by Kip Nelson
If there was a way for him to escape this apartment building and get into their group, then perhaps he could find out who the leader was and take them out from the inside. At least then he would have a mission, a purpose. Diana had told him to look out for opportunities and this was a prime one. He didn't think he'd get one better than this.
By this point the watchman was circling him, and a few more people in the crowd were looking upon the proceedings with interest. There was little in the way of entertainment and this was about as good as it got. Adam followed the watchman around and his eyes shifted towards Diana, who had been joined by Annabelle and Peter. Annabelle was in the middle, holding their hands. It brought him comfort to know they were there, but he didn't want to look at them for too long in case the watchman noticed and tried to make an example of them.
“You're not like the usual suspects we get here, are you? You're annoying, but you have some spunk, which is sorely lacking in all the rest. If you do want to be considered, then you'll have to meet the leader. It's a very tough process.”
“I'm up for the challenge.”
“I bet you are. That guy yesterday, your friend, I could tell when he came up to us that he had a death wish. I could see it in his eyes, and I bet you noticed that he didn't even try fighting back. But you, you're different. Dying ain't in the cards for you just yet.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Adam said, feeling like that was something one of his heroes would have said. The watchman studied him for a few more moments and pressed his lips together. He turned back to the other watchman.
“What do you reckon? Think he's got what it takes?” he called out.
The other watchman craned his neck from side to side and shrugged. “Maybe. He looks about the only one here who does.”
The watchman closest to Adam turned back to him and looked him up and down once more. “We have suffered a few losses recently, so the leader put out a call to try finding new candidates. Didn't think we'd find one here, in all honesty, but maybe we can bring back a surprise with us. And if not, it'll be funny to see you fail. Either way, you've brought a little excitement to your life. Wait here until our shift is over and you can come back with us, but you're going to have to watch what you say to the leader because you won't get away with acting like you are here. Now, me, I'm quite easygoing and I don't tend to get worked up unless someone really gets under my skin, like your friend Clark. Now, that wasn't the first time he'd pulled a stunt like that. I told him, and I warned him, and I gave him chance after chance, but he just wouldn't listen. In the end, he got what he wanted, isn't that right?”
As he spoke he slid his arm around Adam's shoulders. Adam had to agree with him and endure this camaraderie for the sake of the future and the ultimate revenge. These people couldn't be allowed to continue their reign of terror, but he was being given a way in. He wasn't going to squander that opportunity.
“Yes, and I'm not going to do the same thing as he did,” Adam said. In his mind, he thought he also could find Clark's wife and find out the real truth. Because he couldn't believe she would have left him so readily.
“But I have some friends I want to bring with me as well,” he said, and then pointed to where Diana, Peter, and Annabelle were standing. The watchman took one look at Diana and wolf-whistled.
“You could have just mentioned her first and we could have avoided all this!” the watchman said.
Adam looked over at Diana, who rolled her eyes and glared at him. Adam offered her a thumbs-up and a smile, but it was only Peter who returned the gesture. Still, Adam was happy with himself as he felt he had accomplished something. He was glad to be getting out of the apartment building because it was all too morbid a place, and there was nothing left for him.
Chapter Seven
“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Diana asked harshly, glaring at Adam.
Adam smiled at her, wondering why she was in such a state when he just had done something marvelous. She grabbed Adam's arm and took him a few paces away from Peter and Annabelle, so that they could have a conversation in relative privacy.
“I'm pretty sure I just saved our lives,” Adam said smugly, feeling pretty damned pleased with himself.
Although things hadn't gone the way he had planned, he was overjoyed with the outcome. He wasn't dead, and he had a way to escape the apartment. He also was about to discover something new about the world, and his curiosity was sparked. He'd always loved learning new things. That had been one of the reasons why this new world had been filled with such drudgery. Without a source of entertainment, that need for learning had gone unfulfilled, until now. He wasn't dead, and he hadn't been beaten to a pulp, and for those reasons the endeavor had been a success.
Diana, on the other hand, thought otherwise. “Saved our lives? Are you serious?! More like you just served us our death warrants. I can't believe you could be this stupid...No, wait, actually, I can. What the hell were you thinking going up to them like that? Did you really think anything good was going to come of it?”
Her eyes blazed with anger and her tongue was like a whip. Adam had had just about enough of this, and his first feelings about her quickly were changing. If Annabelle hadn't been there, he would have given Diana more of a piece of his mind. Instead, he had to try keeping a lid on his emotions for the sake of the little girl.
“Something good has come of it,” he said, in a strained voice.
“We're finally getting out of here. Isn't that what we all wanted? Did you really want to stay here and just see life fizzle away? You asked me what I wanted, told me I couldn't just sit around and watch life happen. I'm finally taking action. I couldn't stand by and watch my friend get killed and have nobody care. That's not the type of world I want to live in and, frankly, I'm amazed you're not okay with that. I get that you're focused on Annabelle, but think about it for a second. Do you really want her to live in that kind of world, where people die, and the only reaction is a shrug?
