The Charred Lands: City of Ash

by Josh A. Murphy

  Azaria looked faint, her entire body had gone pale as she continued to bleed from the bullet hole in her stomach. I had no idea how she had managed it, but the girl had fucking saved us. Each and every person on this roof, apart from Leaz, no doubt owed their life to the girl. Nobody wanted to risk taking a shot off, there was too great a chance they would hit the innocent hostage; and Leaz knew it. Unlike her, these people had a moral code, and a conscience.

  “You guys just won’t fucking die, will you?” Leaz screamed from behind her hostage, her voice was beginning to sound even more crazed than it usually did, but even more worrying, was that she sounded desperate. People like Leaz were hard to predict at the best of times, never mind when they realised they were fighting a losing battle.

  For a few seconds, they were locked in a standoff. Everyone had their weapons aimed at Leaz, waiting for an opportunity to fire off a safe shot.

  “Zach?” Azaria called out, scanning the people in front of her for me.

  For a few seconds I remained lay down behind the corpse that I had been taking cover behind, before finally rising to my feet. I hesitantly approached Julian’s side, waiting for Azaria to continue.

  It was so tense that I almost felt as though some invisible force had wrapped its strong hand around my neck and was squeezing. I struggled to swallow as I reached Julian, but couldn’t. For a few seconds I stood there, staring at Azaria as she grew ever paler.

  “Shut up bitch.” Leaz screamed, pressing the gun harder against the back of the girls head, but Azaria didn’t listen. She stood firm, and cracked a smile. “Thank you for giving me freedom. You let me taste what I had longed for my entire life.” She called out as tears began to trickle down her pale face, “But I don’t like it. There’s nothing for me to live for now. Just make sure you kill this bitch.” She said.

  For a few seconds, the rooftop fell silent, until the meaning of Azaria’s words hit Leaz like a speeding train. Her eyes suddenly became wide as she realised her human shield was redundant.

  “No!” Leaz screamed, as Julian squeezed his trigger.

  I could only watch as the bullet ripped through the air and struck Azaria right between the eyes, covering Leaz in a spray of dark red blood. She stood there with a soaking, red face in absolute shock as her valuable human shield fell to the floor. Before Azaria had even hit the floor, Julian fired off a second shot. Once again, his shot was true.

  I smiled as Leaz’s corpse landed behind Azaria’s. All around me, the rest of my companions let out a cheer.

  It was over. Leaz was dead. We had won.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Soon after the bloodshed was over, Julian ordered Turnip and Keith to do a quick sweep of the building for any survivors, those belonging to either Anarchy’s Children, or Saviour of Man. They quickly disappeared downstairs as the rest of us went about collecting the corpses that riddled the tower’s roof.

  We found our supplies all piled up at the side of the door to the rooftop, we had no idea why they had been brought up here, but I was thankful to be reunited with my backpack. Straight away I rifled inside, checking on all of my belongings. For some reason, it seemed as though they hadn’t even bothered to look inside. Everything remained exactly as I had left it, and more importantly, the egg was completely intact.

  “Here, I need a word.” Julian said to me as I helped him carry Grimm’s corpse over to the growing pile. Touching the grisly, bullet riddled corpse knocked me sick, but I did my best to grit my teeth and get it over with. These guys were shorted handed, and the quicker I helped them finish here, the quicker they could take me to the other side of Manchester in their helicopter.

  “What’s up?” I asked as he pulled me aside. He led me across the roof of the tower and sat down at the edge, gazing out across the setting sun above the city of Manchester.

  “I just wanted to thank you for your help”. He smiled as his eyes scanned the scene in front of us, I sat down beside him and joined him in watching the shadows in the great, dark city spread. “You could have declined our offer, I know that. Instead, you came on our God forsaken mission and did everything I ever asked of you without question. You kept your cool and really proved yourself. I know you’re not the toughest, and you can still be a little cowardice, but you’re getting there.” He explained.

