The Birth of Dystopia

by A. Q. Moser

  “We can’t go back to Billy’s place,” I announced without hesitation. “They know it was us and come after us there.”

  Cadet peered out the window and up. “Hopefully no helicopters or satellite photos too. They could be tracking us from above.”

  Raising an index finger Billy had an idea. “I know. I got an awesome hideout place. Plus I know a place in Toronto where we can switch cars in a secure garage. No one can follow us. Guaranteed.” He smiled at his ingenuity, although who could deny him since he was our only option out of this mess.

  “Yeah, we got to ditch this car,” Cadet agreed.

  46

  In a station wagon, May drove us south on the highway back to Toronto; we were five determined passengers and one unconscious involunteer. The setting sun cast a red stream of light, stretching across the incoming clouds. On the ground, we reached the heritage house that separated the expanding city and the next municipality. Like a tsunami front hitting the shoreline, trouble was a brewing and we needed to get away as fast as possible. We were taking on the military, an organized group of soldiers trained in attacking and killing. What were our chances? As fugitives there was one major advantage to having the rock star Billy, his money and lots of it.

  Money was good if we had an action plan. “What’s our next step?” I sought, seeking a level of reassurance that everything was going to be all right.

  May fidgeted behind the driver’s seat. “I know. I post an article to the Daily Toronto so everyone can read about it. I would entitle it Medium delivers dual messages.”

  “Great idea,” Wolfgang supported. “We should do this now.”

  “Let’s get off the road first in case we’re being followed.” Cadet was concerned with our current situation.

  Billy held up a hand to silence everyone for he was about to speak. “Let’s stick to the plan and get to the hideout. Then worry about the article afterwards.”

  May nodded, still focused on driving.

  The resources available to a band of civilians stuck in a situation like this were limited. Our main weapon was to voice our concerns to as many people as possible through the help of the Internet. We had the incriminating items that delivered a subliminal transmission and a scientist who was engaged in a secretive military project.

  “Continue down the highway till you reach exit ten, Creek drive. Then exit and go south on it till you reach a mall on Jolin Street,” Billy directed assured by his plan of escape. “I have an old keyless car in the mall’s garage that we can switch with. I use it to confuse the annoying paparazzi. It’s an old celebrity trick.” He winked with excitement by ingenuity of his plan, comforted by the brilliance of his capacity to come together during a moment of pressure. “The garage exit leads to an underground underpass. So many ways to get out of the mall that not even a helicopter or satellite can track this. And to make it even tougher, the car belongs to someone else. It’s brilliant.”

  “If we get away with this, then we got it.” Wolfgang rubbed a hand across his beard as if having calculated our slim odds for escape.

  Heeding Billy’s directions, May took exit ten off the highway. Creek drive eventually became Jolin Street, which led us to a stacked garage as part of a superplex mall. The concrete garage spanned several stories up and just the same underground. Inside the stacked lot, cars were scattered everywhere bustling around as if it were the Christmas Eve rush. The mall was a bustling place with lots of traffic coming in and out just as Billy had described. May headed to the ramp, going down a level. Around a sharp bend and we were on the look for a parking spot for the station wagon.

  “There’s one on the left.” I pointed ahead at the end of the row of cars.

  Intent on getting to the available spot, May headed straight and signalled for it. In that instant, a silver beamer cut across and snuck into the parking spot.

  “What the!” From the backseat, Billy hunched over May’s shoulder. “Hey,” he shouted at the driver of the beamer.

  “Quiet,” May requested. “We cannot draw attention to ourselves.”

  Not budging, the female driver watched back unsure what to do. Her two mean-looking children bounced around in the back seat.

  Teaming full of road rage, Billy slammed his fists against the window. He was agitated more by the theft of this parking spot without realizing that we committed a far worse transgression—kidnap.

  “There’s another spot, don’t worry.” May parked the station wagon somewhere else.

  “We should be as discreet as possible,” Cadet requested.

  Opening the side door, Billy jumped out, blowing caution to the wind. “Wait here while I go get the car.” Our fearless leader shut the door and scurried off.

