by Max Masen
Chapter 3:
Where'd It All Go?
When I woke up, I found myself in the backseat of a small car. The spot where my arm should have been was covered with cloths. The blood seeped through and onto the car seats. Chuck was driving and Levi sat next to him quietly. They hadn't realized I woke up.
“Where are we going?” I asked. “We agreed we wouldn't drive! The drones can see us too easily!”
I was still weak and tired; everything on my body was sore.
“If you want to live then we have to get you to the nearest town quickly,” Chuck said.
I ignored Chuck's response because he was right and I couldn't admit it. I then turned to Levi and examined his stoic expression.
“Levi, how are you doing, buddy?” I asked.
He didn't respond and he sat very still. I waited a few more moments for an answer but none came.
“Turns out the kid having a gun saved your life,” Chuck said to me. “We all need to be prepared.”
“Alright, alright. He can keep it for now,” I said. I wasn’t proud to admit that Levi had saved me using the gun, but I couldn’t deny its usefulness.
“Good. We all had a close one back there,” Chuck remarked.
“Yeah, I thought you were dead, Chuck.”
“He couldn't kill me,” Chuck said laughing. “I triggered one of his traps that shot me with some kind of dart. Had me out cold for a little while. He was probably using that to keep the meat fresh for when he was going to eat me.”
“That's messed up, man,” I said with a shiver.
“Don't think about it too much,” Chuck said back. He took his eyes off of the road for a moment to look in the mirror, carefully eying me in the back. I couldn’t tell whether or not he was concerned about me.
I tried to lean up farther but a sharp pain shot through my back and forced me back down. I had to recognize what I was and was not capable of now. I hated the feeling of being incompetent. That was what I would have to look forward to from that moment on.
I looked at the back of Levi’s head helplessly. I was still his protector but I had no strength. He saved me from one of the worst demises imaginable. The roles had been reversed and I paid a large price to learn that.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Somewhere in Ohio. All the road signs are gone. It looks like someone's trying to make sure the people passing through get lost,” Chuck replied.
“I thought we were heading through Indiana next.” I said.
“Too many government outposts. This is safer,” Chuck declared. “Just get your rest. You'll need it. It might be a while before we come in contact with anyone.”
“I'm fine,” I said. “I wanna stay awake until we get to the next city.”
I fell asleep within five minutes and woke up to the sight of tall buildings an hour later. It was night by the time we reached Columbus, Ohio. The signs leading to the city were gone. All road signs in the city had also disappeared.
“So, we're passing through here, right?” I asked, concerned that we might be staying instead of going through it.
“You need medical attention,” Chuck said as he drove through the streets. “There's gotta be someone around here.” His voice was determined; he was not ready to let me die and I respected that. No, I appreciated that.
“This entire place is abandoned,” I said back.
“It's a big city. We'll find someone.”
We kept driving for half of an hour. There was no signs of life in the entire city. Chuck was starting to lose hope. The expression on his face showed he was growing tired. He knew I needed help but that I might not get it there.
“What are we gonna do?” I asked softly.
“We might have to keep moving,” Chuck said regrettably.
“Let's just keep going,” I said.
“Dustin, we're gonna have to talk about that,” Chuck insisted.
“We don't have to discuss anything,” I retorted. I was not ready to talk about the loss of my arm. Or, more to the point, the implications of my missing arm.
“You're not gonna last. We cauterized it as best as we could but I'm sure you're still losing a lot of blood. You might have an infection,” Chuck said back. “If you die...”
“I'll be fine!” I choked out.
He was right. I was losing blood and I felt weak. The cloths were soaked in my blood. I didn't know how long I'd have without help. I wanted someone to watch over Levi in case anything did happen to me. It looked like that would have to be Chuck. I didn't always get along with him, but I trusted him with Levi. He cared for him, and I could see that.
“Chuck, you're gonna have to take Levi to the Hyena outpost. Make sure he's safe.” I didn’t want to say that, but I had no choice. It was the most logical option we had.
