2043 A.D.

by Edward M Wolfe

  “Did you… did you kill ‘im?”

  “No, but I will if he asks for it again. How about you? Do you wanna take your chances with an ‘old-timer’?”

  “No, sir. I don’t want any trouble. We’re just hungry, and Mick… I think taking is the only way he knows.”

  “How is that possible when the government will pay for a comfortable living and provide everyone with just about anything they could want, including sex. Why would anyone need to take anything from another person in this society?”

  “Um… well, we’re not from here. We grew up on the island.”

  “What are you talking about? What island?”

  “You know, from the Purge?”

  “No, I don’t know. What purge? Why don’t you fill me in?”

  “I don’t know the details cuz I wasn’t born then, but my ma told me her and my dad were brung to the island on the second wave of the Purge on account of their criminal records and stuff. The first wave got the ones that were in prisons. The second one got the ones who already did their time and got out.”

  Charlie remembered now that there was a penal colony established some time ago. But he hadn’t known that they also colonized people with previous records who weren’t incarcerated at the time. But it explained a lot; the drastic drop in the crime rate and the later focus on what would’ve been considered very trivial crimes; and the disappearances of people that the police never seemed to follow up on.

  “You came here from Avalon?”

  “Yeah. We grew up on the island, always thinking of a way to escape, and then a few weeks ago, we finally did it.”

  “How?”

  “Mick had a plan for us to see the medical officer. He’s real smart, Mick is. We ate soap and leaves and got real sick. When we were being transported, Mick stabbed the guard and after he got our handcuffs off with the guard’s keys, he shoved him overboard. He took cuffs off a bunch of other guys and then we took off. The last time I looked back, I saw smoke on the island. We mighta started a revolt. I don’t know. We reached the mainland and just kept on going. Till now.”

  “So you came to California and now you’re traveling in the sewer. What for?”

  “We heard there’s a place where people live with no government.”

  “A free zone?” Charlie couldn’t believe that the rumors had made it as far as the penal colony.

  “Yeah. That’s what they called it. You know where it is?”

  “No. But I’ve heard of it,” Charlie said.

  If the free zone was real, and if Charlie could actually find it and get the kids there safely, he figured the price they’d have to pay for living in a completely free society would be to co-exist with the likes of Scrab and Mick. He wondered how crime was handled in such a place – if it existed.

  “How come you guys are in the tunnel when you have the life of luxury up above? They say you can buy anything you want, even if you don’t have no money. Everybody’s rich now. That true?”

  “Essentially. As long as you work you can get a subsidy on just about anything. If you don’t mind being forever indebted, I suppose you feel like you were rich.”

  “Then why are you guys down here when it’s paradise up there?”

  “I wouldn’t call it paradise, but whatever. We’re looking for something, and we’re gonna move on. If we run into you again and your friend hasn’t learned his lesson, he won’t get a second chance. Do you believe me?”

  “Yes, sir. I saw your moves. I know you coulda kilt ‘im.”

  “Come on, kids.”

  Deron and Michelle got up and stayed close to the wall as they caught up with Charlie. Scrab couldn’t take his eyes off Michelle as she walked past him. That cleared away the brief thought Charlie had of inviting him to join them, if he would’ve been willing to leave Mick behind to fend for himself. But seeing the predatory trance Scrab went into at his first good look at Michelle brought him back to his senses.

  They rounded the corner and saw Mick still unconscious lying on the ground. Deron noticed the big knot on the side of his forehead and figured Charlie must’ve kicked him and knocked him out. As they continued to walk, they remained silent, which was good since Charlie was in a hyper alert state, listening to see if Mick was going to wake up and stupidly try for revenge.

  Charlie kept an eye out for a ladder and when he found one, he had better luck than the last time, popping his head into the opening at the top and finding a dark tunnel.

  “Back in black,” he said aloud, thinking of an old song. He called the kids over and told them to follow him. He’d wait inside the tunnel with the lighter burning.

  After crawling again for what felt like nearly an hour, this time through damp muck, they finally emerged into an old industrial park in an abandoned part of town that hadn’t been deconstructed yet as part of the effort to centralize all residences and businesses. It was still dark out, but not as dark as before, so they had to hurry. The sun would be up soon and Charlie wanted to be off the street before then.

  They walked past buildings with old, faded signs still legible on some of them. Joe’s Paint & Body. Elite Binding. Los Angeles Times. That one brought back memories. On the wall of the LA Times building, someone had spray-painted, “fuck equality” in green jagged letters. So they weren’t the first to pass this way on their way out of town. Charlie noticed that the glass door to the Times building was busted out and he got an idea. He went up to the building and looked inside. It would do.

  “I want you guys to wait here while I try to find an exit so I can get an idea of where we are and where we need to go from here.”

  He went in first and they followed him. He used the lighter to guide them to the nearest long table. Deron turned his back to it and hopped up and Michelle copied him. Charlie gave Deron the lighter, said he’d be back as quick as he could and slowly stepped back to the broken glass door.

