LAND of the FREE (A Dystopian Society in a Post-Apocalyptic America) (Mystical Slayers Book 1)

by Michael W. Huard

  There was always some stiff or mature woman at a party like this who would find interest in the black sheep. Low and behold, a mixed race dude called Moon, who was half Caucasian and half black, took a fancy to Blu. He was wearing a full length, dark chocolate brown pant suit, and the front of his hair was highlighted by a streak of yellowish blond, which was puffy and slightly raised. He offered the wildcat a drink, some drugs, and soon escorted her to a room on the lower level of the tower. Wynne had lost sight of Blu in the first few minutes of the party, which had not been part of the plan. "Stick together," she had repeated to Blu throughout the entire walk to the towering hotel.

  "Let us head to a more, shall I say, entertaining area," Moon said, while leading Blu to a lower level of the grand building.

  Wynne, on the other hand, made her way to Wycliffe. She needed to be introduced to the arms seller. The blond party host hugged her and actually tried to kiss her on the lips, which Wynne immediately spun her head away from. She turned back to the host with a fake smile, "I was hoping you could introduce me to your friend who we spoke about last week?"

  The more than slightly-buzzed host grinned at her and whispered in her ear, "I will tell you after I fuck you, my dear!"

  Wynne took his advance in her stride. She whispered back to him, "Maybe later, but right now I need you to introduce me, stud man."

  Her host frowned and took her hand, dragging her to the far end of the room, "I'll be looking for you later, young lady," he blurted out.

  They reached an area where a conversation was taking place between two couples. The women were decked out in tight fitting, crushed-velvet maroon clothing and had some serious enhancements. The men, perhaps in their fifties, looked the part of businessmen. All four turned to look at Wycliffe and Wynne as they approached the group.

  Introductions were made, and Wynne learned a few things as the conversation went on. The ladies were there as companions, not lovers or wives. Not that anyone was married these days. The entire party was more about hooking up or having fun with whoever was game.

  The arms dealer was named Barlow. He was fit and tall with salt and pepper feathered hair, and not at all what Wynne expected. He was actually all business and didn't even try to sneak her off for other aspirations. They stepped aside and discussed a deal. One which was made in less than twenty minutes. Post-deal, Barlow did then ask the young Mystical Slayer for another meeting, perhaps under different circumstances, a more private get together. If a deal could be finalized, Wynne felt good enough to agree, even though she probably wouldn't show up. Wynne's agreement satisfied him enough that a deal was reached for a delivery first thing in the morning. However, her new sales partner would not let her leave without first, a drink from the bar, and second, one round of cards at a nearby table. She would be his beautiful lucky charm, he had told her proudly. He easily discarded his previous date for the night, at least for the time being. The new couple walked into the gambling area. The game lasted longer than expected, more drinks were sipped as money changed hands, and the party roared on.

  Meanwhile, Blu and her companion, Moon, had made their way to another floor. The entire floor chamber was all about the dancing and drinking, and drugs were passed about to all the guests. The man in the dark chocolate suit asked Blu to dance and lead her to the stage area. The music was being played by a live band, and their sound had a sexual, grinding rhythm to it.

  Blu loved to party, and she drank with the best of them. The two raved, snorted coke, and took pills to enhance the vibe. After several songs, Moon led Blu to another side room. The orgy room.

  Blu was all for fun. But not on someone else's terms. It seemed that this Moon fellow was serving her up as some sort of deviant girl-toy. Nude bodies, both male and female, moved towards her as soon as they entered the room. She backed off. Moon pushed her into the crowd of reaching arms. She rebelled, "Let me go! This is too much, too soon . . . I did not ask for this!" she insisted. The drugs, the drink, and the smell of sex all tried to engulf her.

  Moon shoved her forward. "Relax, you know you want this," he encouraged her, "Let's party!"

  The thick-bladed bowie knife Blu had hidden away in her high boot flashed out in her hand. The music was loud and her head was spinning, but the blade was ready. The horrified guests stepped back, as did Moon. He tried to calm her. "Put that down, chill out, that's a good girl." He did not convince her.

