Strange Temple

by John Lilley

  The fortress had been Lenox’s obsession for some time now. His gang had exhausted most of the “opportunities” further inland. The enclaves had fallen one by one to their war of attrition. Lenox had been born into the marauding lifestyle, he knew no other way. There was always another place to raid and pillage or slowly bleed dry for as long as he could remember. However, even he would admit that recently things were getting difficult and it might be time to move on again. He didn’t take that option lightly; the last move had nearly ended in disaster when they had accidentally crossed into the Comancheros’ domain. The deep, jagged scar across his face was a constant reminder of that episode. Ten years previously the gang had also “moved on” and stumbled upon one of the last remaining National Guard extermination platoons. The sight of those man-made metal monsters tearing his father limb from limb still visited him in his dreams on a regular basis. Yes, a move may be on the cards, but only as a last resort.

  For as long as he could remember the fortress had been a no-go zone, it was just too well organised, and they knew they had the upper hand. Originally a Navy supply base it had many self-sufficient features such as an apparently endless supply of food, water, power and ammunition. It really was one of the last bastions of civilisation, left behind once the Central Government had retreated to its underground bases in Nevada. As he watched, a hovercar flew in from the south and disappeared behind the 100 foot high concrete walls of the fortress.

  Neil landed the hovercar in a hurry. The four small boys in the rear of the car were thrown around in the adult-sized harnesses and one of them, Bill, began to cry.

  ‘Oh for goodness sake Bill, give us a break,’ said Bruce from the co-pilot’s seat.

  ‘If you flew this thing properly, he wouldn’t be crying,’ retorted Jake, one of the other boys.

  ‘OK boys, we’re down now, let’s get out of this old tin can and find out what’s happening,’ said Neil, moving aft to help the boys free themselves.

  The cargo door opened and they all jumped out. With the dust still settling, they stared out across the landing strip to the town’s main buildings.

  ‘What’s that over there, it looks like someone lying down?’ squeaked Carlos pointing towards the main hangar.

  Bruce’s heart sank, he’d been aware that something was very wrong at the colony since last night when they had no reply to their radio signals. The trip back from their mountain campsite had taken over two hours. Normally he would have expected a call from base every hour and at 15-minute intervals while they were airborne, but there had been nothing since ten o’clock the previous night. He’d been all for taking off there and then, but night flying held too many dangers. They ran across to the hangar, the four younger boys trailing. Bruce recognised the man on the ground; it was one of the flight technicians. He was lying on his back staring at the sky with a surprised look on his face. His left hand was gripping his throat. Both of the older boys had seen dead bodies before; usually they were the mangled remains of outlaws who’d run into the colony’s defences, but this was different. The four younger boys came up fast and before Bruce could stop them they were standing open-mouthed, only feet from the corpse. Bill began to cry again and buried his face in Bruce’s trouser leg.

  Lenox was now standing up on the ridge. He could still see no movements along the walls of the fortress. Normally he would have expected to see some activity, especially when a hovercar came in, but there was nothing. It was hard to see into the fortress from the ridge; only the tops of the very tallest buildings were visible over the walls. He would need to find a better vantage point. The nearby hills were over four miles further back, but he had a bigger telescope he could use back at camp. He fired up the bike and sped off in a shower of dust and stones.

  Bruce sat with the four small boys while Neil went inside the hanger. Bill was still leaning against Bruce quietly sobbing.

  ‘What do you think killed him?’ asked Jake.

  ‘No idea, it could have been anything, perhaps he had a heart attack?’ said Bruce.

  ‘He looks startled,’ said Jake.

  ‘Yes, but there is no blood or obvious wounds, let’s see if Neil finds anything,’ said Bruce.

  They continued to sit in the shade of the hanger. The light winds had blown away all the dust from their landing, and the heat now shimmered across the concrete of the landing apron. Nothing was moving. It was now 10:30am, and the 10,000 inhabitants of the colony should have been up and going about their business.

