by Andrew Gates
“Here, take one of mine,” he said.
Kaitlyn smiled and accepted it.
“Do I get an extra too?” Misha asked.
“No honey. Kaitlyn is sick. She needs to fill her stomach,” Grey explained. “Let your sister have her extra piece.”
“There are berries and nuts and leaves you can eat,” Dan added. “We have more of those.”
“But those never fill me up!” Misha whined.
Grey glared at her.
“Listen to your uncle. You only get three pieces of meat,” he said.
Misha pouted and did as she was told. As annoying as it was to deal with her behavior, he was glad she eventually did as she was asked.
Grey took his remaining two pieces and dropped them into his mouth. The meat was a bit overcooked, but he could not really complain. Eating meat was like eating a gourmet meal here on the surface. He enjoyed the two bites he got and smiled as he swallowed the last of it.
He looked around. It seemed everyone else was finishing up.
All that time spent cooking and we get 20 seconds of eating, he thought. It was times like these that he really appreciated the convenience that came from life in the station.
After the group was all set, Ryan clapped his hands together and made an announcement.
“Alright group, start packing your things. We’re moving in five minutes,” he explained.
“Where are we going next?” asked Selena. Her voice was still strained.
“We’re going to check on something strange the kids found,” he answered.
“Check on something? Why don’t we do that in groups? Why do we need to send everyone?” she wondered.
“It’s on the way. We’re heading west anyway,” Dan explained before Ryan had a chance.
“But why the whole group? In the past, we’ve sent one or two people to check on things,” she retorted.
Grey understood why she did not want to travel when she needed time to recover, but this constant protesting and questioning was getting on his nerves. He sighed as his brother and wife continued to debate.
“Because Iris doesn’t believe this thing is hostile,” Dan said.
“But how do we know?” Selena almost sounded like one of his daughters now.
“Because if it were, someone would be attacking us.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re moving in that direction anyway,” Ryan said, interrupting the two of them. He extended his hand out as if to say it was a done deal. “We move out in five. Get your things ready.”
Selena lowered her head into her hands and let out a deep exhale. Grey walked over to her and held onto her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he calmly asked.
He could tell that she was crying now.
“Ooh, mom is crying!” Misha noted.
“Ssh, that’s not nice to say,” Grey explained.
Misha held her mouth and quieted down. Meanwhile Selena looked up at Grey.
“I feel weak. I don’t want to keep moving,” she said.
“I know,” Grey replied. “But I’ll help carry you along the way. You’ll be fine.”
She calmly nodded her head and wiped her face.
“Okay,” she finally agreed in a whisper. She held onto him tightly.
“I love you,” he told her.
“I love you too.”
The structure stood as straight as a column and eclipsed the western sun like an ominous caster of shadows. It was thick and sturdy but more robust than metal, almost like it had been constructed out of stones themselves. It shot up into the sky with four corners like a box, but it tapered off at the end like the tip of an arrow.
Grey let Selena down to the ground. She sat down immediately and coughed into her hands. Misha ran up and sat next to her. Kaitlyn stuck to her father.
“It looks about four meters tall,” Dan said as he approached it. He held a hand out to it.
“Don’t touch it! What if it’s another trap?” Ophelia warned.
Dan instinctively pulled his hand back and paused in place. He stood right before the structure and looked down to the ground. Grey wondered what was going through his brother’s head right now, but before he could ask, Dan crouched and inspected where the structure met the land.
“It looks like it goes down more,” he explained.
Iris walked up and joined him. She inspected the ground around it and then looked up to the top of the spire.
Ryan stepped forward.
“Any theories?”
“What would you say this is, Dan? This material?” she asked.
He stood up and put his face as close to it as he could without touching it. Then he leaned away.
“It’s dirty. Whatever it is, it has been out here for a long time. Much of it has started degrading,” he explained.
“It looks like a non-metallic mineral compound,” Tobias added as he lowered Sixtine to the ground. “It’s very sturdy to have endured for as long as it has.”
Dan nodded to his red-haired friend.
“I agree. Maybe marble, perhaps.”
Tobias nodded back.
“Good theory.”
Iris shook her head as if to say she could not believe it. She covered her mouth with her hands and let out a deep breath. It seemed like those may have been the words she was anticipating.
“I can’t believe it, but I think my original guess might be right after all,” Iris started as she moved her hands away from her mouth. She seemed surprised to say those words. She brushed some sweat from her face and then turned to face the group. “This structure looks like it goes deep underground,” she explained. “Ancient Americans built a spire like this in the late 19th Century, only much taller.”
“And you think this is that structure?” Dan asked.
“Well I don’t know for sure, but there are only so many marble spires out there, especially in the former United States,” she explained.
Grey did not understand. He still did not know what she was referring to.
“Are you suggesting this is the Washington Monument?” Tobias asked.
