"Do not play with words, Mr. Jackson, your previous accusations don’t protect you from me suing you. Beware!” the fat man said with an air of proud authority.
"Someone tried to make us burn, after locking us up with zombies, that's for sure!"
The young black man who had said this and the old man in a white suit exchanged evil glances.
Then the latter, seeking to show a conciliatory smile, said, "I vow that an impartial investigation will be conducted", the word ‘impartial’ made Red smile, as she was listening to the clever politician, who continued, "And any murder attempt will be tried and punished, if required, by a life sentence."
The old politician turned to face the crowd and he added, with his hands on each side of the top of his desk, with a theatrical, "I assure you, my fellow citizens of the Community, that I guarantee a serious investigation..."
Most of the crowd mumbled approvingly, while a few laughs came from among Adams's detractors, the old man continuing, "... just as another investigation will not be botched, in order to assess the actual damage to the agro-building, as well as to estimate our remaining food resources."
These last words silenced the crowd who looked at him anxiously. And Red and her friends, worried too, knew first-hand, as "fellow citizens", what this could mean: famine or starvation.
The red-haired girl, who had experienced hunger so many times during her early childhood, looked nervously at her adoptive grandfather, who, stoically, calmly looked at her.
... and he smiled warmly at her, as she had rarely seen him do in the past.
This really comforted her…
***
Resources
The old face of the Administrator seemed grave, as, seen on the 3D TV screen, he began to say, "My good citizens of the Community, I've got the results of the inquiry, into the fire in the agro-building. What I'm going to announce is of paramount importance for our survival, so, please, listen to me."
He stopped speaking and, raising his eyes from the electronic tablet from which he had read, looked solemnly toward the 3D camera before continuing, "Zombies from the detention zone of the Community's Biological Lab were able to quit their cells, and invaded our revered Martial Arts dojo and the agro-building. The fire didn't leave any evidence of what facilitated their escape."
"Liar."
Adams stopped speaking, not sure of what he had heard. He looked at the huge group of journalists and cameramen watching him. He had difficulties recognizing a familiar face amid the multitude in front of him. He continued, “No one understands how the living dead's escape happened, but, don't be afraid, dear citizens, reinforced measures have been taken to avoid any new internal attack of the Community."
The face of the old man became even sadder, as he said, “I’m so sad to have to announce such bad news, dear citizens of the Community, but we don’t have any choice; energy is running out, our hydroponic cultures being unable to compensate, with their oil production, for when solar and wind energy are low!” Adams, standing behind a pulpit, in his eternal white suit, stopped speaking for a few seconds. He knew very well, as an experienced orator, how important the parts of silence are in a speech, and then continued, “That’s why the Council has decided to establish energy cuts in the zones of the Community which have a lower priority.”
“You mean zones where you and your friends don’t live!”
Having heard that the Administrator gave a hand sign looking as if he was cutting something with two of his fingers, like scissors. The camera crew then immediately switched off, and a complete silence fell in the recording studio. The old man looked down from the height of the platform, highly illuminated by many headlights. He looked in the direction of shadows, in a less illuminated part of the studio, where he could discern two silhouettes.
“Who said that?” yelled Adams, losing suddenly his proverbial restraint, watching the two persons coming out of the shadows. He opened wide eyes as he saw that the first of them entering in the illuminated part was Johnny, who was watching him reproachfully.
“You? You… little snoop, I’m going to…” the Administrator, who now had an angry face, had stopped speaking, when he recognized the short figure following the young man.
“Hiroto…” murmured Adams, clearly surprised. His face softened immediately, for he knew the good name of the old Master, inside the Community. He swallowed hard and then said, “Master, to what do owe we your visitation?”
“My visit isn’t friendly, Administrator Adams. Some friends of ours told us that you were preparing an address. In it, you’re supposed to say that you’re going to ration the oil used for heating, and for energy production. I came to stop you from doing such a thing.”
