Love Bug

by Goodhue, H. E.

  “Fine,” Hatch snapped. “You do have the right to redeem yourself. That is the rule.” Tam smiled as he eyed down Remmy. “But you also know that if this boy beats you that he takes your place. That is also the rule.”

  “Take my place?” Tam laughed. “He’s not one of us!” Remmy could hear a handful of other Reds rumbling on the edges of the arena.

  “Shut your mouth, Tam! Those are the rules! You knew that when you challenged him,” Hatch barked. The Reds fell silent. “If this boy plans on living much longer, he had better be one of us by the end of the fight.”

  -39-

  “Evolution of all things is an inevitability, a rule of nature, even with regards to our way of life. The ERC Council kept you safe, kept you sheltered from the storm that raged outside of our cities’ walls. Their approach worked for some time, but became stagnant and it is that lack of action that led to their unfortunate downfall.

  But fear not citizens, their fate does not determine ours! No! Our future is bright my fellow citizens, as long as we are willing to take the action required to ensure that it is! For it is action that is demanded in these troubling moments! We must take up arms against those that threaten our cities, threaten our way of life.

  It is time we did more than just defend ourselves from the vicious Reds and traitorous Emos! It is time we took the fight to them! But our brave ERC soldiers alone cannot fight the battle that looms on the horizon. No, my fellow citizens, we must all join in the fight and shed blood, both theirs and ours, to ensure that our future is bright. That is the cost. That is the price to be paid.

  I am immediately instituting a draft to bolster our ranks and ensure our success. I know that these words, these actions must be as disconcerting for you as they are for me, but I promise you one thing my fellow citizens, and that is success, but only through these means will it be achieved. Were there another method I would gladly employ it, but I have weighed the options and this is all that remains. To deviate from this path will lead us to only one end, death. The decision was mine my fellow citizens, but the choice is yours. Life or death.”

  Eldritch listened to his words replayed throughout the city on the same speakers that had once broadcast the ERC Council’s message of compliance. He knew that his words were essentially the same thing, really nothing more than some overly dramatic words to get the cattle to move in the right direction. Eldritch was satisfied with his words, even if they were a little over the top. With Em-Paks, there really was no need for overly emotional statements and speeches, but in the end, Eldritch was still a politician and some habits simply refused to be lost beneath the influence of an Em-Pak.

  The citizens had responded well, offering up their youth, but few came from the more privileged families. Eldritch would gladly take the lower class, use them as cannon fodder, but ensuring his complete control meant holding the lives of those rich, undeserving little snots in the palm of his hand. The rich did what they always did and tried to resist, tried to find some means of excluding their children from the draft. Surely there was an extra tax that could be paid or possibly a stand in could be provided, fairly compensated of course.

  Eldritch demanded that they enter the draft, even if it was little more than a puppet show. He knew full well what numbers would be drawn, had programmed the computers to select children from the most politically connected families. When he met with resistance, Eldritch simply turned off one or two family members’ Em-Paks, unleashing a Red or two within the immaculate halls of mansions and high-rise apartments. No one was safe. No one could hide. Eldritch made sure that point was clear.

  Eventually, all of the citizens, even the rich and powerful, fell in line. The ranks of the ERC army swelled with the bodies of children who had lived on little more than their last names and trust funds. Eldritch had complete control.

  “Mr. Eldritch, sir?” Captain Ortiz asked as he walked into the immense office that had previously been the ERC Council’s chambers. Eldritch stood in front of the massive window looking out over the Stele, his city. All of the cities were his city.

  “Remember when we first took control of this office, Captain Ortiz?” Eldritch asked, still looking out the window. The sunset in the distance, splashing brilliant hues across the sky that neither man had the ability or inclination to appreciate.

  “Yes sir,” Ortiz nodded, “I do, sir.”

  “Remember how you worried about my desk being in front of this window?” Eldritch continued.

  “I do, sir,” Ortiz answered. “I was concerned about an attempt being made on your life. It was not a good idea to have you positioned in such an open area on a daily basis. With all due respect, Mr. Eldritch, sir, I still don’t think it is a wise decision, even with the bullet proof glass installed.”

