by Brad Knight
Everyone at the table looked at Mack with blank looks on their faces. None of them had a damn clue what a prepress technician was. That was okay. He’d grown use to no one knowing what he did.
“So… what kind of skills does that involve?” asked Larry.
Mack heard a new voice behind him. “Typesetting, copy-editing, proofreading, graphic design, that sort of thing right?”
Mack noticed the mood at the table change upon hearing the new voice. It was like when kids are told to go to bed but instead stay up talking. Then one of their parents comes to their room to check on them and they shut up. Whoever was behind him was important.
When Mack turned around he saw a thirty something year old man with styled hair and a pristine suit. There wasn’t as much as a blemish on his skin or an ounce of fat on his body. He certainly didn’t look like a man who belonged in the post-apocalyptic world that everyone else was mired in.
“Theodore Gorman. CEO of Galatea Systems. My friends call me Ted,” said the well-dressed handsome man behind Mack. Like Larry he was quick to hold out his hand for Mack to shake. And like with Larry, Mack shook it.
Galatea? Images of the horror show in the Wydell Chapel and the dream he had the night before invaded Mack’s thoughts. “Mack.”
“Can you and your daughter please come with me, Mack.” Though Ted had a pleasant personable tone to his voice, Mack could tell that the man wasn’t giving him a choice. It was not a request.
“C’mon Amber.” Mack got up. So did Amber. Before following Ted, he finished his coffee, quickly.
“Please, this way Mack.” Ted led Mack and Amber out of the communal dining area. As soon as they left the room, three Galatea SWAT members joined them. “Don’t mind them. They have orders to shadow me.”
Now what? I swear if any more strangers introduce themselves to me my head will explode. I’m not sure I like this place. Yeah, running water and lights are nice, but there’s something wrong here. I just can’t put my thumb on what that is.
Amber seems happy. She seems to like it here. But as much as I love her, she’s just a teenager. That means she’s kind of dumb. All teens are.
Maybe I’m being ridiculous. Why can’t I just embrace something good? Why am I so suspicious?
Ted led Mack and Amber to one of the Golden Pony’s theaters. It was a little bigger than a movie theater, not including the stage. Magic shows, dances, and live musical acts were once performed here. The rows of seats were now empty, but the stage was filled with many raucous children.
“This is our daycare center. Residents of the Golden Pony who have children send them here as they work. We have several former elementary and kindergarten teachers who run it,” said Ted as he, Amber and Mack walked down one of the aisles.
On the stage were about fifteen kids. They ranged in age from three to eleven. Among the playing kids were two adults and another teenage girl. One of the adult women walked over to meet them.
“Good morning Mr. Gorman,” said the woman. She had long gray hair and a kind face.
“Mrs. Parrish,” Ted nodded at the woman. Then she motioned for Amber to come forward. “This is Amber. She’ll be working here from now on.”
Mrs. Parrish smiled and shook Amber’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Amber.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine,” reassured Ted with a smile. He led Mack out of the theater.
Mack didn’t like the idea of leaving Amber on her own, but despite what other people thought, she wasn’t his daughter. He had no right to impede on her trying to find her own way in the new little world they found themselves. Besides, he’d see her back in the room later. And he had taught her how to take care of herself.
“When Kerry told me about your arrival, I was happy. You see Mack, I need someone big and strong, someone who can take care of themselves,” said Ted as he led Mack into the back areas of the Golden Pony.
You want me to be a guard?
“I was happy because I need someone like you for a very special assignment.” Ted pushed through a set of double doors. They entered an area that must’ve been some kind of counting room or vault. There were thick iron bars. Behind them, disturbingly, were people.
A group of very sad looking individuals stood locked behind the bars of the counting room. They smelled horrible. From their appearance and odor it was clear that they didn’t get to partake in the casino’s showers.
I knew it. Look at these poor bastards. Way to show me proof that this place is crooked, right off the bat “Mr. Gorman”. Mack stopped and looked at the prisoners. He knew what it was like to be held captive. It made his stomach turn to see others in the same position.
Ted saw that Mack had stopped and looked at the prisoners behind the bars. He sighed than put his hand on the big Viking’s shoulder.
“These people were raiders. They tried to break into The Strip and steal from us. That was when we knew we had to have some way to deal with people like them. Not wanting to kill them, we locked them up,” explained Ted.
I’m not sure I believe you, Teddy. I saw the fences and the armed guards. Not to mention the thousands of meat puppets just outside them. Who the hell would try and break in here? I’ll play along for now. “What are you going to do with them?”
“Hopefully they’ll be able to join our community and contribute.”
“If not?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let’s go, I have more, less depressing things to show you.” There was no remorse or empathy for his prisoners in Ted’s body language or voice.
Ted led the way through some narrow hallways. They ended at a much smaller elevator than the ones found in the residential areas. Mack’s guide had to wave a special keycard in front of a panel next to the lift before it opened.
Mack and Ted got into the elevator, but the latter’s bodyguards stayed behind. They didn’t have the security clearance to see what lay beneath the Golden Pony. That made Mack wonder what was down there. And why was he given clearance?