  ‘Where are the birds?’ asked Jake.

  They all strained their eyes and ears, scanning the nearby buildings, roofs and treetops.

  ‘There are some dark shapes under that acacia tree,’ said Carlos, just as Neil returned.

  ‘Bruce, can I have a word buddy?’ he asked, beckoning him away from the little ones. When they were thirty feet away, he said in a low voice: ‘OK, the other two technicians are dead as well; they seem to have just dropped where they stood. One was in the mess hall, and the other was at the control tower desk. Whatever it was, took them by surprise. It also looked like it was a breathing problem.’

  ‘These three would have been all that were on the evening shift, nothing usually flies at night. It ties in with the lack of contact after 10 pm. I’m getting worried now. We haven’t seen anyone about since we got here. This place would normally be a hive of activity by now’, said Neil.

  ‘The birds have also gone,’ said Bruce.

  ‘Shit,’ said Neil.

  ‘Do you think one of the gangs got in while we were away?’ said Bruce.

  ‘No, they would have torched the place, they always do. Anyway, if they’d been successful they’d be all rolling around drunk by now,’ said Neil.

  ‘Good point. That means that whatever killed these three has probably killed everyone else and the birds. Could it be a virus?’ said Bruce.

  ‘We only left yesterday. Surely we would have carried it with us?’ said Neil.

  ‘Well, I suppose that's a positive thing. I guess we need to check out the rest of the colony to confirm the worst,’ said Bruce.

  ‘Yeah, let’s get on with it. How do you want to play it?’ said Neil.

  ‘Let’s put the little ones in the hovercar and take a jeep tour of the town,’ said Bruce.

  ‘I don’t want to leave them on their own, even for a minute. They may wander off, you know what Jake’s like,’ said Neil.

  ‘True, OK, let’s take ‘em with us, we’ll just need a bigger jeep. I’ll go and get one from the carpark out the back of the hanger. I suggest our first stop is the main canteen, it would have been packed at 10 pm last night,’ said Bruce.

  ‘Right, I’ll get the kids together,’ said Neil.

  The jeep rolled silently towards the acacia tree. The dark shapes that Carlos had seen were not just dappled shade they were birds, starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris), about three dozen of them, all were dead, lying on their backs with their claws stuck out as if they were trying to fend something off.

  Next stop was the canteen. They saw two more bodies along the way. Bruce’s face looked ghostly pale as he returned to the jeep. Neil caught his eye when he was a few metres away. Bruce gave him the cut-throat gesture and got back into the vehicle in silence.

  Neil gripped the steering wheel hard flexing all the muscles in his arms. ‘I think I’ve seen enough, we need to pack up and get out before the gangs arrive. There’s no way we could hold them off,’ he said.

  ‘Let’s pay a visit to the food store and get the kids something to eat, we can talk some more there,’ said Bruce.

  The four kids enjoyed the impromptu picnic in the jeep while the two older boys stood in sight but out of earshot.

  ‘I saw Jake and Bill’s parents in the canteen, all dead, along with around a thousand others. Jenny, Paula, Sandy and the rest of the gang were there as well,’ Bruce said as his voice grew squeaky and his eyes filled with tears.

  Neil looked down at his shoes and watched as his own tears splas
hed and mingled with the dust on the road. Taking a big sniff and wiping his eyes he said: ‘OK, we’re on our own now buddy. I’d still like to know what happened here. Do you think we would find out any more in the command centre?’

  ‘We could give it a go, maybe we could contact Central?’ said Bruce.

  ‘Dad said that Central had not been in touch for over four years,’ said Neil.

  ‘Well, it’s got to be worth a try? Otherwise, where are we going to go?’ said Bruce.

  ‘For now, I suggest we head back to the campsite. The gangs will be checking in soon, so we need to move quickly. We could each fly a car so we can take more supplies with us. Do you think that Jake could fly a hovercar?’ said Neil.

  ‘I think I’d like to see what happened to all our remaining parents,’ said Bruce, wiping away the tears again and changing the subject slightly.