  Eldritch waved his hand dismissively. “Ortiz, there is not a citizen in any city that would stand against me now. To control the youth is to control the future. No citizen is stupid enough to challenge me when their child’s life rests squarely in the palm of my hand.”

  “Sir?” Ortiz questioned. “Is it wise to rely upon out of date constructs like family, loyalty and love? These motivations have all become extinct with the implantation of Em-Paks.”

  “Love?” Eldritch snorted. “I’m not putting any stock in anyone’s love for their children. Who the hell loves their children? God lord, does anyone even use that term anymore? Honestly, Ortiz, I’m shocked you’d even think I’d make such a mistake.”

  “My apologies, sir,” Ortiz responded. “Perhaps I require some clarification. Of course, only as long as it is acceptable for me to ask for it, sir.”

  “Yes, of course,” Eldritch said slowly. He had Ortiz and his men under his control, but he still knew better than to trust them completely. “My point was, Captain, that every citizen, especially those rich and powerful ones, are concerned with ensuring their legacy, which could be viewed as their wealth, possessions or work, but ultimately everyone’s ability to live forever is realized through their children. By taking control of these citizens’ children I have essentially taken away their future and legacy.”

  “Understood sir,” Ortiz nodded. “Their loyalty will determine whether or not they have any hope of regaining control over their legacies.”

  “Exactly,” Eldritch grinned. “As I said in my speech, the choice is theirs to make. Life or death, it’s really that simple, Ortiz.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ortiz agreed. “Quite clear.”

  “Glad you agree, Ortiz,” Eldritch joked sarcastically, even though his sense of humor was suppressed by his Em-Pak. “Your astute observations and unbiased opinions have always been your most admirable qualities.”

  “Thank you sir,” Ortiz said flatly.

  “Are the troops ready?” Eldritch asked, growing bored and changing the subject.

  “Almost all of those who were called into service by the draft have reported to local ERC stations,” Ortiz reported. “There are still a few that are being somewhat reluctant, sir. I have compiled a list of those names for you, Mr. Eldritch, so that they can be compelled to comply. I will have all of the new recruits prepared for service within the next few days. The new Em-Pak programs have streamlined training and eliminated the need for an extended boot camp.”

  “Excellent,” Eldritch nodded. “I want them ready to go in two days, Captain. That is all.” Eldritch held out his hand for the list of families that had resisted enlisting their children.

  “Understood sir,” Ortiz answered. He handed Eldritch the list and turned to attend to his orders.

  Eldritch collapsed into his studded leather desk chair. He punched the Em-Pak ID numbers into his computer, sentencing the corresponding people to death without so much as a long look at the screen.

  “I made it clear to them,” Eldritch mumbled. If these citizens were still too strong willed then they faced the same fate as the ERC Council. People needed to grow, to find a new place within his vision of society. Those that clung to the old ways were useless. E
ldritch wondered how many more examples he would have to make before the citizens realized their place – probably not too many more.

  “Time will tell,” Eldritch shrugged, answering his own question. He powered down his computer and got up from his desk. He had done enough for today. He was exhausted and it was time for some well-deserved rest.

  Eldritch flicked off the lights and locked his office. In his tired state, he failed to realize that he had left his phone on the desk, a phone that now lit up and vibrated as it received an SOS signal relayed to his phone from an ERC emergency radio transmitter – a radio transmitter that was supposed to have been lost in the wreckage of his family’s limo accident.

  -40-

  “Eat something,” Samuel said holding out a grizzled stick of jerky to Xander. They had brought other supplies, but making a fire was too risky after the run in with the young Red.

  “I don’t want that garbage,” Xander grunted as he pushed away his grandfather’s hand.

  “You’ve haven’t eaten anything since we left camp and from what I was told, very little even before that,” Samuel continued.

  “I’m not going to put that crap into my body,” Xander sneered. “Who knows what the hell is even in there? It’s probably road kill.”

