Exploring the Unknown
Once they got inside, Lee looked around to see a dirty room filled with drunk men, prostitutes, and plenty of people smoking. They had bars back at home on the inside, but he wasn’t allowed to go into them until he was eighteen, and even then, he doubted if they would look like this. Prostitution was illegal inside Raines, and although there were plenty of drunks in the city, most people opted for buying a bottle of whiskey and having a gathering at home. As far as he knew, the only people who went into bars at Raines were old men who told stories about the glory days before they got into the city. Judging by what he had seen so far, Lee had no idea why they talked so fondly about the outside world. Was it just that it was more interesting out here when every minute could be your last, or could they be remembering things differently, like a man does when life goes by too quickly and he has nothing to prove that any part of it meant a thing?
Lee quickly shook off his doubts about this place. After all, it wasn’t so bad. It had alcohol, and he might even be able to come downstairs and sneak a drink while his parents were asleep. Then there was the shapely woman at the edge of the bar who was staring at him. Lee was sure that she was older than him, but by how much he couldn’t say. Women inside wore makeup, making them look much younger than they really were. The dark-haired woman looking his way seemed to be around thirty to him, but considering beauty products weren’t an option for her out here, she could have been younger. Her age wasn’t what Lee was concentrated on, however. She had long legs with a short cut skirt and the type of waist that only came with good genes and a lot of work.
As his vision drifted further up to the lady’s low-cut shirt that left almost nothing to the imagination, Alex saw his son’s wandering eyes. He shook his head and sighed. Alex remembered what it was like to be seventeen, but it had been different for him. Back then, he knew how to be cautious. Any woman in a bar was trouble, and truthfully, someone he didn’t know might just rob and kill him. Jake had taught him that much, but had Alex taught his son that? Did he know that the woman staring at him would sooner knock him out and take all his credits before ever even touching him?
“Keep your eyes to yourself while we’re in here,” Alex said, snapping his son out of it.
Lee looked embarrassed, and as he turned away, he saw the prostitute grin and bite her lip seductively. As a young man who had never drank or had sex, this place was more tempting than anything. Still, there was nothing he could do now with his parents right there, and he wasn’t sure what he would do otherwise. Would he have the courage to even buy a prostitute, and if he did, would it be wrong? He didn’t know, but ultimately, Lee was left with little other choice than to forget the idea at all for now as his dad got them three rooms.
It was a curious thing that they were getting three rooms. Lee was used to staying in locations with multiple bedrooms, so he was beyond surprised when they walked into the first room to find that it was a single bed with only a small bathroom adjoining it. The sheets looked filthy, but in truth, they were clean enough. Stains from years of use had decorated them, however, making Lee feel like the floor might be cleaner.
“This is where you and Travis will sleep,” Alex said.
“Wait a second! I’m not sleeping in the same bed as him!” Lee objected.
“I agree. We should have our own rooms,” Travis said.
“There were three rooms available, and even if there weren’t, it would look bad if I bought more than that. Just do what you have to. The outside world isn’t comfortable. You two can sleep beside each other for one night,” Alex said.
Lee looked dejected, but for lack of a better option, he conceded. Then he told his mother and father goodnight and waited. For what he didn’t know yet. He was planning to explore the place a little. What good would it do to leave the city if he didn’t at least see what it was like? There was more to it than that, though. Lee wanted the experiences his parents had sheltered him from his whole life. His mother was always so against him dating, and his father had completely shut down the idea of letting him drink. Given that his parents were the former rulers of Raines, no one would go against them either to sell him alcohol, and he always got so nervous around women that it wouldn’t matter if one would date him in secret because he suddenly became a stuttering buffoon every time he was in the presence of one that wasn’t related to him. Tonight was his chance to finally change all of that, though.
“What are you doing?” Travis asked curiously as he watched Lee listening at the door.
“Making sure that my parents are in their room. I don’t hear them outside anymore,” he said.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I don’t want to stay in here tonight. We came all this way, so why wouldn’t we explore?”
“Because it could be dangerous! You’re studying the same things I did in school right now. What would make you think it was a good idea to go out there with those savages? It’s already bad enough that we have to stay in here,” he said in disgust.
“My dad was one of those so-called savages you’re talking about,” Lee said in offense.
“Sorry, but you know what I mean. It would be risky, and . . .”
“And what’s wrong with taking a few risks every once in a while? You were a coward for not going with my sister, but I get it. You were afraid, and we all get that way every once in a while. Don’t you want to live without fear sometimes, though?”
“I guess so,” he said hesitantly.
“Then come get a drink with me. Who knows? Maybe we’ll actually become friends.”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“All right, but can you at least promise not to go next door and tell my parents as soon as I leave?”
“I might be a coward, but I’m no rat. Be careful out there, though. The last thing I want to be blamed for is losing the Morgan’s son. I’m already the reason their daughter is gone,” Travis joked, though it wasn’t very funny to Lee.
