“The future is now. The past is past, here in the present we will outlast,” roared the chamber of underserving dignitaries. The uniform excused himself from the stage. The crowd fell silent, and now Jon could taste the vomit.
Everything just became real.
A silhouette arose from the back of the stage. The entire arena was dark except for that harsh light shining down on the Premiere now entering the arena.
Then the crowd erupted in an earthshattering applause. They were seventy-five floors up, and it felt like the building was ready to come down.
Jon refused to stand, but was immediately introduced to Greenwald’s boot heel to his shin. After an audible gasp, Jon rose to his feet and softly clapped. Then he watched a dirty blonde man enter the light. He couldn’t tell if he had a mustache or if it was the lighting.
“This lighting is awful,” whispered Jon, not caring who could hear.
“It’s exactly the way I want it, my friend,” came that little voice of Marcus in Jon’s ear. Then Jon remembered he wasn’t exactly alone in this nightmare. Then the blonde man, the Premiere began to speak.
“My brothers and sisters, the party is now and the party is forever!” he shouted, and the crowd rose to their feet once more with thunderous applause. “We are strong as a party, and as a nation, because of our convictions.”
“What convictions?” Marcus chimed in under his breath.
“Here in Pinnacle City, one of the nation’s mightiest cities, you embody that strength and that determination each-and-every day.”
The crowd, again, rose to their feet to cheer. And Jon was still waiting for the Premiere to say something that had meaning.
“As soon as the Premiere gets these people out of their seats to cheer that is your window of opportunity. The moment the crowd is at its loudest and the arena is filled with chaos, that’s when you do it. Do you get that, Jon?” Marcus demanded.
“Yes, I get it,” Jon whispered back.
The Premiere continued, “This city was given the name Pinnacle because of its strength. Because it is the mighty city set upon the hill. You are strong because you remain true to this system, this system that has seen us through our greatest trials and our greatest triumphs. You, the people of Pinnacle City, are the gem of this nation.”
Jon tried to listen to the tripe, but all he could picture was a citizen trying to get food and being gunned down in the streets by the party’s execution squad.
“I have come to you because of the growing dissent in this city. There are voices that call on citizens to be wary of this government. You should reject these voices. They are the rallying cries of the forgotten. People who would have us repeat the failures of the past because they are afraid of our future. But our progress will not be thwarted. No, not by these malcontents. Our future is limitless because the people are without limit.”
The clapping seals stood to their feet once again, and Jon could only feel his rage growing. The entire speech was an empty shell. It was designed to rabble rouse the party supporters and spit in the face of those that opposed it.
“We are free thinkers. We welcome a difference of opinion.”
Jon was beginning to shake with anger.
“This nation has endured because of the love and acceptance we give to one another.”
There wasn’t enough oxygen in the room to keep up with Jon’s boiling blood.
“And no man, I say again to you, no man will stop the progress to the future!” he shouted once more, and the crowd was back at their feet, cheering louder than before. The arena was shaking. The floor was moving under Jon’s feet.
Jon looked at the General next to him. Greenwald wasn’t clapping, but he stood and looked forward. He was distracted. Everybody was distracted. This was it, the moment of chaos. And before Jon knew it he was already on his own two feet heading towards the stage. He bolted to the edge of the stage and leapt on top. If there was anybody following him or trying to stop him, it was too late. Jon had pulled the pistol from the back of his belt. Within the blink of an eye Jon had his arm wrapped around the neck of the Premiere, and with the other he pressed the gun to his head like he was going to shove it through. He didn’t even need the gun. He could just kill Dear Leader with his own two hands. And that’s where Jon’s mentality had faltered. He was so drunk on his own anger he was ready to take the life of this man. He didn’t care about the book he had read. He didn’t care about the idea of humiliation. This man, this “leader,” deserved to die. And Jon had the power to deliver his death right then and there.
The crowd gasped. There were cries of anger. There were screams. But only for a moment. Then, there was silence.
