The QuaranTeens, #1

by Keith B Darrell

  “No clue. I woke up ten minutes ago staring at the ceiling.”

  “I suppose you also have no idea how we got here or why we’re locked down?”

  “All I know is someone did this to us. That means there are other people alive— and we’ve found them.”

  “More like they’ve found us.” Kai tugged at the metal clamps. “It’s no use. I can’t break free.”

  They heard a door creak open, followed by the sound of footsteps. The head of a middle-aged man hovered above them, temporarily blocking the fluorescent light. “I trust you’ve had a pleasant nap,” he said.

  “Where are we?” Corona asked. “Who are you?”

  “More importantly, let us go,” Kai said.

  “Of course. You were only restrained so you wouldn’t injure yourselves during your medical examinations. Now that you’re awake, there’s no reason to keep you restrained.” He pressed a lever on each of the tables and the shackles opened.

  Kai and Corona sat up, massaging their aching wrists. “You haven’t answered our questions,” Corona said.

  “All in good time. I’m sure you have many questions and I’ll do my best to answer them all. But first, are you hungry? We’ve prepared a meal waiting for you in our dining room. If you’ll follow me.”

  Kai glanced at Corona as they tacitly exchanged the conclusion they had no choice but to follow him. They each hopped off their respective examination tables and followed him out of the room. As they walked down the hallway it became apparent they were in a luxurious mansion like the ones they had seen in some of the picture books in the bunker’s library. The building was spacious and the halls were lined with paintings and tapestries. They were led into a room with a magnificent chandelier and beneath it a large mahogany dining table with eight ornate cushioned chairs around it.

  “Please, be seated.”

  There were two plates set at the table, several platters of vegetables, and a large platter of beef. A pitcher containing an iced liquid also sat on the table, as did two glasses filled with the same liquid. Corona looked hesitatingly at Kai.

  “Come now, we haven’t poisoned the food. We had ample opportunity to kill you had we wished.”

  His logic made sense, so Corona and Kai sat and began eating. “This beef doesn’t taste like our canned food,” Kai said.

  “Canned?” the man asked. “Certainly not. Our beef is fresh and the vegetables are harvested daily from our gardens. Now, I believe you had some questions.”

  Corona swallowed her food and asked, “Who are you and how did we get here?”

  “My name is Proctor. One of our patrols found you outside the city. You were both unconscious; they thought you dead at first. You were badly dehydrated and had suffered heatstroke but appeared otherwise healthy. Rather than leave you to die, they brought you back here.”

  Kai washed down his food with a sip of the drink and then asked, “Where’s here?”

  “This used to be a rather exclusive neighborhood in what was once a small city before the plague. When the coronavirus appeared, we were unprepared. Thousands died. But most survived. We thought we had gone through hell and lived to come back and tell the tale. We didn’t realize the virus would return in a second, and far more deadly, wave. It decimated the planet’s population. When it was over, a little more than eight hundred of us had survived in the entire city.”

  “The virus is gone?” Kai asked.

  “We haven’t seen any trace of it. We tested you for it, of course, but you’re both clean. We devised a vaccine after surviving the second wave so we believe we’re immune to it. We moved from our homes and consolidated ourselves in this neighborhood. This was once an area of great wealth: luxurious homes and mansions were sitting vacant, save for the dead bodies of their former owners. There’s an old saying, ‘To the victors go the spoils.’ We had conquered the virus and survived; it was only fitting we should reward ourselves. We built a geodesic dome to wall off the neighborhood, which became our new city of Utopia.”

  “Where are the others?” Corona asked.

  “In their homes. Only the patrols leave the city; everyone else stays within the dome.”

  “What are they patrolling for?” Corona asked.

  “Raiders. At first we thought you might be Raiders, but your medical exams showed no trace of any antibodies within you.”

  “Antibodies?” Kai asked.

  Proctor nodded. “The Raiders who survived the plague were all exposed. You’re lucky we came across you first. The Raiders are savage killers. We’re constantly on guard against their attacks. They want our supplies and anything else they might get their hands on. Fortunately, the dome keeps them out and our patrols prevent them from coming too close to Utopia. Are you enjoying your dinner?”

