“Trouble at home?” Apocalypse Girl asked Apprentice as Scout stormed away and around the corner. Apprentice blushed a deep red. I could only think to blurt out, loudly and embarrassingly, that I had no idea either of them swung that way. “Of course not. You're a man, you need things spelled out for you sometimes.” The affection in Apocalypse Girl's voice took away some of the sting of the comment. Some.
“To be honest, I didn't think I did, either!” Apprentice's colour slowly returned to normal. “After last night, though... We were drunk and talking about things, and then, well, to use an incredibly old and tired cliché, one thing led to another.” She shrugged. “I suppose you've gotta take love when and where you can now.” We walked together in silence towards the dining room. Apprentice had come so far from the judgemental, overly religious, irresponsible, hypocritical party girl that she had once been. I said as much to her. She turned her head slightly towards me and smiled her thanks. A year ago she'd have hit me for that one. Hell, she had, on more than one occasion. She really has grown.
Tiny, The Twin and Machete were already present, chatting away with The Queen, who greeted us all with a smile and waved us all to her massive table, bidding us be seated. We did so casually enough, though this time I felt it too. The Queen wanted something from me, I could sense it now. Her eyes never left me, though she politely chatted with everybody at the table. Her smiles and laughter, as always ever present, never once had any effect on her eyes. Halfway through lunch I could take it no longer and was about to excuse myself when a messenger burst into the room.
Finally, her eyes were off me. I drank an entire glass of water, as my mouth had dried up completely, then took another mouthful of food while The Queen dealt with whatever issue the messenger had for her. “You see, now?” Apocalypse Girl whispered to me. I nodded ever so slightly. The Queen, done now with the newcomer, dismissed him with a wave.
“Champion, I must ask you for another favour.” The Queen began. “There is a group to the south-west, about ten or so kilometres away. Not too far, but outside the walls. They helped us out when we were clearing the roads around that area, gave us some supplies and kept the Dead off of our backs. I would like to set up a kind of trading and travel network with them, as well as a couple of other local groups. I would like you, as my Champion, to deliver my proposal. You leave tomorrow.”
evening
Apocalypse Girl was pissed off. She had already insisted on coming along, though The Queen told her that she'd be much safer staying at the hotel. Apprentice and Machete wasted no time in agreeing to come along, Scout also volunteered the instant she was told. Tiny and The Twin both wanted to join us, as well, but The Queen had forbidden them. The Master gets more than a little paranoid of large groups, it seems.
Butler came to fetch us when it was time for Jester's entertainment to begin. We walked to the square as the sun set behind us and I saw that he had set up a massive wall of screens, stretching an image over all of them. The Queen's pretty face, wild shock of blonde hair and enchanting smile graced the entirety of the contraption, soft classical music playing as the crowd gathered.
Deathwish was already there, smiling his greetings at us as we strolled past to sit between him and The Queen, Butler taking his place at her other side. I reached an arm out around Apocalypse Girl and Apocalypse Dog curled up at our feet. The image of The Queen vanished from the screen and we were plunged into darkness. Her Majesty's hand found its way onto my knee in the dark easily enough, and I gently removed it, placing it on her own leg.
Moments later, the show began. A few cartoons to begin with, and clouds of smoke began to appear, almost as if by magic, as Deathwish and his buddies distributed smoke-ables for any and all that wanted any. I could feel ripples of disapproval emanating from The Queen as I puffed away on the joint that I shared with Apocalypse Girl, ripples that magnified intensely when I offered Her Majesty a toke. She sat there, annoyed, arms crossed, for the rest of the show. Jester had selected a reasonably popular (and actually rather good) romantic comedy for starters, following that up with your typical mindless action flick. The third was science-fiction, a film that I had wanted to see but hadn't gotten around to it before the world ended. All in all a good night's entertainment and exactly what the people of Adelaide needed. Laughter accompanied us as we returned to the hotel for the night.
August 15th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
The Queen, it seemed, was not amused. The previous evening's entertainment had done wonders for the morale of her city, but for her personally, I could only speculate. Once more, during breakfast, she had tried to convince us that Apocalypse Girl would be safer left behind. Once again, I had to point out to her that in no way was I letting her out of my sight. It had gotten bad enough, at one point, that I almost feared for my life, as The Queen quivered in rage. The nearest pair of guards gripped their spears tight enough that their knuckles grew white under the pressure. One of these, eyeing my katana, licked his lips nervously. His glance flickered between my blade, The Queen and his partner. His partner simply stared ahead at the wall, listening for his cue to jump in and likely die for his Queen.
Thankfully for all concerned, that cue never came, as Her Majesty decided to turn away fuming, stating in no uncertain terms that, should Apocalypse Girl not return, that it was on nobody's heads but our own as she stalked back to her own chambers.
