Inspired by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns account of a Soviet labor camp revolt in Gulag Archipelago Volume III the story of FORTY DAYS AT KAMAS follows political prisoners and security officials at a corrective labor camp in Kamas Utah where inmates seize control during the summer of 2024.
Kamas Utah. 2024. In the totalitarian dystopia that America has become after the Unionist Partys rise to power the American West contains vast Restricted Zones dotted with ghost towns scattered military garrisons and corrective labor camps where the regime disposes of its real and suspected enemies. Kamas is one such camp.
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Preston Fleming/caption
On a frigid March night a former businessman from Pittsburgh Paul Wagner arrives at a labor camp in Utahs Kamas Valley a dozen miles east of the deserted resort town of Park City which prisoners are dismantling as part of a massive recycling project.
When Wagner arrives he is unaware that his eleven-year-old daughter Claire has set off to Utah to find him after becoming separated from her mother at the Philadelphia Airport. By an odd quirk of fate Claire has traveled on the same train that carried her father into internal exile.
Only after Wagner has renounced all hope of survival cast his lot with anti-regime hard-liners and joined them in an unprecedented and suicidal revolt does he discover that Claire has become a servant in the home of the camps Deputy Warden. Wagner is torn between his devotion to family and loyalty to his fellow rebels until on the eve of an armored assault intended to crush the revolt he faces an agonizing choice between a heros death and a cowards freedom.
In FORTY DAYS AT KAMAS author Preston Fleming offers a stirring portrait of a man determined to survive under the bleakest of conditions and against formidable odds. Flemings gift for evocative prose brings the characters and events to life in a way that arouses emotional tension while also engaging the readers intellect with fundamental questions about the future of American society.
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Chapter 2
Whoever can conquer the street will one day conquer the state for every form of power politics and any dictatorship-run state has its roots in the street."
Joseph Goebbels
Saturday November 12 2016
Our stone farmhouse atop a forested knoll commanded a sweeping view of the hills along the Ohio River to the southwest. The south end of the house projected just beyond a line of towering maples the French doors of our old glassed-in porch opening onto a flagstone veranda. Beyond the boxwood hedge that enclosed the veranda on three sides the hill sloped gradually at first then more steeply past our neighbors horse paddock to the two-lane state road that connected downtown Sewickley with Interstate 79.
I finished my mug of tea and joined my wife on the veranda. Juliet had begun covering the boxwood with burlap slipcovers and called me over to shovel mulch around the roots. I pulled a long-handled shovel from the wheelbarrow to join. Meanwhile our two daughters Louisa and Claire aged three and nearly five busied themselves collecting fallen twigs for the woodpile. The sun was already high in a cloudless sky and the morning frost had melted nearly everywhere.
It was the second Saturday in November only four days since the national elections in which the President was re-elected under the banner of his newly formed Unionist Party. The Unionists also took both houses of Congress which had come as a complete surprise to me. I had been spending sixty-hour weeks at the office and had not paid much attention to the persistent reports of large-scale voter registration fraud voting machine hacking pre-stuffed ballot boxes and voter intimidation at polling places in major cities across the country. Even with a government blackout on live television and radio coverage at polling places rumors of a stolen election had quickly spread to nearly every household with a phone or a computer. But like too many others I did not understand what was happening until the damage had already been done.
Where do we put the sticks Daddy? my older daughter Claire asked bringing my thoughts back to the present.
By the woodpile sweetie" I replied. Break them up in pieces about so big and make a stack with them."
This ones too big to break." She was dragging an eight-foot branch across the grass. Will you help me?"
Of course." I lay down my shovel to give her a hand but when I reached her Claire had dropped the branch and was pointing toward the road at the bottom of the hill.
Who are those people Daddy and where are they going?" she asked. Are they going camping?"
I looked up and saw the road clogged with a slow-moving procession of cars pickup trucks trailers Amish-style horse carts bicyclists backpackers even big-wheeled garden carts pulled rickshaw-style. Those on foot were trailed by a pack of underfed dogs. It reminded me of World War II newsreels of the Dutch fleeing the bombing of Rotterdam or German refugees retreating from the advancing Red Army. Most of the cars and trucks were far from new and many of the foot travelers shabbily dressed though most gave the impression of being strong hardy people who had once belonged to Americas middle class.
A trio of deer peered out from behind a copse of trees near the road and hesitated unable to find a break in the uninterrupted stream of traffic. A few of the dogs looked up as if catching a scent but none gave chase.
Where are they going Daddy?" Claire repeated.
I think some are headed north to Canada darling like the Moores." The Moores were our neighbors who having lost their savings to inflation and having failed to sell their horse farm before the mortgage company gave notice of foreclosure abandoned the farm and their unpaid tax obligations and moved in with their son in Ottawa.
The ones in the fancy cars are probably driving to the Toronto airport to catch a flight overseas. The rest are probably headed south where there are more jobs and its cheaper to live."
Are we going away too?" Claire asked turning to me with a look of disapproval.
I heard footsteps behind me and felt my wife grip my arm. She held on with both hands as if what she saw on the road had given her a chill.
I looked into her eyes and saw the fear of losing our business our savings our house and everything in itand not being able to start over. Not in America anyway. Not with the Unionists in power. I glanced over to Claire hoping that she had not sensed Juliets fear.
Not today sweetie" I replied. Were staying right here at home. Mommy and Daddy have work to do. And so do you and Louisa. Here let me pull that branch over to the woodpile for you. Now break up the small twigs like this." I used more force than necessary to break one of the tender twigs in half. But leave the big sticks for me okay?"