“You don’t deserve to live,” Jon whispered into the Premiere’s ear.
“You’re on,” Marcus said into the earpiece. “The entire nation can hear and see you.”
Jon took a deep breath and listened to the arena fall deathly silent.
Only seconds went by, but it was enough to break Lawrence. Jon could hear him not only gasping for air, but weeping. Jon could feel a tear roll from the Premiers cheek and onto his hand.
“Plea….” Lawrence gasped again, “Please…. Don’t shoot…. Don’t shoot me. Don’t kill me.”
Jon’s anger subsided as he watched the most powerful man break into tears. It was a sad sight. The Premiere continued to plead with Jon. His cries got louder.
“Please, don’t kill me!”
John whispered back, “I already have. The world just watched you break. The world just watched you die.” Then he released his grip, straightened out his arm and pressed the gun even harder against Lawrence’s head. He didn’t know where the camera was so he just looked dead into the lightless sea of party zealots. He felt a calm come over him. “With God’s grace, we will be free! This is the revolution!” He kicked the Premiere down to the floor. Then Jon turned and sprinted off the stage. He bolted through the door at the end of the hall where he was greeted by eight ghost soldiers. Jon froze stiff. They all stood at attention like it was a firing squad. Then one in the middle stepped to the side, revealing the door behind him.
“Go, Jon, Go!” pleaded Marcus.
Jon cautiously walked past the soldiers and back out to the main area.
“Get to the next floor, Building Two, I’ll meet you on the tracks!” yelled Marcus. Then the feed cut out.
Jon sprinted like his life depended on it – because it did. He could hear a fury beginning behind him. The chase was on, and he was only alive at this point because of Marcus’ contacts. Those ghost soldiers were the only thing standing between death and a chance at life.
“Freeze!” came a voice from behind.
Jon took a corner into the stair well, and he could hear bullets flying the second he made it into cover. He flew up those stairs like he was going down them, and barged through the door on the seventy sixth floor. He was in the station entrance. It was a ghost town. The trains were not operating and Jon couldn’t see a soul. All the departure and arrival gates were opened. The crews must have gathered in a nearby room to watch the speech. Jon didn’t care. He saw his exit and was heading straight for it at break neck speed. The sun was shining through the gate and onto the track he was heading for. Then he heard doors slamming behind him.
“Stop him! Shoot him!” he could hear a man crying out.
Jon didn’t turn back one time. If he did, it could have been the end. There was more gunfire being hurled in his direction. Bullets were smashing into and bouncing off of the metal cars around him. Without paying attention to the sheer height and the narrow tracks, Jon ran through the gate and into the open air between that building and the next. There was no sign of Marcus. Did he make it out? Was he caught? If Marcus was caught then Jon would be his cell mate, and his firing squad buddy any second now.
Bullets were whizzing passed his head. The men chasing him were firing and running at the same time, screaming the entire way. Jon had made it to the middle of the track. He was right
where Marcus told him to go, and there was nothing. He turned in circles. He panicked. He watched as the officers and soldiers began to catch up with him. Then he felt an arm grab his ankle. He looked down.
It was Marcus. He was in a small maintenance hatch that led underneath the railway. Jon hopped into the hole with him.
“Glad you could make it. Put this on.” Marcus smacked Jon in the chest with a backpack.
“What’s this?” Jon asked.
“A parachute,” replied Marcus.
“I’m sorry, a what?!”
“It’s the only way out of here, mate.”
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no….” Jon was overwhelmed with fear. Putting a gun to the head of the leader of the country and threatening his life? No problem. Jumping from a railway, seventy-six stories in the air? Jon wasn’t ready for this.
“See?” said Marcus, “I told you I couldn’t trouble you with all the details. Now either you jump or you go to the firing squad. You pull that ripcord the second you jump!”
The maintenance hatched open, and an officer jumped down. Marcus leveled a blow square in the officer’s face and knocked him down.
