“You’re cute when you draw schematics.”
“I should be in Eternity, too.” Jill interrupted them.
The couple turned to the girl.
“Why is that?” Ivy asked.
“Because I’m imperfect” Jill replied.
“You’re right just the way you are!” Ivy retorted.
“They say the imperfect sprouted in the poor areas, and they were so dirty they created the virus that turns people into monsters.” Jill said.
“This is a load of crap!” Ike blurted out.
“Ike!” Ivy barked at him. “Watch your language!”
“I’m sorry, that’s the only way I know how to talk. My father talked to me like that since I was five.”
“Then change it!”
“I’ll try.”
Ivy looked at the girl and said:
“Listen to me, peach. The people who built this place created the virus, not the poor people.”
“But that’s not what the teachers say.”
“Well, they’re wrong!” Ike said. “See? No swears.”
“Why did you run away?” Ivy asked with a rascal look on her face.
“Because I didn’t want to sleep forever!” Jill replied. “And the underground people told me I don’t have to.”
Ike and Ivy exchanged looks.
“Who are these underground people?” Ivy queried.
“They are like me, well not like me.” Jill answered. “They are older than me, but younger than the adults.”
“You mean teenagers.” Ike said.
“I guess.” Jill responded. “They actually look more like you. They call themselves the underground people because they live in the basements of their moms and dads.”
“Oh, I’ve been there.” Ike said.
“Me too” Ivy spoke.
“They disagree, just like you.” Jill continued. “They do things that are forbidden. I had fun with them. They were nice to me. They found a way to download the Apocalily video before it was erased. They gave one to me. They say they can do that because they are hackeries.”
“You mean hackers.” Ike said.
“Yes.” Jill smiled. “But I lied to the guards saying I downloaded the video myself, because I don’t want anything bad happening to the underground people.”
“That was mighty nice of you.” Ivy pinched the girl’s nose.
“Oh yeah…” Ike said. “We have a little rebel in our midst.”
“But it’s no use.” Jill lowered her eyes. “They’re all tested. If you want to live there, you have to be tested. That’s how they decide who goes to Ethereal and who goes to Eternity.”
“Well, you made a decision on your own, peach.” Ivy pointed out.
“And now she’s in hell with us.” Ike sighed.
He also fell on a chair, his heart carrying the weight of the world.
“This is just too big for any of us.” Ike said. “There is no place to go. You were right before, Ivy. I should’ve had this stupid tattoo removed.”
“I still believe in Apocalily!” Jill declared. “She’ll come.”
16th MOVEMENT
“And here we are!” Allison joyfully informed. “Welcome to Devasta Land!”
“It looks cozy.” Lily said watching the devastation around.
They stood a good fifty yards from the helicopter. Lily’s sheath with the dismounted hockey stick and boomerang, along with Mate’s two knives were on the floor by the prisoners’ feet.
“These shackles got a sensor which allows me to control them remotely.” Allison told them.
“High technology in service of false imprisonment” Mate said.
“Amazing, huh?” Allison spoke proudly. “We manufacture those. Anyway, as soon as the helicopter reaches a safe distance, I’ll release you.”
“There’s no such thing as safe distance.” Lily said. “As soon as we’re out of these, I’ll jump and drop that lawnmower of yours right to the ground.”
“Humorous, humorous” Ally commented. “Now I’ll leave you love birds to your hostile environment. Try to see this as one of those survival reality shows, only without the cameras. Have fun!”
And Miss Forrester simply turned her back on them and walked to the helicopter. Amy was at the door, blocking the way.
“Would you mind?” Allison said impatiently. “We’re wasting time.”
However, the girl did not move.
“I’m not exactly looking forward to having another conversation at a helicopter door.” Allison spoke.
“You broke the deal!” Amy protested. “You can’t leave them here. You owe my life to them.”
“I’m giving those two a chance. Corporate ordered me to have them killed. I had to work a compromise to save their lives. I even risked my position, I did that for you. Come on, if there’s somebody who can get out of this place alive, it’s them.”
“Nobody gets out of here alive, not without a chopper. Corporate knows it and that’s the only reason why they accepted this deal.”
“I did the best I could and this is the end of negotiations. If I were you, I’d be more concerned about Nancy and the baby. Their fates also lie in your hands. Now, if you please let me in, this wind is messing up my hair.”
Amy looked at Allison with very angry, punitive, penetrating eyes, but the elegant lady stood her ground. The girl took a deep breath and moved to the side.
“What do you want from me?” Amy asked.
“Actually, your new duties start right here, in the helicopter.”
“Yes, I’ve already got what you want.”
They climbed aboard and the air-vehicle departed.