  “Suit yourself,” Cora smiled and snatched the jerky from Samuel.

  “Figures you’d eat it,” Xander grinned without an ounce of humor. “You’ve gone native, become a full blown savage. You’ll probably be eating bugs and painting on cave walls by the end of the night.”

  “You’ve got bugs?” Cora teased. “Now I’m really hunger. Why’d you have to go and talk about bugs?” Teasing Xander seemed to come naturally to Cora.

  Xander made a rude noise and snatched a second piece of jerky that Samuel held out.

  “Thank you,” Samuel said to Xander.

  “Save it,” Xander grunted and turned his back on Samuel and Cora. Soon they would be asleep and then Xander could check the signal on his radio transmitter. It had been a few hours since he pretended to scratch his leg and flicked the homing signal button. Xander hoped that he was far enough out of the dense woods that it would be picked up by the ERC and sent to his father, but he had no way of knowing. Ideally, Xander would have liked to have waited for a clearing, but he had to keep the transmitter hidden and time was running out. Samuel estimated that they would be near the Red camp by tomorrow night.

  Samuel checked the small screen on his wrist. Small red dots merged into crooked lines that eventually connected to larger masses, spreading across the screen like a bloody amoeba. Samuel had known the Reds were coming together, joining up for a reason known only to them, but even he was shocked by what he saw on the small screen. He would seriously need to reconsider their plan. It had at first seemed feasible to cause a distraction that would allow Cora to slip in and rescue Remmy, but now that plan was little more than a death sentence for his granddaughter.

  “We need a new plan, right?” Cora asked from where she looked over Samuel’s shoulder. He hadn’t even noticed her presence.

  “So it would seem,” Samuel admitted. There was no reason to keep anything hidden from Cora, even the impossible odds that were stacking up against them. “There are more Reds than I had ever imagined. They must be coming from miles and miles away. I am really at a loss as to why.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Cora replied. “I don’t care if it’s for a birthday party or a barbeque…” Her words trailed off as she thought about what she had just said. A barbeque. Samuel told her that he believed the Reds to be cannibalistic, having found a few fragmented bones in the woods with teeth marks. Were the Reds coming together to eat Remmy? Cora felt sick and furious with herself. How could she even allow herself to say something like that? How could she have been so freaking stupid? Cora was happy to be free of her Em-Pak, allowed to feel things, like how she felt around Remmy, but the opposite end of the deal was excruciating. Self-doubt, guilt and disgust surged through Cora making her head light.

  “It’s okay,” Samuel smiled weakly. “Members of the Eldritch family have always had the ability to move their mouths faster than their minds. Cora, I know what you meant to say and I’m sure that Remmy would have too. Beating yourself up for a slip of the tongue isn’t going to do anyone any good.”

  “I guess so,” Cora muttered without conviction. In her mind’s eye, Remmy was lashed to a spit, slowly turning over a fire surrounded by slavering Reds. Doubt crept in, strangling Cora’s hopes like weeds. Tears glistened in the corner of her eyes.

  Xander quietly shook his head, disgusted at his sister’s emotional display.

  “Look here,” Samuel said holding out his wrist for Cora to see. He had zoomed in on the main Red camp. A countless number of Reds formed a massive ring around three red dots and one yellow dot. The four dots moved as if dancing with one another. “Remmy’s still alive.”

  “But what are they doing to him?” Cora demanded. “What’s going on there?” She was relieved to see Remmy’s yellow dot glowing vibrantly on the screen, moving and full of life, but the Red dots appeared to be trailing him or maybe even chasing him.

  “I’m not sure, Cora,” Samuel admitted. He sighed heavily and decided to be honest. “Cora, remember when I said that Remmy was alive because he fought back?”

  “Yeah,” Cora nodded. “He attacked that one Red. Hit him in the face with a rock. Why?”

  “Well,” Samuel paused. He needed to be honest. Deceit served no purpose. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, Cora, but from what I can surmise, I’d guess that the Reds are having Remmy prove himself again.”

  “Prove himself?” Cora questioned. “What do you mean?”

