by Peter Okafor
Runner bit his thumb to feel something—anything. He did not want to think of Troy or Rhiannon or his aunt’s kids he had left behind. What does it matter? Everyone knew once you were destined for the gallows, you would never go home again.
A high-pitched sound penetrated the iron doors of his cell―the wailing of a siren.
The sound was like a hundred needles poked at his eardrums. Runner covered both ears with his hands and threw himself to rest upon the wall. Suddenly, the iron door sprung open, much to his surprise.
Gently, Runner stepped out of his confinement. The golden stream of light passing through a glass window on a wall flooded his eyes. It irritated him, but soon, the brilliance faded, and his sight accommodated to his environment.
Runner looked to his left. His cell was only one amongst many that stood opposite themselves in a long line, and outside each door stood a boy, a girl, a man, or a woman. Everyone was clad in the all-white overall prison attire.
Standing in front of the cell next to his was a gangly boy. He looked pale and sickly with his hair slapped to his head like it had been drenched by rain. The boy glanced at Runner and stepped forward.
The wailing siren continued, and a voice prompt followed. “Power lock malfunction! Power lock malfunction! Power lock malfunction…”
“Freedom!” a plump man bellowed, throwing his hands in the air.
Everyone ran down the long hallway and towards a double exit door that had opened along with the cell doors, except Runner.
The gangly boy paused in his stride and turned back, “Aren’t you coming?”
Runner did not answer. His gaze was set upon a surveillance camera with a red light glistening at the side. He had seen a lot of that in Old Max’s workshop, and something didn’t feel right.
“What do you make of that?” He pointed at the camera.
The boy moved closer to him until they stood at equal shoulder’s length. “Someone is watching us,” he said.
“Yes, you got that right.” Runner nodded. “There are only two reasons someone will want to do that. Either they want to test us or lure us into a trap. Perhaps they have found a new form of execution.”
“What do we do then?” The boy glanced at him
Runner smiled. “Pretend to play their game.”
He ran down the hall, followed closely behind by the boy. The light from a long line of fluorescent bulbs flickered above them. Like some kind of SOS, it seemed to be leading them away from the hall and down a long passageway with tiled walls at each side. White as the day they were painted.
They came upon the last door that had been left wide open and were welcomed by a cold gust of artificially circulated wind. Fake as it may be, it smelt fresh, far better than any he had breathed in Rat Town. He stepped through the door, and his eyes caught the extremely tall and beautifully crafted buildings of MegaCityOne, casting their shadows over the prison yard.
His gaze lingered for a moment, wondering in awe how men could achieve such a feat. He had heard from Old Max that people of the world before built such magnificence, buildings that almost touched the sky, but most of them came crashing and were now part of the ever-growing wastelands.
Faint whispers came from below. Runner lowered his gaze and then he saw it—a garden of tall, green, and flowery plants shaped to form a maze. He heard the voices of the other prisoners, the rustling of leaves, and then an alarm sounded again.
It stopped suddenly, and an unnerving quietness descended. The creak of an opening door broke the silence, and following were loud barks from German shepherds. Behind the dogs followed men clad in black military uniforms, wielding high-powered rifles. The insignia S5 was etched on the shoulder guard of their armour, indicating their association with Section 5, but Runner knew they were no rangers.
Runner dragged his new friend and pushed him to hide behind a door.
“Oh my god!” the boy exclaimed. “I have seen this before. They mean to execute everyone under the pretence of stopping escaping prisoners. That’s what they do when the facility is flooding with guys like us.”
“Talk about population control,” Runner muttered.
The boy began to laugh, and Runner threw a stern gaze at him.
“What?” the boy said. “Can’t you see? We are so fucked. If we go into the maze, the dogs will find us, and we will be killed. If we stay here, the dogs won’t need to find us because we are open targets for shooting practice.”
He chuckled again.
Indeed, he was right. Runner knew this, but there was something he knew the boy did not. Runner ran back down the passageway. He walked into the first open cell he found and picked pieces of leftover meals.
