by Platt, Sean
The zombie lay in a pile of red-and-white goo, flecks of frozen ice blending in with the syrupy blood. Jonah looked up and caught Egan’s eyes, confused, horrified, and still fighting for his life. He swung the butt of his rifle into a zombie’s open mouth, ripping its jaw clean off before smashing in its skull.
Jonah swung his pipe hard, bashing, poking, stabbing, as both he and Egan fell into an insane rage together, until there was nothing left but them, breathing, panting, covered in blood, and staring at each other.
Calla approached, trembling. “Are they all dead?”
Egan looked down and nodded, then glared at Jonah. Neither said a word. Jonah had no idea what would happen next.
Egan snarled, then threw his empty rifle into the snow and charged at Jonah, swinging his fist. Jonah swerved, dodging the assault and throwing his body into Egan. He didn’t want to fight, especially in front of the man’s daughter, but Egan was leaving little, if any, choice.
The two men wrestled in the snow, with Jonah hesitant to strike Egan in front of Calla, fighting him off just enough, but mostly letting Egan punch him repeatedly, even though his entire body was already bruised and battered by the man.
Every blow, to his chest, face, head, and ribs felt like Egan was tearing him apart, bit by bit. Jonah relaxed, allowing the man to do his worst.
“Go ahead!” Jonah yelled. “Kill me! Get it over with!”
“Stop!” Calla screamed, earning her father’s startled attention. “Stop it! You can’t bring ’em back!”
Egan froze, his left hand curled into Jonah’s collar, his right hovering a foot from Jonah’s face. Without warning, Egan slid off of Jonah, fell into the snow, then broke into shuddering sobs, burying his head in his bloodied hands.
Jonah sat, rose to his knees, then wiped the blood from his broken face as Calla dropped to her knees beside her father.
“He saved me,” Calla said, crying into her father’s chest. “He could’ve escaped, but he came back for me. And — for you.”
Egan’s eyes meet Jonah’s, still brimming with anger, but softening with a gratitude he clearly couldn’t help. After a long moment, longer in the wind’s frozen whistle, Egan said, “Thank you.”
Jonah nodded, then said, “Can I go save my daughter now?”
Egan shook his head. After a horrible second, he finished with “No.”
Jonah’s gut twisted into a knot.
He was going to have to kill Egan — beat him to death in front of his daughter — then leave her alone in the snow so he could go and find his.
Egan saved his own life by saying, “Come back with us. I’ll give you something to help you find her.”
Jonah, at a loss for words, mustered only, “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Egan nodded, pulling Calla closer to him. “But then I want you the hell out of my life forever.”
Jonah nodded, knowing that nothing was ever that easy.
CHAPTER 31 — Anastasia Lovecraft
Ana couldn’t stop staring into the back of Liam’s head as he and Duncan walked side-by-side through the network of catacombs, lit only by the light of Duncan’s liberated orb, hovering above and lighting the path.
When they first entered the catacombs, Duncan explained that they ran under the woods and would lead past The Darwin Games borders. The catacombs had been built before the plague and were filled with mostly empty spaces for coffins. They also connected to the train tunnels, which would eventually lead to their destination.
Duncan then fell quiet, and the trio walked in silence since — thick like fog, but harder to see through.
Ana figured Duncan had seen Liam’s confession, like everyone in City 6, and knew he was a traitor. Duncan was short with Liam and clearly angry over something, but still helpful while navigating the winding tunnels toward their possible salvation. After a forever that was likely little more than an hour, Liam stopped in his tracks and turned to Duncan.
“I guess you saw,” he said.
“I don’t wanna discuss it.” Duncan didn’t bother to stop walking.
Liam followed a step behind, quiet for five minutes or so until he couldn’t take the sour of all the unsaid between them. He stopped again, set his hand on Duncan’s shoulder, then pulled the man back toward him. “They were threatening to kill Chelle’s baby — my baby.”
Duncan stared at Liam, barely able to meet his eyes, let alone hold them.
