by Roman Shepp
Chapter Six
Tony had heard some slamming from another room. He couldn't imagine the politicians fighting, so that left the soldiers. He imagined they must have had a few fights after being cooped up in this bunker all this time. It didn't give him much faith in the future, though. If they had lost their discipline, then they may not be as reliable as Tony thought. That was something else to worry about, though. Right now he needed to focus on Martha and Belinda.
As soon as they had seen the map they had shrunk back. They evidently had been traumatized by the loss of their friend.
“Are you sure you never saw him?” Martha asked.
“I'm sorry, no,” he said.
At that point Belinda whispered in Martha's ear, and the two of them huddled even closer together, looking warily at the group.
“What's wrong?” Tony asked.
Martha glanced at Belinda. “How do we know you didn't kill him?” she asked.
“I promise you we didn't. We're not like that. We're just ordinary people like yourselves trying to make it in the world. If we had seen him, we would have tried to help him,” Tony said.
“They would have!” Tara said. “They are good people. We saw the bad man too. The tall bad man must have done it. He came into our camp and he messed things up. I don't like him. He went away, though. We fought him off!”
Martha seemed convinced by Tara's testimony. The word of a child went a long way, and Tony saw why the cannibals had kept Tara around to lure unsuspecting people to them.
“I know you've been through a lot,” Tony said, “and I wish I could give you some proper answers, but I can't. All I do know is that we're safe now and as long as we're able we'll all help you. I never knew your friend, but he sounds like a good man. He saved you, he made this map, and I think he made it for a reason. He must have wanted this to warn people, but we need to know what it means. What do you mean they spread death? Is there an illness? What can you tell us about it?”
Martha and Belinda looked at each other again, and then looked at each of the group in turn. Tony wondered what they saw. All of them were unkempt, wearing dirty clothes, and although they had bathed in the stream recently, sweat clung to their bodies and natural grime and grease had collected in hidden areas. Tony's beard was growing out, coming in thicker than he ever could have hoped. He'd always sworn that he never would grow a beard, but he was beginning to get used to it. Jane still looked pretty, but tired. Phil looked daunting with his new weaponized arm, and Saeed still had his sunken eyes. Thinking about it, the look in his eyes was much like the look in Martha and Belinda's eyes.
Maybe it was in Tony's eyes as well. The last time he had seen his reflection was in the stream, and it had been hard to look. The man he saw wasn't the same as the boy he had remembered. Hardened by this world, he had lost the innocence of youth that always had defined his soul. Holding onto the goodness inside him was not always an easy task.
“Please, if we're ever to venture out into the world again, then we need to know about the surrounding area. We have been through so much already and we do not want to run into danger again. If this is as bad as you say, then I think your friend would have wanted others to know about it too. This was a warning, but a warning for what?”
“For them,” Martha said.
“Who?”
“They're a group of people...people with a philosophy of how to live in the new world. All three of us were a part of it. We came off the grid to live a cleaner life, free of the trappings of modern society. We practiced healing and pacifism and turned our backs on the hollow materialistic world. It was paradise. It was beauty. We all were happy, and we welcomed anyone who wanted to join us,” Martha began.
“That doesn't sound too bad so far,” Phil said.
“Things changed,” Belinda said.
“Our leader died. He was old and had been leading us for decades. I remember him as a young man. He was always so charismatic and passionate, drawing many people to our cause. The community grew a lot in those days, but as the years went by it became more difficult to sway people to our cause. It's only been in recent years that we have seen an upsurge in people seeing the light. They watched as their lives were taken over by technology and came to know the blissfulness of embracing nature. I myself have been with them since I was eighteen, and I never intended to leave.”
“What happened?” Tony asked.
“Arthur, he,” Martha sobbed. Tony had the impression she was very close to the leader.
“He told us all that the world had moved on and we had to change with it. There was an influx of new people. Some of us didn't like that, but he told us we had to stay true to our ideals. The new ideas and new ways of thinking were going to invigorate our community, but not all the new people were kind. A few were brash and arrogant. They tried changing too much too soon. All this time, Arthur told us to be patient and to sway in the wind, and eventually the newcomers would see that our ways were best. I should have pushed him harder. I should have told him that something was wrong, but he had earned our unconditional trust. Who were we to go against him?”
“Did someone else go against him?” Jane asked. Martha shifted a little and flexed her fingers before retaking Belinda's hand in her own.
“No, Arthur grew sick. Old age got to him. There was nothing anyone could do. He tried to hide it from everyone, but he could not hide it from me. One night I awoke, and he didn't. It was...I still hate thinking about it. We gave him a proper burial, but after that the leadership of the community was in dispute. We always had been taught to be meek and accommodating. Sadly, the legacy Arthur left us was of his weak, elderly self rather than the strong, passionate young man. Before we knew it, Hugo had taken over, and there was nothing we could do. But with it came even more of a change. Hugo and his followers were younger and stronger than we were. All we wanted was to tend the land and make the world a better place than we found it, but that wasn't enough for him.”