  I sat there for a moment, in complete silence. I wasn’t quite sure where he was going with his speech, so I decided to let him continue uninterrupted.

  “Once Keith and Turnip secure the rest of the tower, all I need to do is ensure that the helicopter is still working, and we can fulfil our end of the bargain.” He smiled.

  It had always been a lingering worry in the back of my mind. I knew I had taken a chance in trusting that these people would be true to their word, but thankfully, it looked as though Julian had been honest, and was a man of his word.

  “Thank you.” I simply replied, knowing that nothing I said would really sink into Julian, he was far too distracted by the magnificent view in front of us. Together, we sat in silence whilst Penny and the last remaining man from the original tower guards cleaned up the rest of the bodies.

  I was almost disappointed when I heard Keith and Turnip return from their scout of the building, because I knew it meant dragging myself away from the view of Manchester.

  With a sigh, I forced myself to my feet and followed Julian over to the others. I reached them as Keith finished explaining what they had found. “They were in the freezer opposite ours.” He said. I didn’t know if he was referring to friend or foe, but it definitely sounded like we had company in the tower.

  “Where are they now?” Julian asked.

  “Right here.” Turnip replied, nodding over to the door.

  I counted seven malnourished men of all ages and sizes step onto the roof top through the built riddled door. Each of them seemed to be covered in more bruises than the last. They were a sorry sight and their faces each told a story of the treatment they had been subjected to at the hands of Anarchy’s Children.

  The injuries inflicted on these men, added to the mutilation we had seen on the corpses in the lobby, made me feel a whole lot better about what the others decided to do next.

  I didn’t really want to play a part in it, so instead of getting involved, I quietly sat by and watched as my companions began carrying the corpses of Anarchy’s Children, and tossing them off the side. Every time a body hit the floor with a splat, a round of applause rallied around the roof top. It was quite barbaric, but in comparison to some of the acts their enemy had committed, it was nothing.

  It wasn’t until they reached Leaz’s corpse that I finally stood. The others were all nameless, faceless bodies that had no real attachment to me. Even though I detested the actions these men had carried out, I didn’t know the people that they had inflicted them upon. But Leaz was different. I knew her, and I fucking hated her.

  I took up a front row view as Turnip helped a stranger carry her over to the edge. Unlike the others, they didn’t throw the body over immediately. They waited patiently as Julian stepped forward, “Now I know we’d all like to slice this girl open and feed her to the birds, we’re better than that. Instead, I just want to say a final fuck you to the bitch that commanded all of this.” He said with a smile on his face. The reaction from his people was incredible. All at once they let out a cheer from the bottom of their lungs. The sounds of their celebrations only increased when Turnip tossed Leaz’s corpse over the road. I stood there, watching the corpse twist and turn as it flew through the air at a hundred miles per hour. I smile as it crashed against the floor, exploding in a dark red mist that looked like nothing more than a freckle on the floor of the city from this great height.

  “We can officially say we did the world a fucking favour today.” Penny smiled from my side. I returned the smile, before making my way over to the last remaining corpse on the rooftop; Azaria.

  There had also been a lot of debate over what to do with Azaria's corpse, of course chu
cking her over the edge had never been in consideration. Penny and I had argued that we should bring her with us and try to give her a proper burial, but in the end, the others had been successful in arguing that it was a waste of time and effort. Instead, she would be left up here to rot. It pained me to know I was leaving her up here to become bird food, but I did everything I could to persuade the others that she deserved better. Of course, they were all grateful for her brave actions in rescuing us, but ultimately, they didn’t know the girl, nor care enough to go through the trouble of putting her on that helicopter with us. I just hoped that the people we were leaving behind at the tower would look after her.

  Then again, I guess your body remaining relatively intact and free of mutilation was probably the best you could ask for these days, especially in the city.

