City 55

by William Pinecroft

  The following morning, everyone was up and getting ready to follow the instructions Fred had given the night prior. As usual, Charlie was brewing coffee on the fire.

  “This is where we need to come together,” Fred said as he addressed everyone around the morning campfire. “Charlie here has unlocked a desire in me and at least you three as well,” he continued while pointing at Jerry, Dan, and Pam, “to question why things are the way they are. So, let’s see what he’s got.”

  “Are we going to need a little of this?” asked Dan as he held up a bag of Simple Simon.

  “We might,” answered Fred. “Couldn’t hurt.”

  Fred led everyone out from the valley through the two mountain peaks to the north and south of them. The ground was made of loose dirt and sand, with brush strewn about over the untouched areas. The mountains, jutting up around them, rose from the dirt in large slabs of rock, towering above as they continued along the route. As Fred continued east, the path became rockier, giving way to rising terrain slowing the stumbling group to a near halt at times. The morning was still cool with a strong breeze blowing through the valley. The sun was climbing fast, promising to turn this nice cool morning into a blistering afternoon.

  Fred rounded an outcropping, disappearing behind it before traversing back toward a paved path along the hillside. The others followed suit, spread out along the route. Dan and Jerry brought up the rear of the single file, rambling about arbitrary topics that burst into Jerry’s head. Approximately a quarter mile past that outcropping, Fred brought everyone to the final destination. Lined up next to the path they had climbed, stood large dome buildings next to each other forming a row. Each had a single entrance and appeared to be built with stones from the landscape.

  “Welcome to the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, and our pathway to knowledge,” said Fred.

  By now, the sun was high in the early afternoon sky, and the temperature had mounted over the past few hours. The sun beat down with unrelenting brutality. Sweat poured from foreheads as they each approached the kilns.

  Dan walked up to the closest kiln. “Damn man. Are you expecting us to go in these things?”

  A wave of air from inside the kiln hit Charlie like a ton of bricks as Dan finished. An old mining company built the kilns to produce fuel from turning wood into charcoal. The sole opening at the front of each kiln was barely big enough to allow someone to stoop through. Because of this and the fact that hills surrounded the kilns, limited airflow circulated within the structures. The approximate temperature inside the kiln was anywhere from forty to sixty degrees warmer than outside.

  Fred stepped up to the opening of one of the kilns and invited all to follow. As each neared the entrance, they felt the same intense heat that flowed from the inside of the kiln. All continued through and formed a circle within the small enclosure. They sat with crossed legs looking at one another. Jerry and Dan sat and gazed around from member to member until finally resting on each other, giving a cursory shrug.

  “Peter, please,” invited Fred.

  With that, Peter started a predetermined instruction, maintaining a calm and constant dialogue throughout. “To start, we will put everyone’s mind at ease. Please, focus on your breathing. Take a deep breath in, holding it for a count of six. Then breathe out slowly, letting the air flow naturally out into the environment. Your mind will try to wander, thinking about what you need to do or what you have seen. That’s okay. Notice those reflections, and then refocus on your breathing. Physically feel the breath as it leaves then enters back into your body. Feel the warm air filling your lungs, the energy from your body filling this kiln.”

  Peter had the group continue with this exercise for five minutes. All Fred’s close friends appeared to remain in constant focus, while Charlie, Dan, and Jerry eyed one another with obvious impatience. Peter kept tabs on them during their wandering, commanding them to focus with his intensity. Each would concentrate for a minute before drifting off to the flitting thoughts filling their heads.

  “Good,” said Peter. “Now, imagine yourself walking through the front door to your apartment or house. I want you to focus on the moment you are opening that door and entering your home. Focus on the positive feelings that radiate throughout your body as you arrive back home. What does the door feel like? What do you walk on? What is immediately in your line of vision as you walk through that front door?” Peter continued to instruct, keeping each person’s mind centered on the physical and emotional reactions that accompanied every aspect of entering their homes.

