“Find some pretty weird shit on ground level, man. Trees growing right through cars and houses. Walked into a huge warehouse once, roof burned off, just the brick walls standing, and I see a herd of deer grazing on grass growing out of the floor, picking their way through aisles made by stacks of steel shelving. It was like they were shopping, Dude. Very strange.”
The two of us rambled on for hours, swapping stories and laughing, riding the high like the eagles on the thermals, sharing exploits about our explorations of our strange landscape. He was far better traveled than I and apparently always had at least four locations he called home. Each was changed two or three times a year, more often if circumstances dictated.
• • • •
Details of the vista outside our window began to slowly fade as the sun set behind us. About ten stories below we saw hundreds of bats darting across the sky, dipping sharply when their sonar located an insect. We both pulled out food and canteens from our packs and shared a meal in the darkening room, including Duke in the repast.
We were down now from our high, our brains capable of linear thought, mellow and comfortable in the darkening office high above the city.
“I know what’s out there,” I said. “It’s not the moon or a mangrove swamp or an endless void. It’s old Chicago. Battered and beaten and scarred and burned. Gutted of her wealth. But not completely stripped of her dignity. She’s still standing. And I agree with you about the people. I know—even though I can’t see them—that there must be good people out there. The collapse couldn’t have left us as a race of savages. There’s a whole bunch of men and women out there somewhere that aren’t like the beasts you and I see every day. I know it.”
“Hiding in the darkness,” he said.
“Exactly.”
“And you feel confident they’re out there. Despite evidence to the contrary.”
“Take a look at James,” I said, “the guy that gave you a hard time when we first met in ’54. What would he be like if he was removed from the influence of his clan? He’s got some pretty decent qualities. He’s not a natural born killer. I don’t see any sadistic tendencies in his make up. There’s bound to be thousands out there like him.”
“Yeah, man. I see what you’re saying. James has a different weave than most of the other clan soldiers. You know he’s got the helm of the Black Gangster Disciples now, don’t you?”
“I’ve been sticking out west for a while now,” I replied. “Haven’t been keeping up with the city stuff.”
It was interesting news. James had a certain humanity about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was different…fair…curious…even honorable. Not unlike what Roberto, leader of the Cobras, had seemed to be.
But it had been a year since there had been any contact between Roberto and me. And the silence from the camp of Roberto’s Insane Cobras did nothing but increase our fears that Roberto and The Insane Cobra Nation were communicating with The Babe, entertaining some sort of relationship between Satan’s Messengers and The Insane Cobra Nation. If it happened, I knew the result would be that The Babe would pull Roberto and the Cobras down to the Messenger’s level of savagery.
Merlin pulled me back from my troubling thoughts.
“You’re an optimist, man. Seeing that positive juice in people. So am I…sometimes. Trouble is, it’s dangerous to go against the flow around here.”
“So to extend Pink Floyd’s metaphor,” I said, “You and I are in bands that aren’t playing the same tune as the clans. And we’re not going to change…and we’re not going to leave.”
“It’s a dangerous choice we’re making, Mac. We’re walking around with targets on our backs.”
“Are you telling me, Merlin, that we don’t have the right to live the kind of life we choose?”
“All I’m sayin’, man,” he said, “is that choice carries some heavy consequences.”
I was confused at what I perceived to be a major reversal in his philosophy on survival. “You telling me now you’re afraid to make a stand?” I asked.
His laughter punctuated the darkness, followed by a swishing sound he made with his lips.
“You know what I’m doing, Mac?” he asked.
“No,” I replied, confused by another one of his reversals.
“I’m reeling in a fish. And you are my catch. Shit, man, I’m just fucking with you. Playing Devil’s Advocate. I meant everything I said today. And everything I told you was for a reason.”
“And just what in the fuck was that reason?” I asked, relieved that we were back on the same page.
“Patience, Mac. We’re very close to the end of our mystery. Just a few more minutes. Now do me a favor and answer this question for me: What rights do we have, you and me and people that might share our sensibilities?”
“Pretty basic, Merlin,” I responded, going along with whatever program he was running. “As long as we don’t fuck with anybody, they shouldn’t fuck with us.”
“That how your life has been going, Mac?”
“Not really,” I replied, deciding to go on the offensive in our verbal game of chess. I wasn’t sure of the rules, but I was uncomfortable being trapped into the corner of his choosing. “You tell me something, Merlin. What about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Do you have those things in your life?”
“Not operative concepts anymore,” he replied, then paused, frustrated I hoped, by my switch to the offense. “But what the fuck you want me to do about it, Mac? Have a goddamn sit-in? Recruit a fucking army? Preach the friggin’ Gospel? All I want to do, man, is get high, listen to my tunes, read good books and find some people who can carry on an intelligent fucking conversation. Can I throw in find me a nice lady? Is that too much to ask?”
His voice had taken on a higher pitch and volume. I could feel the frustration and bewilderment in his words. I had hit upon an issue that had been eating away at him.
I reached out and patted him on the knee.
