by Casey Herzog
Thorpe kicked the bike into gear and enjoyed the feel of the engine’s purr. Dante got onto the vehicle behind him and smiled.
“Have you ever ridden a bike, Dante?”
“No,” the child answered. It was often hard for Callum to remember that the boy had been born after the destruction of the world, and probably had never done a whole lot of things like riding a motorcycle or watching television. He has killed men before, though. What a horrible reality we have forced our kids into.
“Hold on, then.” The bike burst forward and the boy cried out, but soon Callum heard laughter coming out of his mouth. It had been a while since the young healer had been this happy, and Thorpe felt quite content himself as the thrilling feeling of speeding down an empty road filled him once more. They had to keep going north, he knew; there was no other choice as long as there were enemies behind them and a gathering storm above.
The first drop of rain fell onto his forehead and the soldier cursed under his breath. Even so, he had a feeling of optimism within him as they powered forward towards wherever the road would take them next.
After all, Dante had given him a second chance in life.
It wasn’t until an hour later when the rain truly began to pour. Both of them had been covering their heads with their coats until now, their long-discarded masks an item that would have helped them get through the rain, but no longer worth mentioning.
Dante had seen a pack of wild hounds a while back and wondered if he and Callum would have gotten anywhere if not for the discarded motorcycle. Not on these territories, he knew. Maybe in a city being on foot was an advantage, but once outside it meant an all but certain death.
He soon lost the thrill of riding on the back of the bike and wondered how far they were from wherever it was they needed to be. What happens when we arrive? Will they treat me like a ten-year-old boy, or will I become a test study? Callum had once told the healer — innocently, despite the lasting effect his words had had — that he’d been extremely lucky to have come back home with him and not ended up in the hands of Russell or somebody else.
“I can’t imagine how you’d have been treated if the mutant-herders had gotten their hands on you,” he’d said. The mutant-herders were another sick and twisted group that pulled the subhumans out of their holes and took them away to places unknown. Many were used to protect places of interest or released in herds to help as a first wave of attackers before the herders themselves attacked an objective. Others were not so fortunate, their already-mismatched bodies subjected to experiments and their minds tampered with in an attempt to create something new out of them. Many died; others became either friendlier or more dangerous than they were after Outsider influence. “If you don’t behave I may just call them to take you away…” It had been a threat that had kept Dante afraid for a few days until Callum had found him crying and explained it had been a joke.
He began to doze off on the back of the rocking vehicle and hoped Callum could find a hiding place before they were too exposed to the rain. It was a rare occasion that he could find sleep, but the journey they were making had taken so much out of him. Dante felt the need to rest, lest he collapse when they both needed him to be at his best.
With the roaring of thunder echoing above and around him, Dante’s eyes finally closed and he allowed sleep to take hold of him.
CHAPTER FIVE
~Change of Plans~
*Six Months Ago*
“Why do our teachers give you lessons on how to run and hide when you can just heal anything that bad guys do to you?” a little girl asked him as one of the lessons ended. They had been listening to Johanna explain her survival tips, telling them what sort of water was the best to drink if they were ever lost on the surface.
The community’s underground compound was comfortable, despite its location. Life took place within its walls and one could be born into the world, grow up, and die without ever needing to leave it. Even so, Dante cringed at the thought of spending the rest of his life trapped beneath the ground without finding out more about his origins or the gift that had been given to him. It was simply not what he’d wanted when Callum brought him in, even if he was grateful for everything that had been given to him during his stay.
On his first week after healing everyone and making sure they were okay, he’d made his first attempt at escape. He’d come across the vault door at that moment and understood why the place was so secure. It would require a ton of explosives to get through, and even then, he would have to find a way out of the tunnels that led back up without taking a wrong turn and getting lost.
He had soon given up.
“Don’t be silly, Belle,” he replied to the girl, rolling his eyes, “I can still die, just like anyone else. Just like you, if the subhumans get you.” The girl ran away in fear, and Dante chuckled evilly. The mutant-herder taunt from Callum had stuck with him, and he’d thought it was playful fun. A few minutes later, Johanna approached him with a strict look on her face and a scolding complaint in her mouth. “I’m sorry miss,” he told her. He explained what had happened, and Johanna couldn’t keep herself from laughing.
“It was a dumb question, I agree, but you can’t be mean. Death is no longer a joke in this world. We must seek to protect each other, and to live above all. You are a symbol of life and healing, a trophy that humanity can look to and adore. Don’t be a little shit with your classmates,” she concluded. Dante’s eyes went wide at the profanity, but they both ended up roaring in laughter a second later.
“I want to go out,” he blurted out next, and suddenly the mood died. Johanna’s smile faded and she sighed. It wasn’t the first time he’d shown signs of having second thoughts about living in the community. A long silence followed, and Dante knew that he’d not only ruined the moment, but had earned a long lecture about how the world was dangerous and how he could be hurt was coming.