There was no music in this elevator. The only thing that interrupted the silence was the sound of cables and scraping metal. Luckily the uncomfortable ride didn’t last that long.
The elevator came to a stop. When the doors opened, Ted and Mack were greeted by an intense white light. It was jarring and almost blinding.
“Welcome to where the real work is being done here in The Strip.” Ted wasn’t fazed by the light. He sauntered out of the elevator, very pleased with himself.
Mack squinted, waiting for his eyes to accommodate the brightness. “What is this place?” Once his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a medium sized white room. There was a sterile feeling to it. That was not only in appearance, but also in smell. Faint fumes left over from cleaning chemicals hovered in the air.
The white room had one door. It was made of tinted glass. There was a desk against one wall and a couch against the other. A man who’d be big by most standards, but not Mack’s, met them both.
“Mack, this is Eugene. Eugene, Mack,” said Ted introducing the two men. “Now Mack, I’m betting you’re wondering why I brought you down here.”
“You’d be right,” answered Mack.
Ted laughed. It was clear that it was forced and insincere. “Honest, straightforward, I like that. Okay. I need you to work here in this room with Eugene. You’ll be responsible for guarding the entrance to our labs.” He pointed at the tinted glass door “Which are through there. Eugene here will explain to you the specifics. I have to get to work myself. So this is where I’ll excuse myself.”
Eugene and Mack watched as Ted swiped his keycard at the panel near the tinted glass door. There was a beep and it opened up. He gave one last creepy smile then disappeared into the labs.
“Welcome to the most boring job of your life,” said Eugene as he walked over to the chair behind the desk. He sighed and sat down.
“So what, we just sit here and do nothing?” asked Mack after being on guard for ten minutes.
> “Don’t knock it. It could be much worse. We could be part of the survey or engineering teams. Now there’s a shit assignment.” Eugene put his feet up on the desk and leaned back in his chair.
Mack sat down on the couch. “Survey and engineering teams?”
“You see these lights? You take a shower this morning?” Eugene didn’t give Mack time to respond. “Those are possible because of the bat shit crazy folks in the engineering teams. They go out and make sure the power plant is still running and work at the water treatment plant.
“If you piss off Mr. Gorman you’ll find yourself on the survey team. They go out and look for supplies and give the folk back here an updated picture of what’s going on beyond the fences. A survey team picked you up and brought you here.”
“Those both sound like death sentences,” commented Mack.
“They are, for most who join them. Hell, the guy down here with me before you, Harry, got transferred to the survey team. That was a week ago. Nobody’s heard of him since.”
“He pissed off Gorman?” asked Mack.
“That he did.”
“What’d he do?”
“Why do you care?”
“So I don’t accidentally do the same and end up on a survey team.”
“He went into the lab. That’s a big no-no. Don’t go through that door and you’ll be fine. Now… let’s both shut up so I can get some sleep.” Eugene folded his arms on his gut and closed his eyes.
***
There was no clock in the white room outside the labs. Mack had no idea what time it was, or how much longer he had to sit there. With nothing else to do, his mind wandered.
Labs? What the hell are they doing in there? Are they coming up with a cure? Or something more sinister? Mack’s thoughts were cut off when the door to the labs opened up.
A group of scientists in white lab coats came out. They were taking amongst themselves, completely ignoring Mack and Eugene. Their arrival woke up the latter.
The last man to come out of the labs was Ted Gorman. He took off his lab coat and threw it to Mack. “Get rid of that for me will ya.”
Mack caught the lab coat. It was damp. He looked down at it and saw red stains, splatters. There was no mistaking it for anything other than blood.
Chapter 12: Breakdown
Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye. The everyday routine of waking up, getting breakfast, heading to their respective jobs, coming back to the room and sleeping, became Mack and Amber’s lives. Yes it was reliable, safe and uneventful. But there was always an undercurrent of fear. At any moment, all of the comforts around them could come tumbling down.
Amber liked her job. She enjoyed the company of her co-workers. One, Lucy, even became a friend. The teen also felt fulfilled watching over and helping with the kids at the Golden Pony. More importantly, her life wasn’t endangered for three weeks. That was a nice and very welcome change of pace.
Mack wasn’t as thrilled about his job guarding the mysterious labs. He knew that something sinister was going on under the Golden Pony. A couple times a day he could hear human screams from beyond the tinted glass door.
When the alarm on the clock radio blared, Mack swung his arm around and silenced it. He woke up in the dark once again. It was time to get ready for work.
Amber enjoyed her sleep as most teenagers did. That left a small window of opportunity for Mack to take a quick shower. He took advantage of that window every morning. The water washed away the last remnants of sleepiness.
His boots were the last things Mack put on before leaving his and Amber’s room. The sounds of meat puppet screeches in the distance reminded him that they lived in a little oasis in the desert of a monster infested world. He needed them to remember that the Golden Pony was only a temporary reprieve.
Mack was careful to close the door to the room slowly and quietly. He didn’t want to wake Amber up. That mistake was made a couple times before and he bore her wrath. It was an experience he wanted to avoid living through again.