  Charlie tried to embody some form of patience and concentrate as he had done many times with Fred. He couldn’t help but keep tabs on his two friends. Dan and Jerry eyed each other, then averted back at Peter. Peter was focused now, lost in his own musings, eyes closed, blind to the physical scene around him. Jerry slipped Dan some mushrooms, which they both popped into their mouths. Charlie wanted to be true to this process, but he also was rather intrigued with how Dan and Jerry were going to fare with the mushrooms in their systems.

  Peter instructed them in four more mindful exercises, aiming to concentrate each person’s attention on specific details they commonly see, but disregarded during daily life. Charlie had been practicing such with Fred since he and Pam had made the trip down to Los Angeles. He was gradually getting the hang of it and able to focus for moments longer each time before his mind would wander off. This time Dan and Jerry were testing his resolve.

  All remained with their eyes closed, sweat pouring from their faces. It had been thirty minutes since the first two exercises and by now, Dan and Jerry were out of their minds. Each was darting stunned looks throughout the kiln, clothes plastered to every inch of their bodies as sweat pooled beneath them. Dan began removing his clothes, stripping until he was sitting in the dirt with nothing but his socks on.

  Jerry looked at him wide eyed, a gleam of terror in his eyes. Dan stared back, a devilish grin across his face. Charlie darted glances between Dan and Jerry, and then back to the group, hoping they wouldn’t notice the enactment before them. Jerry shrieked and tore his clothes off.

  Charlie placed a hand on Jerry in an effort to calm him.

  Jerry snapped a startled look back at Charlie.

  “The fire—” Jerry began.

  “Shhh,” Charlie said as he glanced in the direction of the others.

  Jerry now looked straight up in horror. Then he squinted at Charlie. “The fire. It’s consuming everyone.

  Dan kept smiling back at Jerry, which appeared to stoke the paranoia gripping him.

  “He’s cooking me,” Jerry said to Charlie.

  “Who?”

  “Him. The devil,” Jerry said pointing at Dan.

  “Dan?”

  “The devil.” Jerry stood up within the kiln, bare to the world, apparently searching for an escape.

  Dan just kept looking at him, grinning.

  “The fire. The little devils. They’re dancing everywhere. Do you hear them?”

  “Jerry, sit down. What are you talking about?”

  “The little fuckers won’t stop. They’re everywhere,” Jerry continued, now tiptoeing around the tiny kiln, scanning around his feet as he did. Jerry spun around within the tiny kiln, as he stared about him. “I can’t stay here. They’re multiplying.”

  Dan looked up at Jerry, and then over at Charlie. “Charlie.”

  “Yes?”

  “Charlie.”

  “What Dan? What?”

  “Behold the heavens have opened once again. Behold the mountain man stepped down from heaven itself,” Dan said as he watched Jerry.

  “Oh shit. You too?”

  Jerry stumbled, bouncing off the others within that tiny kiln. A 6’3” giant stuck inside the small stone kiln, oblivious of the eight other people who shared the space. “They won't leave me alone. They’re everywhere.” Jerry continued to jump around the kiln as if walking on hot coals.

  "Jerry, sit down,” Charlie hissed.

  “See Charli
e. Beware,” said Dan.

  “What?”

  “The giant. He’s going to make stew. You’re the main ingredient.”

  Soon both were jumping around, terror strewn across their faces. Fred and Charlie drug them from the kiln, kicking and screaming. Fred and Charlie poured water over the top of them, as they lay writhing in the dirt outside the kiln.

  “Dan!” yelled Charlie.

  “What the hell is wrong with these idiots? We weren’t in there that long. No way they have heat stroke,” responded Fred.

  “Nah, not likely,” said Charlie as he displayed the remnants of their bag of mushrooms. By the time Dan and Jerry had calmed from their terrors, the others were exiting the kiln. They had been inside for almost an hour. Everyone was dripping with sweat. Dan and Jerry were still lost amid the effects of the hallucinations, slowly relaxing as time went on. The cool air apparently helped to calm their minds, as they were no longer acting like the crazy lunatics from before.