  “I’ll say!” Kai exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this well before.”

  “I’m pleased your meal is satisfactory.”

  Kai nodded enthusiastically. “More than satisfactory: delicious.”

  “If I may now pose a question to you,” Proctor said. “If you’re not Raiders, then what are you and where did you come from?”

  Corona opened her mouth to speak but Kai shot her warning glance and interrupted. “We come from far away. We were exploring and got lost. I doubt we could tell you where our home is in relation to Utopia.”

  “Then, I trust you’ll think of Utopia as your new home. We have a civilized society with a moral code of conduct.”

  “A code?” Corona repeated. “We follow one, as well.”

  “How interesting,” Proctor said. “I’d like to hear more of it at a later date. But for now, I have work to return to. We’ve prepared separate quarters for you both; later, you may choose one of the vacant homes as your own. We’ll speak more in the morning. Please, follow me to your rooms.”

  Proctor led Corona and Kai from the dining room down a long hallway and deposited them at the doors of two adjoining rooms. Corona was shocked at how large the bedroom was. It was easily a dozen times the size of her small room in the bunker. It had a dresser with a huge mirror and an enormous plush bed with a soft down comforter. She ran to the bed and jumped onto it, reveling in the luxury.

  Proctor, meanwhile, continued down the hall of the mansion and entered the study. A middle-aged woman in a white lab coat was waiting for him. “Dr. Carstairs. You have the rest of the exam results?" he asked.

  “Yes. The specimens are in excellent health. I don’t believe either of them has ever been sick a day in their lives. Apparently they were vaccinated against major diseases in early childhood and not exposed to any since.”

  “And the boy?”

  “A superb specimen. Unquestionably virile, given his youthful age. His sperm count is off the charts. When do you want him transferred?”

  “In the morning. I think he should have a good night’s sleep. He has a busy day ahead of him and I want him in top form.”

  Dr. Carstairs nodded, “And the girl?”

  “Give me a report on what organs she has that are ripe for harvesting. They can be removed tomorrow and then ship her remains to the farm.”

  “Certainly. We can schedule the organ removal for the afternoon.”

  “Excellent. My only regret is we have no idea where they came from or if there are more of them. But one should never look a gift horse in the mouth.”

  Corona was still asleep when Proctor knocked on Kai’s bedroom door. The boy woke up and opened the door.

  “Good morning,” Proctor said. “Did you have a good night’s rest?”

  Kai grinned. “I slept like a baby. That bed’s softer than what I’m used to.”

  “Excellent. We want you to be happy while you’re in Utopia. If you’ll come with me, I have something to show you.”

  “What about Corona?”

  “Let her sleep. I’m sure she needs her rest after your journey. This only concerns you.”

  Kai followed Proctor down the hall. “How so?”

  “
Utopia desperately needs your assistance. You may recall yesterday I explained how we had devised a vaccine against the coronavirus.”

  “Yes. That’s quite an achievement.”

  “Our scientists worked day and night, as their friends and family fell victim to the virus. As soon as we had a working vaccine, we administered it immediately to the city’s entire remaining population. It was literally a matter of life and death. Normally, such a vaccine would have undergone months or even years of testing to discover any side effects, however we lacked the luxury of time.”

  “But obviously it worked.”

  They came to the drawing room where Dr. Carstairs was waiting with a half-dozen attractive young women. “The virus had already killed off eighty percent of the older population and twenty percent of the younger population. As a result, two-thirds of our survivors were children who have since grown into young adults. Utopia has nearly three hundred young women of childbearing age on whom we must rely to continue our heritage. Unfortunately, our vaccine had an unintended side effect: it rendered all of our men infertile. We can’t repopulate Utopia; at least, not without outside assistance. Until your arrival, the only fertile males were Raiders and it was the rare encounter that left any alive.”