  I stood over her corpse, thinking about the time I spent with her. She had lived a life full of unspeakable horrors from birth to death, but now she was at peace. She was free of the horrible world that she had been unfairly cast into. From the moment she had been born she was subjected to slavery and unthinkable punishment – it even ended up being one of the slavers that cut her life short. Despite all this, she was a good girl at heart. So many others would have been twisted and warped, left with no emotions, personality, or empathy, but not her.

  I felt myself beginning to grow a little emotional as I stared down at her corpse, so I let out a sigh and strolled away, looking for a distraction.

  “How's it looking?” I asked, making my way over to Julian – he looked as though he had nearly finished giving the helicopter a look over. He sure had been thorough, I'm pretty sure he checked over every inch of the great big black machine.

  “There's a few bullet holes, but overall it's in good condition. Luckily, all the bullets managed to avoid the engine, fuel tanks, or anything else of importance.” He explained, climbing into the pilot’s chair, “Time to boot it up.” He laughed, nervously.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  It worked, and worked extremely well, according to Julian. I had never quite heard a sound like that of the helicopters engine – as the blades atop of it began to spin, my ears were soon filled with a near deafening sound from the engine or whatever was creating the noise. The blades atop of the helicopter began to spin at a dizzying pace, the gust they created only added to the already intense winds up on the rooftop. Still, the sun hadn’t quite set, but we were rapidly losing light and needed to make sure we got safely away from the city before the world descended into darkness.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Penny said to me, catching me ogling the machine. She was right, I was almost stunned by the mechanical beauty of it. I couldn’t help but wonder what Azaria would have thought of it; no doubt she would have been equally as fascinated by it as me.

  “Right, come on guy. Let’s load out!” Julian screamed from the pilot’s seat. It was almost impossible to hear him over the sound of the helicopters engine, but we just about managed it.

  The recently liberated survivors from the initial tower attack all crowded around whilst myself, Penny, Turnip, and Keith all climbed aboard.

  Before long, we were all packed inside. Julian lifted us off into the air. He, and Penny sat at the front whilst I was in the back with Keith and Turnip. I didn’t feel at all safe in the machine as it slowly lifted off from the ground. We were already at a great height, but the helicopter only increased it. I kept my backpack between my legs, keeping them tightly pressed against it. I didn’t know how bumpy the ride would be, and I didn’t want to take any chances.

  It didn’t take long for us to leave the tower behind, and seemingly begin to float above the dead city below. We passed streets and buildings at a magnificent pace, hardly giving me enough time to take it all in. I figured this was likely a once in a life time opportunity to see the world from this vantage point, and I wanted to take it all in. I wanted to absorb every little detail that I could, in hopes that I might see something, or realise something that would give me some form of advantage on other people in the Charred Lands.

  It was strangely peaceful being up here, once I had gotten used to the height. At first, being so far up made me feel a little nauseous, but teasing from Keith and Turnip soon helped me subside the feeling. This was the first time in my entire life that I had been inside a vehicle – it almost felt magical. The setting sun in the distance only added to the mystical effect.

  It was crazy to think that such a large, heavy machine was capable of gliding through the air with such elegance and speed. The genius that must have gone into inventing such a machine was unfathomable, such technologies were a rapidly fading memory for the elder survivors in the Charred Lands. I couldn't help but wonder how these people had come to be in possession of a working helicopter, never mind how Julian had managed to learn to fly it. I got a good look at the control board, the countless buttons and knobs seemed alien to me. I guess people like the Saviour of Man have such large forces that they're able to acquire things like helicopters – I wouldn't even be surprised if they said they had working cars back at their main base of operations.

