Kings and Crowns: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 2)

by Chris Yee

  “I like it,” Ella said. “We might be able to pull this off.”

  Rupert stared at the kiosk. “First, we have to figure out how to reach that thing.”

  They all stared straight ahead, watching the light blink. It was just out of reach.

  THIRTY-SIX

  AS THEY WAITED for Simon to return, Saul flipped through the monitor journal, fascinated by the idea that his entire life was chronicled in such a small book. He turned the pages and read about past events from his life. He read about Rodin, about his life after banishment, about his quest to hunt down Barnabus. Everything leading up to now. All two hundred years condensed into a two-inch stack of paper.

  “It’s amazing,” Saul said as he turned the page. “They have everything in here. It’s like I’m reliving my own life. I can’t believe how much we’ve been through.”

  “We have been through a lot, haven’t we? Two hundred years is a long time.”

  Saul read another entry and laughed. “Remember the time we went apple picking, and you said you could reach the highest apple in the tree?”

  “Hey, I was pretty darn close. If those squirrels had minded their own business, I would have made it, easily.”

  “You always blame those squirrels.”

  “Yeah, well you didn’t do any better. You fell eight times or so, at least.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Don’t remind me.”

  “And then you found that blue apple, and I convinced you it was the rarest of sweet apples.”

  “You have no idea how vile it tasted.”

  “I can’t believe you believed me. You were so gullible.”

  “And you took full advantage.”

  Vince chuckled. “Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?”

  Saul stared at the page, titled Apple Picking. “It’s all in here. Everything.” He sighed. “We were good friends.”

  “Good? We were amazing friends. Nothing less.”

  “That’s for sure.” He flipped through some more. “My life. It’s had its ups, and it’s certainly had its downs, but overall it’s been pretty good…My life has been good. Not many people can say that. People die with regrets, wishing they had lived a different life.” He looked away from the page and to the ground. “Not that I don’t have regrets. I have many, but I’ve grown since my days in Rodin.”

  Vince stared at him. “You certainly have.”

  “And when I look back at my life, I’m happy.” A single tear escaped his eye. “I know my days are numbered, but I’m happy with the life I’m leaving.”

  “Saul.”

  “It’s okay, Vince. You don’t have to say anything. We’ll charge the Spire tomorrow and you’ll go on to live the rest of your life, doing good, because you’re a good person. This thing with my lung is something I can’t fight. I’m going to die and I’ve come to accept it.” More tears trickled down his face.

  Vince stood up and walked over to sit next to him.

  “How did Charlotte put it?” Saul continued. “We live, we play, we die. That’s how it goes.”

  “I think she said it more eloquently than that, but you got the point. People die. That’s a part of life. It’s bad to kill, but it’s not bad to die.”

  “It’s bad to kill. We’ve killed plenty, Vince.”

  Vince looked down. “I know.”

  “So are we bad? We kill to stop others from killing, right? You killed Barnabus, and I would have done the same. That doesn’t make us bad people, does it?

  “No.”

  “So why do I feel guilty? Charlotte asked if we would stop draining once Greene is dead. I don’t know if I could, but I guess I don’t have a choice. I will die, plain and simple.”

  “Try not to think about it.”

  “No, that’s my point. I’ve been trying to ignore it this whole time because I was afraid, but Charlotte is right. We shouldn’t fear it. We need to make life the best it can be while it’s here. And then when it’s over, it’s over.”

  Vince smiled. “You’ve grown so much.”

  They sat side by side, in their final moments before charging the Spire.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  ARE ALL OF the cameras disabled?” Simon asked, looking up at the buildings.

  The guard scratched his head. “All of them we could find. There are still plenty out there, but Greene has big blind spots. At least for now.”

  “Good enough. We just need to stay away from them while we search.”

  The guard continued to scratch his head. “Search for what again?”

  “Christ, the sensors. Pay attention, damn it.” He turned to Vince and Saul. “You two are sure this will work? They always have so many people on the walls. It’s hard to find a weak spot. We’ve only managed to get this far with sheer numbers. Just throwing everyone we have at them.”

  Vince nodded. “It will work. They may appear to have lots of people, but they don’t. They play artificial cheering over their speakers to create the illusion of a large army. We’ve seen their team. Greene has a small squad of specialized soldiers, and the rest are just volunteers. Ordinary people. These sensors activate an alarm that tells them which direction you’re coming from. That’s how they’re always ready for you. But when you trigger more than one, it’s chaos up on that wall. They’re a scattered mess. If we can activate three or four at the same time, they won’t know what to do. It will be the perfect time to attack.”

  “He will keep most of his forces at Post Five,” Saul said, “where walls one and two are down. That’s the weakest spot. But Post One is weak as well. That’s good. It’ll spread them out. With these sensors, we can hopefully thin them out even more.”

  “With their forces spread across the wall,” Vince continued, “and using your brute numbers method, we have a good chance of overpowering them.”

  Simon grinned. “That bastard won’t know what hit him.”

  “He knows we’re up to something,” Saul said. “It will be hard to catch him off guard, but I don’t think he’ll be ready for this.”