  Kai cocked his head. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”

  “These are some of Utopia’s young women whose fondest dream is motherhood. An impossible dream without a fertile male like yourself. On behalf of all Utopia’s young women they wanted to tell you how grateful they would be for your help in impregnating them.” The young women smiled at Kai.

  Kai grinned like a hyena in heat. “This place just keeps getting better and better. Should we go back into the bedroom to get started?”

  “You can stay here,” Proctor said. “I’ll ask the girls to step outside so you may change into this robe. Hand Dr. Carstairs your clothes and she’ll take care of them.”

  “You bet!” He tossed her his clothes as he removed them, which she neatly folded and placed in a cabinet. When Kai had changed into the robe, Proctor gestured for him to sit in what appeared to be an examination chair. “Not another medical exam?” Kai asked. “Can’t we do this part later?”

  “This won’t take long,” Proctor said. “Let Dr. Carstairs strap you in.” She tightened the leather straps around his wrists. “Lift your legs into these stirrups,” Proctor said, as Dr. Carstairs strapped in Kai’s ankles.

  “He’s securely strapped in,” Dr. Carstairs said.

  “Excellent,” Proctor replied.

  “Do I get to choose the girls?” Kai asked.

  Proctor chuckled. “Oh, you won’t see them again. They simply wanted to thank you for your generous donation.”

  Kai cocked his head. “Donation?”

  “As I explained yesterday, Utopia is a civilized society. Surely you didn’t think we would condone sex outside of marriage? That would go against our moral code.”

  “But the fertilization?”

  “Don’t worry, that will all be accomplished through artificial insemination,” Proctor said, as Dr. Carstairs rolled in a machine. Proctor spread his hands. “The Dairy is set up for just that purpose. We call this machine the milker, similar to what farmers used to use on cows – but modified for humans, of course. We calculate we should have enough sperm to inseminate all of Utopia’s childbearing-aged women in six months if we keep you hooked up for eight hours each day.”

  Kai became agitated. “Wait a minute! You’re not putting that contraption on me!”

  “Relax and try not to moo… I mean move,” Proctor said. “I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.” He walked over to a record player and turned it on. “The generators provide limited power but they do allow us one of our luxuries: classical music. I trust you’ll find Wagner’s 'Ride of the Valkyries' appropriate. It's a work that begins with intense upward violin swoops, followed by the cellos playing an almost constant rhythm that builds to a rousing climax.” The vibrant classical music filled the air. “It’s set for continuous play. I’ll see you in eight hours.” He motioned to Dr. Carstairs and they both left the room.

  “Come back!” Kai screamed. Get this off of me! Help!” The rising allegro of the violin, English horn, oboe, and clarinets drowned out his cries.

  It was a soft, gentle noise yet Corona nonetheless heard it through her slumber. She slowly opened her eyes to determine its source. As she focused, she saw a figure hovering at the edge of her bed. She jumped up. “Who are you?”

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to wake you,” the young woman said. On closer inspection, Corona could see she was wiping the dresser top with a cloth and had knocked over a music box. “I’m Maga, the cleaner. Please, go back to sleep.”

  “How did you get in? I tried the door last night and it was locked.”

  “I have keys to all the rooms, else I wouldn’t be able to do my daily cleaning. Proctor told me not to disturb you; I’m ever so sorry.”

  Corona rose from the bed. “That’s all right. I normally don’t sleep this late. It must have been the comfortable mattress and the delicious dinner last night.”

  “Yes, we just got a fresh shipment of meat from the farm yesterday. It tastes best when it’s fresh from the slaughterhouse.”

  “The farm? Is that where you raise cattle? I’ve read about that in books.”

  Maga chuckled. “There haven’t been any cattle around here since before the plague. No animals at all, except horses and the wild wolves but they can’t get into the dome. The farm's just outside the dome so we don’t have to smell the odors from the slaughterhouse.”

  Corona nodded. “Have you seen my friend Kai? Is he awake yet?”

  “I haven’t seen him but I heard his voice when I was cleaning down the hall near the drawing room. A bit hard to hear over the music, though. You must be awfully proud of him.”

