Reddened Wasteland

by Kyle Perkins

  In the first few he didn’t find anything noteworthy, and he smiled to himself at the possibility that his superiors were just paranoid. But then, he popped open the fourth locker.

  In the back of the locker, hidden away under a heap of clothing, he found a small piece of metal with shavings and dust around the sharpened edges. There were carvings in the metal that matched those he had seen in the meeting with Bragog.

  “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, “I’ve got something.”

  What he had feared the most had actually happened, The Union was right all along. There may not be some huge conspiracy behind it all, but at least one person was doing the carving. Possibly more. He hated that he would have to report this to Bragog.

  “Okay, you got what you needed. Let’s get out of here,” Velar hissed impatiently as she tugged on his sleeve like she always did, “This whole thing is creeping me the fuck out.”

  “Let’s go.”

  He let her take the lead. They headed out of the locker room and proceeded back towards the surface. Alerik spotted a guard as they were walking and flagged him down.

  “Velar, I have to go now. I’ll meet you at the bar right after work. While they do their investigation, I say we should probably conduct our own. Something tells me this is bigger than The Union is letting on,” He said.

  She nodded silently and left his side as the guard drew closer.

  “I need to speak to Bragog,” Alerik moved close enough to the guard that he wouldn’t have to shout it across the jobsite. The man immediately radioed up and a few moments later he was given the okay to send Alerik through.

  Alerik returned to the office, in much the same manner as the day before. He found himself sitting at the same table looking across at the same hefty man through the same cloud of smoke. This time he noticed how stuffy the room was, the air heavy with a musky kind of smell like old mildew-ridden shoes.

  It made his stomach churn, but that might have been more about what he had found at the jobsite and less about the smell of the room.

  The man was slumped in his chair and he appeared haggard, as if he had been up for several nights.

  “Alerik,” Bragog leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands over his chest, “What do you have for me?”

  Alerik jumped right in, not wanting to spend more time in the musty office than was necessary, “I searched some lockers and found some etchings, the same as the one you showed me before. I think you may be on to something after all…” his voice trailed off as he fidgeted nervously in his seat. Tattling on his coworkers to The Union didn’t sit well with him. He tried reminding himself that he was doing the right thing. If this group did successfully organize an attack, innocent lives were at risk.

  “So now you know that this situation is real,” Bragog let out a sad sigh, “I feared this were the case. We weren’t entirely sure. Honestly I still had hopes that it was just a fluke, the etchings we found before. Some rebellious teenager looking for attention, or something. But now it seems we were right in our decision to follow up,” He brought his hand up to his chin and thoughtfully rubbed his goatee. “Now, I have to report this up the chain. Alerik, you head home, I will contact you in the morning. I fear this may be a bigger infestation than we originally predicted. This is now a legitimate threat to us and the people in those mines,” he shook his head as he gestured for Alerik to leave.

  Alerik gladly complied, he had a lot to think about. If Bragog was right, it could mean that everyone’s safety had been compromised. The saddened look on Bragog’s face had been a bit of a surprise, the man seemed genuinely upset. Maybe the people in The Union were just misunderstood. Maybe they weren’t bad and they were what they claimed to be – protectors of the people.

  Still, Alerik left the office with a heavy heart. He had possibly stopped an attack, but what would it cost the others? At the very least, security procedures would be obnoxiously strict in the days to follow. He reasoned the miners would be better off uncomfortable than dead.

  He had to get to Velar, give her a warning about possible things to come. He just with he had more information to give her. Until his new buddy Bragog filled him in, his understanding of the situation would be limited. He knew it was bad, the question was how bad.

  ***

  The bar had more activity than usual, people were crowded around the main counter watching the single tiny television in the room. On the fuzzy, barely-in-focus screen the leader of The Union, Aldain Denamu, was addressing the settlement as a whole. Alerik slid in between a couple of patrons to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

  “…so the new curfew will be set for nine pm. This is for the safety of the residents, and the guards that put themselves on the line each and every single day to ensure our lives here are as comfortable as possible. We hope that you all can learn to understand why this is necessary, and that you all continue to fall in line, to help us through these troubled times. Thank you,” he finished his speech and the station immediately cut back to an “I Love Lucy” rerun.

  Alerik had apparently just caught the end of the announcement and he started to wonder if his discovery from earlier instigated the tightening of restrictions. He didn’t have too much time to mull it over. After a quick moment, he felt a tug on his arm and turned to see Velar’s tiny frame trying to pull him from the crowd. It was so noisy in the bar – people were agitated at the new restrictions and were letting everyone around them know it – that Alerik almost didn’t hear Velar say, “Let’s get out of here. Now.”

  He followed her out of the bar and into the light of the path. They were moving at a brisk pace and she finally let go of his arm. She looked beautiful as always, but her striking features were marred with obvious panic. It was a look that was becoming more frequent in the days that had passed, and that broke his heart. She was too young to be dealing with this shit already.

  “We need to get back to your apartment, I think something big is going down,” She sounded frantic.

