Autumn in the City of Lights

by Kirby Howell

  “I nominate New Burbank’s Autumn Winters,” he said. An applause bigger than I expected went up. Shad startled me by whooping loudly.

  Margery took my name down and called for more nominations. Ms. Whitmore was called on next. “I nominate the other southern Californian delegate,” she said turning to gesture at Karl. I looked at him sitting a few tables away. He gave a gracious nod of acceptance as the crowd cheered.

  “Well, we knew that was coming,” Grey whispered, squeezing my hand. “Don’t worry.”

  Vincent from the New York settlement was called on next. “I nominate Margery Durand,” he shouted. There was a smaller round of applause.

  Margery raised her hand, quieting the hall. “While I am truly honored to be considered for this position, I feel it my duty to humbly decline. I brought you all here as a means of rebuilding, and I wouldn’t want to give the impression that I, or the city of Paris, had intentions of ruling this delegation. I will happily serve whomever is elected.”

  A small applause followed, and I held my breath. She wasn’t done.

  “It is in that spirit of cooperation that I ask those who would have supported me to consider voting for the Los Angeles delegate, Karl. I believe him to be a fair and just man, and strong enough to unify us as we move into the future.”

  My heart sank as thunderous applause echoed around the room, and I gave Grey a sideways glance.

  “I can’t believe it,” I whispered. “I really thought I got through to her.”

  “That’s going to make the vote tighter,” Grey whispered. He squeezed my hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry yet. There’s still hope.”

  After a few more nominations, Margery moved right into the vote. “No need to stand on ceremony, I suppose,” she announced. “I’m going to call out a candidate’s name and ask that you raise your hand to vote. Here we go.”

  My name was the first called, and I raised my hand and peeked around the room. Franklin’s hand was raised high, as were Cheri’s, Eric’s and Roslyn’s. When I took in the whole hall, I thought I had about a fourth of the vote. Maybe that would do. There were a lot of delegates nominated — but only one I had to beat.

  She went through the other names, and a few hands went up for each, but I was the clear front-runner so far. And then she called Karl’s name. I took a breath and held it as I watched the hands go up. Half the hands in the room rose. Goosebumps rippled across my skin, and my heart jumped into my throat. Karl had won the election. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing what would happen now.

  Karl strode up to the podium amidst cheers and clapping, wading through a crowd of people wanting to shake his hand. When he finally made it to the podium, Margery greeted him with a kiss to both checks and congratulated him.

  I grabbed Grey’s hand. “Do we have to do this?”

  His forehead was pinched with worry, but his voice was steady when he said, “I’m afraid so.”

  The applause arose around us as Karl began thanking his supporters. A few jeers cut through the mostly elated crowed. Next to us, Franklin tore his hat from his head and beat it once against his leg, then started toward the exit. He wasn’t the only one leaving in disgust. Grey ushered me to walk with the few people streaming from the room, but we didn’t leave. We quietly made our way to the front. Daniel and Shad had done the same around the opposite side of the room and were across from us now, on the other side of the podium.

  “Thank you, thank you,” Karl said, gesturing for the crowd to quiet. “It’s been a tough road for us all, but it’s time we get down to business. The whole world is looking to us to rebuild and revive the population... ”

  Grey squeezed my hand, then let go. A sick feeling spread through me as I forced myself forward, away from Grey. Karl paused in his speech as I approached and he smiled, shaking his head, as if he’d expected this.

  I clenched my suddenly ice cold fingers into fists and saw myself reflected in the wall of mirrors behind Shad and Daniel. I looked like a terrified little girl. I told myself this would end everything.

  “The charade is over, Karl,” I said in my calmest voice.

  Gasps echoed around the room as Daniel, Shad, and Grey all pulled guns from their waistbands and took aim at Karl, whose hands went up. He looked genuinely stunned.

  “You can’t keep fooling everyone,” I said. “It’s time to show everyone who you really are.”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” he said, arms innocently raised.

  “Cut the crap,” Shad barked from the other side of the room, his gun pointed at Karl. “You brought The Plague that killed everyone.”