Nothing of the sort happened.
“Do you truly want to go out, my wonderboy? Truly?” Her expression was strange, as if she didn’t believe him. He wasn’t about to fall for it.
“I do. You’re not stopping me either. I’ll slip out whenever I can; I’d just rather let you know first.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go now. Right now.”
She pulled him softly, but firmly, by the hand and the boy protested, suddenly not so sure about his words.
“Hey, I didn’t mean right now, let me go!” Other children watched curiously, and Callum himself approached to see what was going on. He remained silent as he saw Johanna leading a struggling Dante away. “Sir! Sir!”
The vault door became visible in front of them, and Johanna wasted no time to input the code.
“It’s time we went out, since you don’t like it in here.” She slammed it closed behind her and shot a cold look at the healer. “Now, let’s find a way to the surface…”
“Please, Johanna, stop…” Dante shook his head. “I’m sorry. I really am. You think I’m an ungrateful, silly little child. I’m not. I’ve been out there; I know how dangerous it is and the many ways I can die on the surface. I…” He scratched his head. “I’m happy here; it’s just that I don’t even know who I am. I want to find out more about myself. I can’t keep living like this, not knowing where I came from or if maybe…Maybe I’m one of them…”
Johanna’s stony expression fell apart and she couldn’t help but smile and hug him.
“I can’t say what you are, Dante, but I can tell you what you’re not; you’re not ‘one of’ anything. Stop speaking as if finding out a terrible truth about your origins would change who you are. You’re a sweet child who has grown up seeing too many ugly things up there. You have a long life ahead of you if you stay within the walls of our community. The time will come when you are old enough to go out and find out everything you need to know, but it will be in the future, not now. You’re only nine years old, for crying out loud.” She let go of him and smiled again. “If you really wish to go, I won’t stop you…but I�
�m thinking of baking cookies, so it could end up being a bad decision!”
He went back into the community with her and continued pretending. She soon forgot about what had happened, and Dante guessed that he would have another chance to escape before long. Nobody would stop him from getting what he wanted, even if it meant putting himself into danger.
It took a few months, but finally he caught sight of a possible opportunity. One evening, the adults began to discuss a scavenging mission. At first, it seemed like everyone had agreed on who was going and where, but Callum seemed to be protesting. Approaching unseen, Dante overheard a conversation between Adam, Johanna, and Callum.
“We’re going there because we need to, not because we want to. We need the food and medicine; we can’t depend on the boy forever.” Adam hissed. He and Johanna had some sort of awkward relationship, Dante knew.
“I’m a more competent soldier than you — any of you. It’s a fact, not me being arrogant. Please, re-think this and let me go with one or two of you instead of all of you going.”
“We need you here for that exact reason, Callum. None of us feel safe staying behind if you’re gone. If we get into trouble, we have the numbers.” Johanna put her hand on Callum’s arm and squeezed. “Come on, soldier. Don’t underestimate us. The children need more protection than you do.”
“It’s not just the numbers; it’s where you’re going. You’ll pass by the city of Ayia. That place is…you know what it is. I’ve told you what happened on that night. Come on, please.”
Adam shook his head and turned away from Callum. There had always been a sort of rivalry between the two for leadership. Dante didn’t hear the following words, but Callum seemed to whisper a threat of some kind. Adam’s head snapped back and Johanna grabbed him before he could react.
“Leave it. Callum isn’t wrong. He can do these things better than we can, but we’ll show him that he’s wrong. Now shake hands and let’s leave this on friendly terms.” To her credit, she was still smiling. Adam was forced to stick his hand out, which Callum shook coldly.
The following days, Dante watched as the soldier continued teaching and taking care of the kids, but something was off. He seemed to be distracted. There was something on his mind. Clearly, he wanted to leave the community and find out where the adults had gone. By the time a few days had passed — and even Dante knew that they should have returned — the man seemed to make a decision on his own. The healer had been attending his classes and socializing as always, but he knew he had a chance to get out once Callum broke.
And finally, on the next day, he did.
Bang.
The gunshot woke him up, his eyes springing open and his hand darting to his rifle. It wasn’t there.
“Stop,” a robotic voice blared from the speakers on the sides of a helmet. Rain continued to fall, and thunder cracked above them. The tall figure looked like a robot himself, his thick armor and thin reddish visor encasing every inch of skin in a sophisticated plastic-like material that possessed a metallic shine. He carried a rifle that looked nothing what Dante was used to seeing — a long, lightweight firearm with a slightly flared wide barrel that shone with bluish light in its interior, as if it was about to launch a plasma flare in his face. Dante flinched and lifted his hands.
Other similar figures stood around, but Dante couldn’t see Callum anywhere. The motorcycle lay in the mud nearby, skid marks revealing an accident of some sort. Is he dead? What else did I miss in my deep sleep?