  Michelle scooted backwards until her back was against the wall. Something touched her forehead and she screamed. Deron instantly lit the lighter and saw that an electrical plug at the end of a dangling power cord from an old radio rested at the same height as her head. He grabbed the end and threw it to the side. It swung back and hit her on the side of the head.

  “Ow!”

  “Sorry. Sorry! That was really dumb,” he said, getting into a standing position, feeling the wall as he rose. He took the offending radio and threw the whole thing this time. It crashed and broke into multiple pieces and then there was silence.

  “I’m so tired, Deron. I wish I could just go to bed and forget this night ever happened.”

  “Me too. I want my old life back. Not that it was all that great or anything, but you know…”

  “Yeah. My life wasn’t as good as I thought it was either.”

  “I used to think my life was great, but then everything changed.”

  “You mean when they took you from the library?”

  “Uh… before that, actually.”

  She didn’t ask for further clarification, and he didn’t offer any. She just inched over until their sides were touching and said, “Can you flick the light for a second?” He did and she used it to find his hand with hers as she lay against him, silently mouthing the words, “I’m sorry.” She wanted to say them out loud, and she would later, but if she did it now, it would be like opening up another wound and she lacked what she needed inside to face that one on top of the others she was already trying to manage.

  Charlie was back in twenty minutes, hoping they’d stayed awake. He stopped when he reached the door and called out. “It’s me. Are you guys awake?”

  “Yeah, Grampa.” Deron lit the lighter long enough for Charlie to make it over to the table.

  “I’ve figured out where we are, but now I need to know if you two will be alright waiting here for a few hours. If Emile’s willing to help us, I’ll send him back to pick you up.”

  Michelle asked, “Can’t we go with you?”

  “Well, you could, b
ut the police are looking for three people. I’m less conspicuous by myself, and you guys could probably use some rest.”

  Deron’s yawn said that he concurred. “I could probably sleep for a bit if I can ignore my growling stomach.”

  “Good. How ‘bout you, Michelle? Can you try to take a nap? It’ll be good for you and the time will pass without you knowing it.”

  “Okay.”

  “Grampa, what if your friend won’t help us?”

  “I don’t know, Deron. We’ll have to figure things out as they come. But I’m pretty sure he will, so just think positive and try not to worry. I can be at his house within an hour, and then he can be back here in less than that. So it won’t be long.”

  They watched Charlie take off at a brisk pace. When they couldn’t see him anymore, Darren said, “I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I can sleep right now.

  “I feel the same way. My mind is still trying to figure everything out, but I just wish it would stop. I’m so tired.”

  Darren sighed and looked around, then he hopped off the table and walked toward the darker part of the building.

  Michelle was mildly anxious about being left alone, but he wasn’t walking toward the door so she told herself to relax. She heard blow really hard then start coughing in the dust cloud he created. He came back with a stack of papers which he divided into two stacks and put them on the table a foot apart.

  “Pillows,” he announced. “I’m going to lay down. You’re welcome to join me.”

  A minute later, lying on their backs with their eyes closed, their hands found each other again.

  “Deron.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m so glad you’re here.” She tightened her grip on his hand as she spoke.

  “I’m glad we’re here together,” he replied, wishing he could think of something more meaningful to say.

  “Really?”

  “Really. There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

  “You’re not mad at me for…everything, or anything?”

  “Michelle, I don’t think I could ever be mad at you.”

  “But I was so awful to you. I betrayed our friendship and…what might’ve came after…if…”

  “Shh. It’s okay. That’s in the past, and you didn’t do anything wrong. You just had to find your way. And now here we are. So I’m happy.”

  She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her free arm.

  “Michelle, please don’t cry. I swear I’m not mad at you. Please don’t be upset.”

  “I’m not upset,” she said, crying even more now.

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just… I love you, Deron!”

  He rolled over to face her and then he kissed her very gently on her mouth as he looked into her eyes.

  “I love you, Michelle. I will always love you. No matter what.”

  Tears rolled down her face as she silently cried with relief and the rekindling of something like joy in her heart.

  Deron kissed away her tears and put an arm around her. She put an arm around him and they held each other as they drifted off to sleep, exhausted and in love.

  ***

  Forty minutes later, Charlie approached Emile’s house as the sun rose and birds chirped. He wished it was still dark, but at least there was a better chance of Emile being awake now. He whistled as he walked down the street, attempting to give the impression that he was out for a morning stroll, enjoying the weather before the sun got too high.

  As he approached Emile’s door, it opened and a shadow behind the screen door said, “Why if it ain’t Corporal–” Charlie shook his head just a little. Emile got the signal and finished, “—Sonofabitch. Come on in and tell me what I can do you for.”

  The screen door opened and a shaft of light turned the shadow into Emile. Charlie went in and waited for Emile to close the door then he pointed at his ear and then gestured around the room.

  “How about some coffee out on the patio, neighbor?”

  Charlie raised the pitch of his voice and altered his manner of speech. “That sounds like a fine idea. Don’t mind if I do.”

