by Luis Samways
‘You sure are rude for someone who is trying to convince me that you are going to be cooperative’
The man laughs
‘Fuck you,’ says the man
David grabs the man’s middle finger and snaps it back, breaking it.
‘Fuck!’ screams the man
‘Tell me what I want to know and I won’t take the nail off,’ say David
‘My name is Tony. I work for a group called the Covert Army. We are an anti-establishment militia and our goal is to take over the Whitehouse,’ says the man named Tony, speaking faster than he had ever spoken before.
David starts laughing.
‘Take over the Whitehouse?’ he says in disbelief
‘Yeah,’ says the man calmly, trying to catch his breath back.
‘And how do you suppose you accomplish that with the blinking lights that are making people explode left, right and center?’
The man smiles a sadistic smile.
‘We deployed those lights. We are responsible for those deaths. That’s how we are going to take over the Whitehouse,’ says Tony
Fourteen
Jesse Manteo and Ricky Pastori are walking down the cusp of 9th on 10th after witnessing an explosion just above them in which an apartment building’s windows were blown outwards and shards of glass had rained down on them.
Jesse has brung along a woman in which he had rescued earlier that day from a group of young men who had some evil intentions.
‘So when are we getting to the police precinct?’ asks Gianna
‘I don’t know, are you a kid or something? Stop it with the are we nearly there yet? Routine,’ says Ricky, bringing a smile to his partner’s face.
‘I’m sure we will get there soon Gianna,’ says Jesse, looking back at the pretty blonde who is tagging along a few paces behind the two broad-shouldered cops.
‘I tell you what, these streets are looking less and less lived in with every new block we take,’ says Ricky, looking on at the empty and derelict streets surrounding them.
‘Well maybe the people who lived on these streets were a tad smarter than us, and decided to leave the city already,’ says Jesse
‘If only we were smarter,’ says Ricky
‘Well at least we don’t have any of those symptoms the exploding people get,’ says Gianna
They all look down at their wrists and see nothing but bronzed skin.
‘Well, there’s always a bright side, that’s what I say!’ says Jesse.
Suddenly a massive set of explosions are heard in the distance, followed by an even bigger flame ball mushrooming in the air.
‘What the fuck is that?’ says Ricky
The sky goes bright orange as shards of glass and specs of molten pepper the air.
‘Everyone, get inside that building,’ shouts Jesse, pointing at a hardware store.
‘Why? What’s happening?’ asks Gianna, the fear in her voice is as audible as the sounds of the explosions.
‘We’ve just been hit by a nuke,’ says Jesse
Fifteen
The ground shakes below Donner and the group. Ray looks at her in fear as they stop dead in the middle of the tracks. The static light bulbs above their heads start to swing from side to side as a crescendo of dust kicks up off the muggy walls and thick air.
‘What the hell was that?’ asks Ray, more of a thought, than a question.
Donner looks at the two little girls beside them and smiles.
‘Probably just a quake,’ says Donner
‘In New York?’ says Ray
‘Stranger things have happened,’ says Donner
The both of them look down at the girls and try and limit their ability to scare the two already frightened little ones.
‘I’m sure your right, yeah an earth quake isn’t so bad is it?’ says Ray, smiling at Abigail and Tristan
‘Not if the walls come crashing down and burry us alive,’ says Tristan
Ray starts to chuckle at the fortitude of the little girl.
‘Well they won’t come down on us, you hear me Tristan?’
She nods her head. Abigail smiles at her sister.
‘What about the trains? Can they kill us?’ asks Abigail
‘No, there are no trains here. They have all stopped and are parked with all the other trains at the train station,’ says Donner
‘Is Thomas the Tank with them?’ asks Tristan
Donner smiles, the rumbling of the previous explosion is still rippling through the tracks.