  Blu was a warrior laced with drugs. She was being pushed too quickly to do something she had not asked for. "Leave me alone, let me be," she cried out, her knife now pointing to anyone who came into her space. The guests looked upset and the music stopped. Half naked men and women reached for their weapons. Everything felt like a nightmare. Moon grabbed at her, he twisted her arm, and tried to take the knife from her.

  Blu rolled her arm free and instinctively cut him across his hand. Others moved towards her. One man had a pointed sword, which had been previously disguised as a cane. He attempted to skewer her in the shoulder with it. Blu leaned left, reversed the grip on her knife, and slid it across his throat. The next attack came from a woman who threw a hand axe at Blu. She dodged it and watched as it sunk into a nearby wall.

  "Woahhhhh," the Mystical Slayer shouted out, almost amused by the sudden chaos, and now jacked up even more. "You guys want to fuckin' dance with me? Let’s rock and fuckin' roll."

  Moon yelled for the patrons to stop, but two more came at the blue haired woman with knives in their hands. A hardwood club of some sort came crashing down towards Blu, directed at her skull. She crouched under the swing, riding up again and embedding her knife in some guy’s throat. A second female attacker shot a crossbow bolt from the other side of the room and into Blu's leg. Luckily, her high leather boot shielded the hit and she only felt a short spike of pain. People were now bolting out of the chamber through side doors and away from the fighting. The woman with the crossbow also fled. Just as Blu thought everything was beginning to settle down, out of nowhere, a cat-like creature jumped down from the ceiling rafters. Blu was not sure what this thing was. A man? A woman? Or maybe even a robot? It looked like a cat-man with a shaggy brown mane around its face and sharp teeth, which were now on show and attacking the blue haired woman. Its hands were sprouting large claws and it hissed at Blu while pouncing at her. Blu thought to stab it, but she was too late. They tumbled to the floor and grappled. The cat thing got on top of Blu and snatched down to bite her neck. She drove the beast's head to the side with all her weight and rolled the creature off of her. Blu, now on top, began to rain punches down on the creature's face, over and over. It grabbed her around the waist and rolled the Slayer girl off. They both landed sideways and scrambled to get the upper hand on the ground.

  The cat-man, now up on its knees, hissed again and clawed forward at Blu's face. The well trained Mystical Slayer brought both her elbows and hands close in to her body to deflect the attack, and drove a spearing elbow into the beast's jaw bone. The impact stunned the cat, giving Blu enough time to get up and launch a round kick into the creature's front leg, spinning it about in pain. Blu leapt in the air and raged at the creature's head with a flying, downward axe, Muay Thai elbow. The feline creature span about one last time and hit the floor. Out cold.

  Moon was nowhere to be seen. Only a few semi-naked orgy goers now looked at her. "Rahhhhhhhhh," she screamed, taunting them with her weapon. "You want me? Here I am!" No one came forward. The band on the stage stood silent in shock. No one moved.

  Blu ran out of the room, up a flight of stairs, and found Wynne on the top level. "We've got to get out of here," she said, quickly grabbing her sister and pulling at her to find an exit.

  As the two sisters attempted their escape, a fleet of remote control toy trucks blocked their path and opened fire. Wycliffe and a few of his buddies had the remotes in their hands, and everyone in the room ran for cover as they triggered missiles at the women. The on target missiles did not hurt the women. They were both hit, but th
ey only suffered a dull sting. The men cried out, with Wycliffe's voice the loudest, "Die, naughty girls, die or surrender!" Neither of the Q-Jin wasted any time contemplating this silly game and darted through the nearest exit door. They left the tower without looking back.

  The two sisters ran down a dark street and disappeared into the night. Wynne knew something had happened with Blu, but was too afraid to ask. Blu was now running that fast, it would be impossible to even try to get into a conversation with her anyway.

  After a long sprint, they finally reached their flying machine, and Wynne decided to ask Blu for answers. "What the hell was that all about? What happened?"