“How could things be much different? Didn't you have the same philosophy?” Tony asked.
Martha sighed. “In some ways I suppose we did, but not in the ways that really mattered. We disagreed on how to act. The rest of us turned our backs on the world. All we really wanted was to be left alone. Of course, we would have preferred others to see our point of view and join us, but as long as they didn't harm us we could leave each other in peace. We never wanted any animosity between ourselves and those who chose to live in the city. Hugo and his people were different. They almost felt wronged by those who didn't share their viewpoint. From the first moment he came in and began to speak I knew he would be trouble, but Arthur kept telling me to be open-minded and to let Hugo speak his truth. I should have known then that Arthur was losing control. Hugo moved quickly after Arthur was dead, taking leadership of the community.
“The day after Arthur died was the day the community died. At least the way Arthur had wanted it to be anyway. It's so sad because he wanted to create a sustainable future for everyone in that community, but Hugo came in and took it all for himself. He gave daily speeches about the evils of the world, and how we had to stand up for our beliefs and defend the world. For those of us who were pacifists it was quite a shocking thing to hear. I remember looking around and being saddened by all the impressed looks he was getting from the younger crowd, and even from some of those who had lived in the community for years. I could feel the tide turning and knew we had to get out of there before it was too late. The community wasn't the same after that. Something had changed. It had been our home for so long, yet it all had changed in the blink of an eye.”
“I know that feeling. It's the same thing that happened in the city,” Tony said. “And that's when you left?”
“Not quite. I wanted to talk to Hugo, to try making him see reason. He and Arthur had been close before Arthur died. Arthur always had wanted a son to succeed him, but never had been blessed with one. I think that need blinded him to Hugo's faults. Hugo practically laugh
ed in my face and asked me what we actually had accomplished. I tried to tell him, but he wasn't having any of it. He said he was going to do more than Arthur ever did, especially since the world had been brought to its knees. That was the night we all left. I wanted to stay, but I could tell there was no changing his mind. That man is evil and, somehow, he has managed to convince the others they need to go to war. He will not stay in that community for long. He will spread his disease to the others,” she said, getting more worked up with every word she spoke. Tony felt for her. She wasn't wearing a wedding ring, but it was clear Arthur was something akin to a husband to her.
Whoever this Hugo was, he clearly had plans for the future, plans for a war. The city was already in a war-torn state. The last thing it needed was another madman venturing there to wreak havoc. Tony wished he could do more to save the city. Nothing he did seemed good enough, and he simply wasn't strong enough to stop all the suffering of the world. Sometimes it seemed as though he and his group were the only ones fighting for a better future. There were still so many selfish people fighting for themselves. Where were the people fighting for each other?
“He just let you leave?” Jane asked.
Martha smiled. “It was not that simple at all. When Hugo took control, he changed many things. First he introduced punishments, for example. The first time I saw someone put into the box I shuddered, and only Belinda prevented me from speaking up. He turned others away, the weak and infirm, and the ones who couldn't help him. When new people came wandering through the forest he welcomed the ones he didn’t turn away without even telling them what we believed. Some were refugees from the city, and when he was told of the state of things, Hugo smiled. The people who had earned Arthur's trust were cast aside. Then he started changing what the children were taught.”
“What do you mean by a war? How can he fight if the people are pacifists?” Phil asked, confused.
“He has been brewing his plans for a long time. I never have been privy to that information, but I do believe he will find a way. I am saddened that it has come to this, that Arthur's legacy has been tainted so much, but it best for everyone if you avoid that place. I'm starting to wonder if there are any good people left.”
Her voice cracked in the middle of speaking that last sentence. It was as though her heart had broken in an instant. Tony glanced at the map and the huge skull that marked much of it. Now that he had heard the story, it took on even more of an ominous aura.
“There's no way we can take on an army, but I hate the idea of leaving them there to march on the city. There's going to be no organized way to stop them,” Tony said.
“I think this is a time when we must choose our battles very carefully,” Phil said.
“It's not on us to save the world. I know that we want to help people, but we can't put ourselves at a great risk whenever people are in danger,” Jane said, fear creeping into her voice.
“I know,” Tony sighed, although he was a little disappointed to hear such despondent sentiment coming from Jane.
“Maybe the masked man will find them first. The two of them can wound each other,” Saeed said.
Tony didn't want to think of that masked man anymore. The thought of facing him again filled him with fear. Tony tried thinking of him as just a man, but it wasn't easy. So tall and strong, the man was like a beast, or a creature from some dark dimension. Monsters came in all shapes and sizes in this new world, and it seemed as though this masked man was just another one.
“Well, I guess that means we should avoid going back to the city as well. There's no sense returning if it's just going to be attacked again,” Tony said, even though it pained him to admit there was nothing they could do. Ultimately, Jane and Phil were right. They had to focus on themselves. It didn't sit well with him, though. He couldn't help feeling like Superman and the others would have found a way to save everyone.
“I suppose it wrecks Frank's plan as well,” Jane said, not making any attempt to hide the glee from her voice.
