Benson ​| The Division Agent

“My wife and I took our three-year-old, Maddie, to the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting. Even then, I remember thinking the crowd was kind of thin. A few days later, my whole neighborhood was like a ghost town.

“I knew things would get scary real fast. Just before the lock down, I reached out to some old Army buddies and arranged for my family to relocate. Had to look into my little girl’s big blue eyes and tell her I wasn’t going with them. She cried, but I promised her we’d have Christmas together again someday, with a big tree just like the one we saw. Hardest thing I’ve ever done, walking away from them.

“Right after that, the city started tearing itself apart, and the Division activated me.

“Fast forward a couple weeks, my foot patrol got into a firefight with a gang of escaped convicts. We rescued about a dozen or so people they’d been using as forced labor. As we were escorting them back to a CERA camp, we walked right past Rockefeller. And there was the tree, still standing, decorations and all. The world is falling apart around us but a tree from a Christmas that never was is still standing tall. I promised myself that my family and I, we’d see it again one day. And we will.”

Arthur ​| Civilian

“We married in ’74. Lived through the city going broke, transit strikes. You avoided Times Square ’cause it was nothin’ but porn and crime. Giuliani, 9/11. Now you avoid Times Square ’cause it’s nothin’ but tourists. We saw it all.

“Took her to a Manhattan hospital when she got sick. Beds crammed in hallways, waiting rooms. Tents on the sidewalk, the street. They gave her a bed inside.

“After a couple nights, she was sleeping, I went for a walk to get some air. Come back — someone else is in her bed. Thought at first I was in the wrong place, but no, I was right. Checked with doctors, nurses, drivers. Nobody knew anything. Checked the tents, then nearby field clinics, camps, other hospitals. Nothing. Even went to some morgues. I hate that I did, because I know she’s still alive. Maybe she’s got amnesia, and wandered off. Or she got taken somewhere and she’s in a coma. Did she go home to Queens, get past the lock down somehow, and I’m stuck here?

“Seems like everybody’s trying to survive, to move on from something. But I don’t want to move on. I’m looking for my wife. She’s out here. Somewhere. And I’m going to bring her home.”

Danny ​| Cleaner

“I did what I was s’posed to. My wife and I and our little girl, we all got that so called vaccine. The very next day our baby ran a hundred and three fever. You tellin’ me that’s coincidence? But I brought her to the hospital. They did nothing for her. Then my wife got sick. I sat with her for days, didn’t leave her side. The last night, there were some patients singing Christmas carols. My wife was mostly out of it, but she perked up a little at that. Didn’t open her eyes or talk, but she smiled. I held her hand right up to the end. Most of those people singing are probably dead now, too.

“In fact, just about everyone I used to know here is gone. Who’s looking out for us? The government? Don’t make me laugh. They said ‘shelter in place’ and that was bull. They said ‘we have a vaccine’ and that was b.s. Then they said CERA and the JTF’ll protect you.

“You know how to kill germs? Sterilization. You know the cheapest way to sterilize something? Burn it. So that’s what we do. We’re gonna burn it out.”

Joe Lee ​| Riker

“They said bustin’ out of Rikers was impossible. Turns out all you need is a good ol’ fashion prison riot – then you just haul ass. By the time we got out, the bridge to Queens was in lockdown so a few of us stole some patrol boats and took ’em to Manhattan. Had no idea that it was under quarantine. Wound up in Midtown with a bunch of other, uh, let’s call ’em self-paroled gentlemen.

“For days we’re holed up, cold and hungry. Watchin’ as these National Guard trucks roll right by us, luggin’ food probably for some rich bastards. Same ol’ crap: we starve, and they get silver platters. We ain’t got silver…But we got a guy who knows IEDs. And then we start gettin’ ideas. So he plants an explosive see, right there in the road. Give the signal, truck comes — BOOM! Big ol’ fireball. We rush in to grab what we can before it all burns up, black smoke pouring out, can’t see nothin’. One of these Guardsmen falls out the passenger door coughing his lungs out and starts sprayin’ bullets! Ain’t lookin’ where he’s shooting ‘cause of all the smoke. I got blood in my eyes, blood from three different guys all over my clothes — my guys, my friends. But the rest of us got away with a dozen crates of beans, soup, canned fruit.

“They trap us in the city like animals, no law and order, keep the food for themselves and, what? Expect us to go along with it like good little boys and girls? Me and my crew, the only thing we’re guilty of is refusin’ to lay down and die. And since nobody’s in charge anymore, we takin’ charge. We takin’ over. Whole city’s ours now, and there ain’t nobody left to stop us.”

