blew up around them to little effect. Anti tank rounds barely slowed them down as they made their way to the wall. Powerful hands tore through the concrete before ripping out parts of the metal frame.

They were coming. In less than a week the wall would fall.