  ‘Are you sure you want to see them like that? I don’t,’ said Neil.

  ‘I want to at least say goodbye, I won’t be long, I can take another jeep while you start stocking up the cars,’ said Bruce.

  ‘OK, check out Gene and Carlos’s too buddy. Oh shit, we’ll need to pick up all our clothes,’ said Neil.

  ‘Oh shit indeed, you’re right and time is ticking. I can manage to get all the clothes while I’m at it if you get the hovercars and supplies organised?’ said Bruce.

  ‘Deal buddy, let’s move it,’ said Neil.

  Both now deep into the first stages of shock, Neil and Bruce mechanically went through their self-allotted tasks. When Bruce arrived back at the food store, Neil had moved two more hovercars over from the nearest hangar. He glanced at Neil looking for an explanation.

  ‘I’ll tell you later,’ said Neil as he helped to unload the kit bags from his jeep.

  ‘OK boys,’ said Neil to the kids. ‘Let’s form a chain and get these supplies on board,’

  ‘Where’s my Mom?’ asked Carlos tearfully.

  ‘Everyone else has gone,’ said Neil.

  ‘Gone where?’ asked Carlos.

  ‘They’re all dead aren’t they?’ said Jake.

  ‘Yes Jake, sorry,’ said Neil, his voice trailing to a whisper.

  Bill began to wail. Carlos ran to Bruce, embraced his legs and buried his sobbing face in his thigh. Neil and Bruce knelt down and comforted the boys as much as they could, their own eyes red with tears.

  From his new vantage point, Lenox was setting up the large telescope. He’d acquired it many years earlier from a warehouse they’d raided. It was a bit fiddly to setup and was really meant for astronomy, but its three-inch mirror was a massive improvement on the optical scope. The main problem with the new kit had been the lack of suitable batteries to power it, but Lenox had got around this by adapting the power socket on his bike. He’d already used the spotting scope to align the device with the fortress and was now using the joystick to scan and focus in on the detail within the base. Initially, he kept thinking that he had it pointing at the wrong place because he could see absolutely no movement within the base. The hovercar he’d seen landing earlier must have come down behind one of the larger buildings. The weird thing was that there weren’t even any birds flying around. He was just focusing in on something on one of the beautifully manicured lawns when a large out of focus shape flashed across his field of view. He quickly pressed the zoom-out button and was rewarded with the tail end of Bruce’s jeep as it disappeared into the base’s accommodation area. Moving back to the lawn and zooming back in he confirmed his suspicion that it was indeed a body he’d seen. Forty minutes later he’d picked out three more bodies just before he saw Bruce’s jeep going back in the opposite direction towards the hangars.

  ‘Hey, big guy,’ Lennox said into his radio.

  ‘Yes, I’m at the Fortress, something’s happened there, I think they’ve had a big setback.’

  ‘No, I’m not joking you jerk. Get a few of the guys together and get up here pronto. I’m on top of Gold Hill.’

  ‘I don’t freakin care what those stupid boys are up to, just get down here now. This could be our big break. Bring a rocket launcher with you.’

  ‘Rocket launcher, yes you know: bangy-bangy-woosh-kaboom. Oh and don’t forget your brain, if indeed you have one.’

  Bruce and Neil were stood near the three hovercars outside the store.

  ‘I think we’re going to need two trips,’ said Bruce.

  ‘I really think that would be a bad idea. Two hours there and two back, plus loading time, in the dark. That’s when the gangs will attack. I bet they’re watching us now,’ said Neil.

  ‘Yeah, but we just can’t get it all into three hovercars. Don’t forget this is our only chance to stock up. We’ve no idea if Central will come to our rescue. We might need to survive for some time,’ said Bruce.

  ‘OK, but if the gangs get in, we’re finished. We just can’t risk it for the kids’ sake,’ said Neil.