Jon finished putting the pack on.
“Now!” Marcus screamed as more men began jumping into the maintenance hatch.
Jon closed his eyes. Old Johnny boy jumped off a cliff, right? This should be no problem for the city cowboy. Then hands grabbed Jon. He swung his arms around to break their grip, and without a further thought he and Marcus leapt from the tracks and into the city below. Marcus pulled his shoot. Jon struggled to find the cord and immediately followed Marcus’ lead.
More yelling and gunfire could be heard from above.
Then everything became quiet. All that could be heard was the wind passing through the parachute. They both glided through the towering buildings and quickly made their way towards the ground. Jon looked to Marcus who seemed cool and collected. He knew exactly what he was doing. The problem was that Jon had no idea what he was doing. Gusts of wind came in through the buildings and took Jon with them. He was separated from Marcus as he struggled to control his descent. They were both heading down the same corridor, but Marcus was well ahead of Jon. They were getting to the pavement and in a hurry. If Jon was ever in control, he had lost it. It was a bad situation getting worse. Right in front of Jon was one of the barriers to the labyrinth. He was headed straight for it, and no matter how much he begged and struggled Jon was going to crash into it.
He had managed to slow down as best he could but he was bracing for impact.
Crash.
The parachute flew over the top of the wall and Jon crashed into the front of it. Now he was hanging there, tangled in the cords from the parachute, dangling from the labyrinth.
“Ouch…” he muttered as he flipped himself around. He struggled to regain his composure. His head was a mess. He couldn’t think straight.
Then a vehicle came flying around the corner and headed straight for him. Jon was hanging like bait in a trap. There wasn’t much fight left in him. He wouldn’t know where to run if he could get down. The vehicle pulled up.
“So, this is it,” Jon sighed.
“What are you doing up there, just hanging around?” It was Marcus. “Pull the release cord!” he shouted to Jon.
Jon obeyed his command, pulled the cord and let out a scream as he fell ten feet to the ground.
“Get in!”
Jon didn’t waste any time. They were both in the car in seconds. The barrier that Jon was hanging on lowered quickly, just like with the cruiser the night before.
“How did you…?” Jon was about to ask.
“Don’t forget, I designed these systems. It will be long time before they can keep me out.”
Jon had a chance to catch his breath and look around. He finally noticed something strange.
“Where did you get this car?” he asked Marcus.
Marcus looked at him, “It pays to know the right people.”
It was Jon’s car. The very car that got him into this mess. It was also the car that would hopefully get him out of it. Jon said nothing as he tried to keep his anxieties from reaching a climax. The grid was shut down. Either due to the televised speech from the Premiere or because of the largest manhunt in history that was just kicking into gear. Marcus was flying down the grid, and rightfully so. He was with the most wanted dead man in the country. Then Marcus suddenly pulled to the side.
“Get out!” as he rushed out of the car.
Jon followed his lead.
Marcus pushed a few buttons on a device and the car took off back down the grid - a diversion.
Marcus ran and Jon continued to follow him. They were in an alley. Jon wasn’t sure where, but it didn’t matter anymore. Marcus lead them all the way to the end, to another street on the grid. Another vehicle pulled up.
“Get in,” ordered Marcus.
Jon hopped in but saw that Marcus wasn’t coming along for the ride.
“What’s this, Marcus?”
“We need to separate. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous tonight but right now we need to distract anybody who might be tracking us. There’s no time to argue, Jon. God bless you. Now go.” Marcus turned and took off back down the alley.
The vehicle sped off. There was no driver. It was just Jon. Marcus must have been planning this for months, if not years. All he needed was the right candidate to come along to put all the pieces together. Today was the day, and Jon was the candidate. The vehicle didn’t go far before it came to a stop.
“Passenger, please exit the vehicle. Thank you,” the automated pilot turned on.