“And then they did,” Duncan said. “You brought a sword to a gunfight, then made a deal with the devil when you found out your weapon wasn’t a match. How did that work out for you, Liam? How did it work out for all of us?”
“What did you want me to do? Risk my child? The woman I loved?”
“You did the worst possible thing, Liam. You played God, burning the thin bridge between all of our lives.” Duncan’s voice was sharp enough to cut into the countless things he wasn’t saying.
Liam said, “I didn’t know they’d kill Jonah’s wife. Or that they’d raid the church and kill Rose and Iris.”
“Your hands are bloody.” Duncan shook his head. “You should have come to me, should’ve told me. I could have helped, no different from what I’d do for anyone else. I could’ve protected your baby, gotten Chelle and the baby out of The City.” Duncan leaned into Liam and lowered his voice. “I had to do it eventually, anyway.”
“What are you talking about?” Liam almost mumbled, every word falling out slower than the one before, each holding something horrible inside it.
“I got Chelle out, right before I left,” Duncan said.
Liam swallowed loud enough to hear, even if Ana couldn’t see it in the shadows. “I sent her to West Village,” Duncan said.
“Why the hell did you do that?” Liam said, or maybe snarled. “The passage is dangerous!”
“So was her staying behind The Wall, at least once you said you were done spying for them and made your death march.”
Liam fell silent, tasting Duncan’s words on his tongue.
Ana was embarrassed to ask, though not enough to keep the words from her mouth. “What’s West Village?”
Duncan turned from Liam to Ana. “It’s a village populated by City 6 dissidents and refugees. We’ve got nearly two thousand people living there now, beyond The City’s reach. That’s where we’re headed.”
“It’s the village I told you about,” Liam said. “The one I wanted to get Chelle and the baby to.”
“How long has it been there? How has The City not discovered it yet?”
“It’s been there for two decades, with a smart system of ever-growing independence. We’ve taken plenty of precautions, it’s well hidden, and The Barrens are big, bigger than you realize. Lack of perspective keeps you from seeing the big picture, Ana. Same as everyone else. The Old Nation had a song that said, ‘from sea to shining sea,’ and those seas sandwiched thousands of miles between them. It’s impossible for The State to be everywhere at once. Sure, they’ve sent orbs out to find the Village, plenty, but we’ve always been able to stop and seize them, then reprogram them to help us track and capture other orbs. Eventually, they stopped trying.”
“So, we’re gonna live there now?” Ana asked.
“Yes,” Duncan nodded.
“If The Underground has this secret place, why not bring more people over? Start a new proper city?”
“Limited resources.” Duncan shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. “We can’t allow everyone in if we expect the resistance to last. We’re selective, and there’s a long process to get out of The City and inside the Village. New citizens are expected to contribute, and we must be certain they won’t betray The Underground. Few people know where the Village is, and the only way to access it on ground level is through these old catacombs and train tunnels. Besides,” he added, “most people are happy behind The Wall since they can’t see through the wool over their eyes. Few even try.”
Ana glanced at Liam. He was somewhere else, off in his own world, probably thinking about Ch
elle and what would happen once they reached the Village.
Ana turned back to Duncan. “Can you get Adam out of The City? Can we bring him to the Village?”
“We’ll see,” Duncan said. “It was tough enough getting Chelle out. Everyone in The Underground is scared right now, and nobody’s sure who to trust. The Watchers have picked up a few of our people and are looking to find who’s in charge.”
Ana wanted to ask who was in charge, but didn’t want any information the Watchers could torture her for. Instead, she asked another question, though hesitant to do so. “What’s gonna happen to Liam when we get there? Do they know what he did? Will they let him in?”
“We’re going to jail him,” Duncan said. “Then try him as a traitor.”
A chill ran through Ana. “But he was protecting his girlfriend and baby!” She surprised herself by defending Liam.
