“What an awkward compliment. How like you, Varian.”
“Whatever you may think of me, I am in charge of the bunker now and protecting everyone is my responsibility. It occurs to me we now have four of us wandering about the outside world, assuming they still live.”
“Hopefully they do.”
“And if the environmental conditions are capable of supporting their lives, then others may live outside as well.”
“Quite possibly. It’s a large planet, I’m told.”
“What if these inhabitants, these plague survivors, are hostile? What if they learn of our existence, and even our location, from any of our four adventuresome friends and show up on our doorstep? Will we be prepared to defend ourselves?”
Keiana’s flippant demeanor changed to one of concern. “Our bunker may be a sprawling complex but it’s underground and thus effectively hidden. If there are any survivors on the surface, they wouldn’t know or suspect we were here.”
“Unless someone tells them. Corona, Kai, Covid, or Destine could encounter a survivor and casually mention the existence of a bunker stocked with survival supplies housing only children. It would make us a tempting target.”
Keiana came to a realization. “We need to formulate a defense plan.”
“You see, we do have something to discuss.”
“I’ll consider our options and then we can meet again. In the meantime, the titanium hatch should keep any outsiders from getting into the bunker.”
“Unless they come with drilling or blasting equipment. We have no idea what sort of technology or access to equipment such survivors might possess. Oh, don’t mention this to the others. We wouldn’t want to worry the young ones and there’s nothing they could do about it, anyway.”
“For once, I agree with you, Varian. We’ll talk again soon.” Before leaving the library, Keiana replaced the book she had selected and chose another one from a lower shelf: The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
In the social area, Dax and Ian each held a mug of fruit punch while singing cheerfully along with Tristan, who provided his guitar accompaniment (such as it was):
You lie, you cheat, you steal
with crooked friends you double-deal
all the while your people suffer.
You misuse your power
causing the people to sour
abusing their trust; making lives tougher.
The day will come, O tyrant king
And what a reckoning it shall bring
Your downfall has begun.”
Blaine stood a few feet away, listening to the lyrics and slowly absorbing their meaning. “Blaine!” Tristan called out. “Come join us in some song, cheer, and reconstituted punch.”
Blaine walked over and poured himself a mug of fruit punch. “What are we singing?”
“My buddy Lucian’s new hit, The Tyrant King,” Tristan said. “You can learn the lyrics in no time.”
Blaine joined them, delighted to be included in a group activity. Ten minutes later, Esme stepped into the social area. “Blaine,” she called out from the entrance. “Varian’s looking for you.”
Blaine stood. “Sorry guys, I have to go.” He joined Esme as they headed to Varian’s room.
Varian, having left Keiana, was also en route to his room. As he passed others he heard them singing various bits of Lucian’s song. He stepped into his room and found Esme and Blaine waiting for him.
“You wanted to see me?” Blaine asked.
“What I want is for you to find out what this damn song is that everyone keeps humming or singing.”
“Oh,” Blaine said. “You must mean Lucian’s new song. It’s catching on with everyone.”
“You’ve heard it, then?”
“Just a few minutes ago. It’s pretty easy to learn. It’s called The Tyrant King.”
“And what exactly are these lyrics?”
“I don’t have it completely memorized yet, but it sort of goes like this:
Of thee I sing,
O tyrant king
the boy who sought to soar.
Promises to keep
made to all the sheep
lambs led to the slaughterhouse door.
The day will come, O tyrant king
And what a reckoning it shall bring
Your downfall has begun.
You lie, you cheat, you steal
with crooked friends you double-deal
all the while your people suffer.
You misuse your power
causing the people to sour
abusing their trust; making lives tougher.
The day will come, O tyrant king
And what a reckoning it shall bring
Your downfall has begun.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s it, unless I missed a verse.”
Varian turned livid. “Get me Arlo and Nico. Now!” The forcefulness in his tone sent Blaine scurrying from the room.
“What’s wrong?” Esme asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? That little troublemaker Lucian is trying to stir up the others against me.”
“Varian, it’s just a song. Let them have their fun. It’s meaningless.”
“Songs, slogans, chants… They’re more powerful than you think. That’s how it begins. They stir up discontent and dissent. What seems like an innocent song soon becomes a rallying cry. I’ll have to nip this in the bud.” He calmed down and caressed her face. “Go wait for me in your room. I’ll join you after I speak to my enforcers.” He kissed her and Esme left.
Blaine returned a few moments later with Arlo and Nico. “Thank you, Blaine. You may go.” When Blaine had shut the door behind him, Varian addressed the enforcers. “Lucian’s damn song is ringing in my ears. I’ve been hearing people sing it constantly all day. He’s trying to undermine my authority and I can’t allow that. I want you to teach him a lesson. I don’t want him writing any more songs directed at me. Take care of this immediately.”
Arlo and Nico nodded and left his room. A frustrated sigh escaped Varian’s lips. He hoped this would be the end of the matter yet he knew it was likely only the beginning.
Lucian heard the knock on his door. Nessa was early, he thought. He appreciated her enthusiasm for learning to write songs but he was discovering being her teacher cut into his time for songwriting. Nonetheless, he found he couldn’t refuse her innocent requests for lessons and he found the attention flattering. “Come in,” he called out.