“It was just a what-if scenario,” Chuck said uneasily. “You might be fine.”
“You're gonna be fine!” Levi cried out. “Stop talking like that!”
I was taken aback. Levi hadn't spoken the whole ride. I didn't realize what I was saying was destroying what little hope he had left. I felt terrible. I suddenly discerned what everything that we've been through was doing to him.
“He's right,” I declared. “I will be fine. Nothing's gonna happen to me.”
“Guys, we have bigger problems,” Chuck said with a scared visage.
Chuck slammed down on the gas pedal as hard as he could. The wheels attempted to get traction and finally jerked us forward. We looked through the back window and saw a drone flying overhead. It started shooting missiles around our car.
Chuck drove quickly but the drone caught up too easily. He attempted to evade it by driving sporadically and going down side streets. Nonetheless, the drone flew overhead, casting a shadow over us. It let up a little and shot a missile at the back of the car which exploded one of the back tires. We spun out and landed on the curb.
I moved frantically to get the car door unlocked and opened. Fear set in and my hand began moving around sporadically. I couldn't control it. I just kept yelling for help from Chuck. He was already out of the car. The drone circled overhead; it was making another pass. I yelled but Chuck was helping Levi. I was shaking uncontrollably. It's okay. Let it happen. Levi will be safe with Chuck. The drone was turning around and making its way back toward us. Chuck opened my door and pulled me out. He was carrying Levi and dragging me. He took both of us into a building with a broken-down door.
I was still shaky but I went to Levi after Chuck set him down on the ground. He was unconscious. I had let him down again. I couldn't handle the fear that Levi would die because I couldn't help him like I was supposed to.
“We made it,” Chuck said exhausted.
“We haven't made it anywhere!” I yelled.
I grabbed Chuck's gun from his holster and gripped his hand with it. I put it to my forehead and motioned for him to pull the trigger.
“Do it while he's out!” I screamed. “I'm a burden now. That drone is gonna keep coming. You won't make it with me alive.” My hand was moving around uncontrollably. I had no intention of dying, nor did I want to, but I was finally thinking of the betterment of the others. I truly felt that they could not have made it out of the situation unless I was out of the picture.
“That's what you want?” Chuck asked, acknowledging that what I was saying was true.
“Yes,” I said definitively. “I feel weak. I can't keep going like this.”
“We need you for the resistance, though,” Chuck said uneasily. I still am unsure whether or not he felt he could have done it. Sure, the two of us didn’t have the greatest track record of getting along, but murder was different.
“Give a dying man his final request,” I replied. “Forget about my role in all of this. This is what I want.”
“Alright,” Chuck said unwillingly. “This is for Levi.”
Chuck brought the pistol to rest on my forehead and held it sternly. He clasped the trigger
, but couldn't bring himself to pull it. His hand started to shake.
“Don't move!” an outside voice commanded.
We looked to the side of the room and a stranger wearing a gas mask had entered. He held an assault rifle and aimed it at Chuck. He motioned for Chuck to get down on the ground and hand over the gun. Chuck complied and the stranger walked up to me. He searched me over and proceeded to frisk me.
“You bastard! We finally have you. We finally did it! We’re gonna end this!” He sounded excited, happy to have found me. “We’re going to kill you. You know that? We’re gonna have you put to death for what you’ve done!”
“Sounds good, but there's just a brief waiting period,” I said sarcastically. “Actually, if you give this gentleman the gun back, he'll save you the trouble.” I motioned for him to give Chuck the gun back.
“You're all coming in,” he said. “We've been waiting a very long time. Seven years, to be exact!”
The stranger grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. He then motioned for Chuck to follow as well. He looked at Levi and examined him. Chuck then told the stranger that Levi had died in the drone attack. The stranger decided not to press it further and allowed Levi's body to stay there.
He led us through the building. We went down the stairs that seemed to have no end to them. Holding the rifle to our backs, he insisted we hurry. He even hit us on our backs a few times with the butt of his firearm to motivate us to keep moving.