  The mountains were getting closer and closer, and as they did, my nerves intensified. I didn't know what I would find at the Church of Fire, but I knew it would shape my future. Every single dream that I had clung to the hope that they would be able to provide me with a means to gain myself access to the Legion of Light. Without the hope that managed to keep me going, I would have nothing – I would be living for nothing. This quest was the final thing my Dad had ever asked of me. He set this in motion to give me a reason to live. I prayed that he was up there somewhere, in the sky, watching my progress. I know that despite all the horrors I had witnessed, and the acts I had committed, his heart would be full of joy. Once again I was reminded that I wasn't just doing this for myself and my own future, but also his memory.

  I felt as though I was on some kind of tour as Julian flew the helicopter towards our destination. The tower was rapidly growing smaller and smaller as we sped away. I knew the dangers that lurked on the ground below, but from up here, they seemed a million miles away. Suddenly, I was begging to grow calm; but the feeling was short lived.

  “I don't want to alarm anyone...” Julian said from his mouth piece. His voice coming through my earphones startled me at first, but it was what he said that had a bigger impact. He fell silent for a few seconds, as though purposely leaving us on edge, “We've got company.” He finally added, putting us out of our misery.

  “Fuck.” Keith spat, tapping me on the shoulder and pointing behind me. I struggled to turn around, I struggled against my seatbelt as I glanced behind me, only to see one of the most horrific sights imaginable. Gliding through the air, heading straight for us, was a dragon.

  “Hold on guys, it's about to get bumpy.” Julian laughed like a mad man through our headpieces. Without saying a word, Turnip unlocked the helicopter door and pulled it open, as though they had this procedure pre-planned. I frantically grabbed my backpack and held on tight.

  “Can we out run it?” Asked Penny, soundly surprisingly clam.

  “We can try, but... no, probably not.” Julian quickly responded as he flicked countless switches and turned various knobs which looked as though he was weaving a fast mechanical tapestry.

  “Drop lower and weave between towers.” Turnip instructed, preparing himself. Carefully, he edged closer to the side of the helicopter and aimed. He had his machine gun at the ready. I had seen an entire arsenal of weapons unloaded on a dragon back at Haven, and they barely had any affect, but none of them were anywhere near as powerful as the machine gun that Turnip had. I knew, and he likely knew too, that he couldn’t kill the beast with the weapon, he just likely hoped to cause it some inconvenience in its pursuit of us.

  “Let's send this mother fucker back to Hell. It's him, or us.” Julian screamed – in perfect synchronisation, the entire team let out a cheer. They were almost enjoying this, I couldn't believe it. They seemed to get off on fea
r.

  Just as instructed, Julian dropped lower. As we fell closer and closer to the building roof tops, I prayed a silent prayer that Julian was a damn good flyer.

  The dragon was getting closer, and fast. I watched as it glided through the air, the size of the thing made even the helicopter seem tiny. I had thought we were travelling fast, but in comparison to the beast we were travelling at a slugs pace – no man made machine had been more expertly crafted than this dragon had been by nature, it was perfectly designed for both killing, and flying with speed and precision.

  “Keep it steady.” Turnip screamed, unbuckling his seatbelt – I could hardly believe my eyes. My heart felt like it had slithered up into my mouth when the man verged even closer to the edge, aiming his weapon at the beast. He was practically hanging out, with only Keith’s grip to keep him in the helicopter. Keith was securely tied to the helicopter. Keith was a tough guy and no doubt had a very firm grip, but one quick turn or a sudden jolt might send him plummeting out to his death.

  We were low now, flying down streets and between buildings. Of course, it was only the taller towers that stretched above us, but in comparison to before, were we extremely fucking low.

  I stared back at the beast, it was close enough to make out more specific details now – Turnip must have agreed, because he opened fire. Even over the sounds of the helicopter's engine, the gunfire was as deafening as usual, I doubted that I would never get used to the sound. He kept his finger on the trigger, unloading bullet after bullet at the creature. It was impossible to tell if they were hitting the target, but if they were, they did nothing. Instead, the creature continued to fly after us; silent and deadly. It almost seemed to have a determination in its eyes; as though its sole purpose in life was to destroy this helicopter and kill its occupants.