  Wolfgang peeked under the blanket. “Tamme is still out,” he noted.

  “Trust me, he’s not dead,” Cadet asserted.

  Expecting a multimillion-car, a maroon minivan with tinted windows pulled up behind the station wagon. Billy stuck his head out. “Let’s get a move on people.”

  Serving as a lookout, I scanned the concrete garage for any unusual suspects. The evening rush to get to the superplex mall and shop was more important to the folks than anything we were up to.

  Together, Cadet and Wolfgang slipped out of the cargo door. Cadet knocked on the rear door of the minivan to unlock it. Billy pressed a button and popped it open without leaving his seat. In one foul swoop, Wolfgang and Cadet tossed the body of Tamme into the open trunk like a sack of potatoes. As if it were his only set of belongings, Cadet returned for the single duffel bag of gear. Shutting the rear door, they filed into the minivan as if nothing wrong was done.

  May charged out of the wagon and scurried to the minivan. “I want to sit in the middle.” She crouched low in her seat and started biting her nails.

  Observing the empty water bottles we drank in the forest, I checked the abandoned station wagon for any incriminating items. Not seeing anything else, I properly discarded them in a nearby recycling bin. Then without further delay I moved to the front seat next to Billy. Cadet and Wolfgang sat at the back keeping a vigil eye over Tamme should he recover and cause a racket.

  “No one can follow us,” Billy proclaimed.

  Set up with a new set of wheels, we drove away. We proceeded around the opposite end of the concrete garage, twisting and turning to the right following the signs to the alternate exit. Reaching a long tunnel stretch, the garage ceiling changed to an arc. The tunnel was built as an outlet to relieve heavy traffic at this popular mall.

  Our rock star’s plan to switch the station wagon for an untraceable minivan under the cover of an enclosed parking lot was brilliant. The confusion of the mall was to our advantage. An overcrowded city life was a great place to hide under the cloak of anonymity. I felt safe.

  Upon exiting the underground, Cadet stared up towards the sky. “There’s no helicopter anywhere and satellites won’t work with the poor visibility.” He spoke like the overcast night was to our advantage.

  “Garage cameras could track us,” Wolfgang supplied an alternate possibility.

  “There’s no way they could track us,” Billy said in an expert voice. “Tons of cars go in and out of that garage. The list of cars would be endless. Plus I got some connections with the security crew here.” Confident, he leaned back in his seat. “Trust me, we’re in the clear.”

  Billy had us on a secondary highway, highway seven, darting to the east end of the city. Speeding a bit. “I got this awesome hideout that nobody knows about,” he described.

  Leaving the highway, we passed under a train overpass and stopped at a red light. We turned right and drove past a few more lights until we made another right turn off the main road into a tiny suburb tucked off of the main road. The drive continued along a curvy road followed by another right turn

  Billy pulled into the driveway of a modest two-story house with two garage doors. “Here we go, safe and sound,” he announced, excited to be in this neighbourhood.

 
Vouching for the house, Billy’s new hideout appeared peaceful and inconspicuous enough that a multimillionaire rock star could easily lay low without anyone catching on. The simple brick design matched the other homes in the area. The front entrance had a host of flowers leaning over the stone pathway. The second level extended over the two-door garage, looking to add plenty of room. It had the appeal of a happy family’s home full of life despite that no lights were on and the driveway was empty of any cars.

  Entering the driveway, Billy used a garage door opener stowed behind the minivan’s window visor to open the two-door garage. He drove front first into an empty spot in the spacious, undecorated garage except a workbench displaying a handful of tools and a bench clamp. Pushing the button again the garage door closed, sealing us inside.

  “Don’t worry someone will get rid of this ride. I got protection here too,” Billy counselled us, bragging about the extent of his connections. He opened the minivan door and looked back to us. “Anybody hungry?”

  The need to eat did not have a high priority on my list. The extra weight in the trunk was too distracting, not to mention that a military force was hunting us down. I would rather be home, but there was no chance I could go there now. They knew our names and that would be the first place to check. My parents would freak out to hear what I did. But at least I was standing up to the cruel efforts of the military. They would understand.

