Once we passed Tank, he began following, keeping our pace. He made no sound except for the high-pitched squeal of thin pieces of metal inside of him moving around and an earth-shattering thud every time one foot hit the ground.
“How long do you think his battery will last?” I casually asked Danni after we left the hanger.
” ‘He?’ “
“Well, yeah. Eddy refers to HIM like that.” I chuckled.
“He’s just a machine, I don’t get that.” Danni threw her hands over her mouth once she saw her fault. We both laughed it off as every step brought us closer to the city, and that laughter would soon be gone.
It didn’t seem to take as long as we thought it would to reach the edge of the city.
“So how did you meet up with U.S.P.L.? Eddy took you in?” I asked her.
“Yep, it was actually right around the time all the fighting began. I panicked when I couldn’t find you after we got split up, and the fighting started soon after. Eddy rushed to the battle and found me, a civilian, so he got me to safety at the HQ, and explained what he could along the way. He told me that this place that they have now actually used to belong to a mechanics manufacturer, but it was swept out years ago. He said it only took a few weeks to get everything back up and running. Then he told me that U.S.P.L. had been hopping around from city to city, a lot like Miller. Not necessarily conquering like Miller does, but ‘spreading awareness of the program’, whatever he meant by that. Oh, and he told me he was the Chief Mechanic. He built Tank pretty recently; he finished him up a few months ago and treats him like a diamond.” Danni explained.
“How come he told you all that but barely told me anything like that?”
“I guess I look like I have a more trustworthy character!” she replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Now we were passing through what was once the business district of the town. Gloom sunk into the both of us, pushing out the childish teasing as we waded through the ghosts of the city, the rubble of what used to be a section of town we’d playfully avoid at all costs. The air silently carried rumors and whispers, and reeked of split concrete. A battered sign labeled “Welcome to Burybury!” was underneath tons and tons of rubble, alongside a few haunting posters littering the ground. Each one had the beaming face of Devon Miller with the caption “CHANGE! REAL CHANGE!”
“BASTARD!” Danni smashed her foot onto one and ground it into the pavement. I hastily put both of my hands on her shoulders.
“Danni! Danni, there’s nothing we can do now…” I threw my arms around her and embraced her, knowing that was just what she needed.
“I just… I want to go home…” she exhaled with stress in her voice.
“I know, I do too…”
“I just want to go to school, play stupid games, and hang out with you like we did every day…”
“Everyday is gone, there’s no going back…” her own grip on me tightened. I never wanted to let go, unless letting go meant going back home.
“I feel… trapped in this place. Like I could never leave, even if I wanted to. This is home, I couldn’t go, even if it looked like it does now. I was going to end up coming back here sooner or later, no matter what. You’re locked up here with me, and neither of us have a good excuse to leave.” we both choked up, and I couldn’t stand seeing her like this. I clung to her tightly without thoughts of warfare, or disease, or guerrilla fighters. The city respected our wishes for silence as the wind was all I could hear besides ourselves.
After a few minutes of unbroken silence and a few dried tears, we got back to walking once again. We were crossing the business district and back into what was once our homes. Their memories begged us to come back and gossip, come back and play, come back and study, come back and waste time. We both declined their offer with heavy hearts. Unconsciously, we both took the longer route out of the city to avoid seeing our apartments and everything we had in ruins.
Then, without warning, Tank shifted suddenly behind us. He leapt in front of us, shaking the earth beneath his metallic legs. Danni and I looked between each other and in front of Tank, as if asking “What is he doing?”