  Simon scanned the ground in front of him. “What exactly do these sensors look like?”

  Saul shrugged. “We’ve never seen one. All we know is they exist.”

  “Then what the hell are my men supposed to look for? Your plan is useless without those sensors.”

  “Look for anything that looks unusual,” Vince said. “It’s Spire technology. It will probably have the City crest. They’re laid out in an arch around the Spire, so once we find one, the rest should be easy.”

  “But this first one,” Simon said, gritting his teeth. “How do we find this goddamn first one?”

  “Just be patient.”

  “I have no goddamn time for patience. We need to attack Greene while he’s weak.”

  “Believe me,” Saul said. “Finding these sensors will be worth it.”

  “It better be.”

  He sent his men out across the streets to scour every corner, making sure to avoid from active cameras. Vince and Saul stayed with Simon, guiding him to possible points of interest.

  “How strong are these things?” Simon asked.

  “They cover the entire border around the Spire,” Saul said. “So they’re either strong as hell, or there are just a lot of them. It doesn’t really matter for us. We just need to find one in each of the five sections.”

  “We don’t need all five,” Vince said. “Three sections should be enough. Post One and Five are already heavily defended. If we can find sensors in Two, Three, and Four, that should be enough.”

  “And then we attack,” Simon said. “We still have bombs, but we’re running low. In our previous attack, we lost a lot of supplies.”

  And you lost a lot of children, you crazy bastard, Saul thought to himself. “Those were impressive tactics you used against Greene.”

  Simon chuckled. “Greene has always been soft. That day was no different. He hesitated and paid the price. But with the third wall exposed, I can’t expect to be so lucky. He may be sof
t, but he’s not dumb. He learns from his mistakes.”

  “So it wouldn’t work again.”

  “That right. And that’s why your plan better work. We can’t afford any screw-ups.”

  “It will work,” Vince said with confidence. “Trust us. We want to break in just as much as you do. We want to see Greene fall. And our friends are still in there. We need to get them out.”

  Simon’s man yelled from the other side of the block. They turned their heads to hear the distant voice.

  “He must have found something,” Simon said. “Come on, let’s go.”

  They approached the man who was yelling. It was good old Crooked Tooth Jonah, holding the same turtle mug, filled with hot tea. Simon placed a hand on his shoulder. “What did you find?”

  Jonah stepped aside to reveal a small mechanism, poking out of the dirt. On the top was a flashing light, and underneath, 3/2, was imprinted.

  Vince knelt down to examine the device, reading the words on the side. “Invisible fence beacon,” he read. “Thirty-foot-tall model.” He looked up at the virtual fence that he could not see. There was a thin shadow line in the dirt, stemming from the device in both directions. It was faint, but noticeable. It ran along the center of the large street. “It must connect from beacon to beacon, like a real fence, and this is the barrier.” He pointed to the line. “If we walk past this, the alarm sounds.”

  “Post Two on this side,” Saul added, “and Post Three on this side.” He pointed to the right and the left of the device.

  “Ha! We already found two Posts,” Simon said. “This is easier than I thought. Just one more and that sucker’s as good as dead.”

  Vince turned to his left. “If they connect like we think they do, Post Four is this way.” He bent down and pointed to the line. “But don’t pass this barrier. We don’t want to activate the alarm just yet. We can follow it until we reach the next beacon.”

  Simon looked at his men. “What are you all standing around for? You heard the man. Let’s go!”

  They followed the road, staying left of the shadow, and counting their paces. As they walked, Vince could tell that Simon was eager.

  Saul pointed straight ahead. “There it is. It’s amazing how easy they are to spot once you know what to look for.”

  Simon trotted ahead to examine the device. “Yes, this is what we’re looking for.”

  Vince bent down to take a look. It was identical to the last, but it had, 4/3, imprinted instead. “Looks like we found what we need.”

  “If they’re this easy to find,” Saul said, “let’s find Posts One and Five as well.”

  “You’re right.”

  They both looked to Simon, who nodded. “I agree.” He turned to his other men. “Find those other two beacons. I want a squad set up at each one. And don’t cross that goddamn line until I give the order.”

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  TULLY SANDERS STARED out at the buildings, listening to the empty silence. After the covert mission with Vince and Saul, it was nice to be back on the wall. He stood at Post Five, a few yards from the giant gap. A group of volunteers walked by, laughing and messing around.

  “What are you doing?” Tully said. “Get back to your stations. This is serious business.”

  One of them looked over. “Sorry guy. We’re just having some fun. We get bored standing out here all day.”

  “This is no time for fun. Do you understand what’s at stake? Two of our walls have been breached. Simon will attack again, and if he gets through that third wall, the Spire will fall.”

  “Relax. There’s no way he’s getting through that wall.”

  “That’s exactly the kind of thinking that got us in trouble last time. If you care about the Spire, if you care about Mr. Greene, then you will return to your stations. Otherwise, get the hell off this wall.”

  They slowly walked back. “Okay, calm down. We’ll go back.” They wandered off.

  Tully leaned in towards his microphone. “Sir, these volunteers, they’re not fit to defend this wall.”