“I think I found an open wound,” I said. “You’ve got some serious stuff going on in your mind, don’t you Merlin?”
“You and your friends are a big fucking pain in my ass,” he replied, his voice taut. “Sometimes I think running into you was the best thing ever happened to me. But there’s other times, like right now, when I’m afraid it’s gonna get me killed.”
“Jesus, Merlin, Duke and I love you. Look at him. He’s thrilled every time we get the chance to see you.”
“He’s asleep, Mac.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But it’s a happy sleep. Trust me Merlin, we’d never do anything that would in any way endanger you.”
“It’s not you guys I’m worried about, Mac. It’s me. It’s the change in thinking that’s come over me since you have come into my life. It’s dangerous to my health.”
“How?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Used to be, I could cruise the territories picking up items and intelligence, trade them to the clans for herb and supplies, and lead a pretty simple life. No hassle. Smoke my herb, read my books, deal some chems to the freaks, live a mellow life. Sure, occasionally there’d be conflict, but I could hide in a hole and stay out of it. Didn’t have anyone to talk to much, but I had my books and my music.”
“So you were pretty satisfied,” I said.
“Until I ran into you, you asshole, and and hear about all your fucking friends. Stevie, and Sarah, and Weasel. You and Duke. I see your group, family, whatever it is you call it, trying to improve your lives. Standing against the clans. And I find someone, several people in fact, that I could talk to. People with ideas and opinions. You’re fucking up my life, man.”
“How?”
“Because now I have hope. There didn’t used to be any when I was alone. So I accepted the situation and adjusted. It was safe. Now that there is hope, life isn’t safe anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I’m going to hang on to the hope, I’ve got to make a stand. No more hiding out
, drifting with the prevailing wind currents. I don’t know if I can do any good for you, but if you want to keep on fighting the good fight, particularly after I tell you what the purpose of this whole day is, I’ll stand with you.”
Our conversation was rapidly moving into some very dense territory. I felt that the darkness which enveloped us was a potential barrier.
“Can we light a candle, Merlin? I think we need to be able to see each other before we move on.”
“No problem,” came the answer. “But we need to move. I have no idea if anyone on the outside can see candle light flickering from the 21st floor. But I’m not willing to risk it.”
We moved our chairs into an interior office and placed a lighted candle on a desk. We were a couple of meters apart and the candle provided enough light for each of us to see the other’s features.
I resumed the conversation where he had left off.
“What you said in there was nice. Thanks. But you should know that you have a made an impact on all of us too. Look at yourself. You are one unique individual. If we had this city filled with people like you, there wouldn’t be any more killing.”
He started to respond, but I cut him off.
“What you’re telling me is that you are ready to come out of your hole. You’re picking a side. Right?”
He nodded.
“Why now? What’s going on?”
He threw up his hands in frustration.
“What’s happened the last couple of weeks pretty much slices it. They mess with me, it’s usually no problem. I can talk my way out. Act stupid, stoned. But now they’re into the shit of the only friends I’ve ever had. I’m in.”
Something had happened to him. I’d never seen him in such a quandary before.
“You need to tell me now why you called me down here,” I said. “What’s going on? Why did you tell me I can only travel in darkness?”
“Last month you had an altercation with the Cobras over on Roosevelt Road.”
“They wanted to cook Duke for dinner,” I said.
“Well, when I heard that you and Duke wiped out half of one of their outposts, I figured you probably had a fairly good reason. I think trying to eat one’s best friend qualifies. Thing is, Mac, you pissed off some people who have serious problems with impulse control.”
“I wasn’t figuring on making friends, Merlin. For Christ sake, they were trying to kill us. Is this the bad news you’ve been hanging over my head all day?”
“You know Roberto’s got the Cobras looking for you, right?”
“It’s a logical consequence of incident,” I replied. “We capped some of his soldiers, he needs to balance the sheet. It’s a shame, though,” I added.
“Whaddya mean?”
“I’ve known Roberto four, maybe five years. He’s always been real straight ahead, Merlin. Treats his people good, well organized, always fair. The Cobras showed promise. But I’ve got a real bad inkling in my gut the Cobras are talking with the Messengers.”
“Your gut’s gotta be wrong,” Merlin responded. “I know Roberto, too, man. He’s big as a fucking truck and tough as a cougar, but he’s got a spirit to him that I’ve never seen in any clan leader. As weird as it sounds, he seems to possess a sense of honor. I can’t believe he’d even talk with the Messengers. What’s in it for him? He’s on the top of the heap already.”
“Got a little story to tell you,” I said. “It’s going to change your world view. Goes back about a year.” I gave him the unedited version of the slaughter of the Gaylords, how Duke and I had come upon the clan skirmish in the parking lot that turned into a bloodbath, finishing with the brief encounter with The Babe and the one lone Cobra and our knowledge that the Messengers had been quietly seeking a man and his dog ever since.
Merlin was speechless.
“Those Cobras that fronted me on Roosevelt Road last month,” I continued, “were led by the soldier that I saw with The Babe over a year ago at the massacre. He and the fat man looked like they had bathed in blood.”