  Murmurs filled the room as Karl slowly turned to face Shad. “That is a ridiculous accusation.”

  A few people moved to intervene, but Grey stepped closer, his own gun pointed at Karl as well. “Nobody move,” he said.

  There was a flicker of movement near the door to the hallway, and I saw Franklin, his feathered hat still clutched in his hand. The anger on his face had been replaced with astonishment.

  Feeling like a sudden gust of wind filled my sails, I turned back to Karl. "There’s a simple way out of this. I want you to astral project away.”

  The noise around the room grew louder as the delegates and their friends murmured to each other, some translating.

  I raised my voice. “They’ll see what you are and know we’re telling the truth. If you don’t project, we’ll kill you. Either way, you lose.”

  Karl sighed heavily. “Now you see what it’s been like in Los Angeles with your own eyes,” he said to the delegates.

  “One... ” Grey said.

  “I thought you were smarter than this,” Karl said. An uneasy feeling fluttered through my chest.

  “Fly away, birdie,” Shad taunted. “Show them what you really are, or we’re going to shoot.”

  “Two... ” Daniel shouted from his position.

  Karl turned his dark eyes to me, and though he spoke quietly, I could hear him perfectly. “Then you leave me no choice.”

  I squashed the flare of anxiety inside me and forced myself to stare back at him.

  “Three!” I yelled.

  The blast from all three guns made a deafening noise I was sure would crack the mirrors. The one behind Karl did shatter, the glass raining down to the floor. The shards should have fallen around his feet, but he was no longer there.

  Karl had vanished. People began shouting, then screaming in terror. Margery’s face went white, and she clutched the neck of her dress.

  “He’s not here! He’s gone!” Franklin shoved the podium on its side to prove it.

  “Was he shot?” Someone called, and a chorus of questions and exclamations filled the hall.

  “How did he do that?!”

  “What is he?!”

  “WHERE is he?!”

  Good question, I thought, looking around the room in concern. He could still be here, waiting and watching. Or maybe he was hiding, afraid of what everyone now knew about him. I swallowed, hoping that was the case. My hands were shaking. No, my whole body was shaking. The uneasy feeling returned, spreading into the corners of my chest.

  Grey moved forward, lowering his gun to his side, and opened his mouth to speak.

  Before a word could be spoken, I saw Karl appear behind Shad. I screamed as Karl grabbed Shad’s head with both hands and twisted violently.

  Daniel turned his gun on Karl and fired, but it was at empty air. Arms like vice grips wrapped around my body. As the world around me vanished, the last thing I saw was Shad. His back was to the room, his body limp on the floor like a child’s forgotten toy, and his wide, lifeless eyes reflected in the wall of mirrors.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  A scream of horror filled my throat, my ears, my whole body. Karl threw me to the floor, and then he was gone. I was afraid to look up. He’d taken me somewhere, and I had no idea where. But I didn’t care. All I could see were Shad’s eyes. Staring at the wall. Lifeless. Empty. Dead.

  My stomach turned. I br
aced myself against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut until I was done throwing up. I lurched away from the puddle and crashed into the opposite wall, which was disturbingly close. I curled against it, pressing my palms against my eyes. I saw Karl’s hands on either side of Shad’s head. His body folding, falling to the floor, the throbbing life inside of him gone forever.

  We would all die. That was a simple fact.

  Why had we lived through a plague that had killed most of the world, only to be picked off one by one as we tried to reassemble the pieces? What kind of cruel existence was this? Were we being punished? Or had I actually died along with everyone else, and this was my own personal hell?

  To Karl, Shad was just another person who had to die for him to get what he wanted. A way to get revenge. To express his anger. To let us know he still had the upper hand.

  To me, Shad represented the best of us. His jokes, his laughter, his smile. His eagerness to make everyone feel as good as he did. The fraction of us who were left had clung to Shad’s happiness like a lifeline. He had been my friend.

  Had been. Had been. He was no longer here.