Jon hopped out of the car, in front of another alley. He wasn’t sure where to go, so he headed down it. He walked a short distance and then two sets of hands reached out and pulled him through a doorway.
“Shhhhh,” one of the owners of the hands whispered to Jon.
Jon didn’t feel threatened so he did as he was told. The two men started walking and Jon followed. They went down a few flights of stairs into a warehouse-like basement. There were quite a few people down there. There was a large room where people were sprawled out and ready to camp on top of crates and any other flat surface.
“Good job day today, Jon,” said one of the men. “For now we wait here until our next orders from Marcus. Make yourself at home.”
“Oh sure,” Jon hesitantly said back as he walked into the warehouse. “Make myself at home…. On top of this box… Okay. Maybe if I shot the Premiere I could have had a steak.” Jon found a corner to call home until he was told to move on to the next location. This was it. This was everything they planned for. The revolution had begun, and it looked like Jon would be spending most of it on the run. He was there for what seemed like an hour, and then he saw the first welcomed sight of the day.
Sinda.
There she was. Standing in front of him. She even had his bag in her hands. She looked nervous, hesitant even. But she was happy to see him nonetheless. They jumped into each other’s arms and embraced. Then they kissed.
“I didn’t think you would make it out alive,” she told Jon.
“I don’t know how I did,” he replied. “What’s wrong?” Jon asked, sensing something was off.
“It’s just been a stressful day. I was worried you wouldn’t make it back, is all.”
Jon could tell she was holding something back.
They hugged and kissed for a few more moments before finding a quiet corner box they could settle down on. They spent the next short while talking about the day, what Jon went through, what was going to happen next. It was a conversation without end. It was something Jon had always wanted but was never allowed to have. Now he could. It was surreal.
Jon was feeling the day catch up to him and the conversation began to slow. He was tired. It was good to be with Sinda, but there was much to worry about in the coming days. She could sense it. Sinda reached into Jon’s backpack and pulled Cowboys out.
“How about I read to you w
here you left off while you rest?” she asked.
“How could I say no to that?” he replied.
Before she started reading, “come with me,” said Sinda.
Jon was puzzled, “What? Come with you where?”
“Let’s just get out of here,” she pleaded.
“I don’t know if you watched, but I’m kinda the most wanted man alive, right now.”
“You and me, we can just go, right now and leave all this craziness behind.”
Jon stared at her in confusion. Her plea seemed out of place. After seeing that she would not convince Jon, her worried look didn’t fade but she picked up the book and began to read.
The sun was reaching the edge of the sky. The air was getting cold and the wind was blowing in a hurry. There was that rickety old Jenkins barn. Sitting out in the middle of nowhere, dilapidated, waiting to be torn down. Johnny was still having trouble making sense of what was going on. It was the act of evil men.
Johnny approached those barely functional barn doors. Through the loud and screaming creaks of the rusting metal and broken wood, he opened them and showed himself inside.
“Johnny boy! It’s good ta see ya!” came a voice from the rafters.
Johnny looked up. It was the sheriff. He was up on a platform – with Johnny’s family tied up. His grin went from ear-to-ear.
“Why are you doing this? Whatever problem you have with me is with me. Let my family go!” demanded Johnny.
“Can’t do that Johnny boy. You see, there’s no room in this town for the likes of you. This is my town. This is the mayor’s town.”
Johnny chuckled, “the mayor is done for. I left him humiliated amongst the mob.”
“Is that right?” retorted the Sheriff. He then headed down the stairs and onto the ground to face Johnny.
Click.
Click.
Johnny looked to each side to see an armed member of the Sheriff’s posse. Then the Sheriff joined in the act by pointing his gun to Johnny’s face.
“This is it for you, Johnny boy! Maybe you got to the mayor, but as you can see, I’m untouchable.”
Johnny looked at him calmly. “If I die here, I promise you, you’re all dying here with me. You’ll be the first to go, Sheriff.”
The Cowboy of Pinnacle City Page 21