  “Ya think?” Alerik barked sarcastically, “I am a little confused. I just caught the end of that broadcast. Fill me in.”

  “What do you think I’m trying to do?” she huffed in frustration, arching a brow as she glanced over at him, “For someone so old and wise, you sure have a hard time following along.”

  “I’ll try to do better,” he chuckled. They walked in silence for the remainder of the trip back to his apartment.

  By the time they arrived, Velar had grown more frantic. She began pacing back and forth, even looking through the cracks in the siding in case they received any unwanted company.

  Alerik couldn’t stand it anymore. He approached her from behind and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. She was so wound up, he hoped everything was alright. The news was upsetting, but didn’t warrant this kind of a reaction. Just The Union flexing its dick again. Nothing they weren’t already used to.

  “Velar, why are you so wound up about this? What am I missing here?” he asked in concern as he turned her around so that she was facing him. Her doe eyes were misty and it made him pause for a second. Maybe this was serious.

  “Alerik, they found the guy that was doing the etchings. He is going to be executed. They led with that in the broadcast. Don’t you see? If there really is a massive conspiracy or terrorist group, he just became a martyr for their cause! They will feel justified in any attacks. Not to mention, now The Union can tighten their grip on our lives, as if it wasn’t tight enough already! Bad times are ahead now, and there is nothing we can do about it,” she buried her face in his chest.

  Alerik wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her, “We have to think logically here. The Union wouldn’t risk so much backlash from the settlement unless the threat to all of us was valid. They don’t want to lose their workforce,” he said dryly, “Besides, this is all temporary, just until the people responsible are caught. We can help speed it along. If we find out who is behind it and why, we can pass that information
along to The Union and they will make our lives a lot easier, and the lives of the rest of the people in the settlement.”

  “No, Alerik. Listen to me! I was talking to one of the older women in the mines, the terrorist attacks from two hundred years ago are why the city is the way it is now. Once those bombs were set off in the aluminum mines, The Union was formed as a way to keep people under control. Not saying we didn’t need a little guidance, but with every little attack, with every act of defiance, their choke hold grows stronger and becomes law. Worse yet, we demand it for the sake of safety. People have become so blind to what this world really is. I’m scared Alerik. What could come next could be far worse than how we are already living, and we can’t afford it,” her tears were soaking into his shirt, “What kind of life will that be? They already control so much.”

  “Velar, who did you speak to? Who is filling your head with this nonsense? Bragog was genuinely upset by what we had found. He wasn’t stoked to enforce more rules, he was upset that this group might be the real deal,” he said with a frown as he rubbed his hand against her head, petting down the loose strands of her hair.

  “It was Embyr. She said her grandparents passed down the story to her from theirs. She said this place used to be comprised of scientists, and great thinkers. The best of humanity as you put it yourself. Over time, these brilliant minds became stir crazy and home sick. People started behaving oddly and grouping up and finally these factions were formed, all with very different ideas. The two biggest groups were Liberty’s Flame and The Union. It wasn’t an act of terrorism – not like you’re thinking. Not like they’ve told us. It was an attack in a full-blown war. After The Union won, they labeled opposing groups ‘terrorists’ and began imposing their restrictions and laws. Over time, it has become what it is now, all we have ever known.”

  “A war? Are you sure that Embyr isn’t just passing off some old tale to scare you? Sure sounds like a legend. I mean, how could something like that slip through history? It’s just…” he trailed off as a flash of memories raced through his mind.

  The radio station, the guards, the restricted television channels, the isolation.

  Maybe she was onto something. But what would that mean? Could things actually get worse? This whole time Alerik thought the worst that could happen might be a terrorist attack taking thousands of lives. The thought of war was scary, but the idea that their lives never belonged to them in the first place was a far scarier thought. With that sudden shift in thought, paranoia began to scratch the back of his mind.

  He shook the thoughts away. This was all speculation and until they had more information, there was no point in getting upset.

  “Hey… Let’s not get carried away. I am meeting with Bragog in the morning. Let me talk to him, see what I can find out. Armed with more information, I think we can do more. How about tonight, you stay with me? You seem pretty freaked out, and I don’t want you out in the settlement while tensions are this high, okay?”

  “Sure, I will stay. Thank you,” she pulled away and smiled up at him, “But, Alerik… tomorrow, after you find out a little more, we have to come up with a plan. We are too far into this now. I think we need to do a little investigating on our own, away from the prying eyes of The Union. I would like to get the uncensored version of this story, and I think I might have an idea of where to start,” she said as she wiped her eyes with her shirt.

  “Of course. You know that I’m with you all the way. So let’s get some sleep, and tomorrow we will check out your lead after I hear from Bragog,” he gave her a reassuring smile and cupped her face with his hands, using his thumbs to wipe the rest of her tears from her soft skin.

  Velar finally smiled back at him, “You know, you can be sweet when you’re not being so rigid.”