Temi ​| Civilian

“We were on a small side street in the West Village, easy to miss. Ever since the blackout it’s been dark and quiet. But that night, I woke up to a glow coming through the window. The building across the street was on fire. There were a bunch of guys with trucks out front — I thought they were trying to put it out. I knew people in that building, so I threw some clothes on and went outside.

“When I got closer, I realized the guys all had flamethrowers, propane tanks, welding gear… Then I saw they’d locked the front doors from the outside with chains and padlocks. They weren’t trying to help. They wanted to burn the building down with everyone inside! Smoke was already filling the lobby, people were pounding on the doors to get out.

“They weren’t gonna last five minutes. If I was gonna help, I had to do it right now. So I ran around the back of the building to a narrow alley. The entrance to the basement garbage room was there — the guys out front must’ve missed it in the dark, thank god. I opened it up and felt my way up the stairs to the lobby, could barely breathe or see anything, there was so much smoke. I rounded everyone up and led them out, quick as I could, then we all took off running. I had a two-year-old in one arm, a baby in the other. Blocks away you could still see the glow from the fire and the thick smoke unwinding into the night.

Johnny ​| The Division Agent

“I was pulling twenty-four hour shifts at the hospital when I got a heads-up from the SHD: the city’s going on lockdown before dawn, and I’m Activated. Just like that, I walk off my shift.

“But… my neighbor, Alina, is eighty-two. Holocaust survivor. Husband passed away, her son lives in Jersey. No way she survives a quarantine. Maybe it was irrational, but I couldn’t let her suffer that.

“I left the hospital and got to Alina’s apartment around one in the morning. Woke her up, but before we could go, I had to do a rapid virus test. If she was already infected, even if she wasn’t symptomatic, there’s no way I could let her leave the city. I’d done literally thousands of these, but my hands were shaking when I took her blood sample and put it in the portable test kit. Then I helped her pack while we waited for the results.

“Finally it was ready… She tested clear. No virus. Ten minutes later, we’re in my car. Cell phone service was down, but I finally got a message to her son in Jersey. He’s wondering how I even know there’s a lockdown and I can’t say, so I’m making excuses. By the time we got to the bridge, they had checkpoints on the Jersey side. Told us to turn around, fired warning shots. I had to pull the commanding officer aside, and prove I’m with the Division. Technically, what I did for Alina broke protocol. I haven’t told anyone else until now, not even my unit.

“Did I do the right thing? Her son gave me a bear hug. Alina’s safe with him. So yes. I did the right thing.”

Raul ​| Riker

“We’d already gone a week without food, no running water. No guards. Whole Rikers smelled like a sewer. It’s the middle of the night, and it’s so dark, you can’t see your hand an inch from your face. I’m thinking, I’m gonna die here. And then… click. Don’t know who did it or how, but every door in D Block opens.

“For like ten seconds, nobody move. And then, almost like a herd, people are shouting and stampeding for the exits. Falling down stairs, over railings. Heard one dude nose-dive past me and SMACK on the floor below.

“My cellie was too sick to walk, so I tried to carry him out. But someone shoved me, I fell, and then there’s a dozen boots on my head, my back, all around. Had to fight to get back up and then I ran with them through a darkness so total it might as well have been space. Ran until I felt the cold air in front of me and then I saw stars and we were free. In the city, you can’t see the stars. But that night? Whole city was dark. First time in my life I saw stars over New York.

“I ain’t gonna lie. I ride with a hard crew. We hit Midtown and just started takin’ over. Like, whatever you want, you just take it. I’m not exactly proud of some things we done. But sometimes I look up and try to see the stars. They remind me of that first night of freedom. Make me feel like this is all temporary, and maybe someday things will get better, and maybe we won’t have to pay for the things we done.”

Carrie ​| Civilian

“There were seven people lined up on their knees, hands behind their heads. They didn’t look like criminals. They just looked tired and scared. The men holding them wore matching military uniforms, though. No badges I’ve ever seen before. Army probably? But they weren’t following any official protocol I can think of. Anyway, one of the women on her knees was crying and a soldier kept shouting at her to shut up. When she doesn’t, the soldier just walks behind her with his pistol out. That’s when I realize he’s going to execute these people on their knees, without even a trial!