“Are you going to throw scraps at them?” The boy stood behind him, his exhaled breath warm upon Runner’s neck.
Runner stood up and went into the second cell.
“No, I’m gathering it for the dogs. We need to give them something else to throw them off our tracks and allow us more time to escape this place.”
The boy smiled. “That could work,” he said. “I’m Jimmy Slim, by the way. My friends call me Slim Jim.”
Runner paused and raised his gaze to meet the boy’s grey eyes. “It wouldn’t matter what your friends call you if we don’t make it out of here.”
“So much for introductions,” the boy said and bent down to help Runner.
They stepped down the stairs and away from the cell grounds. The entrance to the maze stood before them, an enormous mass of greenery and flowers trimmed tall and arched to look like the roof of a cathedral.
Runner heard loud screams in the distance followed by several gunshots and didn’t think much of it. “They will be coming for us soon.” He opened the piece of cloth where he had gathered the leftovers and shared it with Slim Jim.
“Throw them around. The dogs will definitely stop for meats and bones; they can’t help it,” he said.
Slim Jim dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out white pills carefully wrapped in a small waterproof bag. He poured them out on his palm.
“Sense pills.” Runner’s eyes widened. “How did you get those in here?”
“What does it matter? Have some. It will heighten your perception.” Slim Jim placed them on Runner’s palm.
They looked so enticing. Runner wanted some. He had tried them before, and its effect on the body was incomparable. The first time he swallowed a single pill, he ran through the wasteland with the storm right at his back and kept his lead without consequences. It changed his perspective to his environment, but also, it caused him a blackout where he woke to find himself naked and lying in a sewer.
“Thank you.” He nodded. “But my perception is just fine.”
A gunshot fired, missing him by an inch, or perhaps that was what he thought. His legs carried him onwards, and Slim Jim followed. He heard the dogs barking. Slim Jim broke left, and Runner took his right scattering the pieces of leftover meals as he ran.
The barking began to die down. Runner didn’t realize he had been holding his breath until he exhaled a rush of air from his lungs. His plan seemed to be working, as he heard no dog barks. Now, the question was where did Slim Jim go?
Someone screamed. He heard the loud shriek, which meant the person was near.
Runner ran towards the sound, along a narrow path with walls of greenery and flowers on each side. He halted suddenly, almost tripping over as he saw one of the guards from Section 5 slamming the butt of his rifle on a girl’s head.
A dog stood beside the man, its teeth caught on the cloth covering the girl’s ankle, dragging her. Another boy jumped upon the guard and began to hit him, fists and elbows. There was something familiar about him, something…
“Dope,” Runner shouted unexpectedly.
The boy turned to look at Runner. That moment of distraction saw him flung downwards and kicked on his stomach until he spat blood from his mouth.
“Hey!” Runner picked a small stone and threw it at the guard. “Over here!�
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Bad move. The dog turned its attention to Runner. Its ears stood erect accompanied by a growl, and then it charged towards him. The guard shot his weapon. Runner bent to dodge and ran irregularly to confuse the shooter.
“Get her out of there, Dope,” he shouted. “I will draw him off.”
The dog caught Runner by his ankle. Luckily, the animal’s teeth was stuck in his boot. Another shot fired, but Runner was dragged down by the dog, missing the guard’s shot. He used his left leg to smash the dog’s muzzle, and it released him with a loud shriek.
Runner scrambled to his feet and ran down the maze. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was sure his pursuers were not far behind. In his haste, he tried to cut through a small opening in the maze wall and slammed head-on with someone else.
A hand stretched towards him. He looked up and saw Slim Jim staring at him. He grabbed the boy’s hand.
“I found a way out,” the boy said.
“Where?” Runner’s voice held desperation at its climax. “We need to get out of here right now!”
“Follow me.” The boy took the lead.
