Giles turned to the kids. “Run!”
Oliver and Maggie immediately returned to their original hiding place.
One of the enemies swung a baseball bat at Giles and knocked the gun out of his hand. Giles picked up a jewelry box and threw it at his attacker. The box struck the villain’s head and caused him to lose his balance. Another Utopian tried to attack Giles with a pipe, but the Steampunk grabbed the weapon and yanked it away. Giles turned and flung the lead pipe at a third terrorist. It struck the man’s shoulder and caused him to drop his golf club. The three Utopians were surprised that Giles was such a resilient fighter.
“Dang it! That really hurts!” one of them complained, while his shoulder throbbed.
“Get him!” another terrorist yelled.
The three men leaped on Giles and wrestled him to the floor. It took a tremendous amount of effort for the three Utopians to pin Giles down.
“Beat him! Choke him! Do whatever it takes to kill him!” one of the attackers shouted.
Giles bit one of his enemies on the forearm, causing the man to scream and roll away. The attorney kicked another attacker in the abdomen. The impact of his grafted boot winded the terrorist. Giles quickly stood up and grabbed the third man’s arm. The Steampunk used his great strength to fling his opponent into a large cabinet. Giles grabbed a frying pan from a table and smacked one of the Utopians in the head. As a result, the villain landed face down on the floor.
“Is that all you can give me? I thought this might be a challenge!” Giles remarked.
One of the battered men held his bleeding arm. “So you do like the taste of human meat! Guys, let’s get out of here! We need backup!”
The three Utopians struggled to get on their feet and hurried away from the attic. Giles looked at the frying pan in his hands while his enemies fled down the stairs.
“Why is there a frying pan in the attic?” Giles wondered out loud.
He tossed the frying pan aside and turned his attention to the kids. Both of the children ran to Giles and hugged him.
“That was so cool! You’re my new hero!” Oliver declared.
Giles felt amused and flattered. “I must be pretty impressive to demote your favorite book character.”
Before they could do anything, they heard scuffling on the rooftop. They heard two male voices arguing, then they heard the sound of tumbling and thumping.
“Are they friends of those scary men?” Maggie asked, in a frightened tone.
“I don’t know. Stay here. I’ll check it out,” Giles said while he glared at the ceiling.
“Be careful, Uncle Giles,” Oliver warned.
Giles slowly opened the window and then leaned forward. He peered upward and saw two aristocrats hanging precariously from the roof. One of them gripped the rooftop’s ledge while the other man grasped his legs.
“What happened to you guys?” Giles asked, in a confused tone.
“The rooftop is really slick and we both slipped,” one of the men said, as he clung onto his companion’s legs.
“You were the one who slipped! I’m only in this mess because you grabbed my arm and pulled me down with you!” the other man countered.
Giles carefully climbed out of the window to help them. He maneuvered up to reach the rooftop. His enhanced skills made the task manageable.
One of the dangling men looked at the ground below. “Hurry! I can’t hang on much longer!”
His companion furiously snapped, “What are you complaining about? I’m the one who’s supporting your weight!”
Giles finally reached the roof and tried to help the two men. He lay on his stomach and tried to reach the man who clung to the rooftop.
“You need to take my hand! Come on!” Giles insisted.
The man gritted his teeth and then he said, “You won’t be able to haul both of us back on the roof! I need to get rid of some dead weight!”
The other man panicked. “What are you saying? You can’t get rid of me! I’ll fall and die!”
“That’s exactly the point!” his companion shouted.
Giles tried to reach further. “Don’t kick him off! He’s a human being! We can make this work! Steampunks are a lot stronger and heavier than regular people! I’ll be strong enough to help both of you!”
The man who hung from the rooftop ignored Giles. “Sorry, it’s nothing personal. I’m just trying to survive.”
He kicked off the second man and sent the individual falling downward. The victim screamed until he landed on the ground with a sickening splat.
Giles was horrified by the other man’s actions. “No! You didn’t have to kill him!”
“I’m not like you! Those body modifications give a lot of protection, but I don’t have that luxury!” the celebrity bellowed.
“Don’t worry about it! Just take my hand, so we can leave this place!” Giles said while he reached for the man’s hand.
The celebrity refused. “I don’t want your help! Victor and those crazy Utopians wouldn’t be trying to kill us if your stupid Steampunk culture hadn’t become so popular! Everything was better when people were normal!”
Giles noticed that his companion was slipping from the roof. “Stop complaining and grab my hand!”
It was too late. The aristocrat lost his grip and fell to his death. He slammed on the ground next to the other man.
Giles sighed with disappointment and maneuvered downward to the attic’s windowsill. He swung inside and was greeted by the boy.
“What happened?” Oliver asked.
Giles didn’t want to explain the situation. “We can talk about that later. Let’s go find your parents.”
He held their hands, and led them out of the attic and through a narrow hallway. They wound down a long flight of stairs until they reached the bottom floor. Giles was afraid to use the front door in case enemies were prepared for them. He took them to the west wing and tried to find another exit. It seemed like the hallway was mostly empty except for a door to an old-fashioned dumbwaiter. Along the way, they had the misfortune of encountering another Utopian.