“All of the local groups of survivors, such as those led by this Master, have been cooperating with The Queen and assisting us in implementing many of her ideas,” Butler began, after the mood of the room returned to something approaching normality. “However, not everyone agrees with her methods. After our little excursion there are a great many people living within the city that are beginning to wonder exactly how safe they are with the Dead locked away in many of the buildings nearby.”
“I can't exactly blame them, that's something you guys should have taken care of months ago!” Apocalypse Girl told him. “It's not like you don't have the manpower, or the weaponry for the job, after all!”
Nodding, Butler continued. “You're right, of course. The former Sheriff had planned it all out, you see. He and his group were going to begin with cleaning out the very place we all nearly died, then go building to building, floor by floor. He was a … very methodical man.” He removed his spectacles, puffing on them and giving them a good wipe. “I personally didn't like him, very few people did. Many were terrified of the man, in truth. The Queen, though... When he failed to return from his venture to the airport a couple of weeks after the onset of Winter something seemed to snap within her.”
noon
We left the city and headed to the south-west along what had once been a major roadway. Considering the fact that Apocalypse Girl, Apprentice and I were all locally born and raised, we recognised many of the landmarks. Most of these had been marred or outright destroyed by Dead or violence between groups of survivors and bandits, perhaps, or maybe even Dead-eating Ghouls.
We walked past an army barracks that had been stripped very early on, probably in the very first days. Here and there we spotted a couple of Dead, shuffling around doing their thing. These we ignored for the most part, at least until a few drew near, then out came my sword and Machete's blade and the Dead fell down.
“This feels wrong,” Apocalypse Girl pointed out. “No cars on the road at all, but other than that it looks like it could almost be normal.” I glanced around, seeing a pair of faces up in one window looking out at us. I raised a hand in greeting and they vanished. Apocalypse Dog barked. Beyond the south-western gate of the massive patchwork wall surrounding the city and several suburbs the Dead still roamed, the Living still struggled to survive. The pair of faces could have belonged to anyone. We kept on walking.
After a couple of hours we came to an old, abandoned police station. As the sun was already slipping down towards the horizon we decided to check it out and maybe stay the night. Our destination was very close indeed, but it is a
lways better to make your approach in the morning.
From the outside the police station looked almost like an enormous aeroplane hangar, but when we ventured inside, gently closing the door as we passed through, it took on an entirely different aspect. “Hold it right there!” A voice came from above.
evening
Our hosts were more than gracious, offering us a meal and a room that we can all share. The room turned out to be a jail cell, but more than large enough for the five of us and we were assured that the door would remain open at all times.
The leader wanted to chat with me alone, though Apocalypse Girl would not hear of it, and so there we were, the three of us, in what was once an interrogation cell. However, instead of the good-cop/bad-cop routine, we were treated to fresh coffee and a chat.
It turned out that the dozen people that lived at the station were a satellite group of The Master's own, much larger group. Several had come from Adelaide, a couple even going so far as to suggest that the Queen is a bit loopy. A couple had come from the west, across the vast expanse of desert separating South from Western Australia.
When Apocalypse Girl asked about The Master, however, the leader simply smiled. “He's a good bloke,” He began. “A local, he got a bunch of people together and busted into the nearest shopping centre, big fucking place. Said he got the idea from an old horror movie. Anyway, you'll get to meet him tomorrow.”
After our chat we were escorted back to our cell, where the scent of heaven above awaited us. A pretty girl walked past, smiling at us both, as Apocalypse Girl and I entered to see a big pot of stew being portioned out into bowls. “What meat is that?” Apocalypse Girl asked. Our escort was quite unable to tell us exactly, though his description matched that of a Meat-Beast. He was just getting around to the 'it tastes way better than I've made it sound' part when I stopped him to interject that we're more than familiar with the creatures.
Our escort grinned, reached into his pocket. “Take this, my man, for after dinner.” As my hand drew near his own, he dropped a joint into it. I had to chuckle. This would be the first time I had smoked weed in a jail cell, after all.
August 16th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
I was awoken rather rudely by a canine tongue invading my nostrils accompanied by the sounds of merriment and laughter from Apocalypse Girl and Machete. Scout and Apprentice smiled from behind the bars of our cell. “Breakfast time, I said!” Apocalypse Girl berated me. “As if you could even hear me over all that fucking snoring...” I got up, stretched, yawned and walked out of the cell.
“She's got a point, you know,” Scout told me as I passed by. As if she has any right to talk! She and Apprentice had been making enough noise to keep everybody awake in the entire fucking station. I told them both this, Scout blushing bright red in a flustered attempt to make a comeback. Apprentice simply hid her face in her robe.
Breakfast was more of a coffee and toast affair, then the pretty girl from last night showed us where to go, a straight shot down the road, barely a kilometer away, saying that we'd likely be challenged in a matter of minutes. The leader of the police station group had radioed through to the main base last night, so they knew to expect us.