He nodded and faked a smile so it wouldn’t be awkward, but it was confirmation of what he already thought. People only viewed him as the Morgan’s son. They couldn’t hurt him in any way because of who he was, and they certainly couldn’t love him, because what would that lead to? If they did and it ended badly, would his parents block their friends who were still on the outside from getting in, or worse, could they even kick them out into the harsh conditions? Lee knew his parents better than that, but not everyone did. It had gotten better since they stepped down from power, but most people still respected them too much to overstep their bounds when it came to them or their family.
Lee shook the comment off and walked outside, making sure to shut the door ever so lightly as to not alert his mom and dad. From there, he walked downstairs and straight to the bar where he took a seat on a slightly crooked stool. He took note of what everyone else seemed to be drinking. There was beer, and a clear liquid that he could only assume was liquor. Lee didn’t know the first thing about alcohol, but that didn’t matter because soon at least one first would be out of the way.
“What do you need?” the barkeep asked. He was a dark-skinned man with no hair on his head and bushy white eyebrows. To Lee, he seemed like the type of man who should be retired by now and being served by others, but in this harsher reality, it was a miracle that a man of his age was still alive.
“Wh . . . what do you have?” Lee stuttered nervously.
“Beer and what’s being called Vodka, though it doesn’t quite taste right to me.”
“I’ll have a beer,” he said without meeting the man’s eyes.
“First drink?” the man asked while pouring his beer.
“Is it that easy to tell?” Lee asked with a grin.
“It’s easy for these old eyes to tell a lot of things,” he answered with one eyebrow raised.
“Like what?”
“First off, you wear clothes like a rich person, and you look at everything as if it’s the first time you’ve seen it. Se
condly, you’re at least sixteen, and you haven’t had a drink yet. That’s extremely uncommon. I’m guessing you’re from an indoor city.”
“And what if I am?”
“Then I would try a little harder to look like I belonged if I were you, boy. Not everyone is as observant as an old man like me, but if too many people found out who you were, you would be in a world of trouble.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve been trained in self-defense.”
“Training is one thing. Experience is another. Most of the men in here wouldn’t even be alive if they couldn’t handle themselves. Do you really want to test that training?”
“I suppose not.”
“Then look a bit more bored and retire early before anyone figures it out. Oh, and that’ll be two hundred credits.”
“Two hundred! Are you crazy? Your sign says five.”
“The rest is so an old man will keep his mouth shut about what he knows. I’m Gabe, by the way, and that was your first lesson in being on the outside. Never admit to where you come from, or someone will make you pay for it,” he said with a smile.
Lee paid the bribe and took a sip of beer. It was less than stellar, to say the least. It had a strong taste and an even worse odor. He downed it quickly, however, wanting the full effect of the alcohol, but unfortunately, one beer wasn’t enough to do much of anything. Ultimately, it did leave him feeling a bit more relaxed, though. Lee wanted another, but he feared that every beer would come at a two hundred-credit price, and he only ever had five hundred on him at a time.
Now was the time to think about another service. Lee didn’t know if he had enough credits for a prostitute or if he even truly wanted one, but as he stared at the stunning woman from earlier, he began to lust for exactly what he had always wanted. It wouldn’t be love. He knew that, but his body yearned for her in a way he had only felt in dreams. This was his opportunity to make his own adventure out here on the road and for a night to be something besides Alex and Sarah Morgan’s son.
She spied him and walked over. Then she sat down by Lee and ordered a vodka. Afterward, she leaned over and put her hand on his leg before speaking. “Are you just going to stare all night, or are we going to talk price?” she asked with a smile.
“I . . . well, you see . . .”
“Calm down, sweetheart. This must be your first time.”
“No! I’ve . . .”
“Oh, please! I can always spy the new boys, but I promise after tonight you’ll never be the same. I’m Emily, and if you let me, I’ll take good care of you.”
“I would like that,” Lee said and grinned as some of his nervousness started to fade.
“Okay, then all you have to do is hand over my price. I’m a working girl, you know, so I can’t do this for free, even for someone as cute as you.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred for an hour of whatever you want,” she said and smiled, though she was really testing him.
“Done,” he immediately said.
“Okay, then follow me,” Emily said and took Lee’s hand.
She led him upstairs and past two men who glanced at them curiously. One was tall and dark skinned with a skinny frame and long curly hair while the other was light skinned and short with a meaty frame that was a mixture of muscle and fat. Lee guessed that they were simply envious, or maybe they were only wondering how a boy his age had landed a woman like Emily. Either way, it didn’t matter because he was about to be living his dream with a lovely lady for at least one night. Maybe the outside world wasn’t so bad. Lee could take a little heat and dingy motel rooms if it also came with people like Emily.
Unfortunately, the men in the hallway didn’t keep walking toward the stairs. Instead, they turned around and started to follow him and Emily. She simply smiled, however, and acted as if she didn’t even notice. It wasn’t until they suddenly stopped and the taller of the two men jerked him around that Lee understood what was truly going on. The first thing he felt was a fist connecting to his gut. The blow took his breath away, and Lee crumbled to the floor. Afterward, he felt a kick connect to his side, and all the fight was gone from Lee.