“Who’s that guy?” Maggie asked.
Giles wanted the kids to remain calm. “He’s certainly not a friend.”
The terrorist held up several sharp weapons. “Victor gave me some throwing knives. Let’s see what kind of damage I can do with them.”
Giles pushed the kids toward the dumbwaiter and ducked. “Use the dumbwaiter to find safety! Go!”
While the kids hurried into the dumbwaiter, their enemy threw some of the knives at Giles. He quickly rolled out of the way. The kids positioned themselves in the dumbwaiter and then Oliver used a rope to hoist them to another floor. The children quickly reached the second floor and fled to another hiding place. Their attacker hurried to the dumbwaiter and peered up the chute.
The angry Utopian slammed his fist against the wall. “Darn it! Those kids escaped!”
His tantrum backfired. The impact of his fist wiggled the dumbwaiter, causing it to fall down at an alarming speed. He screamed as the dumbwaiter crushed his head. Blood and gore splattered on the wall and then his headless body collapsed on the floor.
“Dude, that’s gross,” Giles muttered.
After he stood up, Giles ran up the stairs to find Oliver and Maggie again.
Chapter 13
The three defeated Utopians from the attic barged into Victor’s study.
“What are you doing back here?” their leader asked in a stern tone.
Claire and Arnold also felt confused to see the trio.
One of the men tried to catch his breath. “I don’t think we can fight the Steampunks. They’re different than we thought. I’ll bet they’re genetically engineered to take over the world. We found one in the attic and he totally manhandled us. If we don’t find a way to escape the island, those Steampunks might kill us all.”
Victor stood up and approached his follower. “I see what you mean. Close your eyes.”
“Why?” the man asked i
n a perplexed tone.
Victor took a handgun out of his coat and shot the Utopian’s forehead. The man’s body fell backward and to the ground, while everyone else was completely shocked.
“Why did you kill our team member?” Claire shrieked.
Victor snapped at her, “I will not tolerate weakness! My followers must prove they are the nation’s elite class who will uphold everything after we eliminate the Steampunks! Only the superior ones will rule Utopia!”
Claire and Arnold felt nervous about their situation.
“Calm down, Victor. We’re on your side. Put the gun away,” Arnold hesitantly said.
“This guy is unstable!” one of the terrorists protested.
“We made a mistake by joining this group! Let’s find a way out here!” his companion stated.
The two men ran away while Victor glared at them.
“Come back here, you cowards!” Victor screamed.
“I doubt they can go anywhere. We rode a ferry to this island,” Claire mentioned.
Victor thought about it. “I suppose they could try escaping through the swamp. Arnold, go find them. They need to be punished.”
Arnold shook his head. “I don’t think it will matter. The bayou will be a death trap for them.”
“Good. They must learn the consequences of dishonor, cowardice, and disloyalty,” Victor coldly replied.
Meanwhile, the two Utopians fled from the mansion and ran across the front lawn. They quickly found a safe path that led to open water. They found a decrepit rowboat that was beached on the shore.
“This doesn’t look like a very good escape route, but it’s better than waiting for Victor to kill us,” one of the men said while he positioned the two oars.
The second terrorist helped him push the boat into the water. “We fell for everything he said. I can’t believe we’re so gullible. Somebody needs to stop that lunatic.”
Both of the men entered the boat and rowed away from the land.
“I hope those Steampunks get him. Maybe all of those crazy ideas were just a figment of his imagination. I believed it when he said the Steampunks were dangerous mutants, but now I’m not sure,” one of the Utopians grumbled.
They struggled to keep the boat from tipping over. The boat didn’t seem very sturdy and it had probably been stranded on the shore for many years. Both of the Utopians felt nervous in the bayou’s ominous atmosphere.
Despite the darkness, one of them noticed a shadow under the water. “Hold on. What’s that? I think there’s something in the swamp.”
His companion nervously glanced at their surroundings. It was a misty, dark, and dreary bayou that was shrouded by trees and fog. Overall, the two men didn’t have a clear view of their environment, or the potential dangers.
“Maybe it will go away,” the second terrorist feebly said.
The men were surprised when two alligators attacked them. Both of the men screamed and scrambled to avoid the terrifying reptiles. The alligators destroyed their fragile boat in a matter of seconds. Screams and cries echoed throughout the swamp while the alligators devoured their victims.
Chapter 14
Gable carefully trekked through the first floor’s hallway. He walked slowly, trying to muffle the sound of his footsteps. Eventually, he found an open doorway. He walked in the room and appraised his surroundings. It appeared to be a game room that was currently unoccupied by any people.
“This place is gigantic. How am I going to find anyone in this mansion?” Gable pondered quietly in frustration.
Someone from behind used a submachine to shoot at him. Gable ran away from the gunfire, narrowly missing the hail of bullets. He hurried behind a pool table and flipped the furniture on its side. Pool sticks and billiards balls tumbled on the floor while the assailant fired at him.
His attacker lowered the submachine gun for a moment. “Come out here and face me like a man!”