“Look!” I pointed out in the distance to a series of tall buildings that were lucky enough to not be demolished. A very small speck seemed to be jumping between them, kicking off bits of glass and dirt with every monkey-like leap. We could hear thousands of tiny gadgets shifting around in Tank’s head, processing everything around him in milliseconds. We watched the little speck jump around, almost like an insect. The tension rose as it just seemed to repeat this action for about a minute. Tank stared at it motionlessly. Danni and I began to back up for fear of something happening, and we did so just in time. First, we heard the whirring and saw a twirl of smoke in the distance. Next, Tank pushed us back with his left arm, and braced himself into the ground. He ground his heavy metallic legs into the pavement, splitting it into concrete and dirt as his foot pounded through. Then, what we were able to identify as a missile for a split second before it made impact made a brilliant ball of fire as it struck Tank. His upper half shifted back a bit, but his legs were in the ground firmly. Danni and I ran into a nearby pile of rubble. We tossed out some rocks, jumped in, and piled enough back onto us, hoping we wouldn’t be seen. We moved just enough so we could watch everything that was happening, too scared to make any more movements.
Two more missiles hit Tank in rapid succession, creating a blaze of flames which fizzled out quickly. Two small mechs leapt out from behind a small building, and did not walk, but jumped constantly. They were leaping high into the air with the hydraulics built into their legs, a little over Tank’s own height with every jump. They shared a humanoid figure with Tank, though their build was more stout. They had disturbingly long, skinny arms, longer than they were tall. They were about half of Tank’s size, and had large, rectangular windows on the front that seemed to jut out over the body. Their bodies seemed to be comprised of scrap metal, though they were still able to produce an impression of intimidation. Upon closer inspection, I could tell that they were actually being piloted by men!
Tank uprooted himself from the ground, and was ready for combat. He revved up the drill on his right arm, and drove it straight into one of the mechs in mid-air. Its body spun on the drill and smashed into the other enemy mech for a moment before Tank threw it off into a nearby wall, splattering its owner. Three more mechs joined the fray, including one with a rocket launcher attached to its shoulder; that must have been the one that was shooting Tank before! Tank immediately reached for this mech. It prepared to shoot another missile at him, but Tank grabbed the launcher and pointed it at another mech that had just landed and was preparing for another bounce. The missile fired, and the mech went up in a burst of flames, parts flying everywhere. Some smaller bits even landed on top of the makeshift shelter Danni and I created. The mech that had been damaged before when Tank smashed its ally into it leapt upon his back, and instantly started clawing at Tank’s neck. It gripped and dug like a dog trying to find something under dirt. Tank was clearly struggling, as neither of his arms could reach the little mech in its position. By now, Danni and I silently both knew that these were the guerilla fighters rather than an enemy of another faction; their small numbers and tactics gave them away. Meanwhile, the mech that was on Tank’s back was able to pull out a bundle of wires from his neck. He let out a terrible screech, like metal being cut by a saw. His movement instantly became much more erratic. Tank shook from the left to right as hard as he possibly could, just enough to make the mech stumble. Tank grabbed his chance by grabbing the spider-like arm of it, yanking the body off, and slamming it into the ground as hard as he could. The pavement under it cracked. On the head, the glass didn’t shatter, but the pilot’s brains painted it red. The other two guerilla fighters clearly knew they were outmatched. They hopped away, scurrying like helpless animals.
Danni and I waited a few minutes to come back out. Tank simply stood in place, and let his self-repair center mend
any wires he had destroyed. Danni and I cautiously moved aside the stones we used for our shelter, and Tank had no reaction. I walked over to him to see if he had any serious dents or scratches… not a single one, not even where he had been struck by missiles three times. He simply stared straight ahead with his crimson glowing eyes, waiting for his next mission. I looked around, and saw a very literal depiction of hell’s tales of fire and brimstone. I looked over what was left of one of the guerillas. The sound of static erupted from Tank without warning, and I heard snippets of Eddy’s voice. Apparently Tank was a communications center as well!
“Hey—wha—ing on there?” his voice came in short breaks.
“Eddy? EDDY! Do you have any idea what just happened?!” I screamed at Tank. He responded about thirty seconds later.
“No. All I heard was a ton of rumbling. What’re you talkin’ about?”
“We were just attacked by guerillas! We’re fine now, but…it was nerve-wracking to see them in person. Not a whole lot more I can say about it that you don’t already know…” I awkwardly ended. Not another word was spoken for a minute, so I assumed he was done listening. We started walking again, but I heard his voice from Tank once more.
“Is Tank OK though?”
