by Peter Okafor
“Legion.” Runner recognized her. “Thank the heavens, it’s you. Can I have some food?”
Chapter Twenty
Where Angels Fear to Tread
He hated canned foods. There was nothing better than chewing a roasted meat to the bones or devouring a bowl full of hot soup. But canned foods, they were cold and always reminded him that the world had turned to shit.
Runner shoved a spoonful of baked beans into his mouth. It wasn’t what he wanted, but beggars can’t be choosers. So, he forced them down his throat and swallowed a mouthful of water. He was a slum dweller. He knew it did not matter how bad a food might taste as long as it filled his stomach, which was all that mattered.
Legion had led him into a tunnel below the university. A terrible air lingered down there, stale but harmless. As he sat on the floor, scrapping for more beans he apparently hated, the grim faces of weary watchmen lingered before him.
Legion had told him that the men served as watchers to Last House on the Left. All day long and terrible nights, they manned their outposts, eyes keen on mutants who strayed towards their home. Their fingers were always on triggers, ready to repel those they considered unclean. But mutants were not the only problem down there.
Runner threw away the empty can and raised his gaze to the sound of light footsteps ahead. Legion was coming in the company of a woman and a man. She seemed to have let go of her black cloak and instead, wore a white vest and black leather pants that revealed her shapely figure. Her dirty blonde hair was set loose to scatter at her back, and her eyelashes seemed like they were thickly darkened by eye pencils, or maybe that was her natural look. He could not tell.
“Come on,” she said, stretching an arm towards him. “The mayor wants to see you.”
Runner grabbed her arm, and she helped him up.
“Mayor?” Runner said as they walked. “What happened, Legion? You had a mission to complete. Where is Slim Jim or your friend, Big Eddy? Why are you with these people?”
“These people saved my life, okay!” Legion snarled.
Runner turned around to stand opposite her and began to walk backwards. He stopped suddenly, boldly using his right arm to clutch around her torso and restricted her mobility.
“Tell me everything you know,” he whispered far from the ears of their escorts.
Legion felt reluctant and struggled to free herself from his grasp, but he would not let go.
“I know you are hurt by whatever happened, but I need to know.” Runner insisted.
She stopped and grew calm, her eyes wet with tears.
“After you left, we continued down the Broken Bridge and caught up with the others. They told us you were dead. Ishmael found us again; we fought, but most of us were injured and scattered. They caught Big Eddy. Slim Jim managed to escape, but I don’t know where. I was only left alone because they thought I was dead. That bastard, Dope, saw them coming, but instead of warning us, he lied that he was going to fetch some wood for fire and he never came back.”
“How many were taken?” Runner asked.
Legion wiped tears from her eyes. “Only Eddy. He was fat and slow, but he was a nice young man, and I promised him I would have his back. They sold him to slavers heading for somewhere called Cranefields.”
She paced about in unease. Runner grabbed her by the arm, and she leaned upon him, settling her chin on his shoulder as she tried to tame her tears. He wrapped his arm around her and brushed her hair gently.
“We will find him, I promise you. We will find him,” he said softly.
Legion pulled herself away from his shoulder. She looked like a dreamer forced to snap into reality. “Just so you know, I don’t always cry like this. I reserve my tears for people of…”
“I know.” Runner cut in. “Tough girl, right?”
Her lips curved into a smile, and she began to walk down the tunnel. Runner followed her quickly.
“Section 5, huh?” She gazed at the red armband on his trench coat.
Runner raised his arm and glanced at it. “Kinda looks good on me. The owner isn’t going to need it anytime soon.”
The watchmen in front of them rolled away a large round stone to reveal the exit of the tunnel. Runner stepped into the open space. The atmosphere was brisk. All around him, people carried on with their lives. Children jumped around, throwing balloons in the air. Marketers shouted at customers to trade by bartering.
“Welcome to the Last House on the Left.” Legion smiled.
She continued down, and Runner followed. They went pass a few stalls. Something wafted towards his nose. It smelt so good, and he followed the scent with his gaze. It settled on a man that continuously turned a cooking spit over a fire, roasting chunks of meat arranged neatly on the rod.
“What are you looking at?” the man said grimly. “If you touch it, you buy it.”
“Don’t be such a dick, Alistair,” Legion said and then turned to Runner. “Come on.”
Runner followed her. He noticed that armed watchmen stood guard at every corner, watching as folks went about their business. The whole town was one big underground shelter with a mighty roof of thick concrete cast above them. Numerous light bulbs of several beautiful colours were attached to long strings that were crisscrossed above and lighted the entire shelter.
In a way, the shelter reminded him of Rat Town, not with the concrete roof, but the life that went on there. Legion led him to a checkpoint. She exchanged subtle nods with the watchmen, and they let her through.
“If I’m right”—Runner began—“you have been with them for a few days. How come you know everything, and they allow you wherever you want?”
She glanced at him and smiled. “I was born here, Runner. I grew up here, but then moved to the Bad Town, the slums of MegaCityOne.”
“I know where Bad Town is. What about your folks?” Runner expressed his curiosity, even though he did not expect an answer.