My wife squeezed my arm once more and let go to take my hand.
Jeffs car just pulled in" she said softly. Ill brew a fresh pot of tea. Why dont you carry some chairs onto the veranda?"
****
Jeff Fisher had been my personal attorney and business advisor for nearly fifteen years. He was sharp strong-willed and experienced but also honest and utterly down to earth. Jeff had studied law at Columbia and could have risen to partner at any of the big law firms in downtown Pittsburgh but instead chose to join his fathers small practice in Sewickley. I was happy he did. His advice was worth far more than I had to pay for it.
Any news from the Germans?" I asked handing him a mug of Lapsang Souchong laced with a shot of twelve-year-old rum.
Well theyve made you an offer" Jeff said without enthusiasm.
Thats more than Ive had from anyone else in the last three years" I replied. Ill give them credit for that much."
Dont get too excited Paul. Their offer is half of what we expected and a third of what the company is worth in todays market. They dont want to buy the company; theyre out to steal it. Still its an offer. And it might even be worth taking depending on what you expect from the economy under a Unionist administration."
You and I both know that wage and price controls have been a complete disaster for small manufacturers like us" I responded. The Germans on the other hand seem quite comfortable with government controls. With the European economy in the toilet and foreign trade down to a trickle they seem almost desperate for a foothold in the U.S. Id say thats good news for us."
But the bad news is that they think were even desperate to sell than they are to buy" Jeff replied.
Do you think we might be able negotiate a better price?"
I doubt it. Theyre talking to some of our competitors. They seem pretty confident that at least one of us will decide to take the money and run."
Damned Europeans! They see the Unionists come to power and now they think they have us on our knees. Theyre certain that the president will go to Brussels swallow his pride and give special trade and investment concessions to the EU. It makes me want to"
Not so fast Paul. If youre right about the Unionists and they do put the economy into a coma this may be the last offer youll see for a very long time. And if you have to liquidate you could wind up buried under a landslide of unpaid bills and tax liens. The Unionists play rough with tax defaulters Paul. You could be looking at federal prison."
But if I sell then what? This is the only business I know and I am making a living in spite of it all. If I hang in there the company might grow its way back to profitability somehow. If I sell now and if theres anything left afterward where could I invest the proceeds and be able to live off the income? The only option I see would be to emigrate and start over"
Father says it would be crazy to emigrate now" Juliet interrupted with surprising vehemence. His contacts in Washington insist this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy assets at the bottom. And they also point out that when things get betteras they are bound to do eventuallyanyone who emigrates will get a very chilly reception on his return." Juliet looked at me as she continued. Paul both of our families have been in Pennsylvania for nearly a hundred and fifty years. You wouldnt really give it all up would you?"
Jeff spoke up before I could respond.
Juliet if youll remember" he said gently the Jews had been living in Germany and Poland quite a bit longer than a couple hundred years. The Jewish families who emigrated survived. Same with the Russian aristocracy in 1918. And the French nobility during the Reign of Terror. The risks"
Jeff you dont honestly consider the Unionists to belong in the same category as the Nazis or the Bolsheviks?" she replied.
Youve heard their speeches Juliet. A person is either with them or against them. To the Unionist mobs you and I are class enemies."
But were all Americans" Juliet protested. Some of our neighbors are Unionists. Theyre not bad people. Im certain they wouldnt do anything to harm us…"
Maybe so" I interjected. But how can we be sure there arent others who would stone our Volvo the way they stoned Sally Zimmermanns Lexus in Ambridge last week?" I asked. Her children were in that car for Gods sake. All the crazies saw was a shiny new SUV. Sally and the boys were lucky to get away with their lives."
Juliet put down her teacup. When she raised her eyes I could see that she remained unmoved. In matters like this she still looked to her parents for leadership. Even after fourteen years of marriage… I let the thought drop.
Paul" she addressed me in a conciliatory voice. I hear what youre saying. But if its a decision between emigrating and finding a way to make things work here in Sewickley then in my mind the choice is clear. We both know life isnt always easy. It was hard back in Washingtons day and in Lincolns day and during the Depression. If the wealthy and educated had emigrated then America would have failed as a country long ago. I think we have a duty to stay."
I paused to refill my cup before responding and didnt spare the rum.
I know how you feel Juliet. I dont like the idea of running away any more than you do. But deep in my gut I dont trust the Unionists. Think about it: if we sold the business we would have enough to start over somewhereAustralia Ireland maybe Costa Rica or some place in South America. It might be a little rough on the two of us but the girls would do just fine. We could"
And walk away from everything we knowthe company our house our community our parents? Could you really do that Paul? I dont think I could look at myself in the mirror if I did. I dont want to be a refugee…"
She lowered her gaze and her eyes seemed fixed on some frightful vision inside her head.
Jeff sighed then let out a deep breath before looking to me for a decision.
I suppose I cant put it off any longer can I?" I asked with a weak smile. You both need an answer..."
Jeff nodded.
The Germans want a response today. Should I schedule a meeting or tell them youre not interested?"
My wife raised her head and I felt the burden of her gaze.
Well its a tough call. Very tough" I repeated looking directly at my wife then staring out past the trees to the rolling hills beyond.
But in the end I dont see how I can run out on Washington Lincoln FDR and a hundred and fifty years of venerable ancestors. As much as Id like to tell the Unionists to drop dead I suppose the principled approach is to stay and tell the Germans to drop dead instead."
Jeff rose without showing approval or disapproval merely giving me a pat on the shoulder as he left his cup on the tea tray. Juliet smiled palpably relieved then rose to carry the tray back to the kitchen while I escorted Jeff to his car.