They ran as fast as their legs could manage. Dog barks sounded behind them. Runner glanced back for a second and saw three dogs leading half a dozen guards towards them. He mustered any strength he could and increased his pace.
A shot fired again. Something grazed his shoulder. He felt a sharp pain, not too intense to make him stop or slow him down, but red blood quickly soaked his white overall. Finally, he saw the exit, a hole at the foot of a concrete wall, leading down a long tunnel.
Jimmy charged into it, waiting for Runner who had three dogs at his heels. All his strength had been spent. He could feel it, like his life had been sucked out of his body. For a moment, he wanted to give up and allow the dogs to tear him to shreds. That way, all the pain would stop. No more worries. No more looking over his shoulder. But he remembered how Rhiannon had died believing their world should not serve as an excuse for who they become, that one step forward was better than two steps backward.
He jumped to reach the tunnels and entered, crawling quickly behind Slim Jim. It wasn’t long before they found the other end, and as he crept out, he stepped into a pool of water, spilling mud all over his white clothing.
Runner stood up slowly, cleaning mud from his face. He opened his eyes, only to meet hundreds of guards standing behind heavily-armoured vehicles and pointing their weapons at him.
A woman pushed through the uniformed men, and following beside her was one very familiar blonde—Olivia Patterson.
“Bravo, bravo. Well done.” The woman clapped her hands. “Both of you are now qualified to serve your government in a programme worthy of boys with your talent. Welcome to the Remnants of Men.”
Chapter Eight
Liberty Is Dead
Water flowed down Runner’s body, washing away the mud as it drained. He hung his head down and relished the warm spray of water on his head. Beside him, several boys and girls washed away their agony with the steamy showers hanging above their heads. Boys and girls showered in one large bathroom with no dividers. He wasn’t surprised. It was the military tradition of Section 5.
“Enjoy the warm waters for it will be your last,” a guard bellowed.
The bathroom was foggy with steam, making it difficult to see anything. Runner turned off his shower and went on to pick a white towel. He dried his body and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked to a mirror and gazed at his reflection.
His smile was short-lived as his mind was thrown back to the situation at hand. He did not care that his dark hair was messy and was badly in need of a good hair product. Rather, he wanted to know what madness the government of MegaCityOne had next in store for him.
“Everybody, out!” The guard stepped out of the foggy bathroom.
The boys and girls hurriedly moved to the exit, still in shock after being the few to have survived the maze. Runner followed. The fact that he hadn’t seen Slim Jim or Dope still troubled his mind.
“You.” Runner watched the huge guard place a hand on his chest to stop his movement. “Wait here.”
“What did I do?” Runner asked.
The guard stared at him. All Runner saw was a skull mask concealing the man’s face. The sharp footfalls of a heel hammered on the tiled ground. Runner turned around and saw a blonde girl approaching. She was wearing a white sleeved shirt and a short tight black skirt.
“Olivia Patterson,” Runner said boldly. “It is against the law to invade a man’s privacy, city ambassador or not.”
Olivia stopped right in front of him, her vivid gaze ascended to meet Runner’s bright eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. You are not a man. Not yet, at least.” She withdrew from his sight. “As far as I’m concerned, you are all criminals out here.”
“Much cannot be said about your brother.” Runner’s voice rose with anger. “He holds neither dignity nor sense of responsibility. In other words, he is the true definition of a serpent.”
“You speak bold words for a slum dweller. Yet a boy from Rat Town telling tales of dishonour. Funny.” Olivia shook her head with a smile. “You do not strike me like a fool, Runner. So, I’m sure you know the bluebloods of this damned city do as they please, my brother included. I, for one, do not share that conception, but there is little I can do with my every movement monitored by my father.”
Runner walked closer to her. The words she spilled were beginning to feel like music to his ears. Even so, he maintained silence.
“I need your help, Runner. My mother trusts you, and I trust her. So, I believe you, and we can be of mutual benefits to one another.”