All three of them quickly took the credits from his pockets and stripped him of his boots, watch, and knife. The men walked away first, but Emily stayed behind for a moment. She smiled down at him, only now that smile didn’t look beautiful. It screamed of deceit and greed. In fact, she looked downright evil to Lee.
“You really are cute, kid, but you’re an insider. You’re just lucky I didn’t tell my guys to kill you. I could have, you know. No one likes your kind out here, so be more careful, or next time I can guarantee you won’t be walking away,” she said and stuffed some credits into her pocket before leaving.
Lee simply lay there for a minute thinking about his own stupidity. How would he explain this to everyone else, and even worse, how was he going to get that knife back? It might have been the one thing he owned that was more valuable than any amount of money.
* * * * *
In Alex and Sarah’s room, it had taken a while for her to fall asleep. Sarah was worried, and how could she not be? Her daughter had been kidnapped, and there was no guarantee that they were ever going to get her back. Thankfully, sleep eventually took her. Alex wouldn’t be so lucky, however. It felt like thousands of insecurities were worming their way into his brain that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about Veronica. Could he take losing his daughter? For that matter, would Sarah be able to? Then there was everyone else with them. Roger was clearly the most prepared besides him and Sarah, but even so, he hadn’t been on the outside since he was a child. As for Lee and Travis, he halfway figured that each one of them would get themselves killed if something bad happened. Travis would be too scared to even shoot, and that would get him killed, but his son’s eagerness would be equally as dangerous.
A light knock interrupted his thoughts, and Alex carefully and quietly got up, as not to wake Sarah. Then he slipped his shoes on and stepped outside the room to find that it was Roger who knocked. He looked worried, too.
“You need to stay calm when I tell you this, but there’s been an incident,” Roger said.
“What now?” Alex asked and sighed. The last thing they needed were more complications.
“Lee went down to the bar after we turned in. He didn’t want to tell you what happened because he was ashamed, but I need your help if we’re going to make this right.”
“Make what right? I don’t like that he probably had a drink, but it isn’t the end of the world.”
“If that were the end of the story, then I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now. He met a woman. I think she was a prostitute. Lee described what she looked li . . .”
“I know the one. I saw him eyeing her when we walked in,” Alex said and shook his head.
Hadn’t he taught his son better than this? Sure, he was seventeen, and Sarah and he had put a lot of restrictions on his dating life, but that had been for his own good. A lot of people would kidnap him given the chance and use him as leverage to get the people they loved inside the city. They were currently building another city for those people, but the inside was truly full. Desperate people would do anything to help the ones they loved, however, and Alex knew that all too well. Their restrictions had only been to keep their son’s heart from being manipulated and ultimately being used for someone else’s gain.
“Well, they took his credits. It was the woman and two other guys. That isn’t the worst part, though. They took his shoes and knife.”
“Wait! They took the knife?” Alex asked, sounding desperate.
“I knew that would get your attention. It was Jake’s, and you passed it down to Lee. Credits can be replaced, but that can’t. According to Lee, these people mean serious business, so we’re going to have to go at them hard. Are you ready for this?”
“Of course, I am, but Lee isn’t coming with us.”
“I’m way ahead of you. I already sent him back to
his room. Oh, and when this is all over, give him a break. I know what it’s like to be his age. All of this is new to him, and he made some mistakes tonight, but I also think he learned what not to do from now on because of them.”
“I’ll go easy on Lee, but I’m still talking to him. He should have known better. That doesn’t matter now, though, because we’ve got some thieves to catch.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Now, lead the way,” Roger said with a grin.
It was time to take care of business, and then just maybe they could finally get some rest and get back to what really mattered - finding and freeing Veronica.
Chapter 4
The Fight!
Alex and Roger walked downstairs to find that Emily and two other men were sitting at the bar with wide grins. There was no doubt they were celebrating what was a huge haul for outsiders. Alex remembered what it was like. Three hundred credits, the boots, and the knife would be valued at about what these people would be making in a week if they worked for a city outside of the walls. He understood why they stole. After all, he had seen firsthand what life was like on the outside, and a part of him felt bad about the easy life he lived now, but this was his son they had stolen from. It didn’t matter what kind of situation had led these people to a life of crime.
“Follow my lead,” Alex said and picked up the pace.
He didn’t even hesitate when he reached them. Alex grabbed the tallest man and slung him down. The short stocky man flipped what used to be Jake’s knife open and readied himself for a fight. In his younger years, Alex might have entertained a fight, but he was with Roger right now, and if there was one thing he had learned it was that the path of least resistance isn’t always a bad thing. He whipped out his pistol and pointed it at the downed man.
“Make one more move, and he’ll get a bullet to the head. The rest of you will follow soon after,” Alex threatened.
“I take it you’re the boy’s father?” Emily asked.
“Yes, and I take it that you’re the whore who tricked him,” he shot back.
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