  “Tamme is awake and a bit grumpy,” Cadet pointed out from the back seat.

  Popping open the trunk of the minivan, Billy slipped out of his seat and headed to the back. “We should hide him downstairs.”

  Handing Billy a roll of duct tape he had in his bag, Cadet then proceeded to unload his duffel bag and placed it off to the side of the garage.

  “Billy, is that you?” By the doorway to the house, a bulky man called out.

  Entirely caught off guard, I jumped back. That was twice today I was startled—the first being when Tamme surprised us at the military base.

  “Hey Bruno, meet the gang,” Billy introduced the bulky man. “Gang, meet Bruno.”

  Dressed in Goth black and matching with painted fingernails, Bruno peered inside the minivan. “Hello everyone.” He waved. His neck was almost thicker than his head.

  “Hello,” we replied in unison.

  “What brings you back to this neck of the woods?” Bruno stepped towards Billy and gave him a hug.

  Billy pointed to the trunk of the minivan with the old man. “I got a guest here who needs to disappear for a while.” He twirled the roll of duct tape on his finger.

  Bruno smiled, understanding the situation. “I know we can hide him downstairs.”

  Billy patted Bruno on the back. “You’re the best.” He presented Bruno the roll of duct tape without any need to explain its purpose.

  “If you’re other guests are hungry, there’s plenty of leftover chicken,” Bruno mentioned. “I’ll handle this caseload.”

  “Let’s go eat everyone.” Billy waved us inside. “One more think Bruno, get rid of this minivan and if you’ve got some extra time change the station wagon at the mall.”

  “Sure,” Bruno replied, complaisant to the demands.

  More than happy to see the situation was under control, I accepted the invitation to eat. Exhausted from the long trip, May, Cadet and Wolfgang followed me into the house. To the right of the hallway was a set of stacked washing machines and an open door leading downstairs. Moving towards a fluorescent light on the left side, we were in a modest size kitchen decorated with oversized wooden spoons and forks. A partially drawn Venetian blind covered a kitchen window overlooking a vegetable garden in the spacious backyard.

  Seated at the far end of the kitchen table, a tattooed lady with black finger nails smiling from ear-to-ear at seeing Billy. She got up and gave him a big hug. “My favourite boy.”

  Billy smiled as the tattooed lady smothered him. “Nice to see you too, Giselle.” They welcomed each other with an embrace.

  Billy turned to us. “I want to introduce to you my friends. Joel, May, Cadet and Wolfgang. If you don’t mind, they’re goink to be stayink with us for a few days.”

  “My dear, your friends are my friends. Hello everyone.” Giselle grinned at meeting us.

  “Nice to meet you,” May spoke up.

  “Hello,” I replied.

  “Thank you for having us,” Wolfgang acknowledged the host.

  “Hi,” Cadet said.

  “Is dear Billy still pronouncing his i-n-g words as if they end in i-n-k?” Giselle poked fun at Billy.

  Yanked down a notch, we giggled at the mention of Billy’s enunciation. Billy took it well and laughed too. Despite the tough tattoo exterior, Giselle’s genuine voice was amusing to listen to. She seemed like a person who enjoyed life and never took matters too serious.

  “My dear, he’s been doing his own thing since I can remember,” Giselle reminisced. “Please have a seat and take a load off.”

  Gathering around the kitchen table, Giselle made it her job to fuss over us. She set a clean plate and utensils in front of each one of us and then brought forth a plate of leftover fried chicken and chicken strips. “I can imagine how hungry Billy must be. So please, my dears dig in.” She returned with a bowl of fried rice and a large pitcher of juice made from stirred-in favoured crystals.

  Savouring the delicious meal set forth, I reached for a drumstick. Cadet was devouring a hefty helping of fried rice with a spoon.

  “Giselle, Bruno and I go way back,” Billy mumbled with a mouth full of food.