Runner was surprised. Two years ago, this would seem like an opportunity forged in heaven, but now, things had changed. He was no longer that boy that wished for a single moment with a pretty girl from the big city.
“What can a slum dweller offer to the daughter of a supreme councillor?” he asked. “I hope I won’t be doing anything that would require pulling my pants down because just so you know, I don’t do jazz dancing.”
Runner smiled at his joke, but Olivia did not entertain it. She was too damn straight serious.
“That’s tempting.” Olivia sat with half her buttocks pressed upon the edge of a white sink and folded her arms. “I could ask so many things of you, but there is a more…pressing issue.”
Water dripping from the faucet soaked her skirt, and she jerked away from the sink. Runner laughed. “I’m sure the supreme councillor’s daughter can afford a dozen of that skirt.”
Olivia stood upright and waved her hand. “I’m sure you are familiar with the name Death Throe.”
With the vagueness caused by the steam dissipating, Runner heard the heavy footfalls of boots, and then a man was revealed as he walked past the tiled walls. He was in a heavy black military vest with a mask of skull over his head.
“Death Throe,” Runner whispered as if a great revelation had been made by him. “You bastard!” He lunged towards the man with his fist.
The man only made a slight reflex sway with his shoulder, and Runner sailed past him. Gliding on the wet floor and off the ground, he slipped. He landed with a heavy thud and was lucky not to slam his head on the floor.
The man went down upon Runner, placing his elbow on the boy’s neck. He went on and drew out a cutlass from a sheath at his back, and Runner saw how it glistened from the reflection of light above.
“You killed my best friend, you mad…bastard!” Runner spat.
“That’s enough!” Olivia yelled.
The man released Runner and stood away from him. He put his cutlass back in its sheath and went to stand behind Olivia.
“Listen, Runner.” She bent towards him. “I’m truly sorry for what happened to your girlfriend. But if you want revenge, then you will be searching for a long time because this man over here is only a soldier in an army of rebels. All the rebels conceal their identity behind a mask of skull. I too cannot tell who the real De
ath Throe truly is. Apparently, they believe they are all a single body.”
“What do you want from me?” Runner asked reluctantly.
Olivia went down on her knees and then sat beside Runner on the wet floor, not minding that her skirt would be ruined by the water. She gazed at her wristwatch.
“I have little time left. In five minutes, the enforcers from Section 5 will come for you. Alongside a group of boys and girls, you will be asked to fight for a chance at freedom by joining the Remnants of Men or die at the gallows. I only ask that you choose the former. Do this, and I will tell you where to find your friend, Troy Decker.”
Runner jerked suddenly. “Is he alive?”
Olivia nodded and stood up. Runner grabbed the sinker and helped himself up too. He stretched out his right arm and opened his hand. “Deal,” he said.
Olivia received it and smiled. “Deal,” she replied.
A red light came alive on a lone bulb just above the exit door of the bathroom. A wailing siren followed, and Runner knew they were coming for him.
“The Remnants of Men is about to go live. Escort him back before they find him here,” Olivia beckoned at a guard.
The guard grabbed Runner’s arm and pushed him to move.
“I’m truly sorry about your girlfriend.” He heard Olivia’s voice again just as he reached the exit door.
Runner paused and glanced at her. “Thanks,” he muttered.
They walked through a long passageway, with the walls of each side glowing with a white light. The ground beneath his feet was made of fine metal crafted in beautiful patterns that looked like nets. It did cross his mind, how much he would have sold them at Rat Town if he ripped them off the floor. Such metal would fetch a very nice price.
It also troubled him that the man walking behind him was a rebel disguised as a guard of Section 5. Every step he took came with a fear that the man might draw out his cutlass and cleave his head clean from his neck, knowing that his intentions were of revenge against Death Throe.
Finally, they reached the door to their destination. The guard came forward and opened it. Runner stepped into the large oval hall. Two guards walked to him and dragged him further in. They would not let him put on any clothing, and he remained with the towel hanging from his waist.