  “I know,” Greene said through his earpiece, “but we need as many people as possible. If there’s one thing Simon has that we don’t, it’s numbers. All of those men down there have gone through basic cannon training. That should be enough, as long as they follow your lead.”

  The first horn sounded.

  “Will they follow my lead? Those punks seemed pretty resentful when I tried to give them orders.”

  “You’re a good soldier, Tully. And a good leader.”

  “I’ve never led untrained men before.”

  “Today’s the day to learn. Whether you like it or not, we need those volunteers. Even with the return of you and your squad, we’re still low on troops.”

  “Where are the rest of them?”

  “I’ve got a squad in Snow Peak right now. Just make sure they fire those cannons and you should be fine.”

  “I’ll do my best sir.”

  The horn sounded. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

  “They’re coming your way,” Greene said. “Get ready.”

  Tully turned around. “You heard the horns! Get to your stations! Now!”

  They all scrambled around, obeying his direct order. Each group of three was in charge of a cannon. They began lifting the heavy cannonballs and loading them into the barrels.

  “Why aren’t your cannons loaded yet?” Tully yelled. “You were all sitting around when you should have been getting ready! Move it! We don’t have all day!” They pushed into high gear, rolling cannonballs and tossing bricks of black powder. They ran about like confused ants trying to find their queen. “This is madness,” Tully muttered to himself.

  The horn sounded. One. Two.

  “They’re coming at Post Two,” one of the men said.

  “We don’t have anyone stationed there,” said another. “Just One and Five. We need someone over there.” He waved to the others. “Come on, let’s go!”

  “No!” Tully yelled. “Keep your positions. Post One is closer. They can handle it.” Most of the men returned, with a few stragglers sprinting off towards Post Two. “Damn it, we lost a few.”

  “It’s okay,” Greene said. “Just stay calm and focus.”

  Tully turned to the remaining volunteers. “The rest of you better listen to my orders, goddamn it!”

  The horn sounded. One. Two. Three. Four.

  They looked to Tully for orders. “This one is ours,” he said and pointed to a cluster of men. “You, get over to Post Four and ready the cannons.” The group ran off. Tully glanced at the ones who remained. They were running thin. “I don’t have many men left, sir.”

  “Post One is running low as well. They’re spreading us out.”

  “Let’s just hope no more horns go off.”

  “If they do, make sure to—”

  The horn sounded. One.

  “Christ, they’re coming from everywhere,” Tully said.

  “No, they’re not. They found our sensors. They’re messing with us. From now on, ignore the horns. Keep your men where they are.”

  The artificial cheers blared out from the speakers.

  “Yes, sir.” He raised his head. “Orders straight from Mr. Greene. Ignore the horns. Keep your positions.” The men nodded and held their stance. “Mr. Greene, I don’t think we have enough men. If they attack this post, we’re screwed.”

  Greene did not respond.

  “Someone’s coming!” one of them yelled.

  Tully whipped his head around. “Crap!”

  Over his earpiece, he heard the two most frightening words to come from Greene’s mouth. “Oh no…”

  A horde of people came pouring out of the streets, towards the Spire. They screamed at the top of their lungs, holding bombs above their heads as they ran. The bare fields surrounding the Spire were quickly swarmed by Simon’s men. They chanted in unison. “Crowns! Crowns! Crowns!” The rumble of stomping feet shook the ground. The noise got louder as the enemy approached.

&nbs
p; Tully pointed to the crowd and yelled, “Fire!” The men stared at him with looks of confusion. The stomps and screams were too loud. They could not hear him. “Damn it, I said Fire!” He stepped over to the nearest cannon, pushed the man aside, and lit the wick. The blast sent the cannonball hurtling into the crowd, tearing through their bodies and spraying mists of blood. He pointed to the cannon. “Fire!”

  The men finally nodded and jumped into action. A barrage of metal shot out from the wall. Cannonballs fell from the sky, crushing skulls and ripping limbs. Groups of explosions scattered among the mob sent bodies flying up in the air.

  Tully watched as the men fumbled to reload the cannons. He pushed another aside, loaded the cannon himself, and fired.

  “Sir,” he said. “This isn’t good enough. We can’t hold them off. There’s too many. You need to send more people to Post Five.”

  “I’ll do what I can. I have some people already headed back your way. Not many, just a few. Post One is getting hit hard. I need troops there as well.”

  The mob of Crowns was approach fast. “We don’t have time. They’re going to get through.”

  “Don’t let them. They mustn’t get to that third wall.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Damn!” Greene yelled. “Post One. They’ve broken through the second wall.”

  “Already?”

  “I’m moving the men back to One. They need reinforcement more than you do.”

  “No!” Tully begged. “I need them here. They’re going to breach the wall.”

  “Post One is in critical condition. They need help!”

  Tully stared out at the horde closing in. Explosions rose up here and there, but the mob of bloodthirsty people ran straight through. “Fire! Fire! Fire!” he yelled with intense rage. The Crowns reached the first wall and poured through the gap. He pointed down. “Aim at the bottleneck!”