  “Proud?”

  “He’s going to help us become mothers.”

  Corona laughed. “Well, he does act childish at times, but I don’t think he needs mothering. Wait, you said there aren’t any animals around. Where does your meat that you butcher at the farm come from?”

  “It’s terribly dangerous outside the dome. We send out constant armed patrols because we fear the Raiders will try to break in and take our supplies. They’re jealous of the luxury we have in Utopia. When the patrols capture or kill them, they bring them back to Utopia. Obviously the dead men can’t produce the fluid Dr. Carstairs needs – and even the living men can’t make much of it anymore – so they’re taken to the farm.”

  A puzzled look appeared on Corona’s face. “But why? Do you cremate their bodies there or…” A horrible thought crossed her mind. “The slaughterhouse!”

  “They chop ‘em up at the farm, wrap ‘em into chunks, and deliver them here, nice and neat. Each one can make several meals.”

  “The dinner last night…” Corona felt the bile rising from her stomach. She started gagging and vomiting, frightening Maga.

  “What’s wrong? Are you ill?” Maga became frantic, uncertain what to do. “Stay calm. I’ll go get Dr. Carstairs.” The frightened young woman raced from the room.

  Corona forced herself to stop vomiting. She saw the door that had kept her locked in the room during the night now swinging wide open. I’ve got to find Kai and tell him, she thought. We’ve got to get out of this place. She ran out of the bedroom, pausing at the doorway. She said Kai was in the drawing room. Where—? Corona heard loud music coming from down the hall. “Maga said she heard music from the room where Kai was.” She followed the sound and entered the drawing room.

  Chapter Seven

  Covid and Destine held onto the horse-riding teens for dear life, terrified as they surrendered all control to the galloping beasts and their masters. For their part, Archer and Robin enjoyed the air blasting their faces as the horses raced across the landscape. As he watched the scenery recede into the background, Covid said, “We certainly do cover a lot of territory fast on th
ese things.”

  “They ain’t got horses where you're from?” Archer asked.

  “No, I’ve never seen one before. Where do they come from?”

  “They’ve always been around, at least that’s what Granny says. Most animals was immune to the virus. You don’t see many around, though. Granny says they went off lookin’ fer food. The horses gots plenty of grazing room so they stuck around and the wolves hunt their own food, like rabbits and other critters.”

  “Are there a lot of you Raiders?”

  “Sure, but they’re scattered. Raiders ain’t organized like Utopians. If we was, we’d be too easy to wipe out. Instead, there’s pockets of Raiders spread out all over. That store you was in is our stash; other Raiders know to steer clear of it ’less’en they want trouble.”

  “Sorry, we didn’t know.”

  “Yeah, I done sussed that already. Glad I didn’t shoot you back there; it’s nice to have someone new to talk to.”

  “You make those flying things yourself?”

  “The arrows? Shucks, yeah. We ain’t got fancy rifles like the Utopians but you can kill a man just as quick with a bow and arrow. I don’t know how many rifles them Utopians got stored away but I reckon one day they’re gonna run out of bullets but we’ll still be able to make plenty of arrows from what nature gives us.”

  The importance of being able to create weapons from ubiquitous supply of natural materials in the environment resonated with Covid. “Can you teach me how to make them?”

  Archer grinned. “Sure, it’s easy. I can show you how to make a fishing pole, too.”

  “I thought the water was contaminated.”

  “Nah, just certain spots. You gotta know which ones is safe is all.”

  The remnants of a small mobile home trailer park came into view. “Archer, Robin, tie up the horses,” Granny said. “I’ll let the others know these two are with us.” She turned to Destine. “Wouldn’t want you gettin’ shot by mistake on your first day.”

  “What is this place?” Destine asked.

  “We call it the Outpost. The patrols don’t come this far out.” Granny pulled out a container of snuff and sniffed the smokeless tobacco. She smiled as she inhaled. “Good soil out here; we grow the tobacco leaves ourselves.” Granny gestured. “All this used to be filled with families before the plague. Some of them was annoying but I miss them all now.”