“Without thinking, I had my camera up, clicking away. The guy presses the barrel of his gun into the back of her head. She screams. A gunshot cuts through her cries, POP! But she’s still screaming. It’s the soldier with the gun who crumples. Then POP POP POP POP and all these crazy soldiers drop like ragdolls. The people on their knees look around in shock.

“My camera’s still snapping away when four people walk over to the group, weapons lowered. No uniforms. They’re wearing everyday clothes, but they’ve got all this high-tech gear. I think I saw glowing orange watches or wristbands. No idea who they were. They made sure the civilians were unharmed, then helped them to their feet and hustled them away.

“By the time I thought about following them, they were already gone. All I can say is, whoever they were, they saved seven innocent lives. And I have the photos to prove it.”

Jerry ​| Rioter

“Early on after the virus hit, I was working security in midtown. It was great. We’re talkin’ double, triple pay. At first cops were everywhere, the Army too. But then people start acting like animals, burning buildings down, sick people in the streets, covered in nasty sores… So I was like, screw this. Keep your triple pay, I’m out. But they quarantined the city. No getting out. We’re trapped.

“Me and some buddies started breaking into apartments. Gotta eat, right? Most of the places were empty, or else, you know. Not alive. This one place, though. A couple was still living there. They seemed nice or whatever, normal people. We just wanted food, right? And they’re like ‘no.’ No? We’re starving, gimme a friggin’ break! Some words are spoken, the guy lunges, it’s crazy, next thing I know, he’s on the ground, the woman’s screaming… It was self-defense, right? I never shot nobody before that. They should’ve just given us their food.

“That’s just how it is now, that’s the reality. Law of the jungle.”

Neil ​| JTF

“I was running toward a riot on Sixth Avenue. Parts of Manhattan, it’s like being in a canyon, everything echoes. So I’m hearing screams and gunfire like they’re coming from everywhere at once. As I’m running, I trip over something in the street. Takes me a second to realize it’s a child, maybe five or six. I remember the sunlight reflecting off her little earrings. She’s not moving, but I notice she’s still breathing. Can’t see any sores, and they gave us facemasks, so I bend down to pick her up.

“Never saw him coming. Blindsided. I hit the ground hard, felt a rib crack, my chest was burning and I couldn’t breathe. Guy standing over me with a pistol inches from my face. Everything got slower and sharper. He was wearing a prison uniform under his coat. I could count each scratch on the barrel of his gun, the frost and dirt in his beard. I thought about my wife and kids in Yonkers, who I hadn’t seen in weeks.

“When he fell, my first thought was he fainted. But then these other guys surround me, check me for injuries, and help me to my feet. They seemed like they were with JTF, but they had earpieces and some kind of orange smart watches I never saw before. Anyway they checked me out, loaded me and the girl into an ambulance, and then ran off toward the riot. Wish I could find out who they were and thank them for my life, for that little girl’s life, for my family. But I never saw ’em again. I just know I’m grateful.”

Jen ​| Division Agent

“My unit and I found a sixteen-year-old living in the streets, dead of winter. The virus had taken his whole family. We brought him in, gave him a home at the CERA operating base inside the Green Zone. The poor kid had nobody, so he latched onto me and followed me around while I talked to the medical people, the support staff, JTF. My background is engineering, so I was advising the base on infrastructure and support. He sponged it all right up. Even started volunteering around the camp. Bright kid. But after my unit hit the field again, I heard he disappeared from the base. What a shame.

“A few weeks later, we get intel on a black market ring peddling a fake vaccine on the street. We set up a sting, and I led the assault team to take the sellers down. Flashbangs go off, the smoke clears… suddenly I’m staring down the barrel of my ACR at the kid. He’d stolen HAZMAT suits and supplies from CERA to look official, and he was using all the lingo he’d picked up shadowing me to fool the civilians.

“The second he saw me, he burst into tears. I had a tough call: I could bring him to a detention center, and the way things are these days, who knows what happens to him. Or I could give him a second chance.

“Everyone deserves a second chance.

“That was a few weeks back. Today I found out he’s hooked up with an EMT unit, going out with mobile search and rescue teams on our side. I’ve been smiling all day. It feels good to make the right call.”

Akin ​| Division Agent

“We had one situation where an angry mob took a U.N. worker hostage. Some fool convinced them the U.N. deliberately released the virus to impose martial law and take over. Got ’em so worked up, they were gonna execute the poor guy right there in the street. My unit responds, ready to rock, got our sniper in position. Right before we go hot, I make the call: stand down. I just got a gut feeling.