“Yeah. Not a scratch.”
“OK, we’re all set then. No problem.”
“Tank ripped them to shreds. Literally…” I turned my face away from the particularly gruesome and gory scene Tank had made.
Now there was silence again. We were able to walk uninterrupted again, Tank trailing behind. His threatening eyes loomed over anything that was ahead of us, like a hunting dog looking for prey. We were getting close to the edge of the city, and close to our destination. I looked over to Danni, and noticed how beaten up she was; she was covered from head to toe in bruises and cuts. Perhaps a little chit-chat would help ease the painful walk?
“I just wanna say… I saw you open up a lot more the past few days. Like, you were always sort of a tough bitch before this.” I laughed. She chuckled a bit and looked at the ground when she walked.
“I guess I’m usually like that, but… I really couldn’t help it the past few days. You’re basically the only friend I have left now…” she sighed. I went to give her another hug, unsure of how to react, but she stepped away.
“Don’t think because I’m being touchy-feely now, I’m not still a tough bitch!” she smiled. I rolled my eyes, and knew she was still unbroken.
We were approaching the address on the paper. Night had fallen hours ago, and we were only able to see with the beam of a flashlight Tank projected in front of us that he kept stored in one of his many compartments. Miles upon miles resting heavy on our feet, we finally reached our destination. Oddly enough, there was still a streetlamp working, an innocent and defenseless beacon. It was a rural area, with few buildings and a single road. The road was off to our left and branched off to a two-way road a few feet away. The left road dared to venture into the dangerous darkness, and the right took the safety of revealing itself to us. Behind us were the remains of a hospital and a pharmacy, respectively. I read the address again, and its occupying building was the only one with a light on. It was a humble brick building with two floors, built from a single man’s determination. Tank stayed outside, as he was too large to go anywhere else. I knocked on the wooden door with Danni by my side.
“It’s open…” the voice of a young boy called. I turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly. The room was shockingly small; the ceiling was only a few inches above my head. It was torn and had a massive crack, indicating that the floor upstairs wanted to come crumbling down and join the first.
A red haired boy in overalls was sweeping with a broom in the corner. His movements were melancholy and slow. The room was cramped as well, creating a sense of claustrophobia. The walls were also adorned with cracks from years of abuse and shadow dancers. In front of us was a young man at a poorly built desk; its frame was sloppy and the nails wanted to leap off. His dark hair reached below his shoulders, and his face was drenched in mustache and beard. He had a raggedy look to him, like he was homeless. I couldn’t wait to leave.
“I’m uh… I’m here for U.S.P.L.” I handed him the note, my hands shaking. He grunted and impatiently opened it. His face turned bright-red the second he read it.
“YOU WANT SOMETHIN’? FINE, I’LL GIVE YOU SOMETHIN’!” he threw around some things in a drawer on his rottenly-constructed desk. He pulled out a sheet of paper and shoved it in my face. Danni butted in a little bit to get a better glimpse. All that was on it was a series of zeros and ones along with a small picture. It seemed to be a long series of circles upon a larger square, like a keyboard with circular buttons. I was going to ask him just what he was doing once he lifted the paper, but all that was behind it was a knife! Danni jumped back involuntarily, and I felt its steely blade plunged deep into the right side of my chest. I screamed out even though I felt no pain. I pushed the psychotic man’s arm off, yanking the knife out at the same time. Danni yanked my own arm to get me out of there. The last thing I saw in that poor little shop was the little red-haired servant watching me get dragged out.
Danni dragged my body near Tank. She inhaled sharply when Tank shone his flashlight upon my gaping wound. I was breathing heavily, afraid for my life. Then, the shop keeper left his little building and stood in the doorway. I wasn’t watching him, but I knew it was him when I heard shots from a pistol, aimed in my general area. I shot up and ran away, ran anywhere at the same time Tank leapt into action to wreak havoc on my hunter.