  Fred looked at Charlie. “Well, what do you think? Go back in?”

  Charlie shook his head.

  Pam came up to them. “We saw it. Peter had us focus on our interpretation of the government, Indra and I saw, well, we think we saw the minds, the minds of different people everywhere coming together. It was amazing,” exclaimed Pam. “There were strands of something, which I couldn’t focus on at first. But then, as we sat there for longer, you could tell the strands were people’s thoughts and minds. They were intermingling and joining to produce single streams of consciousness. Streams would appear to solidify before millions more would materialize, and then combine together once again.” Pam paused, downing a bottle of water. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I saw the ropes,” interrupted Dan. He was standing next to them buck-naked. “I saw them, Charlie. I saw them as if they were plain as day. I saw the ropes circling and swaying in the space, in the ether, in the cosmos. I saw everything come from nothing, it became less, and then more. It was,” Dan paused and looked down and then up at all of them. “Magical. That was after the giant left. The giant that was trying to cook you, Charlie. He was going to make Huff stew.”

  Charlie and Fred looked at each other, then over to Pam.

  “Okay Dan, me too,” she said and then slapped him on the ass. She giggled as Dan, open mouthed, stared at her hand, and then rubbed where she had smacked him.

  Charlie reconsidered Fred’s offer. He asked if the others could get back to the campsite while he and Fred went back into the kilns. None had any issues and in fact, Peter joined Charlie and Fred.

  Over the next hour, the three sweated inside that magical kiln, their subconscious minds unlocked to the forces all around. They witnessed the amalgamation of minds from throughout the world. Charlie, for the first time, was able to perceive the different streams of consciousness, or unconsciousness, that materialized out of thin air. Fred and Peter had witnessed this before, albeit with irregular clarity. The heat of the kiln, and the resulting dehydration that mounted, only helped to put the mind in a state of unconsciousness. While their perceptions of the world became increasingly incomprehensible, their delusional state provided the ability to observe how the world interacted. Charlie could not grasp the meaning behind the images he was witnessing and soon became aware of the others shaking him.

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” whispered Fred.

  All three stumbled to the opening, gasping at the seemingly frosty air, which hung outside. Unfathomable to the current state of their bodies, the air actually exceeded a hundred degrees. The extreme within the kiln was so great, even a sauna might have presented a welcoming alternative to the kiln. They each gulped at the heated water, simmering by the kiln. Charlie attempted to speak but instead, decided to focus on the water. Eventually, the three managed to rise to their feet and stagger back to the campsite.

  When they reached the site, the rest of the group was lounging in camp chairs, shaded beneath erected overhangs. Dan and Jerry had finally finished puking the last ounces of food and now lay motionless by two small trees next to the hillside. Fred, Charlie, and Peter stumbled in, pale from the heat and dehydration. Pam came rushing over and grabbed Charlie. A few others grabbed Fred and Peter and helped all three to the shade where they were given food and water.

  “You guys going to be okay?” asked Pam.

  Fred and Charlie nodded.

  “Was it worth it?” she asked.

  Fred and Charlie nodded again.

  Pam had changed into a pair of little red shorts and tank top. She really doesn’t believe in bras, thought Charlie to himself. The clothes seemed to barely cling to her glistening skin. As he sat pondering, he heard Pam talking.

  “Charlie, anything I can help you with?” Pam smiled as she caressed him beneath the jaw and kissed him on the cheek.

  Maybe I’m hallucinating again or the heat has done a number on my brain? Charlie didn’t realize he had been staring up at Pam the entire time. Ah well, fuck it.

  Fred peered over at Charlie after that little peck and gave Charlie a big smile with a nudge on the shoulder. Charlie’s scorched brain seemed to instill a previously unknown confidence.