“I want to get to that camp and see who is responsible for all of this, and then I want to find a way to make them pay. I don't know how I'm going to go about that, and I don't know how long it's going to take, and frankly I don't care. That's what I want out of life, and I'm going. If you and Annabelle want to stay here, that's fine, but there's no future here. You think things are going to change? Eventually, the food is going to run out, and nobody is going to know how to fend for themselves. You'll have to leave and hope that you'll find somewhere else to live. I don't know where they're going to take us, but it's gotta be better than this.”
Diana looked shocked. This was the first time Adam really had stood up to her. She was so taken aback she wasn't sure what to say. She'd been so used to being tough, telling everyone how she saw things, that it was different to come across a man who was standing up for himself and, in all honesty, it was welcome. At first, she felt a flush of anger, but she kept herself composed. The more she thought about it, the more she liked Adam this way, and was glad he finally was showing some fire in his belly. Her lips curled into a sly smile, and this time it was Adam's turn to be confused.
“I'm glad you're finally showing some fight,” she said. “Keep it up. But it would have been nice if you had consulted us first.”
“Well, I didn't really think you would be affected by it. I just thought...well, I wasn't really thinking clearly when I went down there.”
“Mm, just make sure that whatever you do now it is with a clear mind. If not, then you'll only get yourself killed. Because they won't put up with any more shenanigans.”
“I know. I guess it was a bit presumptuous of me to get you involved, but I think I'm going to need your help.”
“You made your bed and you have to lie in it. I'm not about to become some vigilante force for justice. If you want to get yourself killed, go ahead. I mean, I'll come with you because you're probably right. This place isn't going to last long, and we're not going to get anywhere by staying here, but I'm
not going to take on this quest for you. This is what you want, not me. You know what I want? To have a roof over my head and a constant supply of food, that's all I need.”
“You mean all this time you've been hounding me for not having a plan, and that's all you need? Are you kidding me right now?”
“Oh, I have a plan, trust me on that. I'm just saying those are the things I need. The things I want are different.”
“Care to let me in on the secret?”
“Not yet. Now, if you're ready, I believe we have to pack.”
Adam was left feeling frustrated by Diana as she turned on her heels and walked back to Annabelle and Peter. There were some moments when he thought he had figured her out, then she said or did something that plunged him into confusion again, and she never seemed happy with anything he did. Perhaps one day they would end up being on friendly terms, but as it was Adam didn't even know if she liked him. They just had been flung together because of circumstances, and if circumstances changed, then who’s to say the nature of their relationship wouldn't as well?
Going to this new camp was a risk. That was certain, since he didn't know if they even would be kept together or not. He'd grown used to having Diana and Annabelle around. The thought of splitting apart was not a desirable one. However, he would get his revenge for Clark. He didn't care what Diana said, the fire burned within him and it was calling out for a sacrifice. It would not die out into embers until the price had been paid, until the play was over, and the law had been fulfilled.
The taking of another human life was an abomination in the eyes of gods and men. It had been throughout human history. In all the societies throughout all the world, the taking of another human life was abhorrent. And although the world had ended, they still were standing, and as long as humans breathed, that fact would remain indisputable. If Adam was the only one who cared, then so be it. Yet, he wasn't about to stand by and let the very core of human nature turn to ashes. Before he turned away he looked back at the men who had killed Clark and knew their time was running out.
“Are we really going?!” Annabelle asked excitedly. Peter also had the same glimmer in his eyes. Diana huffed and said yes. Peter and Annabelle gave each other a high five.
“But,” Diana said, crouching down so her eyes were on the same level as Annabelle's, “we don't know what it's going to be like when we get there. So, we have to be super careful. Okay? Don't go wandering off, and don't talk to any strangers. There may be some dangerous people, we just don't know yet, but as long as we stick together we'll be just fine.”
“Got it,” Annabelle said with a grin. Diana stood up.
Nothing seemed to faze Annabelle. She was a tough cookie alright, but Diana still had doubts whether she was doing the right thing, raising Annabelle in the right way. As they walked back to their little corner of the building Adam and Diana were silent, but Annabelle and Peter were talking happily about what they thought the new place was going to be like. The two of them had become fast friends, quite the contrast to the frosty, tense relationship enjoyed by Diana and Adam.
The four of them quickly collected their possessions and then made their way back downstairs, where they waited for a signal from the watchmen. Eventually, one of them waved his arm and the group walked forward, joining the two watchmen.
“You ready to go?” he asked gruffly. Adam nodded. They walked out to the front of the building and saw another two watchmen come up.
“You got some newcomers?” one of the new ones said.
“Something like that. This one has a bit of spunk in him, and I'm surprised we haven't seen her before. They could prove to be assets.”
The watchmen eyed Diana, who instinctively put her hands on Annabelle's shoulders and furrowed her brow. The watchmen had a hunger in their eyes, a hunger that Diana had seen far too many times before.
“Let's hope it works out. Everything alright in there?”