We came to the bottom of the staircase to a gold door. The stranger told me to open it. I adhered and twisted the doorknob slowly. I wasn't anxious to see what was on the other side. I wasn't scared anymore though; I acknowledged that our problems would grow.
I was worried for Levi more than anything. He was hopefully still alive, but I was afraid for when he woke up. The drone was still circling the area and Levi was alone.
We walked through the door and found an extravagant party taking place. It looked like the party a rich family would have before the war. Women were in long, flowing dresses while the men wore fancy tuxedos. Smiles were on all of the participants' faces as they drank, ate, and danced.
The people had moved underground like in many other places. Many of the rich people throughout the country must have been transplanted here when the war started. They had a seemingly never-ending supply of food and water; they even had enough alcoholic beverages to last them this long.
If only the rest of the country could see how these people were living still. This was one of the reasons the war was started. The wealth had fallen too far into the hands of the people who were already rich. It appeared that nothing had changed.
“You're the guests of honor,” the stranger remarked to us.
He lifted off his gas mask and looked at us. He was wearing a suit like many of the other men in the room. His black hair was parted and all facial hair had been removed. He was very clean and looked at us with content.
“Benny, get over here!” he yelled to another well-dressed man.
Benny approached us and looked us up and down. He smiled and shook hands with us.
“I'm Benny,” he said to us with a wide smile on his face. “I'm in charge around here. We've been waiting for this moment for seven years.”
“Actually, we were just stopping by. We need to get going,” I said uneasily.
I looked to Chuck, who was staring at the two men in front of us with his head low, but his eyes never diverting from the two. He was upset, discouraged. Defeated.
“Ha!” the first stranger laughed. “You'll be here for a while. We just need to keep you until the government shows up.”
“And then?” I eyed Benny, scanning him.
“And then you die,” the man with the gas mask said arrogantly.
“Don't be rude to our guests,” Benny chimed in.
“Looks like your wish is granted,” Chuck said hopelessly to me. “You didn't have to drag me down with you, though.”
“We were always a team: You, me, Levi, and Dave,” I replied with remorse in my voice.
The stranger and Benny pushed us forward into the heart of the party where two gold cages were. They rested on the ground and Benny proceeded to open them. He still had a smug smile on his face and looked right into my eyes knowingly. I knew what he was planning and he knew that I knew.
“String 'em up and hang them for show!” Benny said enthusiastically.
The stranger proceeded to push us into the cages with his rifle. He bashed Chuck aggressively with the firearm after he refused to enter the enclosed space. Chuck isn't going to like this. I don't either but what choice do I have? I'm drained of energy and what was left of my resolve was left back in another state. Everything that happens now must be fate.
“I'm not getting in there,” Chuck said softly.
“Get in,” the stranger replied sternly.
“I'm not getting in there just for you to parade me around like some kind of trophy,” Chuck asserted.
“Trust me, you’re no trophy,” the man said jokingly. He lifted his glass and swished around its contents.
The tension was rising quickly.
“Just get in,” I said to Chuck, fearing for his life. They're gonna kill him.
“You can get in and be their little puppet like you've always been. I'm a man and I won't allow this to happen,” Chuck uttered to me with a sense of pride. He held his head high.
“You'll get in or your corpse will,” the stranger said to Chuck. “Your choice. I'll wait.”
“I refuse.” Chuck had made up his mind. Nothing was going to change the inevitable.
“Very well,” the stranger responded happily.
The stranger motioned for armed men standing in the corner to come forward. They made their way through the party and the room grew quiet. They grabbed Chuck's arms and dragged him through the room and out the door. Please no! Chuck, why can’t you just comply? I can't do this without you. Why are you so thick-skulled?! Gunshots were heard and a few gasps echoed in the room. A moment passed and the people were back to drinking and dancing as if nothing had happened. I was next.
“And you said you'd do what I said?” the stranger said to me with a grin.
