Chapter 10

Dan was not a religious man, but the mention of a hearse had made him think about the role of God in this society. He walked along the rows of books in the reference section of the library but could find no mention of it. There wasn't a copy of the bible anywhere. It would be unrealistic to think that all traces of religion had been wiped out in a few generations.

As he thought about his wanderings around the town he couldn't remember seeing a church. The maps had not shown the crosses which indicated the sites of places of worship. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries religion had been part of the fabric of life. What had made the beards decide to remove it.

He thought of the saying that religion was opium for the masses. Dan would have thought that it would have had a place in a world which had endured a terrible disaster. This would be another topic of conversation for his talks with Phyllis. The next opportunity they would have to be alone was in the morning when Sam took the children out.

As Dan made the tea he asked Phyllis a question. "What happened to God?"

"Oh, we don't have him anymore" she said laughing. "Well not officially anyway."

He wanted to know why religion had been banned after the meteor strikes. Bertie had explained it to his mother during one of his school holidays.

"People had prayed to and questioned their chosen God or Gods after the devastation. What had mankind done which would provoke this kind of punishment? The original OWG had prayed for guidance at their first meeting, but their prayers had been answered in a strange way. They were reminded how many wars, murders and atrocities had been perpetrated in the name of religion.

Different people in different countries believed different things. How long would it take before discord returned and the fighting began again? The answer was obvious to the OWG. They would not have God or religion of any sort in their new world. Scientific discoveries had already cast doubts in the minds of some, so it was easier to come to the conclusion that it was no longer required."

Bertie had not believed that there was some sort of divine being guiding the human race. On one hand it did not bother him that religion was abandoned. On the other hand, however, it was another way in which the OWG made decisions for the population and took away their choice.

"They "banned" worship, but had accepted that there would be those who would not give up their God. By making it illegal the OWG could make it a risk to participate in a church and therefore keep numbers low. They knew that some would continue to believe. Their purpose was to reduce the numbers so that they could be managed effectively.

The business of staying alive and finding food after the meteor strikes had meant that there was little time for anything else. Many had not been bothered at the loss of religion, but there were those who were horrified at the banning of what was an essential part of their lives. The church buildings had been repurposed but the absence of a place to worship have not stopped people doing it.

Large congregations are a thing of the past. Believers don't want to attract the attention of the authorities, so they meet in small groups at private houses. The small services take place in the leadership towns as well as the labour zone. Any attempt to coordinate the separate groups would bring the wrath of the OWG down on them." Phyllis said.

Dan thought about the police force which the government had created. He asked Phyllis about them. What did they do and how were they perceived by the people? She had that wry smile on her face again as she explained their effect to her boss. She had not had much to do with them as she had chosen to keep her head under the parapet. Others had not been so lucky.

"The police do the usual things. They investigate if there's a crime such as burglary or an act of violence. Murders sometimes occur, but they are not common. Their other job is enforcing the edicts of the OWG. They crack down on religious groups every now and then. They do it to remind the population that they know what is going on and it was not to get out of hand.

There's a black market for goods of all kinds and this is one of their main interests. If someone could earn a lot of money selling stolen or counterfeit goods, it would give them power. No one is allowed power except the OWG. A lot of the items are taken from factories by the workers and then sold on. Stealing from the OWG is stealing from society and if one is caught the punishments are severe.

The main focus of the force is tackling any sort of insurgency. The beards have the world running the way they wanted it and they are not going to change things or relinquish power. The worst thing that could happen would be allowing the various detractors to become organised into one group. Divide and conquer is their mantra.

There are informers and infiltrators working for the police. Any underground groups are very careful about who they admit to their meetings. If someone is suspected of being a rebel then they would be picked up and interrogated. Not many can withstand the torture which is meted out and would give up their associates names. It's a dangerous thing opposing the OWG.

There's a penal system for those who break the law. The OWG don't let its prisoners languish idly in jail, so they are set to work, mainly manual labour. There are not many occasions where someone gets off with a slap on the wrist. Sentences are harsh, 10 years for theft, longer for black marketers, and they are applied equally to men and women and to both classes. There are meant to be trials, but they are usually a forgone conclusion."

It was all a bit depressing, so Dan went outside to have a look at the car. There was a key that opened the door and then once inside there was a button to press which started the engine. He listened to the sound that the vehicle made and was surprised at how quiet it was. He looked under the bonnet and studied the moving parts. Everything that he saw was basic and he rather liked it.

He went out most days before he went back to work. Sometimes he just walked and at others he went to the library and read about more aspects of the world he was living in. Phyllis had been able to tell him about some of his colleagues who she had met when they had come to the house.

"You have an annual drinks party to celebrate your birthday and some of the people that you work with are invited."

Martin was, apparently, his closest friend and he suspected that it was someone he knew from his old life. He had known a Martin through his job, but they had not been especially close. He had always thought that the man he knew was a bit dull, but that was something to be valued in this society.

His actual best friend Ryan, did not seem to feature in his life. Phyllis could not remember any mention of his name. He might not ever run into his friend in this world. It depended on what role Ryan had been cast in or if he existed at all. If he was in the labour zone their paths were unlikely to cross. He would worry about that another time, but for the moment at least he knew what Martin looked like. Maybe his colleague would have facial hair which seemed to be the fashion here.

Despite the rules Dan took the car out for a quick spin before he went back to work. He had assumed that everything worked the same way, but he thought he had better make sure. It felt good to be back behind the wheel and he didn't even crunch the gears which were a bit stiff. When he came to a straight stretch of road he pushed the accelerator down, but didn't get much response. He could probably get 40mph out of it if he was lucky.

"Do you ever drive the car?" He asked Sam.

She had that pursed lipped annoyed look on her face again. "No. Some women do but I couldn't really get on with it."

Dan felt sorry for his wife. She wasn't allowed to make any decisions or take the initiative. She had no confidence and that undermined everything that she tried to do. What chance did she have to succeed at anything when it had always been inferred that she was capable of very little.

There would be one more weekend and then Dan would return to the ministry. He was told by Sam that they were going to visit her parents for tea on Sunday and he had simply accepted that.

Later Phyllis managed to whisper to him.

"Mrs Ellis' father and you don't really get along. It's not that he dislikes you he just has little time for you." It seemed it would be an interesting afternoon.

He had not spent much time with his father in law in the other place. Sam's family had lived at the other end of the country and they only made the trip a few times a year. When they had got together they had all got on fairly well. He headed to the meeting with curiosity. He was not the type of person who didn't get on with people and he was interested to see what their problem was.

It turned out that Sam's father was high up in the echelons of the OWG. He wasn't a member of the government itself, but he was a top adviser. Phyllis had said that she had always suspected Dan of having rebel tendencies and maybe his father in law thought that too. On the premise that he could very easily say the wrong thing he would be taciturn throughout the visit and just hope to get out without doing any damage.