Duncan turned abruptly, his eyes locked onto Ana’s. “We all lost people for The Underground. Every one of us. The Underground is more than a single person, or even one family. It’s an entire society. Generations are dependent on our rebels being able to commit to the cause. Betray The Underground, and you put everyone at risk. Everyone.”
Duncan turned and started to again walk the catacombs. Ana followed, with Liam now taking up the rear, all three renewing their earlier vows of silence. Liam then stepped forward and turned to Ana, his eyes soft. “I’m sorry,” he said.
His apology seemed so heartfelt and honest it practically quivered, cutting through her anger like a hot knife.
“It’s OK,” Ana said, though she hadn’t fully forgiven him and still had too many questions to make his “sorry” mean as much as he probably wanted.
But her questions could wait. She didn’t want to ask them, especially not in front of Duncan.
They kept walking for what felt like like hours, now navigating the old train tunnels, turning from one darkened passageway into another until they finally arrived at a large metal gate. Through the thin bars, Ana saw steps leading up to the world above — the Village!
Ana slowly approached the steps, thinking of everything she’d been through in the last month — her mother’s murder, her father’s sudden arrest, her testimony, his ejection from The City, their home being taken from them and the look on Adam’s face as his books were taken by the Watchers, her father in The Games, the church massacre, and choosing to kill Charlotte instead of Liam.
It was all too much.
A new orb suddenly descended from the darkness above, hovering in front of the gate, watching as they approached.
The hunter orb’s energy cannon crackled with blue light, ready to vaporize any enemy. Ana stepped back, nervous, certain they’d been caught, though neither Liam nor Duncan seemed in the least bit fazed.
Duncan walked right up to the orb, then stared into the monitor and said, “Harbor 1228.”
The orb acknowledged Duncan with a blip, then moved aside. Its blue cannon fizzled to dark. Ana sighed, fully relieved as Duncan pulled a key from his coat and unlocked the gate. “Welcome to West Village,” he said, ushering them through the swinging metal fence, then locking it behind them after they’d stepped to the other side.
As they walked toward the steps, Ana noticed thick plumes of dark smoke spiraling into the sky.
What the…?
Duncan and Liam exchanged horrified looks, then raced ahead together, Duncan drawing a pistol from the depths of his coat.
Before them was a large wooden wall, its gates wide open. Beyond the gates, the Village streets were littered with bloodied and burned corpses. The buildings had been reduced to smoldering, charred remains, some still on fire.
It looked as if someone had opened the gates of hell and set forth murderous, flaming beasts that killed everything in their path, leaving nothing behind but death and destruction.
Ana’s mouth hung agape as she struggled to hold back the tears.
As Ana drew closer to the open gates, she saw the familiar “CW” logo of City Watch painted in what looked like blood on the right gate.
“Oh God, it’s gone,” Duncan said in a whisper. “It’s all gone.”
Liam cried out, racing through the gate and into the Village.
“Chelle!” he screamed out. “Chelle!”
Liam froze in his tracks as he looked up and screamed.
Jutting from the ground were two dozen wooden spikes, standing roughly 20 feet high.
And on each of them a head.
Liam stood in front of one, a woman with dark hair hanging over her bloodied, puffy face.
“Chelle!” he screamed.
Duncan and Ana raced to him as Liam fell to the ground screaming.
CHAPTER 32 — Jonah Lovecraft
Jonah crossed The Barrens and went back to the train station, following Egan and Calla. They ignored the ladder where Jonah had ascended, running through a thicket of trees, then a wide clearing and into what looked like the remains of a long forgotten depot, with snow-covered crumbles of concrete and exposed piping.
Egan ducked beneath a fallen concrete pillar, then descended a set of stairs into the tunnel. Calla quietly followed her father, with Jonah right behind her.
Inside the station, Jonah was led to a large room just inside the entrance. Egan opened the door, Calla hovering at his side, then pointed to one of the several dozen chairs in what had been some sort of waiting area, once upon a time.