“Maybe we should just let him go and get caught up in all this as well,” Saeed said.
“It seems that people are too focused on the city. The world has changed, and with it so has the hierarchy of things. Like we said earlier, we need to find somewhere sustainable. You know what I'm thinking? If this Hugo is really dead set on getting to the city, maybe we should wait for him to leave and take over what he leaves behind,” Tony said, smiling at his sudden stroke of genius.
“Do you think he'd take everyone with him?” Jane asked. Martha sniffed.
“Maybe. I think he's always wanted to show the people in the city that there's a better way to live. I never knew where he came from, but Arthur said that some people in the city had turned him down and ridiculed him. Hugo always seemed to be concerned with what other people thought about him. So, it would make sense to me that he would want to go and rub it in their faces. He'd need the people to do so, though. But would he take the children? I guess that depends on whether he wanted to relocate the community back to the city completely.”
“The only thing to do is to wait and find out. I have to say, when we first arrived I wasn't sure if you were even capable of talking this much,” Tony said.
Martha wiped her eyes of glistening liquid and smiled. “Belinda and I just have been through so much it's been difficult to know who we can trust. Don't forget that we were pacifists, so being taken to a bunker by a soldier isn't exactly our natural habitat.”
“Well, don't you worry about a thing. All you need to do is keep your heads down and carry on as you have been. We're not going to go back with Frank, and we're not going to get caught up in this thing with Hugo either. I don't know what we're going to do yet exactly, but we're going to keep each other safe.” Tony looked around at everyone in the room and thought about the soldiers as well. He couldn't save everyone in the city, or the country, but he was going to do his best to save those closest to him.
“I hope you can. If Hugo does find us, we will not be safe. The only freedom he's concerned with is the freedom he decides you can have. He used the world going dark as proof that his way was the best.”
“You mean you actually had electricity?” Tony said. “I thought you were off the grid?”
Martha sighed again. “That was another concession Arthur made when we started to accept younger people. We had a generator, and when that failed Hugo told us that finally we were free. He tried to take credit for us living without electricity, even though we only had electricity because Hugo had persuaded Arthur to install the generator. It makes me wonder if he had this plan in from the very beginning. Part of me wants to see him again, just so I can confront him and the others about all the mistakes he made, while another part doesn't want to ever see him again.”
“You got out of there, that's something, just like we got out of the city. We don't ever need to go back there again. We can find a new path.”
Tony looked at the map again and wondered what else the world had in store for them. He had spent all his life holed up in his small corner of the city, untouched by the happenings of the wider world. It seemed now that he never would be able to return to the place he knew so well. A new life had to be found, a new home. There had to be somewhere that wasn't infected with the bitterness of humanity.
Chapter Seven
Sitting in the room of his small cabin, Matthias Stevenson leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the world around him. He ran his hands through his thick blonde hair and stroked his beard. He was well-built and had the physique of a man who had spent all his life living on the land rather than becoming weak like the rest of the world. Matthias despised weakness. All his life he had looked with scorn at those around him, their flabby guts poking out of their shirts, sweat glistening on their temples as they shoved donuts into their fat mouths. Matthias had known for a long time that he didn't belong in the modern world. He should have been born a Viking, but it only had been in the last few years when he had found
this wonderful community and another way of life.
Of course, it hadn't always been as good as he would have liked. When he arrived, these people were weak too. The place had so much potential. When he first heard about it he had been intrigued. The people who came into the city passed out leaflets. Matthias had admired them then. Those around him scoffed at them and laughed them away, but they seemed unfazed by the treatment. Matthias was the only one to listen to them properly and offer them time. The perfect place for him had been waiting here all his life, right under his nose. He felt like a changed man when he stepped into the peaceful commune. A life of hard labor, working off the land, removed from the distractions that made men weak. It was what Matthias always had dreamed of. But he'd quickly come to realize that the people around him had let themselves become weak and complacent as well. Most of them were old. They reflected the spirit of their leader, Arthur. Once he had been a great man. Of that Matthias was sure, given the stories of his youth, but age had taken its toll. Perhaps it was right that the old man had died. The circle of life continued, and youth had to have its chance.
Glory was coming to them soon. The new plan was much better than the old. The original inhabitants of the community had had some good ideas, but they weren't strong enough to implement them properly. Hugo was right. They couldn't stay removed from the world. It was important to show people how they should be living. This was the right way, especially with the world having gone dark. It was proof that this was the way life should be lived. Humanity had fallen into a trap of arrogance. War on the city was coming, and Matthias was glad he was going to be the one to deliver it.
Flexing his muscles, he rose and stepped outside into the sweet fresh air. Looking around, he was proud of what he had helped build. His cabin was located at the far end of the camp, along with all the others. Since he was single he only had a small cabin. Families had bigger ones, and some tents had been erected for the wanderers who had found their way here. People were flocking to them from the city with reports that everyone was going too crazy. Fights had broken out, planes had crashed, and there was no support system in place at all. It was almost impossible to believe that, given that peace reigned here. The sky was blue, the air fresh and sweet, and everything was calm.