When the helicopter was almost out of sight, red lights on the shackles restraining Lily’s and Mate’s limbs turned green and they simply opened like magic, releasing the Australian and the American.
“So, what about some exploring, lad?” Lily asked her partner.
“Sure. Let’s try to find an ice cream parlor.”
“You read my mind. And my brain’s handwriting is not even that good.”
Lily grabbed her gear and gave the little knives to Mate.
”So?” The man asked.
“This way” Lily pointed a finger to a general direction.
“Why?”
“It looks more romantic.”
They walked down a barren terrain that resembled an abandoned baseball field. Structures similar to guardrails could be seen in the distance. Lily and Mate went near them and found a paved road.
“It’s a start.” Lily said.
“Take a look at that.”
They saw a line of houses stretching along the path on both sides. Most of them had already been invaded by vegetation.
“It looks like a small village.” Lily said.
“Yes, but why all the buildings look alike?”
“I guess they were built to house workers, like Pripyat was to Chernobyl.”
“That’s an encouraging analogy, but workers of what? I don’t see any nuclear power plant around.”
“I have a feeling this little town is not here by chance.”
“Do you think we are in another one of those sites?”
“It could be.”
“Just our luck!”
“Try to see the bright side. Workers also need convenience stores. Let’s try to find one.”
A loud moan was heard.
“Was that you?” Lily asked her friend.
“No, I only sound like this when I need to use the bathroom.”
Another groan echoed in the air.
“Well, somebody here is having a serious case of the cramps.” Lily said.
A mob of reanimated dead bodies came out of the houses and ran furiously to Lily and Mate.
“Um, Lily…?”
“Yes, Clark…”
“I guess the workers decided to have a lunch break. And we are today’s special.”
“Not fair!” Lily complained. “We didn’t even have time to get bored.”
Lily took the hockey stick out of the sheath strapped to her back, but she had to mount it a lot faster than she thought. The beasts came to them in an incredible speed. Mate Clarkson drew the two knives.
Lily and Mate tried to fight the monsters off, but the creatures were surprisingly persistent and their heads exceptionally hard.
“Those are faster.” Lily said.
“And stronger” Mate added.
“We need to adopt a more evasive strategy.”
“Which is…?”
“Run!”
They managed to stun the front row of walking cadavers only enough to escape in the opposite direction and reach a chicken wire fence. They climbed it and landed on the other side. Their pursuers stopped by the fence.
“Not so fast, huh?” Lily derided.
“So long, suckers!” Mate said.
The creatures tore down the fence as if it was made of foam.
“Oh boy!” Lily spoke. “Let’s go!”
“I hope they didn’t take my sucker remark too seriously.”
They kept on running and found a crossroad. The monsters were gaining on them.
“Where to now?” Mate asked.
“To the right” Lily answered.
“Are you sure?”
“Trust me.”
They turned right, as indicated by the Australian, and bumped into a huge wall made of stones.
“Okay, to the left then.” Lily decided.
“Next time, I pick the direction.” Mate said.
The crowd of living dead had already blocked their way. They seemed to have multiplied in just a few seconds.
“Over there!” Lily shouted.
She and Mate ran to a thick, tall tree. Lily placed the hockey stick back into the sheath and climbed it. Mate put the little knives in his pockets and followed her up. Such tree did not seem to belong in that particular environment.
“That takes me back.” Mate said nostalgically.
“Did you climb trees when you were a boy?” Lily asked.
“Well, I had to do it once to escape from a line judge girl who wanted to beat the hell out of me.”
“What’s a line judge?”
“In tennis, it’s the person who decides if the ball bounced in or out the court.”
“Why did she want to beat the hell out of you?”
“Because I complained about a decision she made. I was damn sure that ball was out!”
They reached the top of the big tree. From up there, they could have a fabulous view of the landscape beyond the huge stone wall. Vegetation was denser on the other side. Sparsely distributed statues and totems decorated the woods.
The creatures tried to climb the tree after the humans, but despite their enhanced agility, lack of motor coordination stopped them from reaching too far high.
“They still didn’t invent zombies that can climb trees!” Mate cheerfully said.
“See? It was a good idea to turn right after all!” Lily replied.
“And you can’t beat this view!”
“Not to mention we are totally safe up here.”
The tree suddenly bent harshly to the side. Number made all the difference and the living corpses at the bottom pushed the tree so strongly that its gigantic root broke out of the soil.
“On a second thought…” Lily said.
“Timber!” Mate screamed.
The giant tree collapsed and hit the stone wall. Mate and Lily fell on the other side and rolled down a hill.
The tree ended up crashing against the ground on the creatures’ side, and they could not use it to reach the top of the wall.