  I turned into the gray concrete wall and allowed the tears to come. I unclenched my muscles and let the sobs rack my body. Tears poured from my eyes, and my mouth hung open. I didn’t care who heard my wails. I didn’t care what they thought. I didn’t care if anyone heard me at all. I didn’t care if I was alone. I didn’t give a damn.

  After a time, my eyes dried, and the occasional hiccup punctuated the silence, echoing off the walls around me. I opened my eyes and stared at the very small room, absorbing it for the first time. It was more like a large closet in an off-putting shape, narrower at one end than the other. I closed my eyes and wished hard it had all been a bad dream. When I opened them, I still saw the odd-shaped room around me, and I wanted to cry again. I pinched the skin on my arm just inside the elbow as hard as I could, feeling the zing of pain.

  “Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up,” I pleaded with myself, dissolving into despair again. I wrapped my arms around my head, burying my face, and sobbed again. Had it only been this morning that I’d woken up with Grey, Daniel, and Shad in an Appalachian cabin? Had I really just seen Mamó yesterday? How had everything gone so wrong, so quickly? We’d tried so hard. Why did Karl get to keep winning? Why did we have to keep dying? My parents, Sarah, Todd, Tess, Shad... and countless others.

  If I didn’t get out of here, Karl would make sure I was next on that list. The thought should have frightened me, but I was shocked to realize I didn’t care. At least this whole mess would be over, and the solution wouldn’t be up to me any longer. I wouldn’t have to fight anymore. To be taken out of the equation suddenly felt like a blessing.

  I sat against the wall for a while, waiting and trying to think. Then I slid down until my head was against the floor. There were no windows in this room, just smooth white concrete everywhere – walls, ceiling, floor. The only things interrupting the concrete were two power outlets, a dim ceiling light, and a door at the widest end of the room. I lay on the floor and stared at that door for a long time. What did it matter if I got out of here? Then Rissi’s face floated before me. Then Connie’s and Daniel’s. And Grey’s. I told myself I had to try.

  I got up and pulled at the door handle. Locked. I banged on the door with my fist once, and the surge of power in my arm felt good. I hit the door again. And again. I kicked and hit the door and yelled until my voice cracked and my hands began to ache. I felt awake. So I continued. It felt good to relieve some pressure, like a small break in a great dam wall.

  I spun around and looked at the room again. There was nothing to indicate where I was or what time it was, if it was day or night, and nothing to gauge how long I’d been here. And I hadn’t worn a watch.

  I checked my pockets, but all I found was the Euro coin Shad gave me earlier. I stared at it a moment, seeing him wink as he handed it to me, telling me to buy some votes with it. Tears pooled in my eyes again, and I flung the coin as hard as I could across the small room. It pinged off the opposite wall, bounced a few times on the floor, then rolled to a stop near my feet.

  How could he just be gone? How could anyone just disappear so suddenly from the world?

  A chill crept over me and settled at the bottom of my stomach. What would Connie do when she found out Shad was dead? An involuntary image of her slowly collapsing on the floor, mouth open in a silent wail, her pretty blue eyes wide and bright with sudden tears, clutching her huge pregnant belly. Another child lost.

  Why couldn’t The University have invented time travel instead of the E-Vitamin? It would be so much more useful. Forget that stupid Emotion Eradication Act! Time travel, people!

  The urge to laugh came over me, and I pressed a hand over my mouth. Tears came instead of laughter, and I slid down the wall to the floor and allowed them to come again.

  Who knows how long later, a dull click woke me. I sat up and looked around, wondering where the noise came from. The door opened, and I scrambled to my feet.

  A girl entered the room carrying a large plastic cup and a bright yellow box. The color of the box almost matched the blonde hair falling around a heart-shaped face.

  “Sam?” I asked, my voice cracking with disuse.

  She didn’t respond. She set the cup and the box on the floor and backed out of the room. The door closed, and the lock clicked back into place. The room was so insulated I didn’t even hear her footsteps as she walked away. If she had walked away.

  So Sam had made it back to Karl. Grey and I had freed her from imprisonment in Las Vegas in exchange for information on Karl’s imminent attack on Hoover. And apparently Karl hadn’t killed her for warning us. Or maybe she’d told him she escaped. I pondered how long she must have wandered the desert before getting back to Karl.

