by Ryan, Matt
JOEY STOOD ON TOP OF a chair, yelling and waving his gun around like a crazy person. The grinner took onto his theatrics and shifted to his side of the building. “Go!” he screamed to Samantha and Poly, and then went back to giving the grinners a show. “Over here. I’m right here.”
He glanced back and spotted Poly’s brown hair streaking past an empty cubicle. They were going to make it. “Come get me,” he called out.
The first grinner approached and he fired a shot into its head. The gunshot echoed down the floor and stirred the grinners into a fury. They clambered over fallen chairs and shoved their way toward him.
Another grinner approached, but he let this one live as it pushed against the fallen walls of the cubicle blocking Joey from the grinners.
“I’m right here!”
The cubicle wall broke.
“Oh, crap.” Joey thought he had another minute, at least. He jumped off the chair and ran to his right, then down the same path the girls took. He kept low and ran, using the cubicles as cover. A dead grinner lay on the floor with a stab wound to the head. Joey jumped over it and kept running.
At the end of the row, he saw the door. He didn’t see the girls and assumed they’d made it. He spotted another grinner, dead on the floor, halfway between. He stopped at the last cubicle and looked across. A mass of grinners were pushing against each other, probably stirred up from his show. If he hustled, he could make it to the door before they could get to him.
He took a deep breath and ran for it. The second step past the cubicle, he heard the grinners groaning and stumbling for him, but it didn’t matter. He outran them to the exit door and flung it open. The door slammed shut behind him and he stared up at Poly and Samantha. He didn’t know who to hug first, so he settled for leaning over to catch his breath. “Thought I lost you guys for a moment there,” he said between pants.
“If it wasn’t for Poly, I’d be freaking dead.” Samantha’s hands shook as she looked at the door. Grinners pounded against it and with each hit, she winced. “We should have stayed in that simulator, anything is better than this.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I hate grinners,” Poly huffed. Her hands were covered in black goo and each knife was tucked into her waistline.
Joey looked around the room. They were at the bottom of the staircase they’d been hoping to find.
Samantha looked up. “Is this safe?”
“Nothing here is safe,” Poly said.
A bell sounded from above. Joey looked at them for confirmation. “You heard that, right?”
“Yeah,” Samantha agreed.
The dong sound resonated down the stairs much louder. They all looked up again.
“What could it be?” he thought aloud.
“I don’t know, but I bet it’s not good,” Poly answered.
Something made the sound. Maybe a grinner stuck in a bell tower? The thought of it seemed ridiculous but hilarious to Joey. Quasimodo turned grinner, still pulling on the rope.
“I can’t wait to get out of this place,” Samantha said.
Joey walked next to her up the stairs, with his gun in hand. He looked up the space between stairs for anyone coming their way. The stairway was silent though, only the sound of their own steps bounced around the concrete walls and floor.
Poly walked behind Samantha and Joey kept glancing back at her. He wanted to stare at her, take in what was different about her since the roof. But he barely got a glimpse of her colder face before they met eyes. The pain she’d exhibited when she’d found them was something he couldn’t get out of his mind. He hated hurting her and even when they explained the charade, she didn’t seem to buy it all the way. But he couldn’t help looking at her; he wanted to look at her more, if she would let him.
The bell sounded again, louder as they climbed the stairs. The air took on a strange smell, like tar or a newly paved asphalt road.
“What is that smell?” Samantha asked.
“Smells like the stuff they used to patch our roof,” Poly said.
Once at the top, they stood on a small landing with a door at the end. Natural light came through the small window on the door, giving them a glimpse of the outside world. Joey closed his eyes and lowered his head after seeing what lay beyond.
Poly swore and slunk down against the wall, holding her head with her hands.
“What are we going to do now?” Samantha asked, fear building in her voice.
“I don’t know,” Joey said.
The bell must be right over them. He willed himself to stare out the window one more time. Now they knew what the bell was for and why it was there. It attracted grinners, by the tens of thousands. The door sat above the crowd, giving them the gruesome site of a sea of grinners. Many were covered in black liquid and off in the distance, Joey saw a fake woolly mammoth, half way into a watery pond.
“Oh my god, I know this place,” Samantha said. “It’s the tar pits in LA.”
HARRIS LET HIS FINGERS TOUCH the tips of Compry’s dead gray hands. The sounds in his right ear shifted. He didn’t look but knew Emmett’s gun was at his head. In a split second, he slid his leg into Emmett’s foot and pushed the gun upward as it fired. His right ear burst in pain from the loud bang, but he kept with his plan and pulled at Emmett’s wrist, forcing him to drop the gun.
Emmett backed up and glanced down at his gun sitting on the floor right in front of Harris’s toes. “Go ahead, draw.”
Harris slowly put his shoe on top of the fallen gun and slid it behind him with a kick. The gun clanked off into the darkness. When he pulled out his own gun, Emmett’s face didn’t change, even when faced with death. Harris took a step back and laid his gun on the concrete floor. He slid the gun into the darkness behind him.
Emmett’s eyes narrowed before returning to his cool demeanor.
“You’re more valuable to me alive,” Harris said.