“Hiroto,” Adams began to say, “you must understand that…”
“Show him some respect, you must call him Master Miyasaki!” intervened Johnny, interrupting him.
The old Administrator sighed heavily while looking at him, the mustard clearly getting into his nose, when Hiroto lifted an open hand. This silenced the young colored man, meaning that it was OK. Seeing this, Adams calmed down and listened to the old Japanese say, “I don't want to lose some time trying to fight your view and your "personalized" inquiry about the attack and fire which happened in the agro-building… But I have it on good authority that the Community has some reserves. I advise you to abandon your program, whose goal is only to favor you and your friends, or there will be consequences.”
“What consequences?” one of Adams’s two hit men asked menacingly, a thin, bald man with a goatee, and wearing a long black leather jacket. The Administrator scowled at the man, so hard that the latter lowered his gaze, and became completely silent.
“I would be forced to call new elections, and to run against you.”
“You don’t have that kind of power!” yelled the old man, grabbing tightly the border of the pulpit with his fingers, like a vulture with its claws clinging to a carcass.
“You want to see if he can’t wake the dead in their graves? Oh, sorry, I forgot that it’s already the case,” said Johnny, with a mocking tone.
Joshua Adams blustered but didn’t answer, looking at them. Hiroto said, in a hushed, respectful tone, “I don’t want Power, but whenever I consider that the Community’s needs aren’t taken into account, I’ll use whatever means are necessary to stop you.”
The old Administrator had turned green, now, and he saw the Sensei and his student turn around, the Master continuing, “I wish you a good day, Administrator Adams.” The camera crew watched with him the two men go, opening the door of the studio. His Master having got out, Johnny, beneath the door frame, turned around and looked at Adams, smiling mockingly… and then slammed the door behind him.
This provoked a reverberation between the walls of the studio, which took many seconds to subside. Once silence was back, one of the crew men timidly approached Adams, and asked, “Should we get back to filming?”
The Administrator answered nothing, only watching him, furious.
***
Trespassing
Johnny approached surreptitiously the door, amongst the shadows of the dark corridor. As he approached the closed door, he was on guard, ready to turn around, in case someone would notice him. The only light, dim, coming inside the corridor, was from an outdoor lightning. Its pale, yellowish light went through a skylight, vaguely illuminating the ceiling.
He froze all of a sudden, becoming immobile like a statue, while being prone to bolting. At the far end of the long hallway where he was, he had discerned a silhouette. Someone has seen me!
He was tempted to retreat, but held back, not being sure that it was a good idea. He finally decided to wait for the person to approach. Was it one of Professor Harding's aids?
What could reason would it be possible for me to give, to explain why I'm here, at this hour... in the dark? Looking at the silhouette of the man or woman, who was standing there, still immobile, he wondered: by the way, what's that person doing her
e too, at this time of the night?
He squinted to discerner better the silhouette, and he approached slowly, shyly, going down the hallway.
He murmured a timid, "Hello,".
No answer… he continued to approach…
And suddenly, being now only a few meters away, he stopped…
And finally, after a few seconds, he smiled, and then chuckled.
He had been frightened by a black leather jacket, suspended on a hook!
Reassured, he turned around and walked toward the closed door, stopping in front of it. He took the doorknob, hesitantly, in his hand and, turning it, he pulled.
The door half opened, and he stopped his movement, surprised - or subconsciously disappointed – how easily could enter. He told himself, they haven't locked it! You don't even have, to ease your conscience, that excuse to withdraw... Coward!
His heart pounded in his chest, as he silently opened wide the door, which creaked. The squeak got on his nerves.
A figure moving in the dark, in front of him, having reacted at the noise. Jonny sighed, and approached the silhouette plunged into darkness. Here too, the only source of light was coming from an outer lumen, through the bars of the small window of the cell. He approached the cell and stopped in front of it, standing two meters back.
The young man swallowed hard, and murmured, "Hi again, Dad."