‘I think Thomas the Tank is in England,’ says Donner
‘He can’t hurt us?’ asks Tristan
‘No, why would Thomas the Tank hurt you?’ Asks Ray
‘Not Thomas, the man,’ says Tristan
‘What man?’ asks Ray
‘The one who made our parents go to sleep,’ says Tristan
Both Donner and Ray look at each other at a loss of words. Donner’s eye’s hold more emotion in them than any other set of eyes that Ray has ever seen.
‘No, he’s sleeping too,’ says Ray
‘Forever?’ asks Abigail
Donner shakes her head.
‘No darling, just until we know what to do with him,’ she says.
Abigail’s face goes flushed, as she scrunches her eyebrows down and pulls a face.
‘What’s wrong?’ asks Ray
‘I want him to sleep like mommy and daddy! It’s only fair!’ she says, stomping her foot down in protest
Sixteen
Miss Harriet walks into Mr Conway’s office with a persistent smile on her face. Her boss catches the smile and winks at her, being able to read what good news she has.
‘It’s done then?’ asks Mr Conway, nearly bated for breath
‘Yes, it’s done Sir,’ says Miss Harriet
Mr Conway gets up from his seat and nearly jumps up into the air in joy, but holds himself back, shaking his fist instead.
‘Yes!’ he nearly screams
Miss Harriet smiles at the sheer joy on her boss’s face.
‘Well done Sir, you did good,’ she says
Mr Conway shakes his head in disagreement and walks around his desk towards her with his arms stretched out for an embrace.
‘No, you did good. Without you I know this wouldn’t be possible,’ he says, hugging her tightly for a few moments, then letting go.
‘Thank you Sir,’ she says, still smiling
He nods his head and stares at her for a few seconds, he then smiles, his eye’s widening as he grits his teeth under his thin lips.
‘So, when are we going to hit Washington?’ he asks
‘The second Hawk cruise missile is ready to be fired on your command sir,’ she says
Mr Conway starts to pace the width of his desk, calculating the risks and rewards of the operation.
‘How about we use the A12?’ he asks
Miss Harriet’s facial expression sags at the mere mentioning of the A12.
‘We can’t use that, it will completely destroy Washington,’ she says
‘Isn’t that what we want?’
‘No,’ she says
‘Well then, what do you suggest?’ he asks, starting to seem impatient.
‘How about we leave it for a while, haven’t we proven our point already?’
Mr Conway starts to laugh as he sits back down in his seat. The bulk of his weight creaks the seat firmly into place as the room goes silent.
‘How about you shut up and do your job?’ he says
‘Yes sir,’ she says, trying hard not to express her true feelings.
‘Good. Now get that fucking nuke prepped, and fire it at DC,’ he says coldly, lighting up a cigarette as he waves her off.
Seventeen
‘I told you to freeze,’ shouts the woman as she climbs out of the back of the white van.
Mrs Novik breaths in deeply as she calm’s herself down. She looks the woman up and down, trying to gage a level of understanding of the situation.
‘I don’t w
ant any trouble,’ says Mrs Novik
The dark woman shakes her head
‘Neither do I, bitch,’ she says, still pointing the shiny metallic pistol at Mrs Novik.
The woman’s feet hit the ground with a thud. She is wearing knee high boots, made out of glossy imitation leather, but none the less impressive. Her green overcoat drapes down her back, it flaps in the Albany mid-day winds. She presses the gun against Mrs Novik’s head and firmly holds it into position.
‘Who the hell are you?’ she says calmly, her coat still rattling in the wind.
‘My name is Angelina Novik,’ she says calmly, still mesmerised by the coldness of this particular woman.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ she asks
‘I don’t follow,’ says Mrs Novik
The woman bangs the butt of her gun into the skull of Mrs Novik. The pain pierces through her skin as she lets out a yelp, still trying to sound tough as to not seem weak.
‘Answer the question bitch,’ the woman says, grabbing Mrs Novik’s arm to steady her after the unprovoked blow.