Arlo and Nico entered his room and closed the door behind them.
“What do you want?” Lucian asked as they approached him.
The two larger boys towered over the 13-year-old. “Varian doesn’t like your new song.” Nico said. Arlo placed his hand over Lucian’s mouth. “You’ve said enough. It’s my turn to sing now. My song is Ten Little Indians. Arlo grasped Lucian’s forefinger. “Here’s the first Indian. I’m going to break each one of them until there are none. After that, I don’t think you’ll be writing any more songs.” Lucian struggled to break free but Arlo was too strong. He tried to scream but only a muffled sound escaped Arlo’s hand. One by one the sound of finger bones snapping and cracking reverberated through the room along with Lucian’s stifled cries. “And that was the last little Indian,” Arlo said. “And then there were none.”
Lucian had never felt such pain. As much as he struggled, he couldn’t free himself from Arlo’s grasp. He bit down on the hand covering his mouth.
“Ow,” Arlo said. “He’s still got some fight left in him.”
“I’ll fix that,” Nico said, slamming his fists into the smaller boy’s torso. “Hold him steady. He makes a good punching bag.” Arlo kept his hand over Lucian’s mouth and held him down while Nico rained blows down on him.
“Okay, he’s had enough,” Arlo said. “He’s stopped struggling.” Arlo removed his hand from Lucian’s mouth.
“He’s not singing now,” Nico said, chuckling.
Arlo placed his hand inches from Lucian’s mouth and nose. “He’
s not breathing, either. I think he’s dead.”
“All I did was punch him.”
“Maybe you punctured his lung? See for yourself; he’s not breathing.” Blood trickled from Lucian’s lips. Arlo backed away.
“What do we do now?”
“Let’s go, quick.” They slipped out of Lucian’s room and raced away, leaving the boy lying on the bed.
Nessa knocked on Lucian’s door. “Lucian?” She pushed the door open and saw Lucien laying on the bed. “Lucian, it’s Nessa. You said you’d teach me about rhyme and meter tonight, remember?” She approached the bed. “Are you too tired tonight? You’re not sleeping already, are you?” She tapped his shoulder. “Lucian?” She noticed the blood dripping from his lips and realized he she couldn’t wake him. Nessa started trembling. She slowly backed away until she reached the doorway. She pivoted and ran to Fiona’s room screaming her name.
Chapter Thirteen
Fiona opened her door and Nessa burst inside, immediately hugging the older girl and sobbing. “Nessa, what’s wrong?”
The 13-year old girl simply embraced her, shaking and crying hysterically. “It’s Lucian.”
Fiona stroked her hair. “Oh. Did he say something that hurt your feelings? You know, artists and other creative individuals can be intense about their work and insensitive to others. I’m sure in the morning he’ll—”
“No!” Nessa cried, shaking her head vigorously. “The plague got him. He’s dead.”
Fiona chuckled. “Don’t be ridiculous. The plague can’t get inside the bunker. That’s the whole point of us being quarantined.”
“What about the scientists who died when I was just a baby? They had the plague inside the bunker.”
“And they caught it from having been outside. Neither Lucian nor you have been outside lately, have you?”
Nessa calmed down and sniffled. “No, but he’s still dead. I saw him. He wasn’t moving and he wouldn’t wake up. And there was blood.”
“Maybe Lucian was playing a trick on you. It sounds like one of Tristan’s pranks. I’ll look in on him while you stay here in my room, all right?”
Nessa sniffled. “All right. If this is Tristan playing a joke I’m never going to speak to him again.”
Fiona stepped outside her room. She saw Coralie and Dax coming out of Dax’s room. “Have you seen Tristan?”
“No, why?” Coralie asked.
“I’m furious with him. Poor Nessa’s in my room shaking like a leaf, crying her eyes out because of one of his dumb pranks. She’s convinced the plague has killed Lucian.”
“That’s absurd,” Dax said.
“Of course it is, but she swears Lucian’s dead so I’m going to have a word with those two boys. They don’t realize what a sensitive child Nessa is.”
“You can’t expect maturity from a bunch of thirteen year olds,” Dax said.
A worried look appeared on Coralie’s face. “Could it be possible? I mean, the hatch was opened for the first time in twelve years. If the germs were in the air outside, couldn’t the virus have gotten inside?”
Dax and Fiona exchanged glances.
“We’d better check this out,” Dax said. She turned to Coralie. “I doubt the plague could get into the bunker but it’s best to put our minds at ease.”
The three girls approached Lucian’s room. Nessa had left the door open so they were able to peer inside. They saw Lucian on the bed, motionless. “Lucian?” Fiona called out. There was no reply. “Lucian, this isn’t funny,” she said in a worried tone.
Dax edged her aside and stepped into the small room. She knelt beside the bed. The blood on his lips and the bed sheet had dried. She saw his gnarled and twisted fingers and lifted his shirt to feel his heartbeat. Dax saw purple bruises and contusions on his torso. She placed her hand on the boy’s chest and left it there a little longer than she needed to, hoping she was wrong. She pulled his shirt back down and gently placed the blanket over him, as if tucking him into bed for the night.