“Son of a bitch.” Merlin was truly astounded.
“Plus these guys that tried to burn me and Duke weren’t the usual Cobras, Merlin. Most of them were seriously fucked up. No way are Cobras allowed to use while they’re on their posts. Roberto would never stand for that. And the leader of these freaks had no respect for Roberto. Never encountered anything like that before.”
“I got more bad news for you, Mac,” Merlin said softly. He was reluctant to impart the information. “It’s not a secret anymore. Since you capped those Cobras, all the People clans know who you are…There’s a contract out on you. City wide. Jewelry, assault weapons, women, children, food, chems, blades—you name it. Whoever nails you is gonna be rich…and famous. That’s part of the bad news. Every clan associated with People is looking for you…and Duke.”
I asked the question.
“Who? Where’s the contract issued from?”
“That’s the worst part, man. It’s Satan’s Messengers. They’re paying the bill. These guys are bad news, Mac. Make the Marquis de Sade look like Walt Disney.”
I was confused.
“Why not the Cobras?” I asked him. “They’re the ones with the dead soldiers.”
“Cobras take care of their own, Mac. No way Roberto’s gonna ask for help. That’s their code.”
“I’m still thinking those two are connected,” I said. “The Gaylord massacre can’t be ignored.”
“Few days after you tussled with the Cobras, The Babe puts out a bounty on you. Only connection I see is that they’re both People clans. But to tell you the truth, I still think Roberto’s got no respect for the Messengers. I don’t see the connection.”
“There’s gotta be one,” I said.
He cast his eyes downward.
“There’s more.”
I took a deep breath.
“Fire away.”
“The bounty specifies you gotta be alive if the hunters want to collect the reward. Dead dog, live man. If you aren’t alive, they gotta bring your head.”
Being delivered to the man responsible for Stevie’s horrors and the massacre near the college was as disturbing a thought I had ever conceived. As I watched Merlin, I could tell he wasn’t finished with the bad news. I told him to get it all out.
“They’re puttin’ pressure on me, Mac. They know your name. They know you got a dog. And they know you’re the man with the best herb in town. Can’t hide good drugs, Mac. The clans know I been trading with you. Everyone knows the herb I’m smokin’ is your stuff. They want me to rat you out. And if they’re going after me, you know they got to be pressuring every damn person who’s ever even heard of you.”
“Who’s squeezing you?”
“People clans. Any of ‘em I run across last week or so. Some of ‘em won’t trade with me. Others threaten me. Last week the Latin Kings ran me out of their territory. I’m afraid to go do my business, Mac.”
“I don’t blame you for being frightened, Merlin. I’m sorry you got wrapped up in our mess.”
“It isn’t me I’m concerned about, Mac. I could lay low awhile and see if things blow over. I got enough shit stashed in all my places to live for months. But I can’t abandon all of you. I’m worried about you and Sarah and Weasel and Stevie—and old Duke sitting out there in the hall, watching over us. It scares me that half the fucking clans in Chicago want you dead. And what makes me more scared is that I want to help. See what I mean about all of you fucking up my life?”
“I’ve seen you operate for a couple of years now,” I said. “You’re a very brave man, Merlin. You’ve got just as many guts as any of us. It wasn’t easy crawling out of that protective hole. For what it’s worth, we’re not exactly what you’d call defenseless. We can help you survive.”
“Figured as much,” came his reply. “It’s worth more than you know. Thanks.”
“Tell me something,” I said. “We received some info from the pipe that’s very disturbing. The Messengers have be
en taking children as prisoners. You know anything about why?”
“I was planning on getting around to that,” he said. “Nastiest piece of work I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying a lot. He’s expanding so fast, he can’t keep up with the food and guns and ammo for his new recruits. Plus the more men he gets, the more whores and cooks he needs. He usually trades chems. They manufacture Slammer and Bad Boy. But his factory can’t produce enough to keep his own men satisfied plus have a surplus for trade.”
“So he’s selling children?” I asked, horrified.
“Well, yes and no. The Slammer their chems put out makes the men want to fuck anything that moves. Shit, I’ve seen bowlegged sheep in their camp. Babe’s using some of the kids for his own men. Keeps the best ones for himself is what I hear. Sells the rest to other clans with similar proclivities in exchange for guns and ammo. From what I hear, it’s a booming market.”
“It’s what we imagined but never talked about,” I said, hollowly.
“He’s cornering the market on depravity,” Merlin responded. “And I don’t see anyone out there who’s gonna stop him.”
We were finished, I decided. Nothing either of us could say about what we had just shared would serve any purpose. I wanted to be home, see something clean, wash away the filth Merlin and I had just exposed.
And Merlin would accompany me. He needed it too.
“I think it’s about time you came out and visited our little home in the suburbs,” I said. “But first, why in the hell has there been all this subterfuge? Why didn’t you just tell me all this straight up at the beginning of the day?”
Blood of the Dogs_Book I_Annihilation Page 24