  Blu rolled her neck, "Listen, Winnie baby, nobody takes advantage of me unless I say so. They were all naked and pawing at me. So . . . I fucked them up. I think I killed a few," Blu laughed.

  Wynne was dumbfounded. "Blu, I made a good deal in there! That was the whole point of tonight, we needed the guns." Blu started the sky hummer's engine. Wynne reached out to stop her hand, "Are you okay to fly this?"

  "Nope," Blu laughed, "but auto pilot will fly us home."

  The hummer rose up with a zoom and took off back to New York, the Mystical Slayers' city homestead.

  Word in New York announced there would be no battle in underground Boston. There was relief for the time being, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

  ***

  A trip for the spirit.

  Today was unlike any other day for several people gathered together in the heart of South Carolina. The region was one the Corporation had their hands on only lightly. Some of the oldest plantation houses in existence were still here. Most had been rebuilt several times, but the ideal still stood. Even an old fort, which settled out on the ocean in Charlestown, was part of the gathering's background.

  But today was not about forts, war, or even the sea. The years had not been kind to the surrounding area. Through the wreckage and destruction, the land, trees, and life itself was pretty much wiped out.

  A short woman wearing glasses, a light brown skirt, and a yellow blouse took the stand in front of a decent sized crowd. The sun was out today, the smells of the ocean drifted through the crowd, and the air had a freshness about it.

  "Through the great efforts of our entire team, we are so very proud to be part of this restoration project, and the planting of thousands of trees, here in our beloved city. The entire park is a place for all to come and find solace. To all that have donated their time and money for the benches, artwork, fences, plants, and trees, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." The woman then announced today's special guest.

  "We are honored on this beautiful afternoon by a very special guest. A huge proponent of nature and tree population, Dr. Jansa Davin." The gathering of people applauded the guest. Most already knew the woman, not only for her efforts with nature in a somewhat destroyed land, but also for her knowledge and extraordinary research into the curing of cancer. It was years ago, but everyone still remembered .

  The bubbly, curly-haired blond took to the platform. She was young for her pedigree, very pretty, fit, and swift. She wore a flowing, light-green dress for the occasion. Her neckline was open, brandishing a large oval pendant of various colors of pink, blue, and orange swirls.

  Unknown to her awaiting audience, the woman was a member of an elite sisterhood. She was a Mystical Slayer, a freedom fighter, and a throwback to days of old. She was in all her glory giving back to the land. It was a prerogative of hers and her sisters in a world which had gone somewhat nuts. No one cared much for the health of the planet in these times of hardship. But she did, and it felt great to speak to the crowd.

  "Thank you all so much for having me here today," she announced. "It brings me great joy to have come this far and to have helped make a difference to the environment." She then left her stand and walked out into the audience. The onlookers were surprised, but it did not stop her from going up and down the aisles, shaking hands and giving tons of hugs to every person who came near. Jansa believed a hug was the greatest form of healing, and she made sure she gave plenty out today.

  After sharing hugs with most of her audience, she returned to the front. "I want you all to know I truly believe nature heals, and beyond that, it reduces mental fatigue which a lot of people, and machines, have no knowledge of."

  The crowd seemed to agree and were very interested in the young woman's speech and presentation. Though mostly made up of women, a few men were also here, and unlike the city areas, Jansa didn't spot any bots or cyborgs in the vicinity.

  "Trees are the biggest plants on the planet. They give a home to the world’s wildlife. Trees absorb pollutant gases and filter harmful particles out of the air. They give us all a better, healthier way of living."

  She paused, flipping her long, blond bangs from swirling about her face in the wind. "Trees create an ecosystem which provides a habitat and food for birds and animals. Everything about these beautiful, giant plants makes this world a better place. With trees, we get food, shade from the sun when needed, and above all else, we get cleaner air. One tree can provide about two hundred and sixty pounds of breathable, cleaner air every year. Acres of these trees, planted by us today, will create a living miracle in our region for generations to come."