Dax returned to the doorway. “It’s not the plague.”
Fiona steeled herself. “Is he…?”
“He’s dead.” Dax inhaled a deep breath. “Someone did this to him. Lucian was beaten to death.”
Coralie gasped. “Who would do such a horrible thing? And why?”
“I can think of a couple of bullies, can’t you?” Dax asked.
“This is beyond bullying,” Coralie said. “Arlo and Nico are scum but I can’t imagine them killing anyone. No one’s ever killed anyone. We need to tell Varian what’s happened.”
“I can’t think of anyone else other than those two cruel and aggressive enough to commit murder,” Dax said. “And Arlo and Nico aren’t just bullies – they’re Varian’s enforcers. They do Varian’s bidding.”
“No,” Fiona said. “Varian’s bossy but he wouldn’t condone killing anyone. Come on, Dax. We’ve lived our entire lives with Varian. We know what he’s like, including his flaws, but murder? What happened to Lucian is horrible but we can’t go around accusing people with no proof. We’re civilized, not savages.”
“Then we get proof,” Dax said. She looked back at Lucian. “But first, we have to do something about him.”
“We have to tell the others,” Fiona said.
Dax and Coralie nodded. “Give them the chance to say goodbye,” Dax said. “Then, Lucian will take that last trip to the furnace.”
The social area was packed. It was the largest open space in the underground complex and had been traditionally used for public gatherings. The 45 teenagers crowded together, whispering among themselves. Fiona addressed them. “Some of you know why I’ve asked you here. I know rumors have been spreading this morning. Last night… last night, we lost one of us. I’m sorry to have to tell you, Lucian is dead.” Nessa, who had been trying to remain composed, broke into tears.
“What?” Tristan exclaimed. “No way! Lucian can’t be dead.”
“I’m sorry, Tristan,” Fiona said. “I know you were his best friend. I would have told you last night but I had to take care of Nessa. She found his body and spent the night with me. There was nothing you could have done, anyway.”
Tristan shook his head, “I don’t believe it. It can’t be true.”
“Tell them the rest,” Dax said.
“What are you talking about?” Keiana asked.
“Lucian was murdered,” Dax said. “He was beaten to death. Someone standing here in the social area killed him.”
Keiana turned pale. She shook her head. “Lucian dead? No, that wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t mean for… It’s all my fault.” Tears streaked down her face as she turned and stared at Varian. “How could you?”
“You can’t blame me for Lucian’s death,” Varian said. “I’ve only just found out about it like the rest of you.”
“This was your revenge for Lucian’s song. I knew you’d be angered but I never expected you to murder him.”
“I never even saw Lucian last night. As you may recall, I was with you, and I spent the rest of the night with Esme. Ask her; she’s right here.”
All eyes turned to Esme.
“Is that true, Esme?” Keiana asked.
Esme hesitated. “It’s true. Varian was with me the whole night.”
“I don’t believe her,” Dax said. “She’d say anything to protect him.”
“I don’t believe Varian's capable of murdering one of us,” Fiona said. “Varian’s our leader and we need our leader to lead us through this difficult time. The truth will come out but for now we must prepare to say our goodbyes to Lucian. We’ll be bringing his body out from his room in an hour and we’ll have a procession to the furnace.” Fiona took Nessa under her arm and walked the crying girl back to her room.
The teens, especially Tristan, were shocked, stunned, and angry. The crowd thinned out as most of the teenagers returned to their rooms to absorb the grim news and await their chance to see Lucian one last time. Varian walked out, telling Esme and Blaine he needed
to be alone. Blaine turned to Esme. “He seems shaken by the news. I’m glad you spoke up. You know Varian better than anyone; you know he’s not capable of murder.”
Esme shook her head softly. “I told the truth. Varian was with me the whole night. He didn’t kill Lucian. But I believe he’s capable of killing someone. He’ll do whatever he believes he has to.”
Blaine gulped. “Last night, he sent me to get Arlo and Nico. You don’t think they had something to do with Lucian’s death?”
Esme turned away.
“I’m the one who brought them to Varian. If he sent them to kill Lucian—”
“We don’t know that.”
“If he did, I couldn’t bear the guilt.”
Esme faced him. She raised her hand to his face, caressing his cheek. “Neither could I. That’s what makes us different from Varian. You’re a decent guy, Blaine. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. Varian can be so strong, so forceful, so charismatic… but deep inside, the same things that make him that way also make him arrogant and selfish, and capable of doing anything in his own self-interest. But you’d never go that far, would you. Blaine? You have limits. You really are a decent person.”
He shrugged. “I guess.”
Esme looked up at him with needy eyes. “Am I? Am I a decent person or do I deserve a guy like Varian because deep down I’m no better?” She lowered her head in shame.
Blaine lifted her chin. “If you’re asking the question, it means you are. I think I made a mistake by helping Varian. I wanted to be part of something and he made me feel like I was, like I was important. But I don’t want to be part of what happened to Lucian. I don’t want anything to do with Varian from now on.”
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