“You’re a hypocrite! It wouldn’t be a very fair fight! You’re the only person in the room who has a gun! What kind of man guns down somebody who’s defenseless?” Gable remarked.
The Utopian aimed his gun at the pool table. “You can’t hide forever! I’m going to eliminate at least one Steampunk tonight!”
He fired toward the casino owner’s direction again. Gable stayed low and collected some of the balls that rolled within his reach. He took a deep breath, stood up, and chucked the balls at his enemy. The Utopian was unprepared for Gable’s assault. He hid around a corner while the billiards balls smashed into the walls.
“Come and get me! I already survived the Apocalypse! Do you really think I’m going to die tonight?” Gable hollered.
He grabbed one of the pool sticks and hid behind the table again.
The terrorist seized an opportunity to fire at Gable again. “I should have known it would be difficult! Victor warned me that Steampunks are barbarians!”
Gable unhinged a knife from his belt. He unfolded the knife and quickly whittled the pool stick.
“Just improvise,” Gable muttered quietly to himself, as he sharpened the pool stick.
He waited until the villain needed to reload his gun. When he had the chance, Gable immediately stood up and threw the pool stick at his assailant. The sharp pool stick sliced through the man’s thigh and caused him to collapse. He dropped the gun and clutched his wounded leg. Gable quickly hurried to the injured villain and kicked the weapon away.
The Utopian couldn’t remove the pool stick from his leg. “I can’t believe you did that! You’re an animal! Go ahead and finish me off!”
Gable roughly grabbed the man’s shirt collar. “I’m not the one who came here to kill people! Tell me everything you know! Where’s my family?”
“I haven’t seen them! It wasn’t for a lack of trying! The mansion is so huge, I couldn’t find anyone!” the villain truthfully said.
Gable tried to create a plan. “Well, I don’t want other Utopians to rescue you. Earlier tonight, my sister wounded one of your companions. She and my father were going to hide him in the basement. So, I’m taking you there.”
“What? You can’t do that!” the terrorist complained.
“Sorry, but you don’t get to have an opinion,” Gable muttered while he dragged the Utopian across the floor.
It took a lot of work for Gable to drag the villain through several corridors, but he finally reached the basement. Gable opened the door and hauled his enemy inside. When he flipped the light on, Gable saw the other hostage, who had suffered a broken back.
“Darn, you’re still alive,” the original captive mumbled.
“It’s nice to see you too,” Gable sarcastically said.
The new hostage felt surprised to see his companion in the basement. “What happened to you?”
“Gable’s stupid sister ran over me with a Jeep. I’m pretty sure my back is broken because I can’t walk. It looks like you’re not doing any better.,”
The new captive frowned at the makeshift javelin that impaled his leg. “I think we both underestimated the Steampunks.”
Gable turned off the light and left the two hostages with their thoughts. “Sweet dreams. I’m going to find the others.”
He shut the basement door and then he ran up the stairs. After he reached the second floor, Gable looked in both directions of the long hallway. The casino owner cautiously entered one of the rooms and searched his surroundings. Gable felt nervous when he heard footsteps move in his direction. Nadine ran into the lounge and hugged him.
“Gable, I’m so relieved to see you! I need you to protect me!” Nadine declared.
He pushed her away. “It’s nice to know you’re alive, but I need to worry about my wife and kids. Have you seen them?”
Nadine pouted. “Even in a life or death situation I’m still not good enough. A real man would offer to protect me.”
“You need to put any personal feelings aside. I’ll let you come with me, but we’re going to spend our time searching for the rest of my family.
They’re an important part of my life and you should understand that. So don’t try to make me feel guilty,” Gable firmly stated.
While they argued, one of the Utopians ambushed them and fired a crossbow. The arrow struck Nadine in the back and protruded through her abdomen. She cried in pain and collapsed on the floor.
Her attacker bragged, “This is almost like playing a video game. It’s a lot of fun.”
Gable retaliated by throwing his knife at the terrorist. He missed and caused the villain to flee in a different direction. Afterward, Gable knelt next to Nadine.
She groaned in agony. “I didn’t know this would happen. Help won’t come for hours. I know you’re not the father of my son. Please, forgive me. My son won’t have anyone else after I’m gone. I want you to take care of him.”
Gable gave her an honest response. “Listen to me. I don’t love you, but nobody should die alone. Yes, I forgive you. I promise to make the boy’s biological father take responsibility. Your son is going to be okay.”
Nadine coughed and stopped moving. Gable closed her eyes and then he stood up. He was going to find his family. He now felt a stronger motivation to survive.
Chapter 15
After finishing a disappointing search of the mansion, Percy tried to find a way to restore telecommunication and internet service to the island. He wandered along the mansion’s left side to find a phone box or other source of power. He still had the wrench that he took from the tool shed. While he walked, Percy listened for human voices and footsteps, but he only heard crickets chirp and frogs croak.
“I hope everybody is okay. There are plenty of dead bodies strewn around the island, but I can’t find my family anywhere. Maybe I can find a way to restore the phone lines and call for help,” Percy muttered quietly.
Eventually, he found a phone box in one of the side yards. A woman stood in front of the box while she handled several cables.
The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Revolution Page 8