Coming across a barricade made primarily from fencing from local housing, a voice called out from behind; “Well, you've got a dog with you! You've gotta be the group we're waiting for, then.” A reasonably large portion of fence swung outwards on a large hinge, allowing us entry. “Come on in!” Apocalypse Dog trotted through, exploring, sniffing at everything within range of his snuffling nose.
noon
The gate guard waved us on through and on we went, coming at last to a massive squat structure, a small tower sat in central position. Three wings stretched out from it, two short, one long. The carpark surrounding the main building was bare, not a vehicle in sight, but people wandered back and forth calling greetings to one another, as well as us.
As we approached the entrance to the tower we were stopped by a guard. “Sorry, guys, no guns inside the centre.” She sounded bored. “Your sword is fine, though. The Master just doesn't like guns in his presence. Feel free to leave them with me and pick them up when you're done with your meeting, if you'd like.”
We handed over all of our firearms, albeit reluctantly, and were allowed inside. “Take the elevator to the top floor, that's where you'll find him,” The guard told us as we went in. This place, in stark contrast to the shopping centre in the city, was almost untouched by the apocalypse. Nowhere could there be seen puddles of blood and excrement, nor were there ravening hordes of Ghouls. Instead, the walls and floors were as clean as the ceiling, people wandered back and forth going about their business.
Finding the elevator was not difficult, the ride up to the top a short one. The hall led to a large double door, guarded by a single empty stool. A moment later I heard a flushing sound and a guard came rushing past us, nearly bowling Machete over in his excitement to open the door for us.
The Master sat at his desk, leaning forward ever so slightly when he realised that we were new people in his domain. “That's a nice sword, sir. Do you mind if I take a quick look?” He asked me through his greying goatee. I agreed, slowly drawing the blade, extending it to him to inspect. “Beautiful. I've always wanted a katana, myself. Not one of those piece of shit things you used to be able to pick up for a couple of hundred bucks, mind you. I'm talking about a genuine, Japanese-made sword now.”
I sheathed my blade. “Anyway, where are my manners? Welcome to my Domain,” He shook each of our hands, telling us all to sit and make ourselves at home. “There's an urn full of boiling water on the bench over there, help yourselves to tea or coffee. I should probably let you know the situation here. Take a look around, then come back after dinner.”
evening
A long while later, we left The Master's office. We found ourselves wandering the centre almost the way people had, before. “I've missed this,” Apprentice mused. “I used to come in here at least a couple of times a week just to look at crap I'll never ever need, not in a million years.” Apocalypse Girl chuckled. Scout simply shook her head.
“I used to come here just about every day after school,” I told them. “It was a pretty awesome place to meet people, once upon a time. Also it was a pretty awesome place to pick up drugs and women.”
The Master had told us nothing that we hadn't already figured out for ourselves. See anything Dead, put it down. Don't steal, don't lie, don't kill. Respect the local authority. That was about it, at least when it came to rules. When I mentioned that we had been sent by The Queen of Adelaide, he grew suddenly silent. Standing, he turned to stare out of the window, towards the city.
“As long as that's all she wants, that's fine. Travelling and trade between our groups is a brilliant idea, I have to admit, but I fail to see what we might have here that she would want.” The Master considered. “I suppose we'll work that out later. Well, I'll agree to it for now, at least.”
We were allocated a room in the tower, the second-highest floor, that The Master called his 'guest quarters'. There were beds enough to sleep in, comfortable ones, at that. A stove upon which to cook, even a small fridge stocked with beer. All in all, a comfortable enough place to relax overnight, even for a few days.
August 17th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
Overnight we were in contact with a couple of friends, via radio. Viking and Valkyrie had been sent on another 'diplomatic mission', they had taken information that we had given them to The Principal. He had, in turn, asked them if they minded making yet another long journey to try and make some sort of deal with The Queen. So, the large blonde couple got a small group together and headed back out into the Dead-filled wider world once again. Viking estimated that they'd probably be arriving in a few days. “Just promise me, whatever happens, don't kill this one off!” Viking admonished me as he signed off for the night.
The Colonel had also been in contact, once more insisting that so
meone there at the AR-18 Facility needed to speak to Apocalypse Girl. Once again, she reached out and turned the radio off before this mysterious stranger could even speak.
The Master, once the sun was up and shining bleakly through the clouds, knocked on our door. Conveniently, we were just sitting down to breakfast, remarking that out-of-date cereals are nearly as good as the fresh stuff had been when his powerful, well-spoken voice echoed through the wood of the door. He asked that we meet him downstairs when we were done with our food, in what had once been the food court.
Nearly twenty minutes later we descended in the elevator. The doors opened with a 'ping' sound, allowing us to exit. Everything had certainly changed around here; the tables and chairs had been torn out to make room for an archery range. The Master stood at one end, showing a young blonde girl the proper way to handle a bow. Several more people practiced, firing arrows at mannequins dragged up from several department stores.
“Not a bad idea,” I greeted him as we approached. The Master nodded towards us, waving a hand in the direction of some practice bows. We each picked one up, firing a brief volley of arrows into a standing row of mannequins.
Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 8): August Page 6