‘I’m trying to survive,’ says Mrs Novik
‘Survive from what?’ asks the woman plainly, still gripping Mrs Novik firmly
‘From people like you! God damn, all I wanted was some food,’ she says
The stern woman’s composer drops a tad as a little humanity is seen in her eyes.
‘Okay…Okay,’ she repeats looking Mrs Novik up and down
‘I just want some food, and I’ll be on my way,’ she says
The woman nods and lets Mrs Novik free of her grip. She holsters her shiny pistol and extends a hand.
‘My name is Clare, Clare White,’ she says, still extending her hand out for a shake.
‘As I said, my name’s Angelina,’ she says, shaking the woman’s hand
The woman hoists herself up onto the van’s loading dock and sits down on it, swinging her legs casually as she looks on at the petrified Mrs Novik.
‘So what’s your story?’ asks the woman named Clare
‘I am from New Jersey,’ she says
The woman looks surprised
‘Well, you are quite far from home…How come?’
‘It’s a long story,’ says Mrs Novik
‘Well I have time!’
Mrs Novik goes on to tell the woman about how she was imprisoned and how she escaped. The conversation lasts a few hours or so as they talk into the early stages of an Albany sunset.
Eighteen
London, England
‘Okay Mr Grimshaw. You are being discharged now. Here are your possessions, and we hope to not see you again anytime soon,’ says the police constable behind the desk, handing Steven his wallet.
‘Yeah,’ says Steven as he puts his wallet into his back pocket.
The sergeant who was interviewing him earlier walks up the hallway near the police station’s entrance with a smile on his face.
‘Ah, so you are leaving,’ says the sergeant as he reaches Steven.
‘Yeah, thanks for the hospitality and all, but I think I have outstayed my welcome,’ says Steven
‘I’m sure we can accommodate more room for you if need be Mr Grimshaw,’ laughs the sergeant.
‘I’m sure you can,’ says Steven as he turns around and walks towards the exit.
‘One more thing Mr Grimshaw, stay out of trouble. We have our eyes on you,’ says the sergeant
‘Will do,’ says Steven walking out of the exit, the sliding doors whooshing open.
‘Prick,’ says Steven under his breath as he walks outside.
The cold British weather nibbles at his face as he walks down the ramp and into the car park. He’s about a hundred meters away when he decides to call someone on his mobile. He grabs his phone and punches in some numbers. He waits for an answer.
‘Hey there, it’s me, just thought I’d tell you I’m on my way home…Don’t worry about that, it was just a misunderstanding dear…Okay, I love you too,’ he says as he hangs up the phone. He spots a CCTV camera pointing down at him and smiles. He waves his hand at it and turns around to walk off the premises. He reaches the stroll path exiting the police station car park and suddenly hears a rumble. He turns around quickly and witnesses the Police station exploding. The windows disintegrate and shatter outwards as shards hit Steven’s face. He flops onto the ground and hugs it for safety. Another huge explosion goes off, letting off all the car alarms as a continuous barrage of noises fill the air. Steven opens his eyes to see the building tilt on its axis and slowly sink like a ship in the sea. He can’t quite believe what he is seeing. Two explosions in one day, both of them he was present at, and then it sinks in. He spots the CCTV camera he was standing next to earlier. It’s been untouched by the blast. He realises what this could mean for him. He quickly gets up.
‘Fuck sake, not again,’ he says as he runs down the street, pushing his way through on looking pedestrians who are mesmerised by the destruction.
Nineteen
Deshaun knocks on the big oak door once more. He and Peter Foster have been at the alleged hideout now for around twenty minutes. They have spent most of the time just rattling at the door, hoping for an answer, unfortunately they haven’t had one.
‘How much longer are we going to waste our time here?’ asks Deshaun, still thumping at the door, his hand going red because of the toughness of the oak surface.
Peter rummages into his left jacket pocket and pulls out a set of keys. He slots one in and turns the rounded off handle. The door creaks open.