  I crossed to the door. The cup was full of water. I bent to pick it up and sniffed. It smelled like water. I dipped a finger into the clear liquid and then put it in my mouth. I remembered hearing once that most poisons had a foul taste, which was why, historically, it was so hard to kill anyone that way. The water tasted clean and clear on my tongue, and I let myself swallow, hoping I was right about it being untainted. I waited what felt like at least half an hour, taking mental assessments of my body. Did I feel different? I didn’t think so. Did that mean the water wasn’t poisoned, or at the very least, drugged? When I finally convinced myself I was unchanged, I finally allowed myself to take a few sips of water. I repeated the pattern of sipping and waiting, sipping and waiting.

  After drinking half the contents, I began inspecting the box. At first, it looked like Cheerios, but the logo was a tad off. “Tasty-O’s!” arced over a picture of a smiling little boy with his two front teeth missing.

  The box was still sealed. I hoped that meant it was untouched. I ripped it open, suddenly realizing the pain in my torso was hunger. I’d eaten a few handfuls before I realized the cereal was incredibly stale. I checked the expiration date on the lid flap. The date was four years before the outbreak, which made the cereal well over six years past expiration. Figures. It tasted like sawdust in my mouth, but I was starving. I sat down and began transporting handfuls of Tasty O’s! from the box into my mouth. I sipped the water to help wash away the stale taste.

  When I finally couldn’t eat any more, almost half the box was gone, and about an inch of water filled the bottom of the cup. I felt better having a full stomach, but not much. I was still here, and I had no idea how long it would be before Sam came back. Or if Karl would come back. Maybe he’d put me here to forget about me. His last words to me the night he’d attacked Hoover rang in my ears suddenly. “I know how much you love your new family. Make Grey want to help me, or I’ll make you very sorry he didn’t cooperate.” Then he’d disappeared, leaving me alone and dangling off the edge of a crumbling cliff.

  Now that he had me tucked neatly out of the way, he had one less person to get in the way of him properly threatening Grey into helping h
im.

  Some time passed, and I began to regret drinking so much of the water. I had to go to the bathroom. But there was nowhere to go in this room. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the feeling. Someone would come before it got too bad.

  After losing count of how many times I hummed the theme song to an old sitcom I used to watch with my dad, I got up and began pacing the tiny room, careful to avoid the drying puddle of vomit against the opposite wall. The pacing made the urge worse, so I sat down again and crossed my legs.

  I tried my best to go to sleep, but the mounting pressure was hard to ignore. I got up and crossed to the door. I hit it with my fist several times.

  “Sam! Are you out there? I need to use the bathroom! Please let me out for just a minute! Please! Sam? Anyone?”

  I yelled until my voice was hoarse, but no one came. They were either ignoring me, or no one was there. I looked around the room desperately, my eyes landing on the plastic cup, now empty.

  “No way,” I muttered to myself. “I can’t do that.”

  I sat down again, this time with my back against the door, so I could be sure to hear anything that might happen on the other side. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on Grey. I worried about how he was dealing with Shad’s death and my disappearance. I wondered if he was still in Paris with Daniel and the others in our group, or if they’d been able to fly back home.

  I wished Grey had a homing beacon for people. He could project here if he knew where I was. But he didn’t know. Even I didn’t know. A sudden thought tore through me. What if Karl had taken me away from Earth? He was capable of it. But then I remembered Sam was here and the Tasty O’s!, not to mention the standard electrical socket on the wall. Not only was I still on Earth, I was probably back in the United States.

  I took a shaky breath and tried to avoid staring at the plastic cup. Its glorious ability to hold liquid mocked me from across the room, where it sat quietly waiting for the inevitable.

  It was all I could think about after a while. It took precedence even over worrying about Grey and mourning Shad. I tried pounding on the door again, screaming, and kicking the doorknob until I was almost sure I’d broken a toe. I would have to pee into the cup, or end up peeing in my pants, which would be far worse.