Like every morning for the previous three weeks, the hallways of the Golden Pony residential areas were bustling with activity. The majority of jobs called for early starts. And no one liked being late. Word of any tardiness might reach Mr. Gorman. People who upset the CEO of Galatea Systems tended to disappear.
I don’t know how much longer I can do this. Mack looked around the elevator. Something bad is coming. I just know it. But how do I convince Amber that it isn’t safe here? What reason can I give her? And will she be willing to leave? I almost wish something would happen. That would make leaving all this behind much easier.
Mack proceeded to the communal dining area. He had his usual breakfast of fruit cocktail, SPAM, bread and coffee. There was no helping looking at his fellow residents and diners as dead men walking. Did they know what was going on below their feet? Did Mack truly know for that matter?
Am I just being paranoid? Mack finished eating and made his way towards the back rooms of the casino. To get there he had to pass through the lobby. He watched as the new shift of heavily armed guards took their places along the sandbags.
Next came the worst part of Mack’s day. He had to pass the prisoners in the count room every morning on his way to the labs and every evening when he left. Each time he passed there seemed to be less of them. Mack wasn’t naive enough to believe that Ted’s claims of rehabilitation were true. Even though he didn’t know what happened to them, in his gut he felt that their fates were nothing short of awful. He avoided any eye contact as he passed the smelly prison.
When Mack reached the elevator that went down to the lab, there were a couple of scientists waiting for it. So he waited with them. The two scientists in lab coats chatted about different test subjects. There was a carefree tone to their conversation that disturbed Mack. Were they the real monsters, or were the meat puppets?
“You coming? There’s room,” asked one of the scientists as they got in the elevator.
“That’s all right. I’ll wait,” answered Mack. He gave a fake smile.
When Mack finally got down to the white room outside the labs, Eugene was already there. They exchanged pleasantries and took their usual positions. Eugene was behind the desk, and Mack was on the couch.
Finding some way to pass the long hours of doing nothing was hard. He tried just about everything. Nothing helped. Most days he simply stared at the ceiling or wall and schemed about how to best escape the Golden Pony and The Strip if things took a turn for the worse.
***
Amber woke up about an hour after Mack. Instead of dark blue skies, she was greeted by the oranges, yellows and reds of a rising sun. Unlike the big man, she had to pry herself out of bed.
Ugh. It took genuine willpower for Amber to roll out of the sheets. True, most adults wouldn’t find it to be an impressive feat. But many teens would. She got up significantly earlier than she would if she were going to school.
Just because Amber was technically awake didn’t mean her mind was. Hell, her eyes were barely even open as she somehow made her way to the bathroom. If she could just get into the shower, she’d be alright. She just had to get there.
Amber’s foot banged into a wall just outside the bathroom. It made her mumble some expletives but didn’t deter her. When she was done taking a shower, Amber brushed her teeth, then got dressed. Seemingly a completely different person than when she woke up less than an hour earlier, Amber left the room.
By the time she entered the residential area hallways of the Golden Pony, they were almost empty. She didn’t have to wait in line for her weapons, nor did she have to wait in line for the elevator. Unlike most jobs, working at the day care didn’t require her to be in early. As long as she showed up before eight, it was all good.
Amber grabbed some bread and peaches for breakfast. By the time she got to the communal dining area, it was almost empty. Only a couple of other residents lingered, enjoying their meals.
Before she entered the theatre/daycare, s
he took a deep breath. The calm that she enjoyed that morning would disappear as soon as she opened the doors. Chaos from energetic and playful kids awaited her beyond.
***
How long have I been here? Is our shift almost over? I wish this place had a damn clock. Mack sat in near silence and stared at the opposite wall. The only noise was Eugene’s heavy breathing.
What was that? The silence of the white room was broken by the faint sound of screaming. That wasn’t that unusual. In his time guarding the labs, Mack heard at least one scream a day. The difference that time was that it was a man’s scream, not a woman’s.
Mack got up from the couch. He grabbed his hunting rifle, which was leaning against one of the arms. Slowly, he approached the glass lab door. It was hard to see anything through the tinted glass. But Mack thought he saw someone in the form of a dark shape. That shape got closer and closer to the door. Even though he should have been ready for it, he jumped when a hand hit the other side of the glass.
Mack slowly backed away. He aimed his hunting rifle at the glass and waited. At any moment he expected a meat puppet to come crashing through. Instead he heard a voice.
“Help!” Someone yelled from the other side of the door.
“I can’t! You need to open the door,” said Mack. He was referring to the fact that he didn’t have the proper keycard to access the lab. Which meant he couldn’t open up.
Mack heard a beep. Then the door unlocked. Before he could open it, it swung open. A scientist fell out from the other side. Before it closed, Mack grabbed the lab door.
The scientist’s lab coat was covered in blood, both human and the gooey black of the meat puppets. He looked terrified. Mack tried to ask what happened but he got no response. Instead the scientist got up and ran for the elevator.
Mack looked over to Eugene, thinking his fellow guard would have been awoken by all the commotion. Eugene was still asleep. Not wanting to waste time trying to wake him, Mack entered the lab. The sounds that Mack heard were terrible. There were meat puppet screeches mixed with human crying. It was enough to make Mack rethink his plan to investigate what happened. He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the door close behind him.