“Yeah,” I replied. I was feeling disheartened. Nothing I could do was going to affect the situation. I was powerless.
The stranger pushed me into the cage and I fell on my rear. I looked back up at him as he continued to smile menacingly. He closed the door on me and hoisted the cage high into the air for the whole room to see me. I was their prize. I was their puppet. I had let Chuck down. I had let Levi down. I was a failure.
The music was still blaring and all of the old people in the room continued to dance and drink. Drink and dance. Dance and drink. It was never-ending and I was caught up in the middle of it. I watched as one larger woman was being twirled by a skinny, frail man and she proceeded to fall on the floor after losing her balance. She laughed and I couldn't help but laugh too. I was laughing at her expense but she was laughing because she was having fun. I had to keep reminding myself that these were the people that the resistance was fighting. I believed in the cause at that moment more than I ever had but I still had the sense that these people weren't evil. I knew I wasn't evil, but these people felt like I was because of what I had forced their lives to become. I wanted to tell them the truth. I wanted to tell everyone the truth. The war would be over and Levi would be safe. Why didn't I tell them? I should have told them. I should have told them!
I woke up and the room was dark. Footsteps were audible and the light from a flashlight could be seen. The resistance had come. I hoped they had come. Maybe it was the government coming to kill me in my sleep or maybe Benny was back to finish the job. The reality was somewhere in between.
Benny came up to my cage. He was alone and moved cautiously. He continuously looked behind him and appeared nervous. He opened the cage and attempted to say something. Before he could ge
t any words out, I had tackled him and began pounding on his face with my one arm. This didn't last long as he grabbed my hand and pushed me off with his other. He put me into a headlock on the ground and forced me to hear him out.
“I'm with the resistance!” Benny screamed to me. “I'm here to get you out!”
Nothing he was saying was getting through because of my anger. The memory of Chuck was still freshly imprinted on my mind. Of all the people at the party, he was my least favorite. Even the stranger that ordered the execution of Chuck hadn't arisen the kind of anger I felt for the smug face of Benny.
“No!” I screamed back.
“I'm gonna pick you up now,” he said smoothly. “Try not to attack me.”
His smugness had disappeared and he now appeared a normal human. He lifted me to my feet and I looked at him with a new perspective. I suddenly saw a flash of Chuck's face before my eyes and I went to strike Benny with my arm. He ducked and punched me in the stomach. I was immediately on the floor in pain and he bent down to help. He apologized many times but I still wanted to get up and take another shot at him.
“The great Marley? Here in front of me?” he asked himself in admiration.
“Not so great, but yeah,” I replied. “How did you get here?”
“The resistance has agents in many of the government outposts. I'm surprised you don't know about me,” Benny said.
“Don't flatter yourself,” I said back. “I don't know a lot of things.”
“I'm starting to get that sense,” Benny remarked. “Nonetheless, I'm here to help. How did you find yourself all the way out here?”
“The outpost I had been living at was bombed. I had no choice but to go on the run and find another one,” I explained.
“You mustn't go out there by yourself,” Benny said with concern. “After we exit here, I will escort you.”
“That's sweet, but the one who was escorting me before was murdered... by you.”
“It wasn't me. Even if I had to be the one to give the order, I would have. Your friend was being obstinate and he would have blown my cover if the order wasn't given or if I had run to his aid. He was stubborn and deserved what he got.” Benny’s words were cold, calculated. He knew what he had to do to stay alive in this world. That much I could tell. Maybe he did know how to keep me alive, I thought.
“Sure, sure,” I said in slight discomfort.
I was attempting to hobble to the door with Benny as I stumbled and fell. He looked down to me and examined my arm. He looked at me with a deep interest and unraveled the cloths on my arm. He looked back at my face with a terrified expression.
“What's wrong?” I asked.
“An infection is starting,” he replied. “You won't last long without medical help. We'll get you to an outpost and see what can be done.”
“Sounds good,” I said back. “Now help me up.”