The silhouette which was in the dark moved swiftly, like a predator leaping toward its prey, and banged loudly into the bars. Two gleaming red eyes observed him, as he heard worrying growls. Johnny guessed more than he saw his father, who was standing behind the bars in the dark.
"Dad..."
The giant in the dark extended an arm toward him, his fingers taking the shape of claws, as he tried to grab his T-shirt, but Johnny was just off limits.
The latter watched him silently now, sadness on his face. The impressive colossus calmed down, moving slowly in the cell, like a big cat, walking in a feline way. And Johnny really had the feeling of watching a black panther, waiting for an opportunity to attack. The figure in the dark moved slightly, and Harry's head finally appeared. It was illuminated by the outdoor lumen, whose dim light went through the small barred window of his cell. The play of light, because of the bars of the window, cast vertical shadows on the giant's face, enhancing the cat-like appearance of his face. A low rumble erupted suddenly, and the head moved again, the pupils of the eye wide open, with, at the middle, a gleaming iris, red like a ruby.
The young colored man took a pistol out of one of the pockets of his jacket, pointing it in the direction of his father. The hand holding the weapon shaked slightly, while being aimed at the area of his father's heart. Perspiration trickling down his forehead. Johnny had a sad look on his face. Many seconds passed by.
Suddenly the young man's gaze hardened, showing now a strong willingness, and he sighed heavily. His hand quit shaking, and he then targeted Harry's head. The eyes of the colossus, who was completely silent now, looked at him with an intense look.
He seemed to be waiting.
To be hoping. The young man told himself, Is he still inside? Does he actually hope that I'm going to do it, somewhere inside that decaying, transforming body?
Johnny sighed and murmured, 'I'm so sorry, Dad."
"Don't do it!"
He flinched and almost shot by reflex, when hearing the recognizable voice, and he turned around.
He was then dazzled by an intense, white light, which made him gasp. Surprised, he scrunched his eyes together while trying to protect them from the light, by interposing an open hand.
Looking up, he realized that the overhead lights hadn't been turned on. Lowering his gaze, he understood that someone was blinding him with the lamp of a smartphone. The person lowered the beam, ceasing to blind him. That's when he was, at last, able to recognize Red.
She had been standing behind him, her phone in one of her hands. She looked sad as she watched him in the eye. The girl remained completely silent, now, watching him intensely with her green eyes... and he couldn't help but recognize a reproachful look on her beautiful face.
"Red? What... what are you doing here?" he croaked, not knowing clearly if he felt anger, or shame.
"What are YOU doing here, Johnny?" she whispered.
"I... it's not your business!" he yelled.
"Don't do it, Johnny... don't kill your Dad!" Despite the weak light her phone's lamp threw everywhere by reflexion, against the walls, he glimpsed a tear, trickling along one of her freckled cheeks.
He turned around, wanting to flee her gaze, and at the same time facing the colossus again, who remained silent.
"I must free him, Red... He's been rotting for years, in this cell, while he’s been slowly degenerating." He lifted up his arm and pointed again the weapon at his father's forehead's level.
"Stop, there is hope!" the teen girl shouted while taking the armed hand between both of hers, trying to lower it. Her efforts were useless, he was much too strong. She fought a bit, but he resisted. Finally, she released his arm. He knew, knowing her level in Martial Arts, that she could've made him drop the gun, but she didn’t. She actually respected his will, and he appreciated that.
"What hope, Red? Look at him, he's already one of them, or at least almost!"
He pointed precisely the barrel of his weapon at the center of the big man's forehead. He added, "My father has always asked me, since the beginning of the Plague, to kill him, before he would become one of those monsters, and after that, to burn his body!"
Red hadn't finished trying, yet: "Trust me, when he will be dead, it will be over. You will never more discuss with him... I miss so much my Dad, my Mom... Trust me, parents' phone calls and Xmas letters become much rarer, after their death!"