  The crowd listened and learned, excited to start planting and shaping up the entire park area. It gave them all hope. Hope was something the women of Jansa's sisterhood were dealers in. They were hope bringers. Jansa smiled.

  "Your staff have done a tremendous job here with limited resources and I applaud them so very much. I am also very happy to contribute to this worthy cause. I’m ready to do my part in the field today, it's a good day! I do want to leave you with one lasting thought. A tree is alive, it breathes, drinks, eats, and it slowly grows. Today we have all brought life to South Carolina, to Charlestown. Don't ever think it can't be done. Thank you all again, let's get to work!" The crowd roared in appreciation.

  A legion of anxious workers grabbed seedlings, rakes, hoes, buckets, and soil pots. Together, for at least this one spot, they made a difference in Old America.

  Jansa could not hide her growing smile as she paused and looked out over the gathering of people hard at work. If only all of America looked this good.

  Chapter 10

  The young girl was taken deep within the hospital complex, further and further back she walked, until she came to a room which was lit by a single overhead bulb. The older woman who had been guiding her spoke for the first time since the two had met. "This is where it all begins, child. This is where the injection takes place, and where you become very special."

  The young girl looked around and watched as doctors placed long needles into the bellies of two pregnant women who were sitting up on white cotton bed sheets. One of the pregnant women turned and looked over to the little one, her facemask hiding her identity. Everything was so weird, so awkward.

  A male doctor entered through a side door and approached the women. He ran a rubber tube into the mouths of both women and filled the tubes with a fluid, this time given orally, rather than by needle. An intravenous drip was then inserted into the arms of both women. The drip had more special ingredients which were only known to the sisterhood.

  A younger teacher, perhaps mid twenties, now approached the small red-haired girl and her older guide. She began to explain everything the child had just witnessed, "The needle contained Starigen 6280, my child. This is a chemical which has been created through years and years of experiments to enhance the female form. The other one, the one taken by a tube in the mouth, is another creation, again years in the making. It is a God-spot duller, which makes it easier to administer the proper brain chip that each of our beloved sisters carry. The brain chip is located on top of tiny locus nerve cells within the frontal lobe, my dear," said the teacher, pointing to the top of her forehead. "I know all this is so much to take in, honey . . . so much to grasp, but we will make it easy to remember,
I promise we will."

  The child was called Sun. She was a cutie. A red-haired, petite little thing with beautiful brown eyes. She was to be a Q-Jin one day, and the process had already begun. The older lady who accompanied the child, touched the young girl's fiery hair, twirling the curls around her fingers and whispered in Sun's ear, "One day, the entire world will be different. Not like it once was, but a good world where we can all live," the older woman continued in hushed tones. "I have no doubt man and machine will someday get along, and the future will be bright. I know this from deep within my soul, little Sun. Maybe you will play a part in it all. I truly hope you do," she said with a smile. "My name is Raegan. I am a Q-Jin."

  Sitting in a high-back chair, Raegan awoke with a start from her much needed slumber and looked about in utter surprise. Nothing had changed. The underground was still not under attack, and she began to wonder. Her dreams and visions were always so confusing. That, she knew for a fact.

  ***

  Flushed and satisfied, the Q-Jin woman sat up. The direct stimulation from the neural implant was now being removed. Virtual sex was all Jansa really had time for these days. Her busy schedule between workshops, lectures, and her healing practice kept the blond beauty on the go constantly.

  This type of sexual encounter took up less of her time for a few reasons. One being visual, she could choose a partner on the spot, thus her specific desire was fulfilled. Two, her partner's voice audio choice could be flirty, fun, and just a tad bit cocky, which she liked in a guy, dry humor got to her. Third, she could choose the environment in which the two would play. When all of this was programmed correctly, and the physical look of the male had been fine-tuned, it would trigger a speedy, but fantastic orgasmic release. Jansa did not miss the reality of mating anymore. At least, she didn’t have the time to think about missing it. Her partner today had been a very sexy mix of black, white, and Moroccan. He had long, dark dreaded hair and a muscular, nude body, which she had totally enjoyed.