“Where are anyone’s folks? They are either dead or packed up and ran away one night when they discovered that you are just a big problem in a bad world. But mine found their deaths while fending off mutants. That’s why I’m very much welcome here.”
Legion began to climb a stair and stopped when she reached a door. She knocked in three successions. A burly man opened the door.
“Ariel Waters?” the man said.
“Yes.” Legion nodded.
“Come in; the mayor has been waiting for you.” He gestured towards the room.
Runner followed behind Legion as they stepped into the large office. There was a woman sitting at the far end, behind a round wooden table. She stood as she saw them and picked her eyeglasses from the corner of the table.
Her eyes were fixed at Runner. He didn’t find her gaze intimidating despite her hulking figure. She was a big black woman with a kind face, not to say that Runner was a good judge of character, but she looked far decent than most authority figures he had met.
The woman gestured with a handshake. “Mayor Wiggins,” she said.
Runner received it to show formality. They disengaged, and she just stared at him. It felt awkward like he owed her a large sum of money when he did not. Perhaps it was his trench coat with the armed band of Section 5 that made her uneasy.
“Ariel told me that you are Runner from Rat Town and you’re part of her group sent to search for a freshwater lake.”
Runner glanced at Legion and then returned his gaze at the mayor. “Yes, it’s just as she had said. I believe if I can get to MegaCityTwo, I will find the clue to its location.”
The mayor laughed briefly. “I must admit when she first told me, I almost laughed my teeth out. There is no possible way to find a freshwater lake. Every river, stream, and lake are all contaminated. But she also told me what you did to that fool Ishmael and his gang. And also, Pope LongJaw…well, that one I find hard to believe.”
“It’s true.” Runner jerked forward.
“Kid, Pope LongJaw is the most dangerous man on this planet since R
einhardt Reddit. You expect me to believe you fought him off on your own?”
Runner felt his blood boil from her unintended mockery. “Look, ma’am. I’m not here to argue my unfortunate encounters. I would be grateful if you can assist me in finding the ruins of MegaCityTwo.”
Mayor Wiggins walked back to her seat and sat down. She seemed distressed and pulled her eyeglasses from her face.
“Runner, huh? I don’t know why your name sounds familiar. I can assist you in finding MegacityTwo, but what do I get in return?”
An awkward silence followed. Runner looked to his left, right, and then searched for answers on Legion’s brightened face but found none.
“I have nothing of worth to offer you, but if I am successful, I know without doubt that your town could use a bit of fresh water. It doesn’t seem like you are doing any better than MegaCityOne.”
The mayor clasped her hands together and focused her gaze on Runner. “Tell you something, kid. Let’s save our water problem for later. Two days ago, my daughter went down the tunnel at the other side of the shelter and hasn’t been found since then. If what I heard about you is remotely true, then I will give you all the assistance you need if you agree to help me find her.”
“Sorry.” Runner turned his back on her. “I can’t be your daughter’s knight in shining armour. I have less than six days to find that lake, a little time to find something that’s beginning to sound fictional.”
“Wait!” the mayor called.
Runner stopped and turned around.
“I haven’t finished,” the woman said. “This shelter we live in holds what remains of the inhabitants of MegaCityTwo.”
Runner’s ears had caught what they had been longing for, and thus, the mayor had him in her pockets.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“MegaCityTwo was built underground to protect its inhabitants from radiation. An experiment from our Citadel of Science to contain radiation and reverse its effects went wrong, causing another nuclear explosion that buried half the city. The survivors are all that you find here, and the rest are either dead or severely mutated.”
It was all starting to make sense to him. The reason why the watchmen stood guard all day and night, why radiation levels were higher in these parts, why he never saw any mutants around MegaCityOne. The Last House on the Left was just an extension of MegaCityTwo, and they were standing right on top of the real city.
“Well, it seems the paths to our goals are the same. Give me the resources I need, and I promise to find your daughter if she is still alive, of course,” Runner said.
The mayor gestured at Legion with a nod.
“Follow me.” Legion beckoned at Runner.
“One more thing,” the mayor shouted as they reached the door. “I didn’t want to say this, but you seem like a nice kid, so I will come clean. Unless you can find volunteers, I’m afraid you will be taking this journey alone. For a good reason, not even the watchmen would go into the ruins to find my daughter. Let’s just say there are things you might not want to meet down there.”
“I have seen worse,” Runner replied and continued down the stairs.
“Well, you might want to rethink that after you’ve gone down there.” She sat back on her chair.
Legion led him to another room. She pushed a large metal door to reveal a stash of weapons. Runner’s eyes lingered on them. He had this sudden feeling like it was a birthday gift waiting to be unwrapped.
The first he went for was a compound bow and then knives curved like scimitars. He arranged the knives into sheaths scattered on the length of his belt. Legion stuffed his backpack with water, energy bars, and more canned foods. She walked to him and strapped the backpack on his back, buckling it over his shoulder.
“What about you? Aren’t you coming?”
She shook her head. “I’ve given up on freedom. I will make my home here and banish all thoughts of MegaCityOne.”