This last sentence, as stupid as is seemed, made Johnny chuckle nervously. But as he looked at her face, he saw that she wasn't in a mood for laughing. She watched him in a very serious way, and she continued, "Trust me, Johnny, I miss them so much!"
His gun still pointing toward his father's head, the young colored man winced, tortured interiorly, hesitating. There was a strange, dim light surrounding them, coming from the reflexion on the walls of the girl's smartphone lamp. It produced a weird and distorted projection of their four shadows.
Four? This thought made Johnny open wide eyes.
He briskly turned around and pointed his gun toward the fourth person, who was standing behind them.
"Stop, it's me!"
The unknown crossed his hands in front of his face, as if it could stop a bullet shot toward his head.
"Bo?" yelled Johnny, rising his gun toward the ceiling, glad he didn't shoot by surprise. Anger came on his face, as his friend uncrossed his arms to expose a face showing fear.
"Bo-ris! Asshole, I was this close to kill you!" the colored man seethed, gritting his teeth.
"Sorry, sorry, Johnny, I didn't want to frighten you!" He became silent, his gaze following the gun in his friend's hand, which shaked nervously, sometimes pointing toward the dark ceiling, sometimes dangerously lowering it again toward him. Looking at the gun in his turn, the black guy pointed, finally, its barrel toward the floor. Looking his friend in the eye, he still saw fear in his gaze. Johnny told himself that he probably looked mad, so he decided to calm down. Despite of that, he hated to be disturbed, especially by his two best friends. Two potential witnesses of his coming mad - or wise! - act...
He opened his lips to speak and was interrupted by Bo, "Don't do it, Johnny! She's right, don't do it..."
He glared at the blond guy, and at the red-haired teen, and shouted, "If I must kill my father, it's my business, you..."
"No, it's mine!"
The cold voice startled all three of them. They looked nervously around, in the mix of dim light and shadows surrounding them.
Then an explosion of white light assaulted their eyes, making them gasp.
Red was blinded like the others by the intense white light, coming from the lamps of
the ceiling. And she heard a kind of buzz. Looking up, she saw a webcam mounted high on a wall. The buzz sound was coming from it, as it was turning, turning its lens toward them. She saw the diaphragm of the objective lens became larger, such as an iris. Over it there was a blinking red Led, meaning that they were being observed.
She wasn't surprised when the door opened behind them, and Professor Harding entered, accompanied by one of his assistants.
He scowled at them three, making them lower their gaze, clearly ashamed. Unlike his collaborator who was in work clothes, the Scientist was wearing a blue silk dressing gown, and he had slippers. After he had severely scanned all of them, his attention focused on Johnny, whose eyes shifted, shame clearly soaring inside him. ... approached the young man, who lowered his gaze.
"Mister Jackson," Johnny raised his chin and, fighting his shame, looked him in the eye. The Scientist continued, "I saw and heard you, via our surveillance screen. You were going to kill your father."
"Yes," yelled the young man angrily, "He's been so unhappy, imprisoned like a beast, and all this for what?"
He pointed a hand toward the massive black man standing at the other side of the bars, adding, "All that for nothing! You assured me you would heal him, that he would not become one of those flesh-starving creatures, but finally, you failed!"
He stopped and sighed heavily, as all the other human beings - and his father, or at least what remained of him - watched him silently.
"My father wanted to remain human... and I want to respect his will," the young colored man murmured, finally lowering his gaze toward the floor, a mix of anger and sadness showing on his face. And now, he remained silent. No one added anything during a moment, looking at him, not daring to break the silence.
Professor Harding finally acknowledged silently by nodding, and he said with a soft voice, “Then, I think that you're ready."
Johnny raised his head and watched him, dumbfounded. He looked at the Scientist in the eye, waiting for him to explain, but the man in front of him remained silent, watching him intensely. He looked uselessly at his two young friends, waiting for one of them to give him an advice. An unnecessary time wait.
Hungry Series: Tomes 1 & 2 Page 18