“What’s going on?!” he cried out in fear.
The man was quick to plant his heavy boot on Dante’s chest and shove him back into the wet mud.
“No questions.” He lifted a hand to his ear and seemed to communicate with someone on an internal communication link. Dante blinked several times to keep the rain out of his eyes, but it was useless. The boy needed to know where Callum was, even if the man was dead.
It was all suddenly too much for him.
“My friend, where the fuck is he?!”
The man stepped down firmly on his throat and pushed his body harder into the mud, and Dante knew that he had to stop talking. They’re serious.
The strange enemy seemed to receive the confirmation he needed and pushed his rifle back around his back on its strap. The next time he spoke, his voice was more human, as if he didn’t need to intimidate the healer with his speaker-voice anymore.
“I’m sorry, you’re coming with us; we’ll need you to collaborate peacefully.” His demeanor had changed, but why? Another figure stepped forward and picked Dante up, wiping away as much mud as he or she could from the boy’s hair, back and legs. “We control the borders of these lands, and you stepped into them. It’s that simple, though we’ve seemed to have made a monumental mistake today with you.” There was an awkward silence after his words before he spoke again. “We’ll make sure to make up for it.”
“Can you tell me about my friend now? The guy driving the motorcycle?”
“We’ve taken him. His presence will help keep things flowing smoothly.” A hostage, Dante knew. “You worry about yourself now, not some soldier with no regard for authority.” Only then did Dante look behind the officer to see a wounded man in similar armor being taken away on a technologically-advanced stretcher that seemed to float along on the air. Callum had clearly done a job on him. It made the healer smile. “Amusing, is it?” the man continued. “It might mean your friend’s execution. Yeah,” he smiled, watching Dante’s pleasure turn to shock, “I wouldn’t like hearing that either. What is he to you, anyway?”
“He…he’s my father.”
Dante had only half-lied. The soldier was all he had, a man who had given everything — blood, sweat and tears — to take him this far. “I don’t have anyone else in this world, sir.”
The man seemed to snort in amusement. For a moment, the only sound in the world was the heavy pattering of rain and the rumbling of thunder. Finally, he talked.
“He’s alive. Beaten but alive. Being thrown off the motorcycle before the beating didn’t help either. You’re something else, having slept through it all. What the hell are you on, boy?”
Dante shook his head.
“I was just exhausted.”
The one who had cleaned him a few minutes ago dragged Dante forward towards a dark vehicle barely visible on the black background of angry clouds. It was a sort of armored car, large enough for an entire squadron to sit in its back. A hatch was open on its rear, and Dante became nervous as he was led straight inside it. Flickering, bright light was coming from within, and a figure sat on the bench inside, staring groggily at him through his bruised and bloody eyes. Dante didn’t know whether to feel relieved or horrified at Callum’s appearance. With a feeling of dread growing within him, Dante looked back one last time at the road and sighed audibly.
This better not be the last ride I ever make.
CHAPTER SIX
~Different Road, Same Destination~
“What happened, Callum?” Dante asked, as he touched the man’s eye and pressed his other hand to the soldier’s broken ribs. Callum trembled under his touch, the rain having caused as much damage as the beating had. There was something clearly wrong with him — probably rain sickness, Dante thought hopefully.
“They came out of nowhere, I swear it,” he said quietly. There were no guards in the back of the vehicle with them, but both were sure that they were being watched somehow. “I felt you fall asleep on my back and drove for another hour or two before they showed up. It was sudden and violent. Something hit you first, and then they shot at the bike with some kind of projectile. The entire front wheel’s axis fell apart. Did you feel a needle or something?” he asked all of a sudden.
Dante’s eyes went wide. So that’s why I didn’t wake up. He checked himself for any wounds, but cursed his own gifts. They’re already healed by now, the dart long having been expelled from my body.
“Nothing, sir.”
“Of course there wouldn’t be…Well, the
y were on me in seconds. I got one of them bad, punched my knife through the armor and into his ribs. It’s a tough material they’re wearing, but people have been dying from sharp blades to weak points for centuries since knights were killing each other on horses.” Dante laughed at this, and even Callum had to concede a smile.
“They want to kill you for that, sir. I don’t know if they’ll care about what I want or not, but I’ll make sure that they are forced to think twice about it at least. You’re my dad, by the way,” he added, “I had to lie to help keep you alive. You’ve done a good enough job as a father figure, but try to kick it up a few notches now if you want to keep them fooled.”
“Okay…son…” Callum hugged the healer and rested against the metal compartment of the truck’s interior. “You shouldn’t have healed me so well, not being ungrateful or anything. It’s just that they’ll know something is going on here now.”
Dante remembered how the strange men had changed their behavior all of a sudden after their officer spoke on the communications link.