  “Well, come on in to the kitchen. I’ll let you add the cream and sugar. I always forget how much you take, though Lord knows I should have it memorized by now.”

  Charlie loved how smart Emile was. He picked up immediately that Charlie needed to keep his identity a secret. Odds were against anyone monitoring the audio feed from Emile’s house computer, but old Special Forces soldiers never left anything to chance. Charlie mentally relaxed with the certainty that he was in good hands – even if there was nothing Emile could do to help, it lifted his spirits just being in the presence of his old friend. He looked just like he always had, except there were more lines at the corner of his bright eyes, and the color grey had begun a battle with his close-cropped black hair, capturing the territory around his temples. His big welcoming smile hadn’t changed a bit though.

  On the back patio, Emile whispered that it was safe to talk, but quietly, just in case. Charlie gave him a condensed version of the events of the past twelve hours, skipping most of the details but including enough to make it clear that he was on the run, and he wasn’t guilty of committing any actual crimes according to the standards they lived by. He also told Emile about Deron and Michelle and where they were hidden away. Emile said he’d pick them up and have them back in no time.

  “There’s just one problem,” Charlie said. “Michelle has a microchip in her arm and I’m guessing she can be easily scanned on the roads.”

  “Not a problem,” Emile said.

  “Are you sure? RFID had over a sixty foot range in the old days. I’m sure it’s farther now.”

  “It is. A lot. But it’s also easily blocked.”

  Emile signaled for Charlie to follow him back inside. He went to a kitchen cabinet and took out a roll of aluminum foil and extracted a long sheet. He folded it into a small square and put it in his back pocket and smiled at Charlie before walking over to the front door.

  “Well, thanks for stopping by, neighbor. If you need any help following my instructions on fixing that joist, just let me know and I’ll come over and help ya with it.”

  “Thank you again, Emile. I’ll let you know if I need any assistance. See you later.”

  Emile gestured toward the back door and Charlie headed back to the patio as Emile opened the front door and the screen door, held them for a second, then closed them. He then went back to the patio door and indicated to Charlie that he’d be back in one minute. He went to the hallway leading to the bedrooms and pulled a string down from the ceiling which caused a folded ladder to descend. He lowered it and quietly went up into the attic and came back down a few minutes later and reversed the process.

  He returned to the patio carrying a large brimmed floppy hat with a flower on the front and a blue tarp. He gave Charlie a hand signal that no one else would’ve understood if they’d seen it. Charlie nodded. Emile went back inside and Charlie tiptoed over to a chaise lounge and rested his tired old body. He figured he had time for a twenty or thirty minute nap. Another flashback to his old military days: sleep when you can.

  Emile drove to the industrial complex, found the LA Times building and announced himself as a friend of Charlie’s as he approached. No one answered, so he came up to the door and knocked on the metal frame causing pieces of broken glass to fall on the concrete floor. He heard motion inside but couldn’t see anyone in the light shining through the doorway.

  “Hello? It’s Emile. Charlie’s friend.”

  “We’re in here,” Deron replied.

  The sleep teens quickly introduced themselves and then Emile told them how he wanted Deron to lie down on the backseat of his SUV and he’d brought a hat for Michelle to wear. Not a great disguise, but enough for the circumstances. He also told them not to talk on the way back or in the house, but to wait until they reached the back patio. And even then to only speak in a whisper.

  He unfolded the aluminu
m foil and wrapped it around Michelle’s arm close to her wrist. Deron got in the back of the SUV and Emile covered him with the tarp. He and Michelle got in the front and Emile turned on the stereo, singing along with turn-of-the-century oldies as he drove.

  Several minutes later Emile parked in his garage and led them through the house and out onto the patio. They smiled when they saw Charlie asleep on the lounge chair. Emile walked over to him and gently lifted Charlie’s hand that was hanging over the side of the chair.

  Charlie’s eyes flew open, but then he relaxed when he saw Emile, Deron, and Michelle smiling at him.

  Fifty

  The four of them sat around the patio table eating breakfast while Charlie filled Emile in on the rest of what had happened to all of them and the predicaments they were in.

  “So, what are you planning now?” Emile asked.

  Charlie hesitated to answer. He felt like what he wanted to ask was possibly going to make him look foolish. But he had no options, so he went for it.

  “Have you heard anything about free zones?”

  Keeping his voice just above a whisper, Emile said that he had.

  “Well, finding one is about our only hope.”

  “You’ve always been lucky, Charlie, and once again, your luck is in. I know for a fact that there’s one nearby. They’re literally underground, so I don’t know exactly where it’s at, but I can get you close.”

  “So they are real.”

  “You bet your ass. There are some people who just can’t live under the government’s thumb. If I knew right where to go, I’d be on my way, but I guess it’s easier to live with material comfort than it is to give up everything for a dream – especially if there’s no certainty of making it come true.”

  “I know what you mean. I would’ve gladly dumped everything I have to live free if I had known they were real and where to go. But I couldn’t have left Deron behind. Now that he’s in the same boat with me, we have nothing to lose.”