“Yeah, the only excitement was this guy. Other than that, it's all quiet.”
“Damn, well, I hope I get a little excitement. I hate this place, it's so depressing.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, we'd better get back. Don't want to keep the leader waiting.”
“Hell no.” The watchmen shared a laugh.
Adam watched them interact carefully. It was such a normal conversation, the kind of thing that would be heard at any place of work, but they were monsters. They killed a man, and he never could let himself forget that. The other two watchmen went into the building.
“Come on then, let's go,” the watchmen said.
Now that they were in closer proximity Adam could look at them properly. Before, he had been blinded by fear and panic and their faces had blurred together. The one who did most of the talking had a scar on his right cheek that parted his thick black beard, and dark curls of hair frothed down the side of his face. His companion was taller, leaner, and clean-shaven, with not a hair on his head. His neck was thick and his eyes narrowed, and he grunted more than he spoke. He was like a dog on a leash.
“Where exactly are we going?” Diana asked in a clipped voice.
“Wherever you want darling,” the watchman said, laughing. He slapped his companion on the arm, who did what Adam supposed passed for a laugh, but it was more like a series of deep hoots.
“I mean so we know how long it's going to take to get there,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You'll find out soon enough. It's just a short walk. Come on, times a-wasting.”
They walked on for a little while in silence, which didn't suit Adam because he wanted to find out as much information as possible about these people and the camp where he was being taken.
“So, what are your names?” he asked eventually.
“I'm Lee, and we call this one Ham, short for Hammer. You'd better pray you don't find out why,” Lee said, although Adam had an idea. He remembered the way Ham had beat his fists down into Clark's face, pummeling his body until the bones cracked.
“I'm Adam,” Adam said, but Lee didn't really seem to care.
The watchmen weren't concerned with the city, and didn't make any efforts to try staying hidden near the sides of the streets or look out for any threats. It was like they had supreme confidence in themselves, like they owned the area. Perhaps, Adam thought, they did. And if he and the others were welcomed into this community, then there were certain perks he could enjoy. They walked on for a little longer and then Lee began telling them how the whole thing was going to work.
“We're going to take you in, and then I'll go to the leader. When the leader is ready to see you, we'll come and get you and bring you in. You'll be questioned and you'll have to prove yourself. As long as you do what's asked of you and impress us, you'll be allowed to stay. If not, you'll be turned out and you'll have to make your own way.”
“At least we can head back to the apartments,” Adam said, but Lee laughed.
“No, you can’t,” he said. Adam stopped dead in his tracks.
“What do you mean?”
“You can't go back there. Not after you've seen where our camp is. You might tell other people there, and we can't have that. No, this is your chance, and if you fuck it up, then you have to live with that.”
“You should have told us this before!” Adam cried, but it was no use.
Lee just shrugged, Ham laughed his hooting laugh, and Diana glared at him, although this time she didn't say anything. While they walked along they heard a noise, and saw a small group of people coming out of a store. Lee and Ham turned to them, and the people instantly looked frightened. A couple of them sprinted away, but Lee raised his gun, making the others freeze. He sauntered up to them and began tormenting them, looking through their things. The people stared at Adam imploringly, begging him silently to help, but Adam felt so powerless. Lee had his back turned to him, but Ham was nearby, not taking his eyes off Adam or the others Adam didn't fancy his chances against the hulking man. Adam watched Lee take food from these clearly starvi
ng people, even though Lee had plenty of food. His fists clenched by his side, but he could do nothing.
Lee came back after he sent the other group scurrying away.
“Why did you do that?” Adam asked. “They weren't causing any harm. Why do you spend all your time doing things like this when you could be doing something better?”
Lee chewed the food he just had taken, some beef jerky. He tore it with his teeth and smacked his lips together in a disgusting manner. When he spoke Adam could see the chewed jerky churn around in his mouth like clothes in a washing machine.
“We're finally in a world where we can do things without any bullshit consequences. Why would we not?”
Adam felt his heart drop. Lee had a completely different way of thinking, and it was so hard for Adam to understand how they could be happy acting like this. It depressed him, for he knew he was in the minority. He walked with slumped shoulders, not wanting to say anything else to them. He had to know who was giving the orders, had to find out how he could make a difference in this world.
Eventually, they came to the camp. A section of the city had been cordoned off with corrugated metal walls, making it look like some kind of fortress. Lee whistled and a head popped up over the wall. Lee waved and slowly the gates creaked open, scraping across the ground, making an unholy noise, welcoming Adam and his friends into hell.
Chapter Eight
The small group clustered together as they walked through the open gates. None of them had expected anything like this. The place looked huge, almost a small city in its own right. The metal walls had been placed around the buildings to create a safe perimeter, and along the walls were platforms where people could keep watch. As he walked in, Adam noticed the bullet holes that peppered the gates. He didn't mention them for fear that Diana just would walk in the opposite direction with Annabelle. He wasn't sure this place was safe, but it had to be safer than the outside world.