  “You don’t mind?” asked Charlie.

  “What?” Fred answered.

  “Pam giving me a kiss.”

  Fred smiled and replied, “Well, Charlie. First, I believe you are assuming that that girl has feelings for you. I’m sure that gentle kiss gave you that impression. Next, I’m assuming you’re worried Pam and I have a thing.”

  “Well yeah… And yeah,” replied Charlie.

  “You need to step up and let her know you’re for real,” Fred said. He paused a moment before continuing. “And I’m gay.” At another time, this might have been difficult for Charlie to believe. Charlie was sure Fred had a thing for Pam. However, right now, in his delusional state and with the recent subconscious trip through the cosmos, Charlie was at peace with this revelation.

  “Oh yeah? Cool man. Is Manuel your guy, or your lover, or whatever then?” asked Charlie.

  Fred laughed. “Yeah, Charlie.” Fred slapped Charlie on the shoulder again. “You’re all right.”

  Charlie smiled and reflected on how life gives and takes. Today, life had given to Charlie and he loved it.

  “Pam, grab the IVs,” yelled Charlie from across the campsite.

  “You have fucking IV’s?” responded Pam and Fred in unison.

  Charlie took over and hooked everyone, including himself, up to an IV. He attached a second bag for Dan and Jerry. They seemed to need it. Before long, the gang was back to their usual selves.

  The following morning, they woke refreshed, eager to hit the road back to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Charlie asked everyone to gather round the campsite. Charlie wasn’t good at public speaking, but if they all split up now this trip would be for naught.

  “The Proxy governs the world through our subconscious minds. Based on the collective will of the population, decisions are made that have put our society on a track to kill the human spirit. What’s the point in living a life to produce something when we’re not given the liberty to experience what the world has put before us? Yes, the idea of society governing itself is great. And when the world introduced the idea, the benefits were likely well conveyed by the proponents of such a system. I think we would all agree that there is something wrong with the current system and how we employ that system today.” Charlie paused and looked out upon everyone.

  “Most of us witnessed something last night. We witnessed that unified subconscious as it developed from the many minds throughout the world. We saw how those minds combined to form a single stream. Society’s majority makes that stream. So only the opinions and decisions of the majority are being heard. The minorities in every category of the world are being ignored.” Charlie looked over at Peter and Fred. “I don’t know how everything fits together but it’s not working. I know that. I know I don’t want to be a part of what we have now. And we need to do somethi
ng about it.”

  Charlie paused to discern the reactions of the crowd. Everyone remained attentive, some nodding their heads in agreement. Based on the apparent acceptance, Charlie presumed now was the time to bring everyone into the folds of his plan. “Here is what we need done,” Charlie said as he handed out note cards to everyone. “Each person has a part to play. We need to come together. This is the time for us to make our voices heard over everything that is out there, over that single stream that only exists for the majority.”

  CHAPTER 8

  THE FOUR HORESEMEN OF TIMBER’S APOCALYPSE

  “Mr. Parlor, here’s your daily schedule,” said Steve as Jerry entered his office the following morning.

  “Thanks Steve,” answered Jerry. Charlie had handed Jerry his assignment along with the rest of gang. That asshole. Jerry had to hack into the damn Corporation again. Last time he did that, those two creeps turned up. Jerry was pretty sure the two of them knew what he was trying to do. He couldn’t figure out for the life of him what they wanted or what that chic was recording. He hadn’t heard anything since. Either they were keeping things a secret, trying to determine what he was going to do next, or they were biding their time. However, The Corporation didn’t work like that. A slight infraction for any mundane bullshit reason, and they’d throw you to the wolves.

  Jerry commanded Steve to compile data on crimes and legislation passed within the last ten years. This time he sectored what he wanted to avoid detection. Jerry was looking for specifics on certain items rather than statistical analysis on a slew of information that happened over the course of a decade.