  ‘You’re beginning to sound like my Dad,’ said Bruce, his voice turning into a whine and his lips trembling as he played back his recent vision of horror from the kitchen of his parents’ home.

  ‘Hey buddy, it’s OK, we’ll get through this,’ said Neil gripping Bruce by the shoulder.

  ‘Shit, you’re right, let’s just take what we can in one trip. There’s one thing I wanted to try out which might take some of the pressure off. Dad told me that these hovercars can be flown as a formation of drones from one lead car. If we could do that then we could tag along a couple of cars, and of course, it would solve the problem of having Jake fly one,’ said Bruce.

  ‘That’s more like it buddy. Why don’t you go and see what you can find in hangar two, and see if you can fly them all back here?’ said Neil.

  ‘I’m on it,’ said Bruce jumping back in his jeep.

  The little ones were getting tired now. At first, it had been a good game. Go into the store and pick out everything you wanted; how good had that been, but the novelty had worn off, and their thoughts were returning to their parents, friends and families. Neil organised a short break for them which involved some biscuits and soda, items which were usually reserved for special occasions. The effect of the sugar was immediate: they started chasing each other around the store. Then Jake tripped over the boot of the dead storeman and accidentally caused the sheet that Neil had used to cover his face to fall off. The three boys froze in the storeman’s cold dead stare.

  ‘OK, OK, that’s enough of that, let’s get back to work,’ said Neil as he replaced the sheet

  Thirty minutes later Neil declared the loading of the three cars to be complete. From the direction of hangar two, they heard the rumbling whine of numerous turbines as three hovercars rose up in an arrow formation. The cars flew towards the store and landed simultaneously twenty yards away. Bruce came bounding out of the lead car punching the air with his first as he did so. A smile briefly crossed Neil’s face.

  ‘Hey, what about that then?’ said Bruce as he approached.

  ‘Looks good buddy, so what do you suggest, we both fly three cars?’ asked Neil.

  ‘Work’s for me,’ said Bruce.

  ‘Aw I was going to fly one of the cars,’ said Jake.

  ‘Hey, little man, you’ll get your turn. Think of all the extra biscuits and soda we can carry now,’ said Bruce.

  Jake seemed slightly placated.

  ‘OK Neil, so it’s the red panel to the right of the main joystick. You’ll see the nearby cars listed, just select them using the menu and confirm. Then they’re all yours and will follow in formation,’ said Bruce, as they all made for the store to complete the loading.

  One hour later they were happy with what they had in the six hovercars.

  ‘OK, I think we just load up the little ones and get out of here,’ said Neil.

  He’d just finished speaking, when they were knocked flat on the hard paving by the blast from the rocket as it hit one of Bruce’s three hovercars. Picking themselves up, they stared through the black smoke and flames at the mass of fused me
tal and plastics that was the car. As they watched two more minor explosions from within the stricken vehicle made them jump and shield they eyes.

  Lenox adjusted the joystick on his telescope.

  ‘You never cease to amaze me. Too stupid to put your t-shirt on the right way out, but you can hit a hidden target four miles away,’ he said.

  Barry looked down at the logo on his t-shirt sheepishly, just to check.

  ‘OK, get the next rocket ready while we wait for a reprisal,’ Lenox ordered.

  ‘OK, we’re leaving now,’ barked Neil.

  ‘Let me check the two other cars for damage, we could still take off with five cars perhaps?’ said Bruce.

  ‘The more, the merrier, but we need to leave now before they launch another rocket,’ said Neil.

  Bruce ran over to his two remaining cars and began his checks. Neil got the kids strapped into his nearest car. He could hear Bruce attempting a take-off and saw the two other cars heading for the nearest of the central complex buildings. He’d just put his flight headset on when Bruce’s voice came through:

  ‘These remaining cars are fine, no damage, sorry if I startled you by picking up the other car. That rocket must have come from Gold Hill which might have a line of sight on the store. Join me behind the central complex, and we can reorganise when we’re out of sight. There’s one more thing I want from that store.’