‘You had keys all this time and you didn’t say?’ says Deshaun, shocked at the timewasting they have both been partaking in.
‘It’s polite to knock first,’ says Peter.
The birds are chirping in the vast trees that surround the well-kept garden, they walk into the house and close the door behind them. The sound of the wildlife outside is drowned out behind the heavy door as the sound of their own footsteps wallow through the building.
‘Mr Mayor?’ shouts Peter who has produced a flash light from his inside jacket pocket, illuminating the dim interior of the mansion-like hallway.
‘Mr Mayor?’ shouts Peter once more.
The quietness of the building is grating on the nerves of Deshaun as he nervously looks around, catching glimpses of himself in the many shiny objects that clutter the long hallway. In front of them lies a massive stairwell that seems to cascade upwards in pure mansion style, the only thing missing is the stereotypical chandelier hanging in the middle.
‘Fuck me, nice place,’ says Deshaun out loud.
Peter laughs at the candidness of his new found boss.
‘Not too shabby right?’ says Peter, shining his torch in all sorts of directions.
After ten minutes of walking around the massive house they conclude that the Mayor is nowhere to be seen. They decide to sit down in the living room area on a couch. Peter spots the mini bar in the far corner of the grand looking room and goes over to pour two drinks, returning a few seconds later to the couch, drinks in hand. He hands Deshaun a straight bourbon, two fingers width.
‘I hope you like your drinks strong,’ says Peter
‘I’ll drink anything,’ says Deshaun, feeling a little uncomfortable on the Mayor’s couch.
‘You’ll do anything?’ asks Peter, smiling
‘Yeah, work related anyway,’ says Deshaun
‘How about in general?’
‘As in?’
‘Life,’ says Peter
Deshaun starts to feel uneasy again.
‘Could you be more specific?’
Peter slides closer to Deshaun, shifting his weight over on the big leather couch.
‘You know…Life,’ he says again, grinning at Deshaun.
Twenty
David spots the group return in the distance. He can hear their chatter and they sound a bit anxious. David immediately thinks that they must be afraid because of the rumble that happened an hour ago. He looks down at the ground and see’s both
Mitch and the captured prisoner called Tony fast asleep lined up next to each other. They didn’t fall asleep; it was induced by David a few minutes prior. David thought that maybe it was best if they were quiet for when the two little girls got back. He’s also decided to section off an area in the sewage passage in which they find themselves in and cordon it off just for Mitch and Tony, a sort of prison if you like.
‘Hey,’ says David as Ray approaches him.
Ray looks behind him and signals Donner to not come near him and David, fearing the sight of the two prisoners will make Abigail and Tristan upset. She nods her head and holds the two little girl’s hands. They divert away from the make shift holding pen and over to the burning oil drum.
‘So what happened?’ asks Ray.
‘I took a few finger nails,’ says David, looking down at the ground, trying to figure out if he’s one of the bad guys now.
‘I’m sure it was justified,’ says Ray, patting David on the shoulder
‘It may have been too forceful. He ended up telling me what he knew, but was it because he thought that I would kill him if he didn’t?’ says David
‘I think that’s the idea behind torturing someone David, you try and inflict pain so they tell you what you need to know’
David nods in agreement.
‘Maybe I didn’t need to know this,’ He says
‘Why, what did he say?’ asks Ray
‘That they are the ones behind the people self-combusting. They apparently set of these beacons to take out a certain percentage of the population’
‘What sort of percentage?’
‘Everyone, they said they want to take out every damn person on this planet,’ says David
‘It’s just pipe dreams. It isn’t going to happen,’ says Ray
David shakes his head in disagreement. The thought of what he is about to say kills him a little inside. He just can’t bring himself to face the realities of the world they live in.
‘What’s wrong?’ asks Ray, noticing the look on David’s face
‘They said that they have a nuke, and they are going to launch it,’
Twenty One
‘Launching Nuke in two minutes,’ says a loud voice from behind a blast shielded wall.