If tragedy can be counted, it would surely be in the number of corpses. General Felix looked at the bloody warehouses with satisfaction. All ten of them were filled to the brim with rotten bodies, stacked like so much dead flesh. The subordinates around him held their nose or brought gas masks, but he did no such thing. He scoffed at them silently. If they couldn’t even endure the stench of their actions, how could they be trusted to stomach the blood that comes after? Still, appearances must be maintained.
“Thank you all for your hard work and dedication these past few months. I know it must have been difficult, but all our suffering in the dark will turn into the bright torch that saves our Fatherland!”
A chorus of cheers rang out, but Felix didn’t miss that some of them were more lackluster than others. He knew that his stunt in the meeting room created a lot of tension, but if he could just pull through to phase 2, none of it would matter. Soon, through hell and high water, the Fatherland would be saved. His lips curved upwards unconsciously
“General, are you sure we should do this? What if other countries find out?”
Felix looked at the nervous man spoiling his mood. Cowards like this were common in rear posts, no matter how high their rank. He wished that he could punish the traitor just like he did Albert, but that would create too much dissension at such a crucial time. He tried to recall the man’s name as he formulated a response.
“Lieutenant-general Frederick, do you have doubts at such a time?”
“No sir! It’s just… even if the plan succeeds, what will happen afterward?”
Felix’s brow scrunched up as a few of the other men nodded. He took a few calming breaths before continuing.
“Frederick, what do you think will happen if we don’t use the Nine Plagues? Do you think losing the war would have positive repercussions on our country? Because if we don’t use the plan, we would certainly lose the war.”
“Sorry, sir… you’re absolutely correct.”
“Good man. Now, shall we commence phase 2?”
Felix smiled as the last obstacle was removed. Finally, the glorious future of the Fatherland is nearly secured. If he ever saw that man again, he would have to thank him.
—
On a hidden beach off the coast of Northern France, a small group of soldiers was deep behind enemy lines. On their boats, they brought with them large amounts of cargo. Although they weren’t briefed on the contents, they had some ideas from the smell.
“Are the brass crazy!? What the hell are we doing deep in enemy territory with only a bunch of rotting corpses! Where are the guns, the artillery!?”
“Well, Kyle, you should know that bringing artillery is just impossible. As for guns, I’m not too sure either.”
“Always the smartass Alex, can’t you give Kyle a break? Besides, he’s got a point.”
“Yeah, I do! What the hell is the point of carrying dead bodies!”
“You’re about as clueless as I am Kyle. Why not give it a rest and get to work?”
The group of men squabbled a while before they got to the task at hand. For some reason, the brass ordered their squad to carry out a top-secret mission, the purpose of which was classified. Their mission: bring hundreds of dead bodies behind enemy lines and spread the corpses, focusing especially on water supplies. They might not be doctors, but every soldier has some understanding of how diseases spread, so they knew the effect their actions would have. Precisely because of that, they couldn’t help but consider the futility of their work.
“You know, even if we do get tons of disease to spread, what’s the point? Aren’t we hundreds of miles behind enemy lines? We’re not even close to a supply depot.”
“Right and what’s one squad gonna do anyway? We’ve only got a hundred bodies to drop off and seven men to do the dropping. It’s gonna take a while to do it and even if a disease does happen, it ain’t gonna spread much.”
“And if it does spread, so what? There aren’t any enemy soldiers or industrial centers nearby anyway. All that’s gonna happen is some civilians dyin’.”
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The self-proclaimed genius of the group, Alex, suddenly stopped.
“What’s holdin’ you up Alex?”
“Maybe that’s the point,” Alex muttered to himself as his fellow squadmates turned to look at him. After he gathered his thoughts, he stared each man in the eye and shared his conjecture.
“Maybe that’s the point. Maybe we aren’t meant to be killing soldiers, but civilians.”
“What, why? It’s not like killin’ em is gonna make it easier to win the war.”
“Right, right. And how many civilians can one little disease kill anyway? One squad ain’t enough to do anything.”
“What if it’s not just one squad though,” Alex said. He took a deep breath before continuing, “What if there are dozens or hundreds of squad like ours doing the exact same thing? What if thousands– tens of thousands– of rotten bodies are littered across the whole of Northern France?”
“Whoa, that’s crazy talk man. Are the people making plans really going to waste that much manpower on such a stupid operation? Some far-off plague ain’t gonna kill the millions of enemy soldiers at the front!”
“Maybe they don’t have to. Maybe if the generals on the enemy side realize they’ve got hundreds of thousands– though I’m not sure of the exact number– of civilians dying in the backlines, they’ve got to stop the war. How can a country allocate resources to stop an epidemic while fighting a war?”
“Hey Alex, if you’re right, isn’t this a big deal then? Aren’t we going to be killing thousands of non-combatants? Not to mention it’s morally wrong, I don’t want to end up in front of a tribunal after the war is over.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that Kyle. For big things like this, the people at the top take all the responsibility– the gain and the blame.”
“I dunno man, can’t we get in trouble too? After all, we’re the ones spreading the diseases.”
“No, Carl. Don’t you remember the purpose of the mission was classified? As long as we keep our mouths shut, we can claim we never knew what we were really doing.”
“Wow, that’s pretty smart.”
“Hah, that’s our genius Alex over here. Figured out those top strategists’ plans right away.”
Alex looked at his squadmates who he had fought with for over a year. They were like brothers to him and the fear of death only brought them closer together. But at that moment, they looked different to his eyes. Was he really brothers with people that didn’t care about the deaths of thousands? The deaths of civilians that they would cause? As he waded through the water back to the body-filled boats, he saw his own reflection. In the sparkling-bright ocean, his dark empty eyes stared back at him. He laughed as he realized he didn’t care as well.
“Time to get to work then.”
—
David couldn’t help but applaud the man known as Alex. Intelligent and cruel. The perfect qualities for a good soldier and a good demon. Intelligent enough to understand the purpose of his orders and cruel enough to follow them. Truly, a model demon. David only wished that he would die so he could take his soul for a bonus.
Are you thinking about the special collection bonus?
“How did you know?”
Hah, you get those eyes when your thoughts turn greedy.
“Really? Well, you’re right. Don’t you think he would fit the requirements?”
Probably. Not a lot of humans these days have what it takes to be turned. Speaking of which, what about that general of yours?
David rubbed his chin, “He’s not a bad candidate, but not quite up to company standards.”
I guess so. Anyone that doesn’t realize he’s a tool definitely isn’t good material. Is this what you want though?
“What do you mean?”
To create a plague. It’s not a bad idea, but Rules and Regulations might find out.
David shook his head, “you’re right that they might investigate, but you’re missing one crucial thing.”
What’s that?
“Humans are more evil than demons.”
What do you mean?
“By the time the war is over, more people will die from gunshots than disease. Or did you really think they would surrender?”
… If what you’re doing wasn’t illegal, I would definitely recommend you for a promotion.
“Well, I appreciate the thought. Isn’t spreading chaos what business trips are all about?”
You’re definitely attractive when you’re scheming. Do you wanna do something when you get back?
David nearly choked, “Are you serious?”
If you’re willing to get fired for workplace relationships!
“Thank Lucifer, it was a joke,” he sighed in relief, “I really wouldn’t know how to handle it if you were for real.”
I’m still your boss, you know? At least pretend to feel sad.
“... Can we just get back to the show?”
Sure, as long as it doesn’t turn boring.
“Let’s hope it’s entertaining then.”