“Super zombies, not so smart!” Mate said mockingly.
“Are you okay, boykie?” Lily asked him.
They both stood up.
“I’ll live.” Mate answered “How about you, Lil?”
“Never better! Did you see how we let them have it?” She laughed like a little girl.
“Oh yeah! They didn’t even know what hit them!” He laughed like a little boy.
“And the way we lured them into dropping the tree on the wall, so we could land here!”
“That was great thinking and totally on purpose!”
Nevertheless, their celebration and exchange of high fives were interrupted by the arrival of several men in traditional ceremonial clothes. They pointed extremely sharp spears at each and every part of Mate’s and Lily’s bodies.
“Friends of yours?” Lily asked Mate.
“Do they look like tennis players to you? I could ask you the very same.”
“They don’t look like cricket players, either.”
“Hello.” said a man wearing the same kind of garment as the others, but with strange symbols painted on his face. “I am Joshua.”
“Hi.” Lily answered. “I’m cricket and this is tennis.”
“Greetings, cricket and tennis” Joshua said. “Could you please stretch your arms, so I can tie you up with these ropes?”
“You forgot to say please.” Lily said in defiance.
The natives around them brought the tips of their spears real close to Lily’s and Mate’s jugular, carotid and aorta.
“Please.” Joshua spoke.
“Sure, why not?” Lily answered.
She and Mate stretched their arms between spears. Joshua tied them up good. The men put down the spears. One of them took the dismounted hockey stick out of Lily’s sheath, while another one released Mate from the burden of the two little knives.
Joshua himself took the boomerang from Lily’s belt.
“I’d be careful with that.” Lily advised. “Those blades can cut through your skin like paper.”
“And we wouldn’t want anything like that happening to you, now would we?” Mate whispered.
“What does it do?” Joshua asked.
“You toss it far away and it comes right back to you.” Lily explained. “And it chops off everything in the way.”
“Efficient.” Joshua commented and put the boomerang into a small leather bag strapped to his waist. “I’m really glad to have you as our guests.” He raised his hands.
“And we wish we could stay.” Mate said. “Can we, like, go away and come back another time?”
“Um… No.” Joshua responded.
And they started the long walk. The native carrying the hockey stick studied the device thoroughly. Others did the same.
“Where are you taking us?” Lily queried.
“We’re going to the sacred field, where the Valley of Forever is.” Joshua answered.
“Catchy names” Mate said. “What's in there?”
“You'll be delivered to the gods.”
“I've always wanted to meet a god.” Lily spoke. “What are they going to do?”
“The gods will eat you."
“Oh.”
They went down the vast canyon, into the eerie cave, out to the wonderful field with green vegetation and heavenly waterfall, to finally stop by the big hole in the centre.
“Down we go, right?” Lily asked.
“Yes.” Joshua replied.
“And me without my parachute.” Mate said.
“You are not crying.” Joshua noticed.
“What's the point?” Mate spoke.
“You're not scumbags.” Joshua decided.
“Try not to be.” Lily said.
“Then, perhaps the gods don't have a taste for you.” Joshua responded. “But it's for them to decide.”
“Or maybe you could just e-mail them and ask, instead of throwing us there.” Mate suggested.
Several pairs of angry eyes, including Joshua’s, stared at the tennis player.
“I didn’t think so.” Mate whispered.
“Let’s take a minute to warn the gods!” Joshua shouted.
Without opening their mouths, the natives hummed a very deep hymn from their throats.
“I could do that.” Lily said.
When the chant stopped, the men pushed the prisoners into the hole
, first Mate and then Lily.
“My ass is burning!” Mate screamed on the way down.
“Weeeeeeee!” Lily shouted on the way down.
They slid down a spiral tube that terminated in a large chamber. Mate Clarkson landed first.
“Lily…” He called.
She was ejected from the tube and hit Mate, causing the two of them to roll on the floor. They stopped with Lily on top.
“This is sexy!” She observed. “What about a quick one before the gods arrive?”
“I’d love it, but it’s kind of difficult to unzip my pants with my arms tied up.”
“I’ll fix that.”
Lily looked up and screamed “Hey you guys up there! I believe we had some gear!”
A few seconds later, hockey stick, boomerang and knives came out of the tube.
“They don’t think much of us.” Mate observed.
“Or they trust the gods too much.” Lily replied.
Sounds of heavy footsteps echoed around the dark chamber.
“Alright, Clark, let’s save the sex for later. It seems we’re about to have some company.”
“Yes. I also like some privacy when I do it. If you could please move, this sheath on your back is kind of heavy. I mean the sheath, not you.”
Apocalily Series (Book 2): The Almighty Lady of Tomorrow Page 12