A hint of emotion crept into Emmett’s face. “You have a second gun.” Emmett eyed his side.
“The truth is, we need each other. Do you think Marcus is coming back after this? He is looking to end this planet. We could fight and maybe kill each other—”
“You would die.”
Harris took a deep breath. “You once were under my command—a young ambitious man—now we have a chance to make the rights Marcus made wrong. He wrote in this note, saying I could have his trophies, he was bored of them.”
Emmett crossed his arms. Harris knew from the look on his face he wasn’t going to win the man over with diplomacy.
“I challenge you then.”
Emmett lowered his arms and smiled. “Please, I don’t even have a gun.”
“No guns, we can fight with our blades and fists. If I win and you are still alive, I become the rank ten and you are my nine.”
“I earned my nine, you were given it.” Emmett slapped the R9 on his chest.
“Is it a deal?”
“Yeah, if you win, I’ll yield. If I win, you’ll be dead.”
Harris took another step back and took out his second gun, set it on the floor, and slid it behind him. He reached to his side and pulled out a dagger. Emmett followed and pulled out his blade.
Compry pressed her dead face against the chain-link as a morbid spectator. Harris kept his eyes on Emmett and stepped to his right in an attempt to push his back to the fence. Emmett stepped with him, matching his move and not giving up any advantage.
Harris took two steps forward and thrust his dagger at Emmett’s chest. Emmett lunged to the side and caught Harris’s shoulder in a slice.
“You’re out of practice, aren’t you?” Emmett asked.
Harris touched his shoulder and looked at the blood. Emmett was faster than he remembered. Did Marcus share one of his modifications with him? If so, this wasn’t going to be a long fight. “Don’t forget who trained you.”
The smell of death surrounded them and the sight of blood and commotion sent Compry into a frenzy. Harris attacked again and watched
as Emmett countered each of his attacks without taking a step back.
“The only reason I didn’t strike you down then,” Emmett said as he blocked. “Was out of respect for your rank.”
Harris laid out his attacks favoring the right side of Emmett, pushing him to the backs of his feet. Emmett seemed to refuse to take a step back. Harris found the moment he was looking for and struck at his lower stomach. Emmett took a step back and blocked Harris’s plunge. Harris stared at Emmett’s blank face; neither of them would wear out or give in. He sighed at the time wasting away as Capital fell to the grinners. If not contained, they could lose the whole planet and become another Ryjack.
“This is a waste of time,” he said, looking at the ceiling.
“I can end this quick if you like.”
“Better to die by a sword, than a bite.”
The corner of Emmett’s mouth moved back, in a smirk, or a smile maybe. “Marcus had such hate for you after you left.”
“And who has left now?”
Emmett’s eye twitched and his hand gripped his sword. “Don’t try and get out of this.” He lunged forward and swung at Harris’s neck.
Harris had waited for a strike filled with emotion. He calmed his mind and watched Emmett’s blade glide near his neck. Harris countered and stuck his blade into Emmett’s shoulder. Emmett dropped his dagger and grabbed the wound. Blood streamed down his arm.
He grit his teeth and sneered at Harris, making a dash toward the guns on the floor. Harris matched his movement, sweeping feet out from under him. Once down, Harris jumped on his back, placing a blade across his neck. Emmett’s saliva fell to the ground as he grunted in anger.
“Yield,” Harris commanded. “Let’s save this damned planet.”
“And if Marcus returns?”
“We kill him together. He can’t take us both on.”
Harris kept his knee on his back, not giving the man an inch to wiggle. Emmett spit on the ground. “Agreed.”
Harris pulled his blade away and got off his back. Emmett sprang to his feet and faced Harris. “You know I would have killed you?”
“Yes.”
“I should tell you the kids are supposed to die in Ryjack. They’re walking into a trap.”
Harris resisted the urge to plunge his dagger into Emmett’s throat. “When?”
“I was there earlier today.”
“Take me there.”
“I can’t, there’s no stone in LA and I destroyed the last transport pod.”
Harris gritted his teeth. “You left them there?”
“Yeah, do you really need them? Without them, Marcus never gets out of bed and dies like a natural should.”
Harris back-stepped and picked up the three guns on the floor, stuffing two into holsters and one into his waistband.
“Those kids are the only pure things left in these worlds, don’t you see what and who they are? To have them die would be like burning the finest work of art.”
Emmett looked confused and Harris bit his lips, maybe he said too much. “What am I missing?”
“They’re my friends. I won’t leave them behind.”
Emmett’s blank face returned and with his bloody arm, he lifted his ancient radio. “Status?”
The radio gargled back in a static voice. “Sir, they’re attacking the gates. I think a few of those things got by. We need back up!”
“Listen,” Emmett stuffed the radio close to his mouth. “You seal the gates to the city. No one in, no one out.”
Harris cleared his throat.
“And Harris Boone is reinstated with full rank ten. Marcus is gone.”
“Sir?”
“Seal those gates!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s get up there,” Emmett said and waited for Harris to walk by first.