  “You have a lovely home Giselle,” May complimented.

  “Thank you my dear. Billy always kept wonderful company. He’s a good kid unlike what those mean media people say about him.” Giselle blamed the intrusive media for the bad publicity.

  “Exactly,” Billy agreed as if he were innocent of any wrong doings.

  Though the media were known with starting false rumours, we did kidnap an old man and held him hostage in the basement. If Giselle only knew what was really going on.

  “Can we get a tour of the house?” May requested, intrigued as any guest would be.

  “My dear, certainly. How about you finish eating and then Billy can show you around?” Giselle petted Billy’s hair, happy to have him in her home.

  Enjoying the attention, Billy smiled like a good little boy.

  Finishing his portion of food, Wolfgang turned to Giselle. “The chicken is delicious,” he praised her fine cooking.

  Billy choked on the food. “He said chicken,” he mumbled with a mouth full of rice.

  Reacting to the childish comment, May could not resist giggling. Wolfgang looked unimpressed. Cadet chose to ignore the comment and focus on consuming. Billy was funny sometimes. In desperate situations, any ounce of humour was totally acceptable. Actually humour was warranted to lighten the heavy spell that lay all around us.

  “Would my dears like something to drink?” Giselle asked the group.

  “I’m dying of thirst,” Cadet wheezed through his words.

  “I’ll have one too,” May asked for, fidgeting in the chair.

  Yearning to host Billy’s guests, Giselle headed to the fridge and returned with a large jug of peach juice and a smile to match. She then filled five glasses equally to the brim.

  “You’re amazing Giselle,” Billy commented, nearly spitting out his rice. “See I said amazing and not amazink.”

  “Oh my dear, I still won’t serve you any alcohol.” Giselle knew what Billy was really calling for. “Sorry but I don’t serve a drop of alcohol in this house. It’s one of my house rules and Billy knows it very well.”

  “I like that rule,” Wolfgang approved especially since he never touched the stuff.

  Averting further effort into a house rule he seemed against, Billy shovelled the rest of the rice and left a near shine on the plate. Giselle removed the finished plate and placed it in the sink for washing.

  Replete with food, I chugged down the peach beverage
. Then I refilled the glass only to down another glass of the mouth quenching juice.

  Everyone was staring at me.

  “Easy there, thirsty boy” Billy mocked.

  “Wow, you must’ve been really thirsty,” Cadet remarked. He reached for another drumstick and was eating like he never seen real food in decades.

  I was glad Cadet was drawing the attention away from me. Wolfgang sat back satisfied by the meal. May ate and drank very little, expecting Billy to fulfill his promise to give a tour of the house.

  Needing a little more time, Cadet was the last to finish eating. Once everyone was done, Giselle cleaned up the kitchen table and started washing the dirty dishes and cutlery.

  “Thanks Giselle, the food hit the spot,” I remarked favourably on the gracious hospitality.

  “You’re welcome, my dear,” Giselle replied pleased.

  “Everybody done?” Billy wiped a serviette across his mouth.

  Set on the opportunity to tour the house, May propped up in her chair. She fluttered her eyelids at Billy in gratitude.

  47

  Exiting the kitchen, Billy guided us down the hallway past the garage door but stopping at a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. Flicking a light switch on, he revealed the front foyer next to an open living room. We huddled together expecting him to regale his humble beginnings.

  Billy pointed to May. “Tour time,” he sang eloquently.

  Reveling in the song, May giggled girlishly.

  “Billy, let’s skip the tour for now,” Cadet spoke up, preoccupied with another matter. “I have a few questions for our special guest.”

  Ignoring Cadet, Billy wrapped an arm around May’s hips and together they danced towards the stairs. “Tour time, tour time,” they sang in unison, over and over.

  Troubled, Cadet shook his head, bothered by the complacency. He had the look of knowing he was in the wrong place. Sort of what I would imagine a prisoner enclosed in a foreign prison, unaccustomed to the social security regulations inside.

  Expressing an interest to pose a question, Wolfgang raised a hand as if following a classroom protocol.