Runner turned around and grabbed her hand. He felt her fingers warm in his grip. “I can’t do this without you,” he said softly.
Chapter Twenty-One
Take a Lesson from the Dead
It had always bugged her that she had not seen or touched her father for five years, except when he barked his orders from a large screen. Yet she had done everything he wanted and never asked too many questions.
With her fingers pressed upon a table, Olivia stared at a map that was set before her. Just across the table, stood her brother, Oliver, caught between two of his bold followers. This time, he did not wear the mask that so named him Death Throe, for he was in the company of those he trusted.
“Did you know that Sense pills are the most manufactured product in MegaCityOne?” He raised his gaze slowly until they locked with his sister’s.
“Of course,” Olivia replied.
“There is a factory in every slum colony: Rat Town, Bad Town, Flea Town, Bug Town, Mole Town…I can keep going. They suck the lives of those folks and pay them meagre wages. But the most troubling news is the fact that father has approved for it to be tainted with constituents that can keep people dull for days—an effective way of stopping water rioters.”
Olivia stood upright and crossed her arms over her breasts. “We must tread lightly on this. Sense pills are the only thing that detoxifies the harmful air we breathe outside our dome, despite its secondary uses. If we go too hard on it, we might end up collapsing our entire society.”
“Sure, sister,” Oliver muttered.
“What’s your plan?” she asked.
Oliver exchanged glances with the followers at his side. “Blow up the factories at the slums. Life is hard enough for those folks without big city dwellers using them for slavery.”
“Your plan sucks,” Olivia said.
“What?”
“Yes, you heard me. Your plan sucks.” She supported her hands on her waist.
She walked to a dark corner of the thick concrete hideout building. Large fancy fluorescent bulbs lined the ceiling of the room, but the light did not reach there. Oliver followed her as she had intended. She caught his jacket and dragged him towards her.
“I love you, brother, but this thick head of yours is going to get us all in trouble.”
Oliver opened his arms in contention. “Then what do you suggest, Olivia? What wisdom from that powerful brain of yours do you intend to share with me? After all, you have been the one doing the fighting, while I sat in the office of the city’s ambassador drinking coffee.”
She caught his finger and tweaked it.
“Aw!” Oliver screamed.
“Save your sarcasm for the dimwits that follow you. I’m here so that you don’t do anything stupid or get Father suspicious. You remember the punishment for treason, don’t you?”
“Okay, okay,” Oliver said. “But we have to do something about this, maybe warn the people about the Sense pills.”
Olivia walked to the table and picked up Oliver’s mask. It felt like it was staring back at her. The horrible look it bore. The infamous skull that represented the face of a dead man. It was a symbolic mark of anonymity that fed off the anger of its wearer. Olivia circled her gaze around everyone in the room.
“Seven people have worn this mask before you, and all seven of them died doing what they believed in. Throughout those times, they were successful because they…”
Olivia paused, distracted by a girl that panicked into the room. She was breathing heavily and trying to speak at the same time. Olivia reached out to her and put a hand on the girl’s chest.
“Easy…take a deep breath again.”
The girl recuperated and stood straight. “They found us.”
“What?” Oliver barked.
“Spectres from Section 5, under the command of Lucan Capricorn. They’ve found our hideout.” The girl bent and supported her hands on her knees.
“Your boyfriend, Olivia.” Oliver turned to his sister. “I will teach him a lesson he would never forget. Gather everyone!” he be
llowed.
Olivia grabbed his shirt to restrict his mobility. “These are spectres, not rangers. They are well organized and have the power to end anyone’s life they find unworthy. It is no coincidence that Lucan brought them here. His father is the councillor to the Citadel of Defence, and he wants revenge for the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the protesters.”
With a wicked grin, Oliver snatched his skull mask from his sister. He opened a locker and picked a grey sophisticated bow with arrows tipped with explosive arrowheads. He picked two machetes that reflected the light of the fluorescent and sheathed them at his back.
“You never asked the real question here: how did they find our hideout?” Olivia said.
Oliver leaned forward and pecked her on her right cheek. “I would hide somewhere if I were you, sister.”
He stormed out of the room followed by a few boys and girls that were part of his rebel band. A few minutes later, a boy stumbled into the room. He was tall with powerful shoulders and a short dark hair. On his hands, he carried a black recurved crossbow with a scope.
“Are you okay?” His brown eyes traced her figure.
“Who are you?” Olivia stepped backwards.
She studied him carefully, noticing his silver earring. He was indeed from a wealthy family to spend so much on an unfathomable fashion.
“James Wednesday.” He gestured a handshake.
Olivia did not receive it, and they both shuddered as the room shook from the effect of a blast outside.
“You might not know me ’cause I just joined yah brother recently, but he asked me to get you safely awt of here.”
Her eyes ran all over him again. She did not trust him completely yet; he made her uncomfortable with his masculine demeanour. She took her gaze to his bulging biceps and down to the fitted grey shirt he wore that wrapped down his rock-hard abs.
This is stupid, she thought, ashamed at her unnecessary attraction to the boy that stood before her while her world was crashing down. The ground shook again, and a fluorescent bulb detached from the roof smashing into bits on the floor.