Benny put the cloths back on and helped me to my feet. He put my arm on his shoulder and helped me through the doors. Two men in suits walked down the stairs and saw the sight of Benny helping me up. They looked at us in horror and froze for a moment. Benny revealed a revolver and shot the two of them. A moment later an alarm was triggered.
“Great! Now what?!” I yelled.
“I'm thinking! Keep screaming in my ear and I'll leave you here, Stumpy.” Benny said back. He began snapping his fingers, searching around the room to come up with an idea. We needed a plan and quick.
We ran to the stairs and began climbing. We made it up seven flights of stairs and footsteps ascending up the stairs could be heard that were moving rapidly and with purpose behind us. They were coming for us.
“Benny, let's go!” I yelled. I was becoming too heavy for him to hold up on his shoulder.
“I don't see you helping here, Stumpy!” Benny yelled back.
“Well, have we thought of anything?!” I was hoping he had finally come up with an idea that he had promised me he was capable of.
“Uh, yeah. There's only one thing I can think of,” Benny said with a shortage of air as he continued to run upstairs.
“And?” I asked somewhat enthusiastically. “Don't hold out!”
“Well, we, uh, we have a tank,” he said. “We're gonna take the tank.”
“And you know how to drive it?” I asked.
“I was a tank commander, actually,” he replied. “It's my tank. It's getting to it that's the problem.”
We pushed on and went down a hallway. Benny was starting to grow weak from having to carry me. I looked at his expression and knew he wanted to drop me. He was doing this for the revolution; he wasn't doing it for me.
“Benny, leave me,” I said as he continued to haul me.
“Don't be crazy, Stumpy,” he said in reply.
“No, Benny, leave me,” I said. “We're not both going to get out of this. I can't even see the tank yet.”
“I'm not leaving without you,” he said. “Then it would all be pointless. Just keep quiet and let me do all the work.”
Men ran down the hallway and began firing at Benny and I. They were moving much faster than us and were quickly catching up to us. Benny was becoming worried. He made a quick turn down a hallway and threw me to the ground. He pulled out a pistol and held tight to the wall for cover.
“This is it, mate,” Benny said to me.
“What?” I asked surprised. “What about the tank?”
“We can't get to it from here. There's too many of them.”
Benny took a few shots from around the corner without looking. He was hoping to keep the attackers at bay. He didn't appear hopeless; I was just starting to believe he didn't have a hopeless expression to utilize.
“Three shots left,” he uttered to me.
“Then what?” I asked.
Benny didn't respond; he continued scanning the area. He looked around the corner and the wall was bombarded by bullets. Benny returned his head unscathed and proceeded to shoot another bullet. He looked at me and still had a smirk on his face. I couldn't believe it. I had never seen a man face death with a smile. He put his gun around the corner and fired the last two rounds.
“How many are left?” I asked.
“Does it really matter?!” he replied. “We're already dead.”
“Man, how do you do that? How do you keep smiling like that? Aren't you scared?” I was screaming by this point. I was surprised we could even hear each other over the barrage of bullets.
Benny was about to respond, but was cut off when we heard a distinct gunshot. It sounded again and we peered around the corner. The men who were chasing us were on the ground dead. Levi stood over them with his pistol in hand; he must have snuck up on them. Benny and I ran up to Levi. I was about to thank him but I had to think twice about rewarding him for killing.
“Levi, how did you know they were chasing us?” I asked.
“I didn't,” he replied.
“Guys, no time for that,” Benny said in a panic.
Benny was staring out the window and saw the drone making a pass. It fired at the base of the building and the entire complex came tumbling down. I grabbed Levi and held onto a pillar. Benny held onto a pillar parallel to us. The building came crashing down.
We pored through the rubble and found each other after the climactic end to the building.
The men were still looking for us as we could hear their voices. Benny urged us to get up and keep moving through the rubble.
“I can lead us through the underground until we get to the next city and away from that drone,” Benny said to us.
Chapter 4:
At What Cost?