“LEO, WAIT!” Danni called out, but her voice was far away. I ran straight into the abandoned hospital, as it was the closest building. I literally ran for my life, off to the nearest room to hide. Unfortunately, this was a rickety old elevator. My mind was gripped with fear, and I had no idea what I was doing. I pounded on the “DOOR CLOSE” button, even though electricity hadn’t run through this elevator’s veiny wires for years. The elevator made grunts of resistance, but in my blank panic, I would have none of it. CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE! One final pound found my hand going through the panel, and the elevator falling down, down into the blackened abyss below…
I woke shivering against a cold, dusty and stony floor completely enclosed in darkness. My eyes widened and I got up as quickly as I could, remembering the last events that had happened. But how long ago was it? Minutes, hours… days…? There was no way to see; it was completely dark, a perfect black that no light pierced. Strangely enough, as I felt around for walls, the floor was of granite and gravel, but the walls were metallic and smooth. As suddenly and without warning as any of the events that had transpired in the past month or so, I tripped on a wire, and dozens of machines and computers roared to life with a creaking as though they hadn’t been touched in thousands of years. The room felt as though any heat that was left in it was sucked away. A brutal cold swept over, making it even more unsettling in here. Now with all the computers on, the room was drenched in a dark red glow. Each screen seemed to emanate with the same red, but each had different images. One glance and I wanted to vomit, wanted to remove the sights I had seen. Horribly shredded bodies, innards carelessly tossed aside in favor of wires and equipment sustaining the dissection. Apparently, the hospital was built on top of an old experiment zone. But was it still active…? I couldn’t tell if anything I had seen had taken place recently. A door, probably only ten or fifteen feet away, seemed like miles when I was in such a horrified state. Scared of what’s hiding in the dark shadow in the corner, scared to be… scared of everything. Every step caused my body to ache with tense feelings; I was surprised I didn’t pass out. But after what seemed to be hours, I forced my way to the door. I slowly reached out my hand for the knob. However, I heard a quiet rustling in the corner, and my heart nearly flew out of my throat. I threw open the door, ran into the unknown, and slammed it hard behind me. I was breathing in short, panicked breaths now as I clung to the door. My eyes needed some time to adjust to see w
hat was ahead, but it certainly wasn’t a way out. In here, there was another narrow hallway of computers, but past one turn was a series of incubators. Most were shattered, though some still contained fluids. As fear forced my mind and body to adapt to seeking the nearest exit, I had to take chances. I walked quietly into the hallway of incubators, and looked around. I knew that considering what I had seen on the screens, most of what I was going to see here had the wicked potential to render better men than I insane. Those sadistic images are exactly what I saw. I looked into one of the shattered incubators, and saw a man. Well, half a man. Everything from the torso down was torn away, and just as on the monitor, entrails were lazily thrown around. Wiring and electric equipment were just stuck inside without a second thought. Now that I think back, it was probably the same person. Old and crusty blood covered the floor beneath him. Several apparatus were attached to his face and forced in his mouth as well. There were no signs of breathing, but his eyes were dilated and made small movements every few seconds. To my horror, this man had been in this condition probably for months. I slowly backed away as the thoughts in my mind came to a complete stop. I stumbled and began to rush away. I wasn’t looking where I was going, and ended up smashing my face into another computer monitor. I looked at it for a second, and could only pray that one day, I’ll forget what I saw: a harlequin looking to be around age eight sitting in a small, cramped room bathed in red light. It slowly turned its head to look at the camera for a moment, and then turned back away.
I won’t be sleeping tonight.
Chapter 3
HALLOWED GROUNDS
My world was in that hazy, gray space between nightmare and reality. Feint earth-shaking thuds, mechanical crackling and hideous cackling were all I could take in while in that numb state of being. As soon as I could move my arms again, I rubbed my eyes, burning them with the dirt and dust that I forced in. Though my vision was blurry, I could take in the figures that stood for anarchy itself surrounding me. I instinctively leapt up but fell backwards, creating a tumult of bustling movement around me; apparently my blunder was much to the audience’s amusement. I forced myself onto my feet again as quickly as I could, and I then knew for sure that I wasn’t in that chalky space between nightmare and reality…the two had blended into one.
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