Iris nodded her head and then turned back to face the structure.
“I do,” she answered. “I think we’ve just found the actual Washington Monument.”
Even with her back to him, Grey could tell Iris was beginning to tear up with excitement.
“Wait, hold on,” Grey said, jumping in. “What is the Washington Monument?”
Iris turned back around again. Grey could easily see the tears in her eyes now. He knew she was giddy to explain the answer.
“The Washington Monument was a structure built in the center of the old capital of the United States in the late 1800s. It was positioned at the exact center of town and could be seen from kilometers away,” she explained. She talked so fast, it was a struggle just to keep up. “It served no real functional purpose. It was more like a piece of art, built to commemorate the country’s first president, George Washington.”
“They could see this from kilometers away?” Margery asked in confusion.
Grey agreed. This spire was tall, but not tall enough to stand out from a distance.
“What was that?” Iris asked.
“How could people see this from kilometers away?” Margery repeated, louder this time.
Iris held her hand in the air, suggesting she could hear the question now.
“It was once much taller. Over tens of thousands of years, it must have sunk,” Iris answered.
“Or the land built up around it,” Dan added.
“Probably a bit of both,” Iris continued. “Even in pre-Descent times, old cities and monuments were usually excavated from underground sites. It is natural.”
“So all around us is a big buried city?” Jallah asked.
Iris slowly nodded her head in confirmation.
“Yes, that would stand to reason,” she replied. “But this monument was the tallest thing ever built in the city. It’s not surprising that this is the onl
y thing still penetrating the surface.”
“What was the city called?” Grey asked.
Iris turned to face him.
“Washington, DC.”
That was a name he had heard before. Washington was considered one of the most powerful cities in the pre-Descent times. Whoever controlled Washington practically controlled the world. It felt weird knowing he may have been standing here right now.
“You said earlier that we might have been in Virginia. Is that true? Was Washington part of Virginia?” Dan asked.
“No, but my guess was close. We must have been in Maryland thus far,” she explained, “but if we continue west, we should reach what once was Virginia soon.”
Suddenly a thunderous boom echoed throughout the forest. Birds flew away in fear and small animals darted behind trees. The group quieted down immediately. Jallah crouched down and lifted his arms above his head. Ryan instinctively grabbed the pistol he had taken from Iris, the only gun that still worked anymore.
For a moment, nobody moved. Then another boom echoed again.
“Shit, what is that?” Sixtine asked. She was still lying on the ground, too tired to move.
“I can hardly hear it,” Iris added.
No surprise there.
“I recognize that sound,” Dan said. He turned to face the group. His expression was stark and cold. “That’s the sound of the mantis plasma cannons.”
Grey felt himself shiver. He held tightly onto Kaitlyn.
“It came from the west and it sounded close,” Tobias surmised, “maybe a kilometer or two from here.”
“The river,” Margery added.
“Well, who are they after? They’re not shooting at us!” Jallah said as he came up from his crouched position.
Dan nodded his head.
“That’s a good question,” he replied. He took a step away from the spire. “We should find that out.”
“It could be more zombies,” Ophelia speculated.
“True. But we don’t know for certain. It could be something else,” Dan explained.
“I’ll go take a look,” Ryan said, volunteering almost immediately. “I’m the only one with a gun here. I can keep us safe if we need.”
“We should travel in pairs. I can go too,” Dan added.
Tobias took a step towards Dan and pointed to him.
“No, you should not. You and Ryan are the leaders here. If one of you dies, we can still manage. But if both of you die, that leaves us with nobody in charge,” Tobias protested.
“I’m informally in command,” Dan disagreed. “Ryan is the only one with real authority here.”
“Authority granted to him by a station that no longer exists!” Selena added from the ground. “Does it really matter?”
Grey let go of his daughter and raised his hand.
“I’ll go!” he said. “Enough of this bickering. I’ll go instead of Dan if that makes you all happy.”
Dan stayed quiet and simply nodded his head. Grey expected Selena to say something, but she stayed quiet too. Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Then Ryan broke the silence.
“Very well. Thanks for volunteering,” he said.
Grey nodded back to him. He did not know what convinced him to volunteer, but what’s done was done. He was going.
Grey turned to his wife and daughters. They all looked up at him as he stood there. Seeing them brought a smile to his face.
“Good luck,” Selena said through a whispered voice. It was hard to tell what she thought of his decision, though he expected she was not happy with it.
Grey simply smiled back.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too. I’ll be here with the girls.”
He nodded.
“Keep them safe for me.”
Grey leaned down and kissed Selena on the forehead. It was still warm. He hugged each of his girls and then turned back to Ryan.
“Ready to go?” the Navy man asked.
“Ready.”
The thunderous booms grew louder the closer they got to the river’s edge. Not only could he hear the river flowing now, but Grey could also feel the land sloping down more and more. It got so steep at one point, he nearly lost his footing.