  “He means fight, you moron,” Xander chimed in. “A huge ring like that and four dots in the middle? Sure sounds like a gladiator arena to me. Boy, that’s got to be a sight. All those Reds and your dirty little boy toy in the middle of it all.”

  Cora wanted to attack Xander, to claw his eyes, but there was no time to waste. Angry words died and festered in her throat.

  Samuel cut in before Xander could say more. “I think it would be a good idea if we kept moving. We can sleep when we’re done saving Remmy, right?”

  “You mean, we can sleep when we’re dead,” Xander added humorlessly and climbed to his feet. He spat the half-chewed wad of jerky onto the ground and began walking.

  -41-

  Remmy was granted a brief rest following his fight with the Red children. Hatch demanded that he be fresh for his fight with Tam. She didn’t want anyone complaining about unfair fights, but Remmy suspected it had more to do with Jessica than a sense of fair play. Either way, Remmy greeted the respite with a mix of emotions. On one hand, he was glad to be out of the foul arena, but knew that he would soon be thrown back in to face something far worse than three Red children.

  The dingy shack felt heavy, filled with the stagnant air of a tomb. Remmy forced himself to breathe, to get lungful after lungful of the charnel air. He needed to remain focused. Remmy had gotten the best of Tam before and that saved his life, but he doubted that Tam would make the same mistake twice. Rage burned brightly in Tam’s eyes as he glared at Remmy from across the arena. The fact that Remmy had injured Tam called into question the man’s position as second in command. There was no question that Tam was a vicious warrior, and few wanted to challenge that, but a human, a boy at that, not even a full-grown man, had bested him. That fact couldn’t be ignored. Tam was going make sure there were no questions remaining at the end of the fight.

  Remmy grabbed a strip of filthy fabric from the pile in the corner of the shack. He had to wrap his wound and make sure that a slick of blood didn’t interfere with his ability to fight. The rag was disgusting, covered in countless germs, but Remmy doubted he’d live long enough for the bite to become infected.

  “Get that look off your face!” Jessica snapped from the doorway. Remmy looked past her and watched the sun drop lower in the sky. Night was coming and soon he wou
ld be forced back into the arena. Memories of time spent in the fields, some even with Jessica, flooded Remmy’s head. Would this be the last sunset he would ever see? The last time he would ever watch the brilliant colors of a dying day stretch across an indigo sky? He would miss these colors. He already missed Cora.

  “What look?” Remmy grunted and turned his back on Jessica. Before he could turn completely away, Jessica dashed across the shack with incredible speed. She snapped her teeth savagely mere inches from Remmy’s face. His hands shot out instinctively to push Jessica away from him.

  “Good. Very good,” Jessica said through her shark-like grin. “You’ve still got some fight in you. You’re going to need that against Tam.”

  “What I need is a freaking tank,” Remmy spat. “He’s a monster. You all are.” Remmy added the last bit in an attempt to hurt Jessica. The toothy smile never once flickered. If his words cut Jessica she refused to show it.

  “A tank would help,” Jessica shrugged, “but I wouldn’t count on it. You need to find some way to beat him.”

  “And how’s that going to happen?” Remmy demanded. “He’s going to gut me in front of all you and for what? Because of some rule made up by Hatch?”

  “The rules are NOT made up!” Jessica growled. “The rules are what keep order! The rules are what kept you alive, Remmy! So I wouldn’t be so quick to write off the rules or Hatch for that matter. Besides me, Hatch is the only friend you’ve got right now!” A devious look fell over Jessica’s red painted face. She knew something that she wasn’t telling Remmy. Some secret was being withheld.

  “Hatch, my friend?” Remmy sneered. “Jeez, well if that’s true then Tam must want to hug me to death. What the hell are you talking about, Jessica?”

  “Look,” Jessica whispered, her words slurred by row upon row of dagger-like teeth. “Hatch knows that Tam wants her spot and so far she’s been able to keep him in line, but that’s not going to last forever. You smashing Tam’s face made the others question his ability to lead.”