“You can wait there. I’ll go get Father Truth. I need to tell my wife of Dani’s death.” Egan looked at Calla, apology for the loss like a dim light in his eyes, then turned back to Jonah. “Father will come in a few minutes, with everything you need.”
Jonah nodded.
Calla followed Egan from the room, leaving Jonah completely alone.
It was maybe 15 minutes before Father Truth stepped through the door. During every one of those minutes Jonah strongly considered leaving the station, hating the thought of Ana in The Barrens fending for herself. He finally stood and was halfway to the door when Father came inside, carrying a large bag and a tiny smile. He sat the bag down on a chair in front of Jonah, unzipped it, and pulled out a miniature-sized metallic globe.
The small globe had a little screen a few inches wide. It looked like a mini-orb, though not quite like a Network orb or any other orb Jonah had ever seen.
“Is this State made?” Jonah asked, turning it in his hand.
“Not exactly,” Father shook his head. “But I can’t tell you anything more than that, so I suggest you not ask.”
“Can I ask what it does?”
“Wouldn’t give it to you if you couldn’t,” Father said. “It taps into the TV feed, so you’ll be able to see the same thing folks behind The Wall are seeing, while they’re seeing it. That’s your best bet at finding Ana. Besides this,” Father held up the bag, bulging at the sides, and handed it to Jonah.
Jonah sat down and pulled the bag into his lap, and peeked inside, eyes widening at the contents. “This is for me? All of it?”
“It is,” Father nodded. “Don’t make me regret it.”
Inside the bag were two guns, four boxes of shells, dried fruit, four vials of something marked “health,” five bottles of water, and a hand-drawn map of The Barrens, which seemed to offer a good trail to where Ana might be.
“So can I go now?”
“Yes, at least in a second. We’ve gotta destroy your chips first.”
“I thought you said it was dangerous,” Jonah said.
“A little bit, but it’s far more dangerous if you get tracked by hunter orbs. There’s an energy field surrounding the station that prevents the orbs from tracking you here. But once you step outside the field, you’re fair game. So you want to do this if you want to live.”
Father unzipped a small pack at his waist and pulled out a long, thin box, about the length of his hand. He unfastened the latch at the top, lifted the lid, then shook a translucent blue pill into his hand and handed it to Jonah.
“
A pill? You’ve gotta be kidding.”
“Not at all,” Father said. “The pill has nanotech scrubbers, to destroy the chips. In your bag, I’ve also included another pill to give your daughter once you find her.”
Jonah liked that he said “once” instead of “if.”
“Now I have to warn you, once you swallow, you will be disoriented. You’ve convinced yourself that you can’t afford any time to rest, but I’d argue, and loudly, that you can’t afford not to rest if you expect to save your daughter. I suggest waiting at least two hours before leaving, though you and Egan will both likely argue for one, and for different reasons.”
“I have to go. I don’t have two hours.” Jonah shook his head. “Every minute I’m down here instead of up there looking looking for Ana is another minute I put her at risk.”
“If they set hunter orbs on you, you're dead. So is she. Have faith in the daughter you raised, Jonah. Clear the chips and clear your mind, then rescue Ana.”
Father handed the pill to Jonah. “Unleash yourself.”
Jonah popped the pill into his mouth, swallowed without water, then squeezed his eyes at the sudden pain, slapping his right palm to the side of his head as an angry intensity tore through his head.
He stood, dizzy, then tried to sit, but was afraid he would fall flat on his ass. He lasted a second before he did. Jonah twitched on the floor, certain there was poison inside him and that despite his promises, Egan had managed to exact his revenge, after all.
“It’s OK,” Father said from somewhere on a distant planet. “Everything will be fine. The pill is murdering your mind’s intruders. You must make it through the pain and know you’re stronger than it and that no matter how much pain you’re in now, it’s only temporary.”
Father Truth set his hand on Jonah’s back and repeated, “Just a few more minutes and everything will be fine.”
The world went black, and Father Truth disappeared.