“We’re almost there,” Ryan said. He was in the lead, setting the path for Grey to follow.
The lieutenant pushed a branch aside and then stopped in place. Grey stopped behind him.
“What is it?”
“We’re here. This is the river,” he said.
Grey peered around Ryan so that he could get a clear view. Sure enough, he could see the water now. Once they passed this tree, they would be exposed on the riverbank.
“If we take another step, the mantises might see us,” Ryan explained.
“I understand.”
The booms still echoed, but Grey could not see anything. He wondered where these mantises were.
Suddenly three zombies appeared on the opposite side of the river. They ran into the water and started flailing around as if they could not swim. Like the others they had seen before, these creatures looked like shorter humans with larger teeth, wider jaws and smaller eyes. Each of them looked young and athletic. They seemed in a hurry for whatever reason.
Grey did not wonder why they were in a hurry for long. Before he knew it, a mech popped out of the tree line on the opposite side of the river, knocking down two or three tall trees in the process.
Grey and Ryan both leaned back, hiding from view as the mech walked into the river, following the three humanoids. Water splashed up everywhere.
It fired its weapons, destroying the zombies instantly and sending a gush of steam up into the air. The humanoid creatures never stood a chance.
Ryan turned to face Grey.
“It looks like our theory was right,” he said in a hushed voice.
“Which one?”
“The mantises aren’t after us. They’re after the zombies.”
Grey peered around Ryan again. The mech walked back onto the opposing riverbank and returned to the trees, perhaps to shoot more of the zombie creatures.
“It seems like it.”
“These metal ones, what do you call them?”
“We’ve been calling them mechs.”
“Right,” Ryan replied with a nod. “These mechs and the mantises that accompany them, they’re like hunter squads. They’re like zombie hunters.”
“I agree.”
Ryan sighed and motioned to Grey to move back. Grey slowly walked backwards, letting Ryan through.
“We should head back and tell the group what we saw.”
“Do you think we should still go west?”
“Of course! The mantises are killing all the zombies for us. By the time we cross the river, they should all be dead. It’ll be the safest place.”
Grey had not thought of it that way, but he could not argue with Ryan’s reasoning.
“When do you want to cross?”
Ryan stopped to think about it for a moment. It seemed he did not have an easy answer.
“I’ll see what your brother thinks, but I say we should give the group some time to rest. The sun will be setting soon. Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow.”
“I think my brother will agree with that, but he won’t like it.”
Ryan shrugged and peered back over to the river. Grey looked at it too. It sure was big. Crossing it would be a challenge.
“It won’t be easy, no matter how we do it,” Ryan said, turning back around.
“No, it won’t. But then again, nothing is ever easy anymore.”
IRIS CHEWED ON THE LAST piece of fish and enjoyed the taste in her mouth for a few more seconds before swallowing. She picked up the cold metal canteen and drank a swig of water before handing it off to Greyson.
A gust of wind brushed against her face, sending her mostly-blonde hair flying across her eyes. She brushed it aside and stood up from the cold ground. She held her arms around her body, shivering.
No light, she thought as she looked to the grey sky above her head. It’s as if it were the end of the day already.
It was early in the morning but Iris already felt like she was ready to eat dinner and fall asleep. After discovering the wide river the day before, Ryan decided to hold off on moving west until the group was more prepared. But now that a storm was on the way, putting it off no longer seemed like a smart idea.
Tobias said something as he walked by Iris. She could not make out the words, but she turned to face him as he continued along. She followed him as he picked up his pot and attached it to the straps on the back of his white uniform.
“What did you say?” she eventually asked.
“I said this storm will not help us cross the river,” he answered, though it did not take a genius to know that.
Ryan said something behind her. Iris turned, caught off guard again.
“- so we need to move quickly,” he finished.
Damn, I wish I could hear.
“The more it rains, the more volatile the river will get,” Dan said.
“And the higher the water level,” Ophelia added.
“Right,” agreed Dan.
Iris may not have heard the entire conversation, but she could piece enough of it together. They did not have long until the storm hit and once it did, their challenges would multiply. She looked up to the sky. So far there was no rain. She wondered how long that would last.
“What do we do about the ill?” Greyson asked.
Iris looked over to the two sick women lying by the base of the ancient structure. The youngest girls were seated beside them, like loyal surface era dogs guarding their owners.
“We carry them. Same as before,” Ryan replied without hesitation.
“The water is deep. Will we be able to carry them?” Greyson wondered.
Jallah lifted his hand, as if asking permission to speak. When no one acknowledged him, he simply jumped in.
“It was so deep when we saw it. We threw a rock in it. We might have to swim,” he said.
Greyson pointed to Jallah and then turned back to Ryan.
“How can we carry the sick through that?”
“By beating this storm,” Ryan replied. “The longer we wait here talking, the more time we lose.”