“I lay my DMR down and step out of cover. At first they were ready to tear me limb from limb, but I talked to their leader, calmed him down. Found out his daughter went missing from a field hospital near the U.N. That’s what pushed him over the edge. So I called it into the Division, they put out the word to CERA and JTF, and we found out his daughter’s still alive, she’d just been transferred to a new location. Simple paperwork mix up. When I told him that, he collapsed into my arms. The mob released the hostage to us and dispersed. No one was hurt.

“A lot of what we’re doing out here isn’t just combat. We fight against rumors and lies, against people blaming innocent people for their problems rather than working together to make things better. It’s easy to get cynical, to give in to fear and anger.

“And that’s the point. The Division doesn’t do easy. We do what’s right.”

Dylan ​| Rioter

“My mom was the last of my family to go. Took her to that field hospital they set up in Madison Square Garden, but they just stuck her in a bed, didn’t do nothing for her. People were stealing jewelry and stuff from the sick and dying. Right under the cops noses! So I took her wedding ring off, and then I walked out to Eighth Avenue. Walked for hours. It got dark and cold. I kept walking. All I could think was ‘why am I the one who lives?’

“Then I saw a cop arresting a guy in the street. I don’t know why, but I lost it. I jumped the cop. Hit him and hit him until the skin on my knuckles shredded. Took his car. Guess I thought I could drive through the lockdown. But just before the bridge, this dude came out of nowhere and I crashed the car. There was police coming from the bridge so I ran up the embankment into Riverside Park. Wasn’t until I was like fifty blocks away, I realized I lost mom’s ring. It was probably in the cop car but I couldn’t go back. That ring was all I had left of her.

Been talking to some guys who lost people at Madison Square, too. Somebody said it’s more like a graveyard than a hospital. You know what? He’s right. They don’t care about us. But we’re gonna show ’em what’s up. We won’t be treated like cattle or pushed around no more.”

Amos ​| LMB

“I saw some messed up stuff in Afghanistan. But this? I don’t even know what to say… Couple weeks back, we were handing out food and medicine and, for some reason, coloring books with no crayons, by the way. Just the books. Whatever. Orders are orders. Everything’s going fine until this armed group of civilians shows up and starts muscling in, taking everything for themselves. Only we’re not allowed to engage without approval from central command, so our LT calls it in. The word comes down: do not engage. I watched a dude covered in prison ink rip food from the arms of a little girl so violently he broke her wrist. She was crying and he laughed , yo! But we sat on our hands because some pencil-pushing wuss back in the Green Zone said so.

“It only got worse from there. One stupid, pointless mission after another. So we decided, if the Joint Task Force don’t have the guts to restore law and order, we’ll do it ourselves. Screw the JTF. We’re making the new rules of engagement real easy: if we don’t like what you’re doing, you can stop doing it or get yourself shot. And if anyone wants to challenge us on that point, come get some. ‘Cause our guns are bigger than yours, and we got more of ’em. Simple as that.”

Hanno & Magda ​| Civilians

“We came from Berlin to celebrate Christmas and New Years when everything went crazy. At first, we hid in the hotel while Hanno was sick; he was covered head to toe with sores. Eventually, what little food I could scavenge from the restaurant and minibars ran out. The last few nights, I was afraid to leave our room. I started hearing gunshots, constant shouting, even explosions, every night, closer and closer. Then I heard them inside our hotel. Whoever they were, their voices were rough, cruel. I held Hanno’s hand, tried to keep us both very quiet, and prayed they would not find us. Eventually they left, but I knew they’d be back, and if we were still here, they’d kill us… or worse.

“We had to run, but when I tried to get Hanno up, he was too weak. I couldn’t leave him, so we stayed hidden together. Then one night, just as I feared, the violent men, gangsters are whatever they were, returned. I thought it was the end for us. There was more shooting in the halls than I had ever heard before, it went on for hours. Then it was quiet. I heard a voice asking, ‘is anyone here, does anyone need help?’ He didn’t sound like the gangsters, so I took a risk and called out. When he responded, I knew our prayers were answered.

“The people who rescued us had no uniforms, but they acted like soldiers. One of them was a doctor and he looked after Hanno. They gave us food and water. Tomorrow they will take us out of this nightmare, to a safe camp on the other side of the city. We could not have done it alone. I don’t know who they are. But I know they saved our lives.”