  She stared back into his icy blue eyes and her mood did a shift. Suddenly she found herself nibbling on her bottom lip as she admired his masculine arms stretched out to hold her face. She didn’t bother trying to hide it this time. Part of her wanted him to see it, she had always had a thing for him and if it wasn’t obvious at this point then he was too clueless to be in charge of investigating anything. She really cared about him – he was all she had, really – and lately he had been there for her more than ever. She fought the urge to kiss him and it became harder and harder to restrain herself the longer they lingered in that moment.

  “Rigid? Oh come on, I’m not that bad am I?” he said with a light chuckle, “Okay, maybe a little bit.”

  His smile grew as he watched her bite her bottom lip. Her lips had always been distracting. They were full and pouty and had to be tempting to almost anyone that caught a glimpse of them. She was irresistible and though there was an age difference he was finding it more difficult to ignore the attraction. Sure, she was an adult… but she was still so young and full of life and his cynical and tired life-view could ruin that. Plus, he was her superior. Fraternizing in the workplace always went over so well. It would be stupid to go for it. He almost stopped himself. Almost.

  “Maybe I need to work on it, how is this for a start?” he leaned in, tentatively pressing his lips against hers. They were as soft as he had imagined. He hoped he hadn’t just seriously fucked up and he braced for rejection.

  At first Velar was stunned, her eyes widened with the sudden feeling of flesh on flesh and she almost recoiled. But something about it felt right, so comfortable and natural… and hot. She never thought Alerik would actually make a move, but she was glad he finally did. She settled into the kiss, fighting the smug smile that wanted to creep onto her face.

  The kiss was soft and hesitant at first, then grew more confident and passionate as time stood still around them. She began nibbling his lip instead of her own, and she felt the entire room warm up as his tongue began sliding against hers. He was an excellent kisser, who would have thought? He broke the kiss and backed away from her slowly.

  “How is that for rigid?”

  She leaned against the wall for support. Her tan face was surely a vibrant shade of red. She was a bit flustered by what had just happened.

  “That is improvement if I’ve ever seen it,” she breathed, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair around her finger while she watched him.

  “I’m glad that I’m making progress,” he winked.

  Alerik then pulled off his shirt to reveal his muscular frame and moved quickly back into place in front of Velar. He reached towards her face and pulled her into another kiss as he used his other hand to turn off the lamp.

  Chapter Two

  It was different, waking up with her at his side – but it was the good kind of different. He’d never really put much thought into how lonely his apartment was until he had something to compare it to. Velar’s presence filled the room, even when she wasn’t making a sound. It gave him this foreign sense of optimism while simultaneously scaring the shit out of him. He had to keep her safe. Needed to protect her. He just didn’t have the slightest clue on how to do that. He hoped his involvement with The Union and this mess with Liberty’s Hammer wouldn’t put her at risk. If something happened to her on his account… he couldn’t live with that.

  The pair traveled to work together, and it was a relief that current events hadn’t corrupted their friendship. He liked walking together in the morning, it temporarily made him forget about all of the concerning developments at the mine. Up until the jobsite came into view, at least.

  It wasn’t surprising that they were greeted by even more strenuous security measures at the jobsite. The mine had double the guards camped out in front and already The Union had erected an extra layer of fencing around the area. It was obvious that tensions were at an all-time high. The guards were being pushy and downright hostile as people poured in from the settlement. As the miners filed through the turnstiles, some were pulled to the side and handcuffed. They were dragged off by Union guards, kicking and screaming the whole way. The place had become a warzone of confusion and hysteria.

  Alerik made h
is way through the ruckus while holding onto Velar tightly. He needed to speak to Bragog. He would take whatever tidbit of information the man was willing to pass on. He hoped Bragog would be forthcoming, the information would likely decide his next move.

  Inside the mine itself, they found that not much was different than on the surface. People were being ushered around and lined up against the cold stone walls to be interrogated. He kept his head down while they navigated the tunnels, but in his peripherals he could see guards shoving people to their knees, handcuffing and blindfolding them before carting them off to some unknown destination. It was a dangerous place to be, the mine that day. He thought about the girl that he was dragging through the chaos and he made a judgment call.

  “Velar,” he stopped and turned to face her, “Go back to my place. It’s not safe here. I’ll cover for you. I am going to find a guard and get to the bottom of this. Just get back safely and I’ll be there shortly,” he tried to hide the panic in his voice.

  When she turned without protest he breathed a sigh of relief. She could be stubborn when she wanted to be. He watched her head back towards the surface and hoped she would make it through the mines without incident. He wasn’t too concerned about it. Velar was a smart, charming girl. If the guards tried hassling her, she’d figure something out.

  Once she was out of view, he turned to a guard and said he needed to speak to Bragog, which prompted the usual clearance and confirmation song-and-dance that he was becoming all too familiar with. Moments later, he was on his way to Bragog’s musty office again. He was looking forward to some answers. He was not looking forward to the smell.

  The hall leading to the office was no longer occupied by just the two guards as before. This time, there were dozens of them, all armed with that new style of firearm. They were practically bouncing off the walls, everything seemed completely frantic. Alerik had to duck and squeeze through the group of people that had amassed there just to get through to the door to Bragog’s office.