Harris didn’t like having him at his back, but he knew it was protocol. You filed in as rank. “Wait,” he said, turning around at the bottom of the stairs to face Emmett. He was rank ten now. There could be only one. He stared into Emmett’s face and tried to imagine his plan going this way when he left Sanct for Capital. There were few moments he was truly shocked and this could be added to the short list.
Harris walked up to Compry, still shaking her cage. Raising his gun, he held a breath and fired. Nodding to Emmett, he ran up the stairs. They encountered a few grinners, but Harris shot them down without missing a step. In ten minutes they were at the top of the stairs, breathing hard and looking upon the chaos of the lobby.
The MM soldiers had set up barriers, blocking the exits, Harris spotted Jack behind one of the barricades. The men fired into the grinners running at them. There was already a large pile and with each bullet the pile grew.
Behind the barrier, people in plain clothes ran down the street, chased by grinners. Harris felt his useless Panavice in his pocket. In a world dependent on instant access to everything, there was no way to warn them, to tell them to stay in their houses, to tell them not to talk to strangers. Harris paused in the lobby, the gunshots seemed dim, Emmett spoke, but the words were dull, distant.
He should have felt like he won, Marcus would no longer be the thumb on the world. But what had he left behind?
LUCAS SLAMMED THE SHIFTER INTO park and hit the top of the steering wheel with his palm.
“Great. What do they want?” Hank said as he looked out the window.
“I don’t know, but I’m guessing it’s not good for us.” Lucas looked at the barricade ahead and the few cars pushed together behind him. They fell into a damned trap. Two men carrying guns walked toward the car. Lucas watched them from the rearview mirror as they approached the car. He rolled down the window. “Is there a problem?”
The clean shaven man with decent clothes smiled. He looked nothing like the sickly people of the Sanctuary. “You were driving fifteen in a seventy five.”
“These darned electric cars,” Lucas said.
“We don’t see many driving, where you coming from?”
“Vegas.”
The man looked back at another man and then turned back to Lucas. “We can’t let you through without seeing Bob.”
“Tell him to come on out so I can shake his hand and we can be on our way.”
The friendly smile faded from the man’s face. “I’m going to need you all to get out of the car.” He took a step back and raised his gun.
Lucas looked around and counted seven men outside the car.
“Don’t try anything,” Julie said.
It did cross Lucas’s mind, maybe if he was by himself . . . “I’m going to be nice until they give me reason not to be.”
Without much choice, Lucas kept his hands raised and got out of the car. Julie got out from her side and Hank followed behind her, making his way between her and the men.
“Thing’s battery was dead anyhow,” Lucas said so everyone nearby could hear. He held Prudence in his hand and slung his quiver across his back. The man raised an eyebrow at the bow, but Lucas wasn’t going anywhere without it.
“Don’t try anything stupid and you can be on your way after Bob sees ya,” the armed man said. “Follow me.”
Lucas caught up to Julie as they climbed the stairs next to the freeway. Most of the men hung back in the rear. No one spoke, but he heard voices above and what sounded like children’s laughter. He stared at the top of the stairs and wondered who would have children in such a terrible world.
The cool air swept into the area as the sun lowered. Hank crested the top first and halted his steps. Turning around, he looked at Lucas with wide eyes. Making it to the top, Lucas stumbled back at the sight. It was a carnival. A real carnival, with moving rides.
“It’s festival day,” the man said and shrugged.
Lucas frowned at the man’s strange smile and kept the other men from getting too close to Julie as they walked toward the carnival entrance.
A large gate opened for the men as they entered. Lucas stood there and took in the Ferris wheel spinning. The whee
l slowly moved around in a jerky motion as if the gears were grinding away, but it was definitely moving. A few lights flickered here and there around the many tents and booths.
“You guys are really lucky to be here during festival day,” the man said with all smiles.
“We would really like to get back to our car and be on our way,” Julie said.
“Sorry, rules are rules. Anyone who passes through has to see Bob.”
The sound of drums and laughter spilled out of the open door as they entered the festival. Lucas expected popcorn and funnel cakes, but instead it was cooked meat and a burnt smell he couldn’t place. It wasn’t packed with people, but it had a feeling of being busy. The people looked different, cleaner than the people in Vegas. Their faces didn’t have the haunted look either. Some of the people laughed and slapped each other’s back as good friends might. A few kids ran around in joyful enthusiasm he’d previously thought impossible on Ryjack.
Lucas frowned at the first game he saw on his left. Julie gasped and grabbed at his arm. He looked back at Hank who had the same disgusted look he thought he had.
“Come take a shot at the game, son,” the carny yelled from behind his booth. “Knock three heads down and win the lady a bar of chocolate.”
Lucas glanced at the living grinner heads on the platform at the back of the booth. A stack of whiffle balls were on the table in front.
“How ‘bout you, sir,” the carny yelled at another passerby.
The next booth displayed fish bowls with ping pong balls. Lucas looked at the balls to make sure nothing was grotesquely wrong with the game, but it appeared to be just like the one he would play at the fair when it came to Preston. Was this a traveling fair? Did it just end up being here when the grinner invasion started?
They approached the Ferris wheel and the man with his gun stopped and turned back to them.
“I bet this is the